Culture: Spring cleaning

It's time for some spring cleaning!

Rubber gloves...usually kept under the kitchen sink!

In Japan, people clean their homes and workplaces at the end of the year.
They wash away the dust and energy of the past year.
It is a way to prepare for the new year.
The end of year clean is a Japanese tradition.


We also have an annual cleaning event.
Annual = Every year / Once a year
Our annual cleaning is called 'spring cleaning'.
Our annual clean out is traditionally during the first warm days of the new year.
The first warm days are in spring.
Spring is the season of sunshine and warmth.
Spring cleaning is popular in cold places.
These days 'spring cleaning' is not always in spring.
Any type of 'big cleaning' is called 'spring cleaning' now.
We can do our spring cleaning at any time of the year.

Example 1:
A. Why are you taking all those things out of the cupboard?
B. I am doing my spring cleaning.
A. Can I give you a hand? = Can I help you?
B. Sure, grab some gloves from the kitchen, under the sink.

Example 2:
A. Can you come home from work early tomorrow?
B. I wish I could, but we are re-organising the office.
A. Really? Why?
B. It's quiet at the moment, so the boss decided it was a good time to do some spring cleaning.

Culture: Boxing Day

December 26th is called 'Boxing Day'

A Boxing Day tradition in Australia.

Christmas is December the 25th.
The day after Christmas is 'Boxing Day'.
Boxing day is celebrated in Australia, the U.K., Canada and many other countries.
Boxing day is sometimes celebrated in the U.S.A.
Christmas day is a family day.
Christmas eve is not celebrated in Christian countries.
Children go to sleep early on Christmas eve.
Children wake up early on Christmas day to open their presents.


There is a famous yacht race from Sydney to Hobart, it begins on 'Boxing Day'.
For most Australians Boxing day is a day for relaxing and going to the beach.

１２月２６日はBoxing day!!

"Boxing day",この言葉を聞いて皆さんは、どんな事を想像しますか？(昨日２６日は、まさに亀田三兄弟のボクシングタイトルマッチがありましたが）

実は、イギリスやオーストラリアの諸外国では、２５日のクリスマス翌日、１２/２６にBoxing dayという休日があります。名前の由来はいくつかの説がありますが、プレゼントの箱（Box）を開けることからBoxing dayとも呼ばれているそうです。スポーツのボクシングとは関係ないのですね。

クリスマスは家族と一緒に過ごす日。イヴの日、子供達は早く寝ます。そして翌日はいつもより早く起きて、プレゼントを開けるのです。

シドニーからホバートまでのヨットレース(Sydney to Hobeart Yacht Race)は、１２月２６日のボクシングデーに始まるヨットレースで、オーストラリアの夏を彩る代表的なイベントです。

Boxing dayは、ビーチに行ってのんびり過ごしています。

Culture: Have you been a good boy?

Have you been a good girl?

Do you deserve a present? Photo by Rob.

A Christmas eve conversation between a mother and son:
Child: Mum, is it true that Santa only gives presents to good people?
Mum: Yes honey, that's true. Why do you ask?
Child: (Looking very sad) Well...no reason.
Mum: Are you sure? You don't sound very sure to me.
Child: Um...well...you see...
Mum: Yes?
Child: Stealing is bad right?
Mum: Oh yes, stealing is VERY bad!
Child: But, it's OK sometimes right?
Mum: No honey, stealing is never good!
(Child starts crying)
Mum: What is it honey? Why are you so upset?
Child: Because daddy said you stole his heart! And that means you're bad and that you won't get any Christmas presents from Santa Claus!
Mum: Oh honey! Daddy didn't mean it that way! He means that he loves me!

She stole my heart. = I love her.

Culture: 'Tis the season to be jolly!

The holiday season is upon us!

Merry Christmas from Prana English!

It is = 'tis
Jolly = Merry = Happy
Santa is jolly. = Santa is a happy guy. (always / usually)
Guy = Man
Merry Christmas = Happy Christmas / Please have a good Christmas.


