お正月

Thank you for your support during 2012 and I look forward to seeing you again in 2013.

We are closed for a holiday now but will be open again on 4th January.

2013年1月4日17時～23時　英語カフェ＆バー

2013年1月5日～　レッスンダイヤ
2013年1月5日17時～23時　英語カフェ＆バー

2013年宜しくお願い致します。

選挙

There is a general election in Japan on Sunday. Here are some useful words:

• vote (verb, noun)
• polling station
• polling booth
• ballot paper
• ballot box
• candidate
• political party

We go to a polling station to vote in an election. At the polling station, we receive a ballot paper, we stand in a polling booth and we choose a candidate & political party. We put the ballot paper in a ballot box.

Who will you choose?

プチビアフェスタの写真

Early start at 3pm!

Serious discussion about beer?

Cheers everyone!

病弱

Some people look really unhealthy. Sometimes we are very sick and look bad. However, some people always look sick; it's their natural, normal look.

There is an amusing simile for sickly-looking people:

• look like death warmed up

Examples:

• You look like death warmed up; are you OK?
• My manager is over-worked and exhausted; he looks like death warmed up.
• He's had a hard life; he looks like death warmed up.

民主党幹事長の輿石東氏

プチビアフェスタ

ビールは20種類以上！
参加費はたったの500円！
お好きなビールがグラス4杯飲めるお得なチケットは1000円です。
お摘みサービス！
いつも完全禁煙です。
皆さん、楽しみましょう！

僕に任せて

Three patterns, same meaning:

• Leave it to me.
• Leave it with me.
• I'll take care of it.

Example 1:

Risa: "I haven't finished sending these faxes but I need to go to a meeting."

Rina: "Leave it to me and go to the meeting."

Example 2:

Clerk: "I've applied for a transfer but no reply."

The boss: "Leave it with me; I'll see what I can do."

Example 3:

Yuta: "I need to call the London office but my English is terrible."

Yuto: "Don't worry; I'll take care of it."

Old fax machine

ブス

Euphemism:

• She's no oil painting.

Meaning:

• She is ugly
• She is not pretty

Examples:

• Fumi wants to be a model but she's no oil painting.
• His new girlfriend is half his age but she's no oil painting.
• She's no oil painting but I love her!

Watercolour nude by Gretchen Kelly

間違い

Simile:

• It sticks out like a sore thumb.

Meaning:

• Everyone can see the mistake
• The mistake is obvious to many people
• Clearly wrong

Example 1:

Eri: "An actor wore a digital watch in that Samurai drama."

Mari: "Yes, I saw it. It stuck out like a sore thumb."

Example 2:

Maki: "That foreigner's T-shirt has a big kanji character printed upside-down!

Mami: "Oh yes! It sticks out like a sore thumb."

Example 3:

Pat: "The liquor store has a Union Jack shelf-label for the Guinness."

Mick: "I know, it sticks out like a sore thumb."

若作り

Idiom:

• Mutton dressed as lamb.

Meaning:

• A woman trying to appear younger.

Example 1:
Yutaro: "Have you seen the new girl in the office?"
Masa: "That's no girl! That's mutton dressed as lamb!"

Example 2:
Hanako: "Mama, you can't wear my dress! You'll look like mutton dressed as lamb."

Example 3:
Rie: "I'm sure she's in her forties but from a distance she looks younger."
Haru: "Her clothes, hair and make-up disguise her age; she's mutton dressed as lamb."

Rack of lamb

鞭

Here are some expressions using whip:

• crack the whip
• have a whip-round
• whip up

Crack the whip = become strict

• The staff are not working hard enough so it's time to crack the whip.
• I need to crack the whip with my son because he never cleans his room.
• They lack self-discipline so you need to crack the whip sometimes.

Have a whip-round = collect money

• We're having a whip-round for Mr Suzuki who is leaving the company.
• Let's have a whip-round and buy Yuki a birthday present.
• Can you have a whip-round for Ken's stag party?

Whip up = make something quickly without preparation or planning, especially food

• We arrived home very hungry so I whipped up some sandwiches.
• I haven't been shopping but I can whip something up for dinner.
• You've forgotten about the business report?! You'll have to whip one up before Friday's deadline.

時計

Sometimes a clock is wrong; it displays the wrong time.

If a clock shows an earlier time, we say it is slow.

• The clock says 1:30pm
• The real time is 1:35pm

We say "The clock is 5 minutes slow."

If the clock shows a later time, we say it is fast.

• The clock says 2:15pm
• The real time is 2:05pm

We say "The clock is 10 minutes fast."

