TingMate · English Learning

A slow English story about An indie developer says a much bigger company grabbed his trademark, and I hope it ends fairly. 13 simple sentences. Word by word. About 12 minutes.

📝 Today's sentences

① Yesterday, someone using our app told me about something.

② There's an indie developer who shared his story online.

③ He says a much bigger company grabbed his trademark first.

④ It was a small developer up against a much bigger company.

⑤ That kind of gap really got to me.

⑥ So I reached out to him to hear what happened.

⑦ He explained everything to me, and reminded me to protect my own work too.

⑧ I also went through the evidence he shared publicly.

⑨ Honestly, I haven't had time to verify every detail.

⑩ But he's put so much public info out there, and I tend to believe him.

⑪ Still, I don't want to jump to conclusions yet.

⑫ I just really hope more people pay attention to this.

⑬ And I hope it ends with a fair outcome for everyone.

🔑 Vocabulary

• indie developer /ˈɪndi dɪˈveləpər/

• trademark /ˈtreɪdmɑːrk/

• up against /ʌp əˈɡenst/

• jump to conclusions /dʒʌmp tə kənˈkluːʒənz/

• pay attention to /peɪ əˈtenʃən tə/

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A slow English story about Halfway through 2026 already, looking back at the year's goals and the one unexpected win. 15 simple sentences. Word by word. About 17 minutes.

📝 Today's sentences

① Someone left a comment on my latest podcast episode today.

② She wrote, "Wow, half of 2026 is already gone, just like that."

③ Quick note for the folks using my app: I also have a podcast.

④ It's called TingMate too, on the Xiaoyuzhou app and the Apple Podcasts app.

⑤ Long story short, that comment really made me stop and think.

⑥ Time flies, so I looked back at my goals for this year.

⑦ Land an offer from a dream company? I actually got it. Nice!

⑧ Work out twice a week, sleep before midnight? Almost never.

⑨ Read a book a month, take a trip abroad? Nope, neither.

⑩ And honestly, a bunch of other plans never happened either.

⑪ But there was one surprise win: my TingMate app and podcast.

⑫ And that one win honestly makes up for all the misses.

⑬ Thanks for all your support. It really means a lot to me.

⑭ I know I'm pretty good at complimenting myself! Hope you are too.

⑮ I've still got half the year to catch up. I'm a driven person, after all.

🔑 Vocabulary

• episode /ˈepɪˌsoʊd/

• left a comment /left ə ˈkɑːment/

• long story short /ˌlɔːŋ ˈstɔːri ʃɔːrt/

• stop and think /stɑːp ən θɪŋk/

• makes up for /meɪks ʌp fɔːr/

• means a lot /miːnz ə ˈlɑːt/

• complimenting myself /ˈkɑːmplɪmentɪŋ maɪˈself/

• catch up /kætʃ ʌp/

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A slow English story about A week of working from home, so free but so much less productive, and that's OK. 14 simple sentences. Word by word. About 11 minutes.

📝 Today's sentences

① This week, I'm doing remote work.

② It just means I don't have to go into the office. I can work from anywhere.

③ We only get four weeks of it a year.

④ I was saving it for my Christmas holiday.

⑤ I planned to fly back to China then.

⑥ But this time, I was in San Francisco. I didn't want to go back to Austin.

⑦ So I applied for remote work instead.

⑧ It feels so free to work from home.

⑨ But honestly, I'm less productive.

⑩ I don't even eat at regular times anymore.

⑪ I was basically lying in bed all day.

⑫ And that's OK. I don't need to be productive all the time.

⑬ People say a little rest helps you go further.

⑭ And I'm telling myself that, too.

🔑 Vocabulary

• remote work /rɪˈmoʊt wɜːrk/

• saving it for /ˈseɪvɪŋ ɪt fɔːr/

• applied for /əˈplaɪd fɔːr/

• work from home /wɜːrk frəm hoʊm/

• productive /prəˈdʌktɪv/

• lying in bed /ˈlaɪɪŋ ɪn bed/

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A slow English story about Apple raised Mac prices across the board, and the increase alone could buy a whole laptop. 10 simple sentences. Word by word. About 9 minutes.

📝 Today's sentences

① Lately, I've seen a lot of posts about Apple raising prices.

② Macs went up across the board.

③ Someone online said they hesitated for a long time about buying one.

④ Before they could decide, the price jumped.

⑤ So I checked Apple's website. It was up a full three thousand yuan.

⑥ I was surprised. It's not 300. It's 3,000.

⑦ My first computer in college cost about that much.

⑧ Out of curiosity, I opened Amazon.