In Christian countries this time of the year is our biggest holiday.
Most businesses close from Christmas until the first week of January and life is quiet.
In Australia we have a hot, summer Christmas.
We often have a barbecue on Christmas Day.
Many people go to church and pray.
Most Australians go to the beach on Boxing Day (December 26th)
We do not celebrate the 24th of December.
December the 25th is similar to January the 1st for Japanese.
We do not eat fried chicken!
We do not eat sponge cake!
Santa brings presents for good kids.
Santa brings coal for naughty kids.
The presents go under the Christmas tree.
We often eat turkey and pudding on the 25th.

Australians often barbecue prawns (shrimp), lamb chops, steak or fish.

Meat on sticks is also popular.

Traditionally we eat turkey with cranberry sauce.

Christmas cake is fruit cake with thick white icing.

We often eat Christmas cake with custard.

Custard is a sauce made from eggs and milk.

It is high in calories. = It is heart-attack food.

冬休みは、すぐそこ！

キリスト教徒にとって、この時期は、一年で最も大きな休暇です。

ほとんどの会社が、クリスマスから１月第一週目までお休みになり、ゆったりと過ごします。

オーストラリアでは、真夏のクリスマスを迎えます。クリスマスにはバーベキューをするのが一般的で、教会へお祈りにいったり、翌日１２月２６日のボクシングデーには、皆でビーチに行きます。

日本では、24日のイヴに恋人と過ごす習慣がありますが、オーストラリア（イギリスなども）特にお祝はしません。２５日のクリスマスは、盛大に祝います。日本の正月と同じように大切な日です。それから、日本の様にクリスマスにチキンを食べたり、ケーキを食べたりもしないのです！

良い子には、サンタからプレゼントが、悪い子には煤がおくられる！

クリスマスツリーの下に、プレゼントを置き、25日のクリスマスには、七面鳥とクリスマスプディングを頂きます！

Season: It's time to rug up against the cold!

It's time to rug up!

Snowflake drawn by Rob.

Winter is here and it is time to keep warm!
Stay warm this winter by wearing heavy, warm clothes. (rug up)
Rug up. = Wear warm clothes
I love winter because it is a good chance to rug up!
Rugging up is a good way to save money on heating bills!
Make sure you rug up before you go outside in the cold!
Extra point: On cold evenings it is great to snuggle into bed!
My duvet is very warm, I like to snuggle it against my face on cold nights!
Snuggle is similar to 'cuddle'.

寒くなってきましたね。冬の到来です。暖かくして過ごす季節が来ました。

暖かい服を着て、寒い冬を乗り切ろう！
沢山重ね着出来る冬は、大好きです。それに、着こむだけなんて、経済的だしね！

皆さん、寒い外に出る前に、しっかり暖かく着こんでから出かけましょう！

Snuggleって、とっても気持ちよさそうなニュアンスが伝わってきますね。

柔軟剤の白いクマのぬいぐるみを思い出します。くまのファーファーちゃん。

Snuggle,心地よく、やさしく寄り添うイメージ。

冷たい夜に、暖かい掛け布団にくるまって寝る幸せを味わえるのも冬ならではです。

Conversation:
A. Why is this room so hot?

B. The heater's on, I turned it on a few hours ago.

A. That's a waste of energy! You should rug up against the cold, put a scarf on!

B. I don't like scarves.

A. Well wear a heavier jumper then and a hat!

B. But I'll still be cold!

A. Do some exercise, kill two birds with one stone, you could lose a few pounds! By the way, there is some hot miso soup on the stove, that will warm you up.

Notes:
A stove is for cooking.
In Japanese English a stove is a heater, for staying warm.

We usually have stovetops on the top of ovens to cook food.

Gas stovetops are popular, and so are electric stovetops.

We use heaters to keep ourselves warm, not stoves!

和製英語に注意！

英語で、ストーブと言うと、料理に使う調理器具のことを指します。

暖房器具のことは、「Heater（ヒーター）」です。

もうひとつ、「マフラー」。これもネイティブには通じません。

「Scarf（スカーフ）」が正解です。日本語だと薄手の物を連想しますが、英語では暖かく首に巻くものは、全て「Scarf」です。

日本人の感覚で間違って使ってしまいやすい単語ですので、注意しましょう。

風が冷たくなる冬、スカーフに手袋、重ね着をして暖かく過ごして下さいね。

ヒートテックなど薄手で優秀な防寒着も増えましたね。

こないだ、ヨガクラスで気持ち良い汗をかいてきました。気づけば半袖、外との温度差にビックリしました。皆さんも運動後は身体を冷やさないように、着替えて暖かくして外にでましょう。Rug up!

