A lot of students focus on learning the rules of English grammar, but you also need to learn the differences between your culture and that of English-speaking countries. In this lesson, I go over some simple differences.
I do not completely agree, Asian girls like hugs :D
Hi James,
I am very glad to see your new lessons.
Maxim
I think Asian girls wanna hug you. They never hug Asian boys.
Hyunseo
hahahaha
3bdallah
Hi James.
Great lesson. Here in Brazil hugs is so common and also in writen we use hugs. Usually in final of emails, letters we say : huges.
I’m looking forward to see your next lesson. you’re really funny.
Take care (In brazil “Hugs”)
FC
Fernando Cortez
hey james
great lesson, it was very funny and educative, specially asian”s hugs.
Misha
Hi James,
I really like your lessons :D
tvmtuan
Dear Valen,
Let me wish you a flowerish future in the teaching field.
Yours
Y.K.Al Rifai
UAE
Y.K.Al Rifai
Dear James,
Thank you very much for your good and helpful lessons.
Yours
Hasmik
Hasmikmakaryan
Yeah in Brazil is commom and nice and you meet someone, you give hugs and somentimes 2 or 3 kisses on the cheek.
Reinoni
James,
Thanks for your effort. I’m teaching English to adults in Slovakia. Is there a way to download the lessons so I can show them in a classroom that does not have an internet connection?
Thanks.
TJ
tjmorton11
Hi James it’s so funny video you look like a actor which in act japan. You’re good teacher thanks for all of your video lessons. Of course good luck all we can learn english well with engvid. Hope so.
nandin
You are absolutely right. We only teach the norms of how to greet in English, but never how to greet people from other cultures because we mostly interact with non-native speakers than with native speakers.
This video would have been perfect if you added what a small talk in the U.S. and Latin America would be. I think you only demonstrated one in an Asian context. Overall, well-thought lesson. I am going to use this video for one of my lessons that I am designing for a project.
PaPiCha
Hi, I’m new to this site. (And I love it!) I’m from Hong Kong.
I think more and more Asian people are beginning to adopt the Western way of greeting. They hug too, but as for kisses, they are still rather conservative. (At least I myself seldom do it.)
The Chinese shake hands when they meet. And how long they hold each other’s hand depends on how much they like each other or how well they know each other. This is true for the Westerners too, right?
Sometimes instead of a handshake, what they give each other is a pat (lightly) on the shoulder; they may give a firm grip on both shoulders if they are really passionate or emotional.
But I think we are really passive in showing our emotions. Even for family who have not met for a long time, they don’t usually show much excitement or give big hugs to each other when they meet. They just hold hands or, like I said, pat on the shoulder(s). But they tend to look at each other with big smiles for a long time, to take a better look at the changes on the face perhaps.
Well, that’s what I know about (Chinese) people in Hong Kong.
Finally, I agree that we need to know about different cultures if we want to make friends from foreign places.
Iris
Tank you
000000000000
Respected sir,
I am taking up TOEFL exam next week. I would like to know where can I find the recent TOEFL questions online so that i can practice more on it. I would like to know, in general, the topics that will be chosen as questions in the writing part.
Anusha
That was really funny…thanks
hijab
hi, James
Great, but I would like you to go further with the differences between cultures. Please focus on things like :if you have a new neighbour, or if you invite by someone, people eating habits.
Since im an esl teacher give examples of natives.
THANKS FROM SENEGAL WEST AFRICA
onda
Thank you very much
ortiga
Hello Mister:)
thank you very much your videos are helpful
but i want to ask about the Gerands & infiniteves could you pleas give us some information about it like for example
How can we memorize the verbs because they are more and its realy hard to me to memorize them!!!
Al-Anood
Hi James, I am very new with your lessons. I really really enjoy your lesson. So nice.
Thank you
Suvd
Can you tell me different cases to use between “each” and “every”!!!
Sorry, and all cases we use “the”
Thank you very much!!!
Quoc Long Tran
nice and funny video, next time include middle eastern and African culture ;)
Bilal
thanks so much, this better way to learn free english as second language, I’d love to.
atif elamin
thanks so much, this better way to learn free english as second language, I’d love to.I’m a sudanese man.
atif elamin
HI JAMES THANKS FOR THE LESSON, SO USEFUL BUT THE LAST TIME THAT I SAY HI LIKE INCLINING MY SELF I ENDS IN A HEADACHE U KNOW WHAT I MEAN, WELL ITS WONDERFULL LEARN MORE ABOUT OTHERS AND I THINK THAT HUGS ITS LIKE TRYING TO MAKE A PERSON LIKE PART OF FAMILY
john
hi! i love your videos! they’re all a good help!