工事中

Tonight there is construction work at London Bridge English. There is an exciting renovation project in progress. Please visit soon and see the fresh new style!

Of course, we are closed tonight during the building work.

Tomorrow will be open as usual and the interior will be have changed.

秋分の日

Today is closed. Have a nice day!

今日はお休みです。良い一日を！

Today is a national holiday in Japan; it is Autumn Equinox Day. I hope you all enjoy your holiday.

現在完了

The present perfect simple tense

Form:

• subject + have/has + past participle (+ object)

Examples:

• I've eaten lunch.
• He's walked to the station.
• She's been to England.
• We've seen that film.
• They've arrived.

So how do we use the present perfect simple?

It depends on your purpose.

The present perfect simple tense has several functions.

Example 1

• I've lived in Spain.
• She's studied economics.

These sentences are past and finished. There are not any time contexts. They are information about life experiences.

Example 2

• I've lived in Japan for 5 years.
• He's worked at Sony since 1998.

These sentences are past and present. There are time contexts. They have not finished. There are two important phrases:

• for + duration
• since + date

Example 3

• She's (just) drunk some wine.
• They've (just) been to the supermarket.

These sentences are recent past and just finished. There are no time contexts but the speakers understand the time is recent. We can add the word "just" to emphasize very recent actions.

Example 4

• We've been to New Zealand five times.
• He's failed his driving test 3 times.

These sentences are about life experience, from birth to now. We say how many times we have done the action, such as:

• never
• once
• twice
• three times
• a few times
• several times
• lots of times

I recommend studying irregular past participles.

アメリカの英語

English is the most widely spoken language in the world. However, there are lots of accents and dialects. Generally, native English speakers can understand each other but sometimes we can't because of differences in our language.

Here are a few differences between British English and American English:

• (British English → American English)
• autumn →  fall
• car park → parking lot
• shop → store
• shopping centre → shopping mall
• aubergine → egg plant
• courgette → zucchini
• playschool → kindergarten
• sweet → candy
• crisps → chips
• ladybird → ladybug
• railway → railroad
• tram → streetcar
• film → movie
• rubbish → trash/garbage
• fizzy drink/pop → soda
• aeroplane → airplane
• trainers → sneakers

Of course, there is a very long list which would not fit here.

Also, there are some differences in spelling between British English and American English:

• (British English → American English)
• colour → color
• centre → center
• metre → meter
• programme → program
• tyre → tire
• labour → labor
• licence → license
• defence → defense

Again, the list is very long and would not fit here.

There are also lots of differences in pronunciation such as:

• tomato
• cicada
• lever
• herb

Please ask a native speaker of English to compare pronunciations.

There are other English-speaking countries with variations of vocabulary, spelling and pronunciation, including:

• Australia
• Canada
• New Zealand

改装

ロンドンブリッジイングリッシュは開校3周年を記念して、ただいま教室の改装・模様替えを行っております。皆様のレッスンには支障はございません。 秋には新しいインテリアが揃いますので楽しみにしていてください。

新しく改装した教室で楽しく英会話を学んでいただけるよう講師一同暖かく皆様をお迎えします。

お盆

お盆休みは8月13日から17日です。

Bon is not a public holiday in Japan but lots of people take time off work and some companies are closed for a few days.

In Britain, August is holiday season too. Actually, the summer holiday season coincides with school holidays which start in the 3rd week of July and finish at the beginning of September, about 6 weeks in total. Many people go away for a week or two. Beach resorts are popular destinations, especially in the Mediterranean, and in recent years the Caribbean, though more expensive.

デザート

There are lots of types of dessert in Britain.

Some desserts have amusing names such as:

knickerbocker glory

spotted dick

jam roly poly

Sometimes we use different words for dessert such as:

• pudding
• sweet
• afters

Most desserts are offered with custard, cream or ice cream.

忙しい

Idioms meaning very busy:

• got a lot on one's plate
• tied up
• snowed under

Examples:

• Don't bother her; she's got a lot on her plate.
• I can't meet you because I'm tied up at the office.
• He's snowed under with work.

ストレス

Got a lot on one's plate also means:

• busy + stressed
• lots of problems
• a very big problem

イギリス朝食

上手

Are you good at English?

上手

• good at + activity
• good at + school subject
• good with + noun

Examples:

• He's good at swimming.
• She's good at maths.
• He's good with computers.

技術

In business, we often use this pattern:

• have + adjective + noun + skills

Examples:

• The Human Resources manager has good people skills.
• You should be a translator because you have great language skills.
• My husband has excellent negotiating skills so he's been promoted to sales director.