Culture: Japanese love autumn leaves!

I love the autumn leaves!

Heirinji by Rob.

The autumn leaves are beautiful!
深まる秋。秋のうつろいと共に変化する葉。紅葉は日本の四季の美しさの一つです。

さて、そんな美しい紅葉をどんな風に表現しますか？　「美しい」と一言でいっても、英語には様々な表現があるのです。
The autumn leaves are ....
...beautiful!
...wonderful!
...spectacular!
...lovely!
...gorgeous!
...breathtaking!― 息（breath)を取る（take)するほど美しい。まさに”息をのむほどの”美しさ！
...a sight to behold!―目を見張るほどに！　美しい。んーうっとり。

葉のうつろいによって、英語表現も変化していきます。

The leaves are changing colour. (They are changing day by day, now.)
まずは葉が色づき始めた頃。日に日に、葉の色が変わってきています。

The leaves have changed colour. (They have finished changing, and are good to see.)
そして完全に色づいた頃。赤や黄色の見事な紅葉です。

The leaves have fallen. (It is too late!)
最後には、葉が落ちます。植物達は葉を落とし、来春に向け冬ごもり。本格的な冬の到来です！

I love looking at the autumn leaves!
Many Japanese people go to temples or to the countryside to look at the autumn leaves.
The leaves change colour every year in autumn and then fall to the ground.


Note: In British English we say 'autumn' and we spell colour with a 'u'. In American English they say 'fall' and spell color without a 'u'.
イギリス英語では、秋は”autumn"。カラーのスペルもuを付けて、colourとなります。アメリカ英語だと、秋は”fall"で、カラーのスペルにuを付けづに、colorとなります。何か違いがあるのでしょうか？次の会話をのぞいてみましょう。

Conversation:
A: Have you seen the autumn leaves yet?
B: No I have not, not yet. But I plan to drive to Gunma on the weekend to see them.
A: That sounds wonderful, will you go to an onsen?
B: What's that?
A: It's a Japanese hot spring bath. It is a very popular thing to do in the fall. How about in your country?
B: We enjoy looking at autumn leaves back home too, but we do not make a big event of it.
A: You don't say 'fall'?
B: Well, no, I don't because I was brought up in the U.K. 'fall' is an American English word.
A: I see! Which is better to use?
B: I cannot say which is better! It is your choice! I prefer 'autumn' because it is the way I was taught when I was a child, it sounds more natural to me.
A: I see! Thank you! I learned something new!

なるほど。特にどちらが良い悪いはないようですね。自分が使いやすい方をつかってみましょう。ここ数日、ぐっと寒くなってきました。街の木々も葉を落とし始め、晩秋です。美しい日本の秋を、色んな表現を使って表してみてはいかがでしょう！

Food: Not too spicy thanks!

Bean curry taken by Rob....and eaten by Rob....but not made by Rob...in case you were wondering...

A native conversation about having lunch:

私たちが、普段何気なく話す日常会話。教科書に載っているような文体で話しませんよね。英語も同じ。テキストに載っている、センテンスそのままでは、堅苦しく感じる事も。

例えば、『私は、お腹が少し空きました。』
うん。ちょっと固いですね。
「小腹空いたなぁ」とカジュアルに表現したい時は、

『I'm a little peckish』

a little hungryなどとも言えますが、このPeckishを使うと、何かちょとつまみたい気分、といったニュアンスを上手く表現出来ます。Peckishは、鳥がくちばしで、食べ物をつまんでいるイメージです。

では、ネイティブの人達の日常会話をのぞいてみましょう。

Tom: Hey Rob, I'm feeling hungry, how about you? (I am hungry, are you hungry Rob?)
Rob: I'm a little peckish I guess. (Yes, a little.)
Tom: Do you wanna grab a quick curry? (Do you want to eat some curry?)
Rob: Yeah sure, know any decent places? (That is a good idea. Do you know a curry shop?)
Tom: There's an Indian joint not far from here, I go there all the time. (Yes, there is an Indian curry shop near here, I often go there.)
Rob: Sounds good! (Let's go!)

