Zoom英会話クラス(金)

Lesson Notes February 20, 2026 (FRIDAY ZOOM)

Words & Phrases

• Your happy face came to mind. (We usually say come to mind, not come to my mind)

• “I pictured your happy face” or “I thought of your happy face” are even more natural phrases

• We rode a rollercoaster, and my grandson got a bloody nose.

• You can only ride the rollercoaster if you’re the correct height.

• You can only ride the roller coaster if you’re tall enough. (most natural phrase)

• All of the attractions have a height requirement.

• Theme parks like Disneyland and Universal Studios are almost always crowded.

• Some of the ume trees were cut too short, and don’t look that great.

Appropriate Language

When to use Japanese or English terms

• The most important rule is simple. Use the word that your listener will understand most easily.

• If the English word is common and natural, use it.

• If the English word is rare, very technical, or probably unknown to your listener, it is fine to use the Japanese word.

• If you are not sure, say both once, then continue with the easier one.

• You can do this for food, plants, martial arts, or cultural things.

• For example,

• “I bought this roubai tree a few years back.” (This is completely fine if you are speaking to other Japanese people and everyone knows what roubai is.)

• The English name for roubai is wintersweet, which refers to Chimonanthus praecox. However, “wintersweet” is not a very common everyday word unless you are talking to keen gardeners.

• If you are speaking to non Japanese people, especially people outside Japan, it is usually better to give the English word first, or give both once.

• For example

• “It’s a Japanese quince. In Japan we call it boke.” (After that, you can use whichever word makes more sense in the conversation.)

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.