⑨ There are still laptops for under three thousand yuan.

⑩ I know the quality isn't the same. I'm just saying.

🔑 Vocabulary

• raising prices /ˈreɪzɪŋ ˈpraɪsɪz/

• across the board /əˌkrɒs ðə ˈbɔːrd/

• hesitated /ˈhezɪteɪtɪd/

• out of curiosity /aʊt əv ˌkjʊriˈɒsəti/

• I'm just saying /aɪm dʒʌst ˈseɪɪŋ/

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A slow English story about Half a year after leaving the Bay Area, the old hiking group gets back together. 12 simple sentences. Word by word. About 12 minutes.

📝 Today's sentences

① I left the Bay Area about half a year ago.

② Now that I'm back, I reached out to my friends right away.

③ We used to have a hiking group. We hiked every week for almost a year.

④ After I left, everyone got busy. The group went quiet.

⑤ This time I posted in the group chat, and everyone showed up.

⑥ We hiked Mission Peak, a famous spot in the Bay Area.

⑦ On the way up, we caught up on everything.

⑧ One friend, a postdoc, finally published his paper.

⑨ Another got laid off but landed a new job. And one broke up with his girlfriend.

⑩ We looked back on the last time we were here together.

⑪ I feel like, whether we come or not, the mountain and nature are always here.

⑫ You know what I mean? I guess you do.

🔑 Vocabulary

• reached out /riːtʃt aʊt/

• group chat /ɡruːp tʃæt/

• showed up /ʃoʊd ʌp/

• caught up /kɔːt ʌp/

• got laid off /ɡɒt leɪd ɔːf/

• broke up /broʊk ʌp/

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Day 40 · Champions

Tonight could be the night. Game 5. New York leads the series three to one.

None of us got a ticket. They were way too expensive. So we squeeze in front of one screen.

For most of the game, New York is down. At one point, down by sixteen. It looks over.

Then Brunson takes over! Thirteen points in a row! We can't believe it!

We are all on the edge of our seats.

The final minute. New York is ahead. Nobody says a word.

The buzzer sounds! Ninety-four to ninety! The Knicks win!

They did it! The Knicks are champions! Their first title in fifty-three years!

We jump up and start yelling! The whole room goes crazy!

Outside, car horns everywhere. People pour into the streets.

And tonight, the whole city says it together. Congratulations. The Knicks! You are the champions! Brunson, MVP! The king of New York!

Day 41 · Tasting It Online

My friends, I have a question for you. Is it crawfish season back in China right now?

I've been in Austin, Texas lately. The most famous local supermarket here is H-E-B.

There's one almost every two miles. And in summer, crawfish is their thing.

They set up a little stall out front. Selling crawfish for a limited time.

I parked my car, and the smell hit me right away.

I really wanted some. But I wasn't sure how clean they were.

So I made a deal with myself. If they're still here when I come out. I'll get some.

I went in and grabbed milk, bread, steak, and some fruit.

When I came out, they were already sold out.

I felt disappointed and relieved at the same time.

Back home, I scrolled through tons of crawfish videos. So many flavors, from Changsha to Suzhou.

I told myself I'd pretty much tasted every flavor already. Then I saw someone drop instant noodles right into the crawfish sauce.

So I dug into my own instant noodles. And honestly, it tasted pretty good too.

Day 42 · Don't Suffer Alone

I got home around 6:30 today. And man, it was hot.

The house hit 84 degrees Fahrenheit. So I turned on the AC right away.

I grabbed a drink from the fridge and sank into my rocking chair.

But five minutes later, I was still sweating.

That's when it hit me. The AC wasn't cooling at all.

Now I wasn't just hot. I was getting cranky.

I walked to the leasing office. But they were already closed.

I knew I could call maintenance. But it was getting late.

And honestly, I hate being a bother. So I got stuck in my own head.

So I tried asking the neighbor group. My AC doesn't seem to be cooling. Anyone have any advice?

And boom. So many people jumped in. Mine too! Mine too!

So one neighbor stepped up. He gathered everyone's unit numbers. Then he sent in one maintenance request for all of us.

Half an hour later, someone showed up. Turns out the condensation had backed up. Fixed in a minute.

And we made a deal in the group. Next time, we tell each other right away.

Day 43 · 618 Mid-Year Sale?

Hey, do you guys know what day it is? Today's the last day of the 618 mid-year sale.

I just paid the balance on my pre-order.

And honestly, I was scared I'd messed up the math.

These days, you just can't figure out the discount rules.

I checked it three times. And I'm good with numbers, especially money.