At the Indian restaurant:
Staff: What can I get for you? (Can I take your order?)
Tom: I'd like the lunch set with Saag Paneer and naan thanks. (I want the set lunch with spinach curry with cheese and naan bread thank you.)
Rob: I'll get a lunch set with naan too, but can I get the vegetable curry? (Can I have a lunch set too, with vegetable curry?)
Staff: OK, two lunch sets coming right up. (OK, your food will be cooked soon.) How hot do you want it? (How spicy do you want your curry?)
Rob: A little hotter than medium thanks, but not too spicy! (Level 3 from 5 please. More than 'average' but not REALLY hot!)
Tom: Same for me thanks. (Me too!)

普段テキストで慣れているセンテンスと少し違いましたね。
これが、生きた英語。　
使える表現が沢山出てきました。

Do you wanna grab a quick curry?
このgrabここでは、「軽く食べる」といった意味で使われています。使い方としては、他にも
、
・I’m gonna grab my jacket! 「ちょっとジャケット取ってくるね！（急いで取ってくる感じです）」
・Why don't we grab a coffee or something? 「コーヒーか何かでも、軽く飲まない？」
・Let's grab a taxi 　「タクシーつかまえよう！」

手に入れるっていう意味での「get 」や「take」に、少し素早さや、軽さを加えた意味のこの単語。
カジュアルな表現で、ネイティブがよく使うので、バッチリ覚えて、使ってみましょう！

What can I get for you? 　ウエイターがよく使います。『何をお持ちしましょう?』

How hot do you want it?　
この場合のhotはspicyと同じ意味で使われています。hotには温度の暑さ　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　を表現したり、辛さを表す時にも使われますよ。

他にもネイティブがよく使う表現が沢山ありましたね。是非覚えて使ってみて下さい！

Tom Fryer teaching at PranaKids

Rob climbing in Hokkaido

Word Watch: Sur / Sub / Semi

Sur = Above

Sub = Under

Semi = Partly / Half

これ、接頭辞と言いますが、覚えておくととっても便利。初めて見る単語でも、

頭に付いている字で、だいたいの意味が予想出来てしまうのです。ほら、日本語にもありますよね。

非常識・不可能・再入場　などなど。

Sur=上　

Surface (top)

Sub=下

Submarine (An underwater boat)

Surtitles (words at the top of a page, or a movie.)

Subtitles (words at the bottom of a page, or a movie.)

Subway (An underground train)

Submerge (To put something under water.)

Subfreezing (Below zero degrees)

Sur=超過

Superb (Above 'good')

Superior (Above others / better)

Surprise (Above, more than expected)

Surplus (Extra)

Surcharge (Extra cost)

Semi=準/半分

Semi-express (Almost express)　電車で見ますね。Semi-express to Ikebukuro 準急池袋行

Semi-submerged (Half submerged)

Semi-circle (Half a circle)

Many words begin with a 'stem' or 'root'.

The 'root' (or stem) has meaning, similar to the 'radical' of kanji.

このように、元の単語の頭に文字をつける事によって、様々な言葉が出来あがります。

他にも、

Pre=前もって

Preparation

Post=後で

Post-examination

まだまだ沢山の接頭辞があります。単に単語を丸暗記するだけではなく、

このように、どんな言葉から派生しているのかなぁと、楽しみながら考えていくと

もっと、単語の幅が広がってきますよ！

Food: I like cake with coffee!

There's nothing better than a freshly brewed cup of coffee!

Taken and drunk by Rob.

Personally I like coffee made in a 'plunger', also called a 'press'. I call this 'French pressed' coffee. The flavour from pressed coffee is rich and full, but not too bitter. I highly recommend it to anybody who likes a mild, yet full flavoured coffee! You must always grind your own beans, and do not use water that is hotter than 90 degrees Celsius!

煎れたての珈琲が一番！
　brewed coffeeは、インスタントコーヒーとは、違うコーヒー豆の良い香りが漂ってきそうです。コーヒー以外にも、日本茶や紅茶にも使えます。焙煎し、挽き立てのコーヒーは格別ですよね。あのアロマの香りが部屋中に漂って。　んーん、コーヒーが飲みたくなってきました。温度にもこだわりが、90℃のお湯で煎れます。これより熱すぎると、豆を焦がしてしまい、苦味がでますし、これより低い温度では、豆本来の香りがひき立ちません。それから、豆を挽く時も、粗すぎず、細か過ぎないようにね。

Taken, ground and brewed by Rob.

