NHKラジオ英会話のディクテーション「closeとnear」L164 2025/12/4

Onishi: Hey David, basketball is a very popular sport in the United States, right?

David: Oh yeah, that's right. It's in the top 3 along with the American football and baseball, I think.

Onishi: ラジオ英会話、ハートでつかめ英語の極意。講師の大西泰斗です。

Roza: This is Akino Roza.

David: And I'm David Evans.

Onishi: それでは、さっそくはじめていきましょう。

• That was close. You really need to watch where you're going.
• I didn't know you were such close friends with Yoichi.
• My office is close to Ginza.
• My office is near Ginza.
• Stay close to me. I'll keep you safe.
• Don't come near me.

Roza: You are amazing.

Robert? Yeah, I know him. We're not close but he lives near me. Sometimes we take the same train to commute in the morning.

Roza: All right guys, well it's getting close to the end of the program, but before we wrap things up, it's time for the pronunciation polish. Are you ready? Here is today's sentence. "It was a close game" ...

Today's sentence is short and sweet. We only have two points, linking and the /ə/ sound in it. Both of these, you've practiced a lot, so let's get into it.

Repeat after me. It ... was a ... It was a ...

Great work so far. Let's do the whole sentence.

• It was a close game.

All right, a little faster now.

• It was a close game.

Excellent work. Now, notice the pronunciation of the word game. It's not ゲーム, it's game. All right, let's try one more time.

• It was a close game.

Well, you are doing absolutely fantastic. And if it wasn't perfect, don't worry about it. Keep on practicing and you'll get there.

Onishi: Hey David, you play the basketