This mouth workout builds boldness fast.

You don’t struggle with words.
You know what you want to say.

But the moment you speak, you worry how you sound.
Too slow? Too German? Too unsure?

That’s where tongue twisters can help.

They might seem silly, but they’re surprisingly powerful.
They train your mouth to move with ease, speed and clarity.

• Better pronunciation
• Smoother sentences
• More confidence, even under pressure

Try these (start slowly, then build up speed):

🌀 Betty Botter bought some butter…
🌀 Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers…
🌀 Willy watched the waves wash the white wooden wagon.
🌀 Vera visits various villages, viewing various vistas, and voting for various vendors.

Quick tip:

• V = bottom lip + top teeth
• W = rounded lips

You don’t need perfect English.
You just need to practise out loud — daily, gently, playfully.

This kind of speaking workout builds fluency and boldness.
You’ll hear the difference and so will others.

💬 Got a favourite tongue twister? I’m collecting new ones!

We all know “Schadenfreude.”
But what about “Freudenfreude”?

Yes, schadenfreude made it into English.
It’s that feeling of secret satisfaction when someone else stumbles.
Not very kind. But very human.

But here’s a word we don’t hear often:
freudenfreude.
The joy we feel when someone else succeeds.

Psychologist Marisa G. Franco explains it beautifully:

“When we feel happy for others, their joy becomes our joy.”

Freudenfreude helps us build stronger relationships. It turns comparison into connection. And it reminds us that someone else’s win doesn’t mean we’ve lost.

So here’s a gentle nudge for today.

Let’s…
… celebrate someone.
… send them a message.
… say, “I’m proud of you.”

Their joy can become ours.

When was the last time you felt freudenfreude?

I often send my clients or colleagues articles, videos or interviews I think they might like. Nothing they have to read. Just things that might inspire them or make them smile.

Last week, I came across a short interview with an international CEO talking about how she learned to lead meetings in English — even when she wasn’t sure of every word.

I immediately thought of my client Petra. She often tells me how much pressure she feels to sound “perfect” in global meetings.

So I forwarded the interview to her.

But instead of saying “You must watch this,” I just wrote in the subject line:
Rainy-Day Reading.

It’s my way of saying:
“No pressure. No urgency. Just something that might be helpful, if and when you feel like it.”

And I mean it.

Using small signals like this can make your messages feel more respectful and friendly — especially in professional settings.

You might like to try it too.

📬 Rainy-Day Reading is a nice little phrase for sharing things without adding pressure.

It keeps the door open — without pushing anyone through it.

But did you know… we don’t use it in English?

Since the 1990s, Germans have used “Messie” to describe someone who lives in chaos — often collecting things they don’t need.

It sounds English.
It’s based on the word “mess.”
But in English, we don’t say it.

We’d call someone like that a:

• hoarder (or even a compulsive hoarder)
• pack rat (informal)
• junkaholic (less common, but you’ll find it!)

It’s a great example of a false friend — a word that looks or sounds like English, but isn’t used the same way.

(Just like “Handy” for mobile phone. We don’t say that either.)

Fun fact: there’s a “Messie Hilfe Team” in Germany — with an English website!

Next time you’re not sure about a “false friend,” double-check.
It might be almost English, but not quite.

Ever used a word that turned out to be “not English after all”?
I’d love to hear your favourite false friends.

Plurals do not need apostrophes.

The number of times I’ve seen signs like:

• “Fresh apple’s available now!”
• “Happy Hour: 2-for-1 cocktail’s!”
• “Book’s for sale!”

…is enough to make a copy editor weep quietly into their style guide.

Let’s clear this up once and for all:

Plural = no apostrophe.
Possessive = apostrophe.

So:
🍎 🍎 Apples = just more than one apple
🍎 Apple’s = something belonging to an apple (like… its peel or pips?)

Don’t let its size fool you. This tiny squiggle can wreak havoc. And yes, even smart professionals fall into the apostrophe trap.

If grammar rules feel fuzzy, don’t worry. You’re not alone — and that’s exactly the kind of thing we can clean up quickly (and painlessly) in writing coaching.

You’ve now got full permission to drop that rogue apostrophe. Your plurals will thank you.

Most people are surprised when I tell them:
We don’t usually say anything.

Not in Britain, anyway.

After living in Germany for so many years, I’ve learned to say something.
(And of course, it doesn’t hurt!)

So what might I say?

• “I hope you have a nice meal!”
• “Enjoy your meal” or simply “Enjoy!”
• “Bon appétit!” (Yes, that one’s French, but it’s totally fine in English too.)
• “Tuck in!” (very casual and only with family members”)

So if you’ve ever wondered what to say before a meal in English, now you know.

And if you’re curious about British table manners…

Go and watch etiquette expert William Hanson on ITV with Gino and Mel.
(You’ll even learn the proper way to eat peas!)

What do you usually say before a meal?
Let’s compare customs.