かわいい、キッチュ

The usual translation for「かわいい」is cute.

Japanese people use cute for lots of things; we can hear the word every day. However, cute is not so widely used in English. Generally, cute is used for:

• babies
• young children, especially girls
• older girls, sometimes young women
• some small animals
• some soft toys such as teddy bears or dolls

I often wonder why Japanese society is so obsessed with cuteness. We can see cute cartoon characters everywhere on warning signs and information leaflets, for example. In Britain, cute cartoon characters are used only to target young children.

キッチュ

（かわいい　+　悪趣味　＝　キッチュ）

There is a big difference in culture with the word cute. Many Japanese products and celebrities are described as cute but English speaking people would say kitsch. Of course, everyone has different tastes and many Japanese people cringe at the sight of kitsch Japanese sub-culture, such as schoolgirl pop groups.

So how would you describe this video? Is it cute or kitsch?

If you can't see the video above, please click here to see it on YouTube.

マンション

マンション can be translated as:

• flat
• apartment
• condominium
• condo

In English, mansion is a very big house. Another word is stately home. Very rich people live in a mansion.

上司

Here are some slang expressions that mean boss. These expressions are for the top person in the company:

• the big cheese
• the head honcho
• the big boss
• the top dog

三周年パーティー

Thank you everyone who came to the 3rd anniversary party. I really appreciate your support and look forward to seeing you at future anniversary parties.

We officially welcomed Stuart and his wife, Jessica, from New Zealand.

We enjoyed great Italian cuisine and interesting conversation, some of which was in English.

There were 18 people at the party.

脱法ハーブ

Recently, there has been a lot of news about a narcotic substance in Japan. This substance is a herbal drug that is legal and on sale in some shops. I don't know what this particular herbal drug is but the name is rather amusing: dappo herb「脱法ハーブ」which can't be translated perfectly but I think these are possible translations:

• legal drug
• legal high
• legal weed

脱法 can be best translated as:

• legal loophole

This is a natural expression used in normal conversation.

ハーブ　＝　麻薬

In English, herb is a slang word for plant-type narcotic drugs, such as cannabis; I guess Japanese has adopted this slang.

I wonder if the media reporting has increased interest and sales in 脱法ハーブ。It's like stealth marketing（ステマ）。

人気

all the rage（形容詞）

• temporarily popular
• fashionable
• in vogue

Examples:

• Nordic walking is all the rage in Japan.
• Korean pop music is all the rage now.
• Harem pants are all the rage this year.

A word with the same meaning is fad（名詞）

• The banana diet was a fad.

キャンプ

Camp is an adjective describing character and behaviour. Camp is a mixture of:

• feminine
• extrovert
• flamboyant
• theatrical

Camp describes men who behave like women, especially gay men, with exaggerated feminine mannerisms. Such men are often popular entertainers because people find their behaviour and style amusing.

杓子定規

• pedantic
• split hairs

Examples:

• They are nearly the same so please don't split hairs.
• Sorry to split hairs but rabbits are different.

トイレ

There are several words for toilet.

Toilet is the most common word and means the machine or the room.

Loo 「ルー」is a very common word and means the machine or the room.

WC is less common in conversation but used a lot for signs. WC is water closet and means the room not the machine.

The bathroom is used mainly in the USA.

The bog is crude slang.

In a public place, there are different words for male and female toilets.

Male:

• The gents (spoken only)
• The men's room (spoken only)
• Gentleman (sign only)
• Men (sign only)
• The little boys' room (spoken only; very polite)

Female:

• The ladies (spoken only)
• The ladies' room (spoken only)
• Ladies (sign only)
• Women (sign only)
• The powder room (spoken only; old-fashioned)

When a woman goes to the toilet, she can use the polite expression "I'm going to powder my nose."

大掃除

Spring cleaning

In Japan, people do major cleaning at the end of the year. Traditionally in Britain, we do major cleaning in spring and we call this spring cleaning. When spring arrives after the long cold dark winter and the weather and daylight improves, we open all the windows and doors and clean the whole house.

There is not a special day for spring cleaning or any deadline.

Example sentences:

• I'm going to do spring cleaning at the weekend.
• It's time for a spring clean.
• Last Saturday, I was busy doing the spring cleaning.

ゴールデンウイーク

Golden Week is only in Japan. I wonder why this holiday period is called Golden Week, especially why in English. Japan has more public holidays than Britain but British people have more paid leave from work.

