📙 Part 2: Describe something that you are interested to learn or improve

This episode's vocabulary

To invest (verb) - to put money, effort, time, etc. into something to make a profit or get an advantage.

To convey (verb) - to express a thought, feeling, or idea so that it is understood by other people.

Grasp (noun) - understanding.

Notoriously (adverb) - in a way that is famous for something bad.

Equitable (adj.) - treating everyone fairly and in the same way.

Burden (noun) - something difficult or unpleasant that you have to deal with or worry about.

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Questions and Answers

M: Rory here is going to describe something that he is interested to learn or improve. He's going to say what it is, how he will learn or improve it, he's going to say why he is interested in it, and explain how he feels about learning about it. Rory, off you go. Tell us. Stuff.

R: Something I've been working on for a while, but I really need to invest a bit more time and effort in is my Russian language or my Russian language ability, I suppose. I know a lot about simple phrases, and a great deal about vocabulary and pronunciation, since it's quite close to that of my own country's languages. However, my understanding of the grammar structures and the meanings they convey in addition to my grasp of listening skills is not really great. So it needs to get better. I've looked into taking classes online, and I want to set aside time for this and do extra practice tasks once my university course is over. Despite this, I still think it's gonna take a while to improve since developing this level of understanding in a language like Russian is notoriously difficult, but I'm willing to give it a try. And it's important for me, since I have many Russian friends, and I want to be able to communicate with them on equal terms, rather than just expect them to speak to me in English all the time. While I'm sure they appreciate the practice, it's hardly equitable, and it's perhaps a little selfish on my part, it's important to treat your friends well and with respect, even if it's just sharing the burden of communication. I think not many English speakers appreciate this, because so many people around the world speak our language. But we should make an effort to speak other people's as well, because it is quite a burden for them. I'm interested to see how far I can get in a short space of time, even with all the intensive work, hopefully, it will be easier than I suspect it is. But if it's not, then at least I'm prepared for that. I'll probably need to stock up on energy drinks as much as patience. And I suspect that anyone who's teaching grammar to me will need to do the same because I take a really long time to get these things into my head. But at least I'm willing to give it a try. Which is more than can be said for most people.

M: Do you think that you're going to do it anytime soon?

R: Well, yeah, my course is finishing in a few weeks. So why not.

M: Thank you, Rory!

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