TingMate · English Learning

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Slow English stories for intermediate learners. One short story, told gently — then taken apart, piece by piece, until every word makes sense. Quiet listening practice for anyone learning English.

  1. Jul 10

    Day 59 · Back to Texas

    ① I just booked my flight back to Austin. ② I've been in the Bay Area for three weeks now. ③ I've had three weeks of nothing but beautiful sunshine. ④ Now it's time to head back to Texas. ⑤ And the weather there is just brutal. ⑥ I haven't even started packing, and I already feel awful. ⑦ When I got this job, I thought it was my dream company. ⑧ Moving to a new city was no big deal to me. ⑨ I told myself I'd move to Mars for it. ⑩ But it's only been five months, and I feel like I can't keep going. ⑪ I guess people are right. ⑫ Life comes first, and work is just part of life. ⑬ Or maybe I'm just being a little greedy. ⑭ I mean, every time I reach a goal, I just want more. ⑮ Once I get something, I stop appreciating it. 🔑 Vocabulary • booked /bʊkt/ • nothing but /ˈnʌθɪŋ bʌt/ • head back /hed bæk/ • brutal /ˈbruːtl/ • dream company /driːm ˈkʌmpəni/ • no big deal /noʊ bɪɡ diːl/ • keep going /kiːp ˈɡoʊɪŋ/ • comes first /kʌmz fɜːrst/ • I mean /aɪ miːn/ • stop appreciating /stɑːp əˈpriːʃieɪtɪŋ/ 🎧 New episode every weekday Subscribe so you don't miss the next sentence.

    Day 59 · Back to Texas

  2. Jul 10

    Day 58 · Probably an Eight

    A slow English story about An annual checkup, a pain level of eight, and a big mix-up over the American pain scale. 16 simple sentences. Word by word. About 17 minutes. 📝 Today's sentences ① This trip back, I also saw my family doctor for my annual checkup. ② My stomach has been bothering me lately. I wake up with a stomachache every morning. ③ The doctor asked, on a scale of one to ten, how bad is it? ④ I thought about it and said, probably an eight. ⑤ She was shocked and said, you should have come in way sooner. ⑥ She ordered a CT scan and blood work, all marked stat. ⑦ That freaked me out a little. ⑧ I said, I've been like this for years. Maybe Texas just made it worse. ⑨ She said, either way, go get the tests done first. ⑩ I had no idea what those medical terms meant. So I took a photo and asked ChatGPT. ⑪ ChatGPT said, an eight means severe pain, like you'd be rolling on the floor. ⑫ That's when it hit me. ⑬ She meant the standard pain scale doctors use. I was rating how miserable I felt. ⑭ What was I even thinking? ⑮ Fine, I'll still get the tests done. ⑯ But I'll tell them, it's not stat. Don't charge me for that. 🔑 Vocabulary • annual checkup /ˈænjuəl ˈtʃekʌp/ • bothering me /ˈbɑːðərɪŋ miː/ • on a scale of one to ten /ɑːn ə skeɪl əv wʌn tə ten/ • blood work /blʌd wɜːrk/ • stat /stæt/ • freaked me out /friːkt miː aʊt/ • either way /ˈiːðər weɪ/ • severe /sɪˈvɪr/ • it hit me /ɪt hɪt miː/ • miserable /ˈmɪzərəbl/ • charge me /tʃɑːrdʒ miː/ 🎧 New episode every weekday Subscribe so you don't miss the next sentence.

    Day 58 · Probably an Eight

  3. Jul 10

    Day 57 · Love-Hate Sunshine

    ① California sunshine is a love-hate thing for me. ② I love it, but it's rough on my skin. ③ This time, I forgot to bring my sunscreen. ④ And I'm pretty stubborn about it. ⑤ I only use one brand. It's this Chinese brand you can only buy back home. ⑥ So these days, I go out with a hat and sunglasses. ⑦ I keep putting off going to Sephora. And it's literally a five-minute drive. ⑧ I know I really should buy a new one. ⑨ I feel like my sunspots are coming back. ⑩ By the end of the year, I'm flying back to China. ⑪ I'll probably stop in Korea on the way. ⑫ I want to get laser treatment for these spots. 🔑 Vocabulary • love-hate /ˌlʌv ˈheɪt/ • sunscreen /ˈsʌnskriːn/ • stubborn /ˈstʌbərn/ • putting off /ˈpʊtɪŋ ɔːf/ • literally /ˈlɪtərəli/ • sunspots /ˈsʌnspɒts/ • on the way /ɒn ðə weɪ/ 🎧 New episode every weekday Subscribe so you don't miss the next sentence.

