More Fluency With a Story

[@analicesilva1384]

I loved it! Please continue with these real stories

[@EnglishCoach3Ts]

Thank you. I will. Your comments really help. Did this story make you think of anything from your own experience?

[@aleksandrchas3373]

Thank you very much

[@EnglishCoach3Ts]

You're welcome! Could you relate to this story?

[@severinebaptiste3042]

Thank you for your story

[@EnglishCoach3Ts]

Thanks for listening. Did this story remind you of anything?

[@JoëlleVétier]

Wonderful, interesting, lovely story.. thanks

[@EnglishCoach3Ts]

You're so welcome. I'm glad you liked it!

[@Vera62galeskas]

I loved this storie! How creative your aunt was !

[@EnglishCoach3Ts]

Thank you so much! My aunt is very creative!

[@Vera62galeskas]

@ yes. I think I could say that your aunt "is" not "was" right?

[@EnglishCoach3Ts]

Yes! You could definitely say either! But, in this case, you are right because my aunt has passed.

[@Vera62galeskas]

@@EnglishCoach3Ts thanks 😊

[@EnglishCoach3Ts]

You're welcome! See you in class!

[@SidneiFreitas0505]

Good morning everyone. Teacher, I love your class!

[@EnglishCoach3Ts]

Good morning! I am so glad to hear that. Can you think of a story you have that reminds you of this story?

[@Galina-l3o]

Tanya, your storied are amazing.

[@shellyshelly702]

Thanks so much for this wonderful story, Tanya!

[@EnglishCoach3Ts]

You’re welcome! Thank you for your comment

[@osmararagao9235]

Nice video Thanks a lot !

[@EnglishCoach3Ts]

I am glad you liked it. Did this story help you with your fluency?

[@RegnumV]

In Russia, gifts aren’t exchanged on Christmas but rather on New Year’s. Children typically receive their presents in one of three ways. First, gifts are placed under the New Year’s tree. Second, they are tucked under their pillows while they sleep. And third-perhaps the most beloved tradition-gifts are delivered by Ded Moroz (Grandfather Frost) and his granddaughter Snegurochka. (Usually, they’re played by theater actors looking to earn a little extra during the holiday season.)

[@EnglishCoach3Ts]

I have heard of the third way that children receive gifts but the other two are new to me. Is the New Year tree different from the Christmas tree? In what ways?

[@Мария-ь8в7ч]

​Hello Tanya! The New Year tree and the Christmas tree are the same. It's just that Christmas is on January 7th in Russia and almost no one celebrates it. The most important holiday for children is the New Year. And all children wait for the magical New Year's Eve on December 31st and receive gifts.

[@ritamodica108]

Thanks for sharing! I love your stories❤ In Italy, in addition to celebrating Christmas, we celebrate the Epiphany Day on January 6th. It's a vacation day for everyone but only children get gifts. Overnight an old lady who flies on a broomstick and she's dressed in rags, brings sweets to children. She puts sweets inside a decorated stocking. If the child has been naughty, she brings some coal...😁 We call that old lady: "Befana".

[@EnglishCoach3Ts]

I have heard the story of Befana before but I always love hearing it from different people because it is personal. She reminds me of a cross between Santa Claus and a good witch. Would you say that's accurate?

[@ritamodica108]

Yes, maybe we can say it's a cross between the two. "Befana" can look like an old witch and, like Santa Claus, she delivers gifts to children.😊

[@EnglishCoach3Ts]

Totally! I love seeing some the pictures of her online.

[@susanaceliamoyano4077]

HI tanya, I admire your way of telling stories, so vivid, as you used to live then. In our country ,practically didin't exist Santa Claus. But i remember clearly the excitemen before arriving in Buenos Aires, from Tandil my house, to get the gifts my mothers' parents had surely bought for us,, my brother and me. I can remember the smell ot the paint of those toys. I sincerely used to love Christmas when i was a child and i never enjoyed that festivity so far. Gracias Tanya por tus bellos recuerdos. Abrazo de Susana from Argentina.

[@EnglishCoach3Ts]

Susana, thank you for sharing your memories. Isn't it incredible how we can remember a smell like that from long ago!?

[@samsamkhalif5690]

Morning everyone

[@EnglishCoach3Ts]

Good morning! How did you like the story?

[@samsamkhalif5690]

It’s awesome!

[@RegnumV]

It’s already evening here.

[@EnglishCoach3Ts]

THank you! I'm glad you liked it!

[@EnglishCoach3Ts]

Thank you so much!

[@serapketen9565]

I liked real story.Thank you.I hope it will be continue

[@EnglishCoach3Ts]

I am so glad you liked it. When you say you hope it will be continued, do you mean you hope I will tell more about this story? Or more Christmas stories? or more stories that are different from this one but similar?