I like to drink coffee several times a day.
Coffee goes well with cake.

I grind my own beans with a hand grinder.

Freshly ground coffee beans.
Coffee beans should be ground soon after they are roasted.
The full flavour of coffee is released if the water temperature is about 90 degrees.
Hot water will burn the coffee and make it bitter.
Cold water will not release the flavour.
The beans must be ground to the right consistency, not too coarse, but not too fine!

We have a coffee maker at home.

We put in the beans just before we make the coffee.

Put in / Take out

Pour in some milk. / Pour the milk out of the carton.

Add some sugar. / Put in some sugar.

Stir the coffee.

【コーヒーを煎れる時に使える便利な表現】

・Pour in some milk. 　ミルクをそそぐ。
・Add some sugar./ Put in somu sugar.　砂糖を加える。　　

・Stir the coffee.　　コーヒーをかき混ぜる。

Culture: Wagashi are the bomb!

Wagashi are the bomb!

Kamome no Tamago - Special Edition
Photos by Rob.

The bomb! = Great!

The bomb! = I REALLY like it.

AKB48 are the bomb! = I love AKB48

The bomb!=最高！超スゲェ！
ビジネスには使えませんが、物にも人にも、食べ物や出来事にも使える、とってもユニヴァーサルな褒め言葉。友達同士で使ってみてはいかが？
ただ、発音に注意して下さいね。　最後の’ｂ’は発音しないで「ジィボーム」　



He is the bomb! = He is great / the best.爆発的にすごい！ってことで、人に使って、一番すごい人！
They're the bomb!
She is the bomb!
She is a bomshell! = She is hot!
She is hot! = She is sexy!
She blows my mind!
Blow up. = Explode.

I love Kamome no Tamago!
Photos by Rob.

Wagashi are really wonderful! Since coming to Japan, I have fallen in love with wagashi! Taking photos of wagashi is one of my many hobbies. I enjoy learning about Japanese culture through wagashi! I love that people can share their experience of travel with their friends and loved ones, by bringing home a wagashi souvenir! Wagashi are the bomb! Thank you all for giving me such wonderful treats! I love Japan!


By the way, can you explain the difference between 'wagashi' and 'yougashi'? How about 'dagashi'?

ところで、「和菓子」と「洋菓子」の違いって？それと「駄菓子」は？どう違うのかな。

Culture: Halloween

Photo and cardboard skeleton by Rob.

As today is Halloween I thought it fitting to do a quick blog about the origins of Halloween. Very briefly, the idea of Halloween is to scare away evil spirits that might come at this time of year to eat the food we have kept for winter!

今日はハローウィン。ハローウィンって一体どこから来たのかご存知ですか？この時期昔は冬に備えて食べ物を保存しはじめます。その大切な食べ物を取っていく悪い霊たちを怖がらす為に始まった習慣です。

Before Christianity came to Europe people believed that a door opened between the spirit world and our world at this time of year, and that bad spirits came and destroyed our precious crops. To stop this from happening the people decided to look scary, so the spirits would go back to their world. Christians believe in one God, so they did not like this idea, and tried unsuccessfully to stop it several times.

Yes, this is Rob!

Now that's scary!　こわっ！

Word Watch: Mono / Uni = 1

MONO = 1
UNI = 1
MULTI = Many

MONO がつくと１つという意味合いが含まれます。

Monobrow by Rob.

眉毛はeyebrows（二つあるので複数形です）

もしも片方眉毛を整えている時に剃り落としちゃったなんて事がある場合、片方しかないのでone eyebrowとなります。

でも眉毛と眉毛がくっついて一本になっている場合、日本語ではカモメみたいな眉なんていいませんでしたっけ？

そんな時はこのMONO = 1　を使い　a monobrow　なんて言い方もできます！

Most people have eyebrows. (2 eyebrows, one above each eye)

Look! Rob has only one eyebrow!

Look, Rob has a monobrow!

多くの人がモノトーン'monotone' の意味を一色だけ使っていることだと思っている場合が多いのですがもともとの意味は色の事ではないのです。

Many people use 'monotone' to mean '1 colour', this is not traditional!

