TingMate · English Learning

Day 40 · Champions

Tonight could be the night. Game 5. New York leads the series three to one.

None of us got a ticket. They were way too expensive. So we squeeze in front of one screen.

For most of the game, New York is down. At one point, down by sixteen. It looks over.

Then Brunson takes over! Thirteen points in a row! We can't believe it!

We are all on the edge of our seats.

The final minute. New York is ahead. Nobody says a word.

A slow English story about Wrapping zongzi for Dragon Boat Festival, and missing the red bean paste from my childhood. 11 simple sentences. Word by word. About 12 minutes.

📝 Today's sentences

① Dragon Boat Festival is almost here. So today I left work early and went to a friend's place.

② She had everything ready. And we tried wrapping zongzi.

③ And honestly? It's so much harder than it looks.

④ We didn't have red bean filling. Just salted egg yolk and pork.

⑤ My friend is from the North. She likes dipping...

A slow English story about Last day of the 618 sale, and I can't figure out if I actually saved anything. 12 simple sentences. Word by word. About 12 minutes.

📝 Today's sentences

① Hey, do you guys know what day it is? Today's the last day of the 618 mid-year sale.

② I just paid the balance on my pre-order.

③ And honestly, I was scared I'd messed up the math.

④ These days, you just can't figure out the discount rules.

⑤ I checked it three times. And I'm good with numbers, especially mo...

A slow English story about My AC stopped cooling at night, and the neighbor group chat fixed it together. 14 simple sentences. Word by word. About 16 minutes.

📝 Today's sentences

① I got home around 6:30 today. And man, it was hot.

② The house hit 84 degrees Fahrenheit. So I turned on the AC right away.

③ I grabbed a drink from the fridge and sank into my rocking chair.

④ But five minutes later, I was still sweating.

⑤ That's when it hit me. The AC wasn't cooling at all.

⑥ Now I wasn't just hot...

A slow English story about Craving crawfish at the supermarket, I made a deal with myself — and ended up eating it online. 13 simple sentences. Word by word. About ? minutes.

📝 Today's sentences

① My friends, I have a question for you. Is it crawfish season back in China right now?

② I've been in Austin, Texas lately. The most famous local supermarket here is H-E-B.

③ There's one almost every two miles. And in summer, crawfish is their thing.

④ They set up a little stall out front. Selling crawfish for a limited time.

⑤ I park...

A slow English story about We couldn't afford a ticket, so we crowded around one screen — and watched the Knicks win it all. 11 simple sentences. Word by word. About ? minutes.

📝 Today's sentences

① Tonight could be the night. Game 5. New York leads the series three to one.

② None of us got a ticket. They were way too expensive. So we squeeze in front of one screen.

③ For most of the game, New York is down. At one point, down by sixteen. It looks over.

④ Then Brunson takes over! Thirtee...

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, finding a job, then the H1B lottery.

She kept going year after year. Reapplying, waiting, refusing to quit.

This year, she finally got picked. T...

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 r...

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 time ago.

I was handing out flyers on the street the whole summer.

Honestly, I alw...

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 no rushing this morning. No alarm. No backpack by the door.

Mom keeps walking past his door. Listening for any sound.

...

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 just like that, they're free. Free from high school.

They'll try to keep their cool. And head home to check...

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 that, I was eighteen again.

And just like that, I was back in that...

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 what to say.

I mean, it's the gaokao.

I jus...

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 jealous.

Then it hits me. My life is heavy. Bills, deadlines, Monday's almost h...

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, finding a job, then the H1B lottery.

She kept going year after year. Reapplying, waiting, refusing to quit.

T...

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 stopped.

But the cop said I didn't come to a full st...

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.

My neighbors actually keep talking about snakes in the group...

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.

I snuck into the office, hoping no one would notice.

T...

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 slower than I thought.

So in the meantime, I built something for you.

Yeah...

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 student life isn't all that fancy.

You're moving abroad, learning English, finding a job, then the H1B l...

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 group chat. Reach out anytime. Leave c...

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 jealous.

Then it hits me. My life is heavy. Bills, d...

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 hindsight, it kind of makes sense.

Turns out, all those "random" coffee runs? Not so random.

I felt a l...

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 routine. And it's a good one.

There's a bubble tea shop right downstairs from my office.

And on Wednesdays, their signature drink is...

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 time," she kept saying.

Look, I had to cut her off. If we kept being this polite, we'd waste the whole nig...

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 before. Working up the courage to reach out to other people for help isn't easy.