[@RegnumV]

When I was five, I believed my hands weren’t just hands but the tools of a master creator. Colored pencils weren’t mere sticks of wood with graphite-they were magical wands capable of conjuring entire worlds. Unfortunately, my little universe soon faced a resource crisis. First, the blue pencil disappeared-no more skies or lakes. Then green gave up, leaving trees and grass barren and lifeless. Brown followed, and my drawings were left floating in a void without soil or tree trunks. Red, my hero for fire trucks and sunsets, was the last to fall, leaving behind only a sad, chewed stub. That’s when the Pink Era began-not by choice, but by necessity. Every drawing of mine was now swathed in shades of pink, as if my imagination had raided a cotton candy factory. Of course, my merciless peers couldn’t let this slide. “Girly!” they shouted, pointing at my pink trees and pink tractors. And so, my potential as a great artist was prematurely buried beneath an avalanche of laughter and pastel hues. But one day, I decided enough was enough. A true artist needed all the colors, and I was determined to reclaim them. What I lacked in proper tools, I made up for in bold ingenuity. Armed with my mother’s sharpest kitchen knife-sharp enough to dice onions and my dreams-I embarked on Operation Pencil Resurrection. The plan seemed foolproof: grab a pencil, rotate it against the blade, and voilà-refined brilliance! Reality, however, had other ideas. Instead of sharpening the pencils, I whittled away at the wood, and instead of unleashing vibrant pigments, I unleashed a crimson torrent…from my finger. My first “masterpiece” that day wasn’t a drawing but a lesson in humility, painted in my own blood. When my mom returned home, she found me sitting on the floor, looking like a tragic war hero with a bandaged finger and a defeated expression. She didn’t yell-she simply patched me up and presented me with...a pencil sharpener. Oh, but not just any pencil sharpener. This was a plastic marvel shaped like a soccer ball, complete with a little lid for shavings. No knives, no blood, just a simple twist of the wrist. It was a revelation. In that moment, I learned two profound truths. First, pencil sharpeners are humanity’s greatest gift to art. Second, suffering for your craft isn’t noble when it’s caused by sheer stubbornness. I never did master the art of knife-sharpening like my dad, whose skills were as precise as they were mesmerizing. But maybe that’s for the best. That day, I realized that great art doesn’t just require sharp tools-it requires smart decisions.

[@EnglishCoach3Ts]

WOW! You are an amazing story teller. You might consider sharing this story where more people can read it. Thank you for sharing it with us.

[@vuhothanh1337]

Good morning teacher

[@EnglishCoach3Ts]

Good morning! What are you learning today?

[@WHIVIX]

It's strange that CC button turned off

[@EnglishCoach3Ts]

Do you mean that you weren't able to get the subtitles?

[@hakantemiz9121]

Can you turn on subtitles for english learner.

[@EnglishCoach3Ts]

You should be able to turn on the subtitles with the CC button. Did you try that but it didn't work?

[@hakantemiz9121]

I have tried that but didnt work​@@EnglishCoach3Ts

[@james4219]

🙏

[@EnglishCoach3Ts]

Thank you!

[@elvirabagirova508]

❤

[@EnglishCoach3Ts]

Thank you

[@eduardoluisfagundesdasilva4415]

In Brasil there's a saying: YOU ARE MY NUMBER. We say that when someone is perfect to us. So, Tanya, you are perfect to teach me. Artificial inteligence told me I'm advanced intermediate to understand and advanced to speak. LOL

[@EnglishCoach3Ts]

I love learning things like this from other countries. Thank you for sharing. How did you get AI to tell you your level?

[@eduardoluisfagundesdasilva4415]

@@EnglishCoach3Ts "I simply downloaded ChatGPT on my phone, opened the app, and asked it. It then gave me a response. When there's no one around to interact with, I use it. But it would be better to interact with an American. The way you speak, I have no trouble understanding, but the way All Ears English (a KZbin channel) speaks, I find it difficult. But they are great!"

[@RegnumV]

Tanya, your aunt is an absolute genius. The tighter and larger the clothing you hang over the mantel, the bigger the gift Santa Claus brings you. So, if I were to wish for, say, a car or a house-what size stockings should I hang?

[@EnglishCoach3Ts]

LOL. Great question. I think that if I had put a bigger stocking up on different years, I would still get whatever my parents had purchased for the stocking. What is cool to me about my aunt is that I am sure she already had the crayons. It wasn't like today when you might go out to a 24 hours store and get them last minute. We didn't have stores like that back then AND we were on a farm 20 miles from any store at all. (All closed on Christmas Eve)

[@RegnumV]

Dear Tanya, Please don't feel disheartened if things don’t go as you planned. The truth is, this world wasn’t crafted or designed by you. Sometimes, your plans may not align with the intentions of the author of this universe. And while you can’t rewrite the author’s plan, it’s often much easier to adapt to it instead.

[@EnglishCoach3Ts]

Wise, wise words! Thank you!

[@Vladimirmisha]

Greetings from UKRAINE

[@EnglishCoach3Ts]

Welcome! How did you like this story? Did it remind you of anything from your life?

[@manu-manuel]

Woow, look who's here. No need to use caps lock when mentioning your country. 😂You guys are trying to push it WAAAAY too much. 😂😂😂

[@yerbolabibullayev2641]

Здравствуйте, можно к вам в гости 😅. Мне нравится ваша история. Hello, may I visit you?😅. I like your story. That's how it was written.

[@Vladimirmisha]

А ЗАРАЗ НАПИШИ ЦЕ АНГЛІЙСЬКОЮ:)

[@RegnumV]

@@Vladimirmisha I’m happy to translate your text into English, but first, you might want to work things out with your Caps Lock key. It seems to have a personal vendetta against you!

[@EnglishCoach3Ts]

@RegnumV yes, please translate for @Vladimirmisha