Have you ever bought something that you later regretted (felt sad, upset about) buying? Or did you buy something you didn't actually need? If you've never returned something before because you didn’t know how, you may want to read on about returning something in English! We all need to return something at one point or another. I remember this topic being something I was very nervous about doing when I first moved to Germany. With that in mind, here are some phrases you need to know when returning something in English. I would like to return this, please. When you first need to return [...]

As an American living abroad, I've become very aware of distinct American phrases I use on a daily basis. I have very few friends here from the United States, so when I use one of these distinct American phrases, I sometimes find myself explaining certain terms or phrases that I wouldn’t have to at home. In a tiny effort to help bridge (close the gap, explain) some cultural misunderstandings and to help you understand your friends from the U.S. more easily, here are six distinct American phrases you may hear and what they mean. Jump the Shark The phrase jump the shark is used [...]

Every language has shortcuts (short forms) of two words put together to sound like one word. We all use shortcuts in our mother language, not because we are lazy (not giving effort, energy) but because we sometimes put two words together so often (a lot), we say them fast. When we say it fast, it sounds like one, new word. In English, this is called spoken English. Non-native speakers have problems understanding these shortcuts – this spoken English. That is normal! Once (after) you know what the shortcuts are, you can understand the spoken English better. These shortcuts are not used in formal writing, only in speaking or informal situations. [...]