But I still feel like I didn't get every discount.

Honestly, what was wrong with the old fifty percent off?

You buy one thing, and they throw in a pile of free gifts.

But here's the thing. I'm a minimalist. I really don't like hoarding stuff.

And yet, I still want to save a little money.

So here I am, staring at my cart, kind of stuck.

Did I actually save anything? Honestly, I have no idea.

Day 44 · Happy Dragon Boat Festival

Dragon Boat Festival is almost here. So today I left work early and went to a friend's place.

She had everything ready. And we tried wrapping zongzi.

And honestly? It's so much harder than it looks.

We didn't have red bean filling. Just salted egg yolk and pork.

My friend is from the North. She likes dipping hers in white sugar.

So I gave it a try.

Day 45 · Out of the Blue

This past Sunday, I got a text from a friend out of the blue.

He said he's landing in the Bay Area on Tuesday.

He flew from China to New York for an NBA game.

I promised to show him around Silicon Valley.

I've been really busy lately. It totally slipped my mind.

But he's coming all the way from China. I have to keep my word.

So I opened the Workday app. And I put in for time off, Monday and Tuesday.

Then I emailed my coworkers to let them know.

After that, I opened Expedia to book a flight.

Oh my god, last-minute flights are so expensive.

It's usually a hundred bucks. Now it's jumped to five hundred.

I should've booked it when we first made plans.

Still, I'm really happy. He's the first friend to visit me from China.

Well, okay, he's mostly here for the NBA game. But hey, I'll take it!

Day 46 · A Close Call

Today I flew to San Francisco to see my friend.

I took a cab to the airport. I thought I had plenty of time.

But we got stuck in traffic. There were a few accidents.

The driver's GPS messed up and took us to the parking lot. I had to help him navigate to departures.

So I was already in a hurry. The check-in line was really long.

I quickly got my passport ready.

I asked the people in front if I could cut in line.

They were all so nice and let me go ahead.

I checked in and got my boarding pass.

I only had thirty minutes left. So I rushed through security.

I hurried to the gate. My group was already boarding.

I was almost the last one to get on.

I sat down, and right away the plane took off.

Honestly, that was a close call. But I made it!

Day 47 · Just Like Old Times

Texas is two hours ahead of California. This morning I almost overslept.

My friend texted me. He landed. I jumped out of bed.

Good thing I live close to the airport. I washed my face and drove straight there.

The airport roads were confusing. So I followed the signs to arrivals.

I put on my hazard lights and waited to pick him up.

Perfect timing. My friend just came out.

He was looking around. I pulled up right in front of him.

And he finally recognized me.

We hadn't seen each other in over four years.

But it felt like we were back working together.

He had a tight schedule, so we headed straight downtown.

We hit the Golden Gate Bridge. We drove past 890 California Street. That's where they filmed Inception.

Then we went to Fisherman's Wharf. We took tons of photos along the way.

We had a lobster roll and some clam chowder there.

I dropped him off at his hotel after dark. We'll meet again at nine tomorrow.

Day 48 · Google, Apple, Stanford

We had a lot planned today. After picking him up, we went straight to Google.

We had the employee breakfast, then rode the colorful bikes to Google headquarters.

We saw work areas themed like dinosaurs, forests, and oceans.

My friend said: "The working vibe here feels so open."

Next we got to the Apple Visitor Center. He borrowed an iPad to see the Apple Park model.

He could see the staff inside, in real time. So high-tech.

Guess what? We saw the real thing. He told me: "The greenery in Apple Park is amazing!"

A friend of mine is a postdoc at Stanford, so she showed us around.

We saw the Oval and the church, then climbed Hoover Tower.

Last but most important, the bookstore. He bought a few Stanford hoodies as souvenirs for his kids.

For dinner, we hit an Italian spot downtown, Doppio Zero.

He tried burrata for the first time and loved it.

We made a toast: "To our short, happy, 32-hour reunion!"

A slow English story about Back to work after the visit, meetings, a backlog, and just directing my AI assistant. 14 simple sentences. Word by word. About 14 minutes.

📝 Today's sentences

① Yesterday I saw my friend off. He flew back to China.

② I wanted to go back to China too. But as an adult, it's time to go back to work.

③ Because of my three days off, my work piled up. Now I've got a huge backlog.

④ This morning I had three meetings back-to-back.

⑤ One with QA, one with our contractor in India, and our team standup.

⑥ So I got nothing done all morning.

⑦ After lunch, I finally got into work mode.

⑧ I went through my email, tickets, and team channel.

⑨ I replied to every message, one by one.

