Zoom英会話クラス(火)
Lesson Notes February 10, 2026 (TUESDAY ZOOM)
Words & Phrases
After the snow the other day the condensation on my window froze.
In the morning, there weren’t so many people at the polling station.
All the snowmen the children made after the snow turned into “snow blobs” the next day.
Young people in Japan use social media to get their news and information. (We say “social media” not “SNS” in English.
It’s a common skill for politicians to sidestep questions. (“Sidestep a question” = avoid answering it directly. Commonly used for politics, interviews, press conferences)
After the election, she has a (strong / large) backing.
Winter Olympics
People usually talk about the Winter Olympics in a pretty casual, sport-fan way, not in an official or textbook style.
We usually just say the Winter Olympics or the Winter Games.
People often say events rather than competitions. You’ll hear winter sports as a general term. Common ones people mention are skiing, snowboarding, figure skating, speed skating, ice hockey, curling, biathlon and bobsleigh. In conversation, people don’t list full official names.
The word athlete is common, but people also say skater, skier, snowboarder or player for ice hockey. You’ll hear gold medallist, silver medallist, bronze medallist, or more casually she won gold or he took silver.
Very common verbs are win, lose, beat, finish, and qualify. People say things lik “She won gold in the final”, “He didn’t qualify for the final", “They finished fourth, just off the podium”.
For judged sports, people often mention scores, points, penalties, or judging. Casual complaints like The judging was controversial or The scores felt a bit harsh are very common.