Hey, I just have some questions.
What’s the difference between would and could after the word wish.
EX:
I wish _____ I could play the piano.
a. would
b. could
One of my students asked me that. >.<
terry
You’re so funny, teacher James! Keep it up!
eds
Good lesson James i will adapt it to my classroom.i teach ESL in Asia and i am about to teach “culture” next week to my junior high students.
Bobby
very useful lesson
fatimah
I’m italian! A big hug and lots of kisses to everybody!
Ciao a tutti!
Andrea
Great lesson! Here in brazil we are very close to each other. When we greet we shake hands, hug or kiss in the cheek.
Jordana
hi James..
I like your lessons thats why I’m here i learnt many things from you and I want to say thank you very much..I try to speak english but I have problems with writing .. but I’m so glad to be member in this website.
keep up good working
lamar
actually it is not a comment but rather a request , I am an Algerian student and I am undertaking a project about cultural differences in an EFL / ESL chassroom , so would you e mail me articles and bboks that demonstrate this differences in terms of an intercultural approach
youcef benamor
Really funy
Thank you
Rasha
u r great!!!!
waqar
WOWOWOWO
wonder full i like it you are
a pat teacher in the word
Abdulmajid
It’s really interesting,when you meet new people from different countries,and share them your knowledge about your cultures,that’s amazing,because you have a good chance to understand some differences,or similarities,about two countries,and your action would become acceptable for foreigners. thanks a lot. excellent work.
ia23
It is really the right place to learn something new.
sultan
In the mall they say. How are you doing ,guys? You should
Bring your I d card . May I help you?she said .
Dan
really interesting and funny too you re agreat teacher
nadiaassia
I think this is a good general overview, but even in Asian contexts there are a lot of differences. Like the “Wai” in Thailand or parts of India And differences between Japanese and Koreans in how they greet each other. The bow has different uses depending on where you are. It’s always good to let students know that while these are general concepts, reality is always more complicated.
Kyle
Very good lesson….very informative,…thank you very much
argenis
Hi James. Thank you very much.
Assalomu aleykum
aruzikulov
I like it. Thank you very muchb for your lesson.
towangho321
i love the first scene of his videos : )
dayoung
I know you’re right James, but let me tell you what happened on my first trip to the U.S.. When I arrived at the school to which I was appointed I started looking for my American sponsor, which until then I did not know who would. I viagei to the U.S. knowing about American behavior ams what I did not know is that my sponsor also studied Latin on behavior. And as soon as he saw me he gave me a big hug, like the one you gave in your Japanese friend and started talking to me in Spanish … Only after that I told him that we Brazilians speak Portuguese …
MarcioLima1993
What a informative lesson!
Hyunseo
Hi James,
thanks a lot for your lesson. It’s short but interesting.
take care
cep62
Great!!!
jovano.mata
Hi James :)) Can’t stop laughing for your gesture of Japanese :)
Ho Tri Thuc
Hi James, in Italy, we say: a lot big hugs!
Thank you for your simple language in each lesson.
Lorenza79
Excellent James, I like your English Lessons. I learn a lot with them
jppo24
Hi James, can you explain to me what is the meaning of the phase you used. (for lack of a better word)
Andrey1926
:-)
ann ann
I am a Japanese descendant born in Brazil. You can’t imagine how sad it is for me… =)
demura
:D That’s relatively. Because we depend on circumstances.If we was close friend, a hug was good. But we just have met already, we should hold the hand.
phamtuan
Hi Everyone, I’m so happy to learn more about English here. Thanks for all. James, I can say just one thing YOUR CLASSES ARE TOTALLY PERFECTS.
See you Soon =D
ThayseOliveira
handshake between the opposite gender is not common in Iran , because it’s Islamic .
AmirAsadi
Thanks to your comment, I just spent a while reading about how people politely refuse a handshake in the West, and the main ways are:
– the excuse: telling people you have a cold (this only works a few times)
– the explanation: politely saying “sorry, it’s against my religion/beliefs” (most people won’t ask further)
– the substitution: nodding, bowing, or handing them a business card instead
And some religious authorities say that a quick handshake is okay in a business setting, for various reasons.
engVid Moderator
James, you are the best. Thank you so much. and some people from Latinamerica say “my love” even though we are not fall in love.