    Day 57 · Love-Hate Sunshine

  4. Jul 7

    Day 56 · Particular About the Tip

    A slow English story about A restaurant taxed the tip before the tax, so I got the bill fixed. 13 simple sentences. Word by word. About 13 minutes. 📝 Today's sentences ① Today I went out for dinner with a friend. ② The food was great, and so was the service. ③ When the bill came, I was about to leave a 20% tip. ④ But then I noticed something was off. ⑤ Normally, you only pay tax on the food itself. ⑥ And the tip just gets added on top. It shouldn't be taxed. ⑦ But this restaurant added the tip before the tax. ⑧ So my tip got taxed too, and that's definitely not right. ⑨ You know I'm good with numbers, especially when it comes to money. ⑩ My friend told me to just tip 15% and let it go. ⑪ But I didn't want to. So I asked the manager if there was a mistake. ⑫ In the end, they fixed the bill, and I still left an 18% tip. ⑬ I guess I can be really particular about these things. 🔑 Vocabulary • tip /tɪp/ • something was off /ˈsʌmθɪŋ wəz ɔːf/ • on top /ɒn tɒp/ • got taxed /ɡɒt tækst/ • when it comes to money /wen ɪt kʌmz tə ˈmʌni/ • let it go /let ɪt ɡoʊ/ • particular /pərˈtɪkjələr/ 🎧 New episode every weekday Subscribe so you don't miss the next sentence.

    Day 56 · Particular About the Tip

  5. Jul 7

    Day 55 · Good Job, Businessman

    A slow English story about A lazy weekend, a farmers market across the street, and a little businessman at one stand. 14 simple sentences. Word by word. About 13 minutes. 📝 Today's sentences ① This weekend, I slept in really late. ② I skipped breakfast and went out for some porridge. ③ Then I noticed a lively crowd across the street. ④ I love a good crowd, so I went over to check it out. ⑤ It turned out to be a farmers market, and I absolutely loved it. ⑥ Local farmers were selling homegrown veggies and homemade food. ⑦ I bought tomatoes in all kinds of colors. ⑧ I also got some yellow cherries called Rainier. ⑨ At one stand, a Mexican boy was translating for his dad. ⑩ He counted out my change, but he didn't seem very good at math. ⑪ His dad did the math in his head really fast. ⑫ Then he told his son in Spanish, and the boy told me in English. ⑬ I wanted to say, I already did the math myself. ⑭ But I just told him, Good job, businessman! 🔑 Vocabulary • slept in /slept ɪn/ • skipped breakfast /skɪpt ˈbrekfəst/ • across the street /əˈkrɔːs ðə striːt/ • check it out /tʃek ɪt aʊt/ • turned out /tɜːrnd aʊt/ • homemade /ˌhoʊmˈmeɪd/ • all kinds of /ɔːl kaɪndz əv/ • change /tʃeɪndʒ/ • good at math /ɡʊd ət mæθ/ • did the math /dɪd ðə mæθ/ 🎧 New episode every weekday Subscribe so you don't miss the next sentence.