Monochrome Rob by full colour Rob.

Monotone is a sound!　本当のモノトーン'monotone' の意味は実は音の事をいうのです。音の事って？どういうことかというと。。

She spoke in a monotone voice.　のように使えます。

ロボットみたいに一つのトーンで話す事なのです。ぶっきらぼうに強弱なく機械みたいに話す人って周りにいますか？

じゃあ、一色だけ使っているという意味で使いたい場合英語ではなんていうのでしょうか？

モノトーン'monotone' ではなく、Monochromeを使います。白黒の映画なんて言う時は、Monochromatic filmやblack and white films. と言います。

Monochrome = One colour. Usually this means different shades of one colour.
Rob is in monochrome.
I love old black and white films.
Films shot in monochrome are very romantic. (In this sentence 'monochrome' = 'Monochromatic film')

Monotone = A sound that has only 1 pitch.

UNI もまた一つという意味があるものが多いです。なのでUnicyclesは一輪車という意味。とっても上手に乗れる人いますよね。この間池袋で中国からやってきた雑技団の人たちがものすごい高い一輪車に乗っていました。

Unicycles are very popular in Japan.
I have never tried to ride a unicycle.
Riding a unicycle looks very difficult.
I like my bicycle. (bi = 2)
By bicycle is a mamachari!
She used to ride a monocycle (= a unicycle) when she was a child.
I saw a professional unicyclist in Ikebukuro a few years ago.

Word Watch: Multi...

Multi = Multiple / Many


Gotta love the old multi-tool!
Gotta love... = I really like...
'The old' is an expression we use to mean 'my familiar object'

Multi-cultural = Many cultures together
Australia is a multi-cultural country.
Is being multi-cultural the way of the future?

Multi-purpose = Many purposes
My multi-tool is a multi-purpose tool!

Multi-task = To do many tasks at one time
Multi-tasking is dangerous!
People who can multi-task are useful.
Multi-tasking is the reason people do bad work!
People should not multi-task, they should focus on one thing at a time.

My friend is multi-lingual, he can speak English, Japanese, French and Chinese!

Health: Vaccination 予防接種

Trust me...I'm a doctor...

予防接種

もっともよく使うのは“vaccinate” で予防接種をするという意味。下記のように受身として“ be vaccinated”　と使われます。～予防のため（例えば結核予防や百日咳予防など）予防接種をすると加えたい時は、against tuberculosis(結核予防のため） against whooping cough（百日咳予防のため）と、againstを使います！

ところで最近 密かに結核（tuberculosis）や百日咳（whooping cough）が流行っているとのことご注意を。

I have an eleven month old boy.

He needs to be vaccinated (against diseases).　

He needs to have his vaccination shots (injections).

We took him to the hospital, but he had a fever, so he was not able to have the shots.

We have to take him back this afternoon.

Other words with the same meaning

He needs to be inoculated (against diseases).

He needs his immunization shots.

He needs to be immunized (against diseases).

Shopping: Is it the real thing?

Is it the real thing? (本物ですか)


Is it genuine?“偽りのない ”
Is it authentic?“信用できる, 確かな ”

Is it legitimate?“真正の ”

など色々な表現法があります。すべて微妙に表現が異なりますが、言いたいことは一緒。皆さんが一番良く知っている“real”以外の表現法もネイティブ同士の会話や洋画に頻繁にでてきます。ぜひ使ってみてください。

Is that a real Rolex?
Are you wearing a real Rolex?
Is your watch authentic?
Is that an authentic Rolex?
Did you buy your watch from a legitimate dealer?
It is difficult to know which retailers are legitimate and which are not when you shop on the Internet.

ちなみに、これは日本語にもなっていますよね。レプリカやコピーなど。もちろん英語でも使えます。
It's a replica. (Positive image - It was sold as 'not the real thing'.)
It's a copy. (Neutral image - Perhaps it was not sold as 'the real thing'.)

It is not genuine. = It is a copy.

下記のふたつはあまり偽物だ！とか嘘物だ！などネガティブのイメージもこめられてます。

It's a fake. (Negative image - It was sold as 'the real thing' but it is not real!)
It's a knock off (casual) = It's a fake.