Marta Lopez
i like all of you don’t touch me
Killer Dat
Different manners of giving greetings but with different cultures to give them. Interesting lesson again with a good performance and explanation. Thanks teacher James from EngVid.
angardiobel
in turkey , we use so much to hug or embrace. and most people like to do that
Learn English for free with 2107 video lessons by experienced teachers. Classes cover English grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, IELTS, TOEFL, and more. Join millions of English learners worldwide who are improving every day with engVid.
69 COMMENTS
I do not completely agree, Asian girls like hugs :D
Hi James,
I am very glad to see your new lessons.
I think Asian girls wanna hug you. They never hug Asian boys.
hahahaha
Hi James.
Great lesson. Here in Brazil hugs is so common and also in writen we use hugs. Usually in final of emails, letters we say : huges.
I’m looking forward to see your next lesson. you’re really funny.
Take care (In brazil “Hugs”)
FC
hey james
great lesson, it was very funny and educative, specially asian”s hugs.
Hi James,
I really like your lessons :D
Dear Valen,
Let me wish you a flowerish future in the teaching field.
Yours
Y.K.Al Rifai
UAE
Dear James,
Thank you very much for your good and helpful lessons.
Yours
Hasmik
Yeah in Brazil is commom and nice and you meet someone, you give hugs and somentimes 2 or 3 kisses on the cheek.
James,
Thanks for your effort. I’m teaching English to adults in Slovakia. Is there a way to download the lessons so I can show them in a classroom that does not have an internet connection?
Thanks.
TJ
Hi James it’s so funny video you look like a actor which in act japan. You’re good teacher thanks for all of your video lessons. Of course good luck all we can learn english well with engvid. Hope so.
You are absolutely right. We only teach the norms of how to greet in English, but never how to greet people from other cultures because we mostly interact with non-native speakers than with native speakers.
This video would have been perfect if you added what a small talk in the U.S. and Latin America would be. I think you only demonstrated one in an Asian context. Overall, well-thought lesson. I am going to use this video for one of my lessons that I am designing for a project.
Hi, I’m new to this site. (And I love it!) I’m from Hong Kong.
I think more and more Asian people are beginning to adopt the Western way of greeting. They hug too, but as for kisses, they are still rather conservative. (At least I myself seldom do it.)
The Chinese shake hands when they meet. And how long they hold each other’s hand depends on how much they like each other or how well they know each other. This is true for the Westerners too, right?
Sometimes instead of a handshake, what they give each other is a pat (lightly) on the shoulder; they may give a firm grip on both shoulders if they are really passionate or emotional.
But I think we are really passive in showing our emotions. Even for family who have not met for a long time, they don’t usually show much excitement or give big hugs to each other when they meet. They just hold hands or, like I said, pat on the shoulder(s). But they tend to look at each other with big smiles for a long time, to take a better look at the changes on the face perhaps.
Well, that’s what I know about (Chinese) people in Hong Kong.
Finally, I agree that we need to know about different cultures if we want to make friends from foreign places.
Tank you
Respected sir,
I am taking up TOEFL exam next week. I would like to know where can I find the recent TOEFL questions online so that i can practice more on it. I would like to know, in general, the topics that will be chosen as questions in the writing part.
That was really funny…thanks
hi, James
Great, but I would like you to go further with the differences between cultures. Please focus on things like :if you have a new neighbour, or if you invite by someone, people eating habits.
Since im an esl teacher give examples of natives.
THANKS FROM SENEGAL WEST AFRICA
Thank you very much
Hello Mister:)
thank you very much your videos are helpful
but i want to ask about the Gerands & infiniteves could you pleas give us some information about it like for example
How can we memorize the verbs because they are more and its realy hard to me to memorize them!!!
Hi James, I am very new with your lessons. I really really enjoy your lesson. So nice.
Thank you
Can you tell me different cases to use between “each” and “every”!!!
Sorry, and all cases we use “the”
Thank you very much!!!
nice and funny video, next time include middle eastern and African culture ;)
thanks so much, this better way to learn free english as second language, I’d love to.
thanks so much, this better way to learn free english as second language, I’d love to.I’m a sudanese man.