    Day 55 · Good Job, Businessman

  6. Jul 4

    Day 54 · Up Against a Giant

    A slow English story about An indie developer says a much bigger company grabbed his trademark, and I hope it ends fairly. 13 simple sentences. Word by word. About 12 minutes. 📝 Today's sentences ① Yesterday, someone using our app told me about something. ② There's an indie developer who shared his story online. ③ He says a much bigger company grabbed his trademark first. ④ It was a small developer up against a much bigger company. ⑤ That kind of gap really got to me. ⑥ So I reached out to him to hear what happened. ⑦ He explained everything to me, and reminded me to protect my own work too. ⑧ I also went through the evidence he shared publicly. ⑨ Honestly, I haven't had time to verify every detail. ⑩ But he's put so much public info out there, and I tend to believe him. ⑪ Still, I don't want to jump to conclusions yet. ⑫ I just really hope more people pay attention to this. ⑬ And I hope it ends with a fair outcome for everyone. 🔑 Vocabulary • indie developer /ˈɪndi dɪˈveləpər/ • trademark /ˈtreɪdmɑːrk/ • up against /ʌp əˈɡenst/ • jump to conclusions /dʒʌmp tə kənˈkluːʒənz/ • pay attention to /peɪ əˈtenʃən tə/ 🎧 New episode every weekday Subscribe so you don't miss the next sentence.

    Day 54 · Up Against a Giant

  7. Jul 4

    Day 53 · Halfway Through 2026

    A slow English story about Halfway through 2026 already, looking back at the year's goals and the one unexpected win. 15 simple sentences. Word by word. About 17 minutes. 📝 Today's sentences ① Someone left a comment on my latest podcast episode today. ② She wrote, "Wow, half of 2026 is already gone, just like that." ③ Quick note for the folks using my app: I also have a podcast. ④ It's called TingMate too, on the Xiaoyuzhou app and the Apple Podcasts app. ⑤ Long story short, that comment really made me stop and think. ⑥ Time flies, so I looked back at my goals for this year. ⑦ Land an offer from a dream company? I actually got it. Nice! ⑧ Work out twice a week, sleep before midnight? Almost never. ⑨ Read a book a month, take a trip abroad? Nope, neither. ⑩ And honestly, a bunch of other plans never happened either. ⑪ But there was one surprise win: my TingMate app and podcast. ⑫ And that one win honestly makes up for all the misses. ⑬ Thanks for all your support. It really means a lot to me. ⑭ I know I'm pretty good at complimenting myself! Hope you are too. ⑮ I've still got half the year to catch up. I'm a driven person, after all. 🔑 Vocabulary • episode /ˈepɪˌsoʊd/ • left a comment /left ə ˈkɑːment/ • long story short /ˌlɔːŋ ˈstɔːri ʃɔːrt/ • stop and think /stɑːp ən θɪŋk/ • makes up for /meɪks ʌp fɔːr/ • means a lot /miːnz ə ˈlɑːt/ • complimenting myself /ˈkɑːmplɪmentɪŋ maɪˈself/ • catch up /kætʃ ʌp/ 🎧 New episode every weekday Subscribe so you don't miss the next sentence.

    Day 53 · Halfway Through 2026

  8. Jul 1

    Day 52 · Working From Home

    A slow English story about A week of working from home, so free but so much less productive, and that's OK. 14 simple sentences. Word by word. About 11 minutes. 📝 Today's sentences ① This week, I'm doing remote work. ② It just means I don't have to go into the office. I can work from anywhere. ③ We only get four weeks of it a year. ④ I was saving it for my Christmas holiday. ⑤ I planned to fly back to China then. ⑥ But this time, I was in San Francisco. I didn't want to go back to Austin. ⑦ So I applied for remote work instead. ⑧ It feels so free to work from home. ⑨ But honestly, I'm less productive. ⑩ I don't even eat at regular times anymore. ⑪ I was basically lying in bed all day. ⑫ And that's OK. I don't need to be productive all the time. ⑬ People say a little rest helps you go further. ⑭ And I'm telling myself that, too. 🔑 Vocabulary • remote work /rɪˈmoʊt wɜːrk/ • saving it for /ˈseɪvɪŋ ɪt fɔːr/ • applied for /əˈplaɪd fɔːr/ • work from home /wɜːrk frəm hoʊm/ • productive /prəˈdʌktɪv/ • lying in bed /ˈlaɪɪŋ ɪn bed/ 🎧 New episode every weekday Subscribe so you don't miss the next sentence.

    Day 52 · Working From Home
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Slow English stories for intermediate learners. One short story, told gently — then taken apart, piece by piece, until every word makes sense. Quiet listening practice for anyone learning English.

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