TingMate · English Learning

Day 35 · The Call Before Gaokao Listen, my nephew called me this weekend. He told me his gaokao starts tomorrow morning. And he wanted me to give him a pep talk. Honestly, I was kind of touched. He thought of me at a moment like this. But I didn't really know what to say. I mean, it's the gaokao. I just wanted him to take it easy. So I said, I'm so glad you called me. You've really...

A slow English story about My nephew wanted to deliver food for the summer — I made him an offer instead. 12 simple sentences. Word by word. 📝 Today's sentences My nephew called me Thursday afternoon and said his gaokao went good. He said: I want to do part-time as a delivery guy this summer. Then I can save up for university. Actually, I was so proud, and it reminded me of my own summer long...

A slow English story about The morning after gaokao — parents tiptoeing, the kid sleeping in, and one quiet line at breakfast. 11 simple sentences. Word by word. 📝 Today's sentences Yesterday was the last day of gaokao. Today, the house is too quiet. He came home past midnight. From the class dinner. With a hangover. It's almost noon. He's still sleeping in. Door closed. There's n...

A slow English story about Wednesday midnight, picturing them on their last day of gaokao — and the class dinner ahead. 13 simple sentences. Word by word. 📝 Today's sentences It just turned Wednesday. I'm thinking about them again. Today is their last day of gaokao. Probably their only one ever. Just one more exam. English. They'll walk out of that exam room by five. All over. And jus...

A slow English story about Driving past a school full of parents holding flowers — and remembering my own gaokao 20 years ago. 15 simple sentences. Word by word. 📝 Today's sentences This morning, the streets felt unusually quiet. No one was honking. No one rushing. It hit me. Today is the day. I drove past a school on my way to work. Parents were everywhere, holding flowers. And just like tha...

A slow English story about A phone call from my nephew the night before his gaokao — and what I told him. 16 simple sentences. Word by word. 📝 Today's sentences Listen, my nephew called me this weekend. He told me his gaokao starts tomorrow morning. And he wanted me to give him a pep talk. Honestly, I was kind of touched. He thought of me at a moment like this. But I didn't really know wh...

Day 25 · I Poured Another Glass So this weekend, I had a picnic with a friend. Out in the park. We laid out a blanket. Wine, bread, fruit. All takeout, honestly. Nothing fancy. The weather was perfect. I just sat there, doing nothing for once. And there were two kids next to us, sharing one ice cream. Both racing to finish it before it melts. It was the sweetest little rush. Honestly, I was kinda...

Beta App invite → WeChat: TingMateEn Day 30 · Cheers to Right Now This weekend, I went to my friend's housewarming party. Here's the thing. She didn't buy the place. She rented it. But it's still a big deal. Ten years in the US. This is her first time living in a house. Honestly, international student life isn't all that fancy. You're moving abroad, learning English, findin...

Beta app invite → WeChat: TingMateEn A slow English story about Pulled over for a stop sign — third time in three years, always at night. 16 simple sentences. Word by word. 📝 Today's sentences Listen, I'm so done with this. So I just got pulled over on my way home. I was driving back from dinner at my friend's place. I came up to this stop sign at the corner. And I stopped. I swear, I...

A slow English story about An early morning dog walk that turned wild — a five-foot snake right on the path. 15 simple sentences. Word by word. 📝 Today's sentences Listen, I'm not kidding. This just happened this morning. I woke up pretty early. So I planned to walk my dog for a bit longer. We were on the lakeside path around the apartment. All of a sudden, I saw a snake right on the path...

A slow English story about Monday morning, an overslept hangover, and a boss who said it without saying it. 14 simple sentences. Word by word. 📝 Today's sentences Monday morning, and I slept in. I drank way too much at the housewarming last night. I can't really drink much, but I just love a good drink. I threw on some clothes and rushed out the door. Just my luck, the elevator was slow....

Wechat: TingMateEn A slow English story about TingMate beta is here — limited spots for beta testing. 14 simple sentences. Word by word. 📝 Today's sentences Hey, are you guys ready? And I've got some good news for you today. First of all, you guys are crazy. I mean, I never expected this many people to love TingMate. So I started working on the app launch. But honestly, the process is slo...

A slow English story about a friend's housewarming and an H1B that finally came through. 13 simple sentences. Word by word. 📝 Today's sentences This weekend, I went to my friend's housewarming party. Here's the thing. She didn't buy the place. She rented it. But it's still a big deal. Ten years in the US. This is her first time living in a house. Honestly, international st...