HI JAMES THANKS FOR THE LESSON, SO USEFUL BUT THE LAST TIME THAT I SAY HI LIKE INCLINING MY SELF I ENDS IN A HEADACHE U KNOW WHAT I MEAN, WELL ITS WONDERFULL LEARN MORE ABOUT OTHERS AND I THINK THAT HUGS ITS LIKE TRYING TO MAKE A PERSON LIKE PART OF FAMILY
hi! i love your videos! they’re all a good help!
Hey, I just have some questions.
What’s the difference between would and could after the word wish.
EX:
I wish _____ I could play the piano.
a. would
b. could
One of my students asked me that. >.<
You’re so funny, teacher James! Keep it up!
Good lesson James i will adapt it to my classroom.i teach ESL in Asia and i am about to teach “culture” next week to my junior high students.
very useful lesson
I’m italian! A big hug and lots of kisses to everybody!
Ciao a tutti!
Great lesson! Here in brazil we are very close to each other. When we greet we shake hands, hug or kiss in the cheek.
hi James..
I like your lessons thats why I’m here i learnt many things from you and I want to say thank you very much..I try to speak english but I have problems with writing .. but I’m so glad to be member in this website.
keep up good working
actually it is not a comment but rather a request , I am an Algerian student and I am undertaking a project about cultural differences in an EFL / ESL chassroom , so would you e mail me articles and bboks that demonstrate this differences in terms of an intercultural approach
Really funy
Thank you
u r great!!!!
WOWOWOWO
wonder full i like it you are
a pat teacher in the word
It’s really interesting,when you meet new people from different countries,and share them your knowledge about your cultures,that’s amazing,because you have a good chance to understand some differences,or similarities,about two countries,and your action would become acceptable for foreigners. thanks a lot. excellent work.
It is really the right place to learn something new.
In the mall they say. How are you doing ,guys? You should
Bring your I d card . May I help you?she said .
really interesting and funny too you re agreat teacher
I think this is a good general overview, but even in Asian contexts there are a lot of differences. Like the “Wai” in Thailand or parts of India And differences between Japanese and Koreans in how they greet each other. The bow has different uses depending on where you are. It’s always good to let students know that while these are general concepts, reality is always more complicated.
Very good lesson….very informative,…thank you very much
Hi James. Thank you very much.
Assalomu aleykum
I like it. Thank you very muchb for your lesson.
i love the first scene of his videos : )
I know you’re right James, but let me tell you what happened on my first trip to the U.S.. When I arrived at the school to which I was appointed I started looking for my American sponsor, which until then I did not know who would. I viagei to the U.S. knowing about American behavior ams what I did not know is that my sponsor also studied Latin on behavior. And as soon as he saw me he gave me a big hug, like the one you gave in your Japanese friend and started talking to me in Spanish … Only after that I told him that we Brazilians speak Portuguese …
What a informative lesson!
Hi James,
thanks a lot for your lesson. It’s short but interesting.
take care
Great!!!
Hi James :)) Can’t stop laughing for your gesture of Japanese :)
Hi James, in Italy, we say: a lot big hugs!
Thank you for your simple language in each lesson.
Excellent James, I like your English Lessons. I learn a lot with them
Hi James, can you explain to me what is the meaning of the phase you used. (for lack of a better word)
:-)
I am a Japanese descendant born in Brazil. You can’t imagine how sad it is for me… =)
:D That’s relatively. Because we depend on circumstances.If we was close friend, a hug was good. But we just have met already, we should hold the hand.
Hi Everyone, I’m so happy to learn more about English here. Thanks for all. James, I can say just one thing YOUR CLASSES ARE TOTALLY PERFECTS.
See you Soon =D
handshake between the opposite gender is not common in Iran , because it’s Islamic .
Thanks to your comment, I just spent a while reading about how people politely refuse a handshake in the West, and the main ways are:
– the excuse: telling people you have a cold (this only works a few times)
– the explanation: politely saying “sorry, it’s against my religion/beliefs” (most people won’t ask further)
– the substitution: nodding, bowing, or handing them a business card instead
And some religious authorities say that a quick handshake is okay in a business setting, for various reasons.
James, you are the best. Thank you so much. and some people from Latinamerica say “my love” even though we are not fall in love.
i like all of you don’t touch me
Different manners of giving greetings but with different cultures to give them. Interesting lesson again with a good performance and explanation. Thanks teacher James from EngVid.
in turkey , we use so much to hug or embrace. and most people like to do that
Thank you
thanks!
Great work!
Thank you Mr. James.
James,
Thank you so much!
Thank you so much!