⑩ Then I sorted out my priorities.

⑪ I synced up with my mentor.

⑫ And then it was back to my day-to-day coding.

⑬ Well, really, I just told my best assistant Claude what to do.

⑭ I'm basically a prompt engineer now.

🔑 Vocabulary

• saw my friend off /sɔː maɪ frend ɔːf/

• piled up /paɪld ʌp/

• backlog /ˈbæklɒɡ/

• back-to-back /ˌbæk tə ˈbæk/

• contractor /ˈkɒntræktər/

• standup /ˈstændʌp/

• got nothing done /ɡɒt ˈnʌθɪŋ dʌn/

• work mode /wɜːrk moʊd/

• one by one /wʌn baɪ wʌn/

• priorities /praɪˈɔːrətiz/

• synced up /sɪŋkt ʌp/

• day-to-day /ˌdeɪ tə ˈdeɪ/

• prompt engineer /prɒmpt ˌendʒɪˈnɪr/

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A slow English story about Touring my friend around Google, Apple, and Stanford in one packed day. 13 simple sentences. Word by word. About 17 minutes.

📝 Today's sentences

① We had a lot planned today. After picking him up, we went straight to Google.

② We had the employee breakfast, then rode the colorful bikes to Google headquarters.

③ We saw work areas themed like dinosaurs, forests, and oceans.

④ My friend said: "The working vibe here feels so open."

⑤ Next we got to the Apple Visitor Center. He borrowed an iPad to see the Apple Park model.

⑥ He could see the staff inside, in real time. So high-tech.

⑦ Guess what? We saw the real thing. He told me: "The greenery in Apple Park is amazing!"

⑧ A friend of mine is a postdoc at Stanford, so she showed us around.

⑨ We saw the Oval and the church, then climbed Hoover Tower.

⑩ Last but most important, the bookstore. He bought a few Stanford hoodies as souvenirs for his kids.

⑪ For dinner, we hit an Italian spot downtown, Doppio Zero.

⑫ He tried burrata for the first time and loved it.

⑬ We made a toast: "To our short, happy, 32-hour reunion!"

🔑 Vocabulary

• employee breakfast /ˌemplɔɪˈiː ˈbrekfəst/

• themed /θiːmd/

• working vibe /ˈwɜːrkɪŋ vaɪb/

• real time /riːl taɪm/

• high-tech /ˌhaɪ ˈtek/

• greenery /ˈɡriːnəri/

• postdoc /ˈpoʊstdɒk/

• souvenirs /ˌsuːvəˈnɪrz/

• for the first time /fər ðə ˈfɜːrst taɪm/

• made a toast /meɪd ə toʊst/

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A slow English story about Picking up an old friend at the airport and showing him around San Francisco. 15 simple sentences. Word by word. About 17 minutes.

📝 Today's sentences

① Texas is two hours ahead of California. This morning I almost overslept.

② My friend texted me. He landed. I jumped out of bed.

③ Good thing I live close to the airport. I washed my face and drove straight there.

④ The airport roads were confusing. So I followed the signs to arrivals.

⑤ I put on my hazard lights and waited to pick him up.

⑥ Perfect timing. My friend just came out.

⑦ He was looking around. I pulled up right in front of him.

⑧ And he finally recognized me.

⑨ We hadn't seen each other in over four years.

⑩ But it felt like we were back working together.

⑪ He had a tight schedule, so we headed straight downtown.

⑫ We hit the Golden Gate Bridge. We drove past 890 California Street. That's where they filmed Inception.

⑬ Then we went to Fisherman's Wharf. We took tons of photos along the way.

⑭ We had a lobster roll and some clam chowder there.

⑮ I dropped him off at his hotel after dark. We'll meet again at nine tomorrow.

🔑 Vocabulary

• two hours ahead /tuː ˈaʊərz əˈhed/

• overslept /ˌoʊvərˈslept/

• jumped out of bed /dʒʌmpt aʊt əv bed/

• arrivals /əˈraɪvəlz/

• hazard lights /ˈhæzərd laɪts/

• pick him up /pɪk hɪm ʌp/

• perfect timing /ˈpɜːrfɪkt ˈtaɪmɪŋ/

• looking around /ˈlʊkɪŋ əˈraʊnd/

• pulled up /pʊld ʌp/

• recognized /ˈrekəɡnaɪzd/

• tight schedule /taɪt ˈskedʒuːl/

• lobster roll /ˈlɒbstər roʊl/

• clam chowder /klæm ˈtʃaʊdər/

• dropped him off /drɒpt hɪm ɔːf/

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