Word of the Week: Indeed

“Did you get my letter?” “I did indeed.” “My friend had told me his dog was big, and I saw that he is indeed a very big dog.” “Did you draw that? It’s very beautiful indeed.” “Indeed” can be used as emphasis or to confirm something as true. 「手紙は届きましたか?」 「届いたとも。」...

Word of the Week: Fidget

“I want my kids to enjoy music so I took them to a classical concert, but they were bored and fidgeted the whole time.” “At the job interview, the chair was so uncomfortable, it was hard not to fidget. I hope nobody noticed.” To fidget is to move around slightly,...

Word of the Week: Surround

“The excited children surrounded the man dressed as Santa Claus.” “The yard is surrounded by a fence.” “There’s no escape! We’re surrounded by enemies!” “Surround” often appears in the passive voice. It means that something is present on all sides. If you put speakers...

Word of the Week: Painkiller

“I have a pretty bad headache. Do we have any painkillers?” A painkiller is a medicine you use that makes you feel less or no pain: It “kills” pain. Some painkillers can be bought without a prescription. For more serious pain, you might need to get something stronger...

Word of the Week: Gradually

“Learning a new language is difficult, but don’t be discouraged. You are gradually improving, and soon you’ll be surprised how well you can understand it!” Something that happens gradually doesn’t happen all at once. It happens very slowly, or a little bit at a time....