Day 19 · Before The Meeting Monday morning. The big week starts now. And before heading out, I looked in the mirror and gave myself a firm nod. I got to the office, made coffee, opened my notes app. I started a new list. Just three things for today. One: I proofread the design doc with ChatGPT. Took half an hour. Two: I shared the deck with everyone on the invite. Three: I dropped a message in the...

Day 25 · I Poured Another Glass So this weekend, I had a picnic with a friend. Out in the park. We laid out a blanket. Wine, bread, fruit. All takeout, honestly. Nothing fancy. The weather was perfect. I just sat there, doing nothing for once. And there were two kids next to us, sharing one ice cream. Both racing to finish it before it melts. It was the sweetest little rush. Honestly, I was kinda...

A slow English story about office gossip and an open secret. 11 simple sentences. Word by word. 📝 Today's sentences Wednesday afternoon. Casy came over to my desk with that look in her eye. You know the look. The "I've got something interesting" face. She leaned in to spill the tea. "Did you know Joe and Lin are dating?" My jaw actually dropped. But honestly? In hindsi...

A slow English story about a Wednesday bubble tea ritual and an unspoken thing. 12 simple sentences. Word by word. 📝 Today's sentences Wednesday. Honestly, it's my favorite day of the week. I know that sounds weird. But let me explain. Here's my theory. Once Wednesday hits, the week's halfway gone. Weekend's right around the corner. Plus, I've got a special Wednesday routi...

A slow English story about cutting through the politeness to actually help someone. 10 simple sentences. Word by word. 📝 Today's sentences After work, I walked over to the coffee shop on the corner. She was already there. I spotted her right away. The only one with her laptop closed, just staring at the door. She apologized like five times before I even sat down. "Sorry to take up your t...

A slow English story about a stranger sliding into your DMs for career advice. 9 simple sentences. Word by word. 📝 Today's sentences Monday morning. A stranger DMed me out of the blue. Turns out, she wanted to ask about my career switch. Switching into tech. Said she's been stuck for a while. Truth is, I don't usually meet people from the internet. Makes me nervous. But I get it. I've been there...

A slow English story about a weekend picnic and the quiet weight of everyday life. 7 simple sentences. Word by word. 📝 Today's sentences So this weekend, I had a picnic with a friend. Out in the park. We laid out a blanket. Wine, bread, fruit. All takeout, honestly. Nothing fancy. The weather was perfect. I just sat there, doing nothing for once. And there were two kids next to us, sharing on...

A slow English story about hitting 11k subscribers and announcing weekend review days. 8 simple sentences. Word by word. 📝 Today's sentences Wow! Look what you guys did! We already hit 11k subscribers. I really appreciate all your support. But hey, real talk. I know a lot of you are struggling to keep up. And nobody wants to fall behind, right? And that got me thinking. I mean, language is just a...

A slow English story about the hangover overshare after one too many drinks. 8 simple sentences. Word by word. About 10 minutes. 📖 In this episode Hungover Friday morning, recounting last night at the bar. The waiter was completely on it — soon as I put my glass down, he'd refill it like there's no tomorrow. Two glasses in: 'This guy gets it!' Three glasses in: 'This might be a problem.' The litt...

A slow English story about the design review and getting the green light. 8 simple sentences. Word by word. About 9 minutes. 📖 In this episode Thursday morning. Came in early to set up the meeting room. Hit record. Everyone started showing up. Took a deep breath: 'Thanks for joining today's design review. Feel free to jump in with any questions.' Most comments were already resolved fr...

A slow English story about doing a dry run with the team. 8 simple sentences. Word by word. About 9 minutes. 📖 In this episode Wednesday morning. Brought the final deck to my mentor's desk. She walked me through it once more — it all made sense. She suggested a dry run with the team that afternoon. 4 PM, everyone showed up. Lots of questions. One stood out: how do we plug AI into the data flo...

A slow English story about closing the feedback loop before tomorrow's rehearsal. 8 simple sentences. Word by word. About 9 minutes. 📖 In this episode Tuesday morning. Inbox refreshed. Two more pieces of feedback came in overnight. By 9, pinged the holdouts. By 11, all in — fewer comments than expected. Sat down with Claude, resolved the easy ones. One vague comment from Lisa, quick 1:1 to ta...