In Britain, there are two holidays in May:

• May Day, celebrated on the first Monday in May
• Whitsun, celebrated on the last Monday in May

May Day is an ancient festival of spring and fertility, and pre-dates Christianity. There are traditional outdoor parties, a maypole and morris dancing.

Whitsun is a Christian festival and actually celebrated on the seventh Sunday after Easter, but the last Monday in May is designated Whitsun public holiday. There is no special event or celebration; people just enjoy a day off work. Many schools and colleges close for the week so children enjoy this time.

Morris Dancing

機械音痴

Some people can't understand modern technology. Some people never use modern technology. Some people do not like modern technology. Some people are scared of modern technology. We can use these words:

• Technophobia (noun)
• Technophobe (person)
• Technophobic (adjective)

Examples:

• My wife suffers from technophobia; she can't understand computers at all.
• My mother is such a technophobe; she doesn't even have a mobile phone!
• Can you show me how to use the photocopier? Sorry, I'm really technophobic.

If someone really hates modern technology, we sometimes say:

• Luddite

安い

Adjectives:

• cheap
• inexpensive

If the quality is good and the price is not high:

• reasonable
• good value for money

If the price is low and the quality is acceptable:

• cheap and cheerful

If the price is very low and we are surprised:

• What a bargain!
• Cheap as chips!

スイーツ

Expression:

• have a sweet tooth

Meaning:

• a person really likes sweets
• a person eats a lot of confectionery

Examples:

• I've got a sweet tooth; I eat sweets every day.
• He's always eating cakes and biscuits; he must have a sweet tooth.
• Three sugars in your coffee!? Do you have a sweet tooth?

お花見

Cherry blossom is blooming in Japan now and there are many parties and events to celebrate it. Cherry blossom is in many countries but nowhere reveres it like Japan.

In English, there isn't a special name for viewing cherry blossom 「お花見」but I suggest this translation:

• cherry blossom viewing

Last Sunday, London Bridge English members enjoyed a day trip cherry blossom viewing; we went to Anjinzuka, Yokosuka 「横須賀市安針塚」。Everyone took a packed lunch 「お弁当」and we had a picnic under the cherry blossom.

Photo album of our day trip cherry blossom viewing.

自転車

In Britain, cyclists must use the road along with other vehicles. Cycling on a footpath or in a pedestrian zone is illegal and the police will stop cyclists.

No cycling sign (UK)

Many roads have a cycle lane to make cycling safer. A white or yellow line-drawing marks the cycle lane.

Cycle lane (UK)

Cycle lane sign (UK)

Owning a bicycle in Britain:

• In Britain, we are allowed to ride a bicycle after drinking alcohol.
• We do not need to register ownership.
• Some trains have a bicycle section.

住宅

Here are some differences between Japanese and British homes.

In Japan, front doors open outwards but in Britain, front doors usually open inwards.

In Japan, the washing machine is usually in the washroom (attached to the bathroom) but in Britain, the washing machine is usually in the kitchen or utility room.

In a Japanese house, the bathroom is usually downstairs but in a British house, the bathroom is usually upstairs. Many years ago, bathrooms were downstairs in British houses and toilets were in a small room outside.

無精ひげ

There is another way to describe stubble:

• 5 o'clock shadow

This expression describes stubble that appears on a man's face late afternoon despite shaving in the morning.

5 o'clock shadow is a noun-phrase.

Example:

• Your 5 o'clock shadow is terrible. You should buy a new razor.
• My facial hair grows very quickly so I always get a 5 o'clock shadow.

Back in the 1980s, designer stubble was fashionable. The pop singer George Michael was famous for his designer stubble.

迷信

Superstition

There are many superstitions but not everyone is superstitious.

Here are some common superstitions in Britain:

• If you break a mirror, you'll have seven years of bad luck.
• If you spill salt, you must throw some over your left shoulder using your right hand.
• A black cat crossing your path is bad luck.
• Walking under a ladder is bad luck.
• Opening an umbrella indoors is bad luck.
• Seven (7) is a lucky number.
• Thirteen (13) is an unlucky number.
• Friday 13th (any month) is an unlucky day.

Some people carry a lucky charm or talisman. A popular lucky charm is a rabbit's foot.

Some people believe a horseshoe is lucky and will protect buildings and ships. We can sometimes see a horseshoe on the front door or above the front door of a building.

良かった！

Idiom:

• That's music to my ears.

Meaning:

• That's good news!
• I'm pleased to hear that.

We use this idiom when the good news affects us directly.

Example:

Kenta: "We are getting a pay rise."

Yoichi: "That's music to my ears."