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 one ice cream. Both racing to finish it before it melts.

It was the sweetest little rush. Hon...

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 tool. None of us should be stressed on weekends.

So I had this idea. Here's the game plan. From now...

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 little angel on my shoulder whispered stop. The devil won. I overshared. Like, my whole life story. Now I'm just dying of cring...

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 from yesterday — it went smoothly. On the open question about AI, we decided to go with the MCP tool. Sales can upload data directly. The team gave it the g...

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 flow? We pinned that down as our open question. A teammate gave me a thumbs up. 'Don't stress tomorrow.' Before headi...

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 talk it through. Back at the desk, worked everything into the deck. Closed the loop. The draft is locked.

📝 Today's sentences

Tuesday morning. I refreshed my inbox first thing. T...

A slow English story about the morning before the big presentation. 8 simple sentences. Word by word. About 9 minutes.

📖 In this episode

Monday morning. The big week starts now. Before heading out, you look in the mirror and give yourself a firm nod. Coffee. Notes app. Three things on today's list. Proofread the design doc with ChatGPT. Share the deck with everyone on the invite. Drop a message in the group chat — reach out anytime, leave comments by 11. Hit send. Honestly, half the work feels done already.

📝 Today's sentences

Monday m...

A slow English story about a Sunday deep clean out of nowhere. 8 simple sentences. Word by word. About 9 minutes.

📝 Today's sentences

I slept in today. Like really slept in. Sunday morning, no alarm.

Then out of nowhere, I started cleaning. Like deep cleaning.

Which makes no sense. I'm a lazy person. Nobody's even coming over.

But I kept at it for the whole afternoon. Scrubbing, sorting, throwing things out.

Then it hits me. Maybe I'm just running from that presentation.

But you kno...

A slow English story about a movie that stayed with you all day. 8 simple sentences. Word by word. About 9 minutes.

📝 Today's sentences

I don't watch a lot of movies. They're too much of a time commitment.

But today I watched one. And honestly, it's stayed with me all day.

It's called "Dear You."

A grandma's husband went to Thailand for work decades ago. And letters and money kept coming home.

Year after year. Like clockwork.

But here's the thing. The letters weren't fro...

A slow English story about protecting your Friday. 8 simple sentences. Word by word. About 10 minutes.

📝 Today's sentences

TGIF, you guys! Thank God it's Friday. I'm working from home today.

No meetings on my calendar. Honestly, no one schedules meetings on Friday. It's just an unspoken thing.

I mean, do you know how important Friday is for us 9-to-5ers?

I've been working so hard all week. Just to make my Friday count.

Next week is gonna be huge. I'm giving a presentation to the lea...

A slow English story about waking up from a really sweet dream. 7 simple sentences. Word by word. About 8 minutes.

📝 Today's sentences

I woke up this morning, feeling SO happy!

Because I had this really sweet dream.

In the dream, I was a middle school boy. And there was this girl I had a crush on.

During break, she walked over and asked to borrow a pencil.

So I gave her my newest one, the one with an Ultraman on it.

After school, she...

A slow English story about winding down after a long day. 8 simple sentences. Word by word. About 8 minutes.

📝 Today's sentences

I'm home. The elevator's fast and quiet, because I'm the only one in it.

Honestly, I'm pretty tired.

But instead of crashing on the couch, I push myself to finish the night routine.

I tidy up a bit, wash my face, toss my clothes in the washer.

Finally, I lie down. Everything goes quiet.

I scroll Rednote for a bit. Feeling calm, no to-do list in...

A slow English story about the 5 yuan that buys a smile. 8 simple sentences. Word by word. About 8 minutes.

📖 In this episode

8 p.m. Time to clock out. Streets still packed. Uber says fifteen minutes — or pay 5 yuan more for a faster ride. You hesitate. Then you think: your time matters, and maybe this little thing makes the driver's day. Boom, ride confirmed. Windows down, breeze on your face. Time to go home.

📝 Today's sentences

It's finally time to clock out.

A few coworkers are still around — I wave goo...

A slow English story about the last-minute 5 p.m. meeting. 8 simple sentences. Word by word. About 9 minutes.

📖 In this episode

4:30 p.m. A message pops up: 5 p.m. meeting, new project. Are you serious? But you're just an employee — you grab your stuff and go. An hour in, no idea what's been decided. You don't hate meetings. Just come prepared, please.

📝 Today's sentences

It's 4:30 p.m. — and a message pops up: 5 p.m. meeting to discuss a new project.

And I was like — are you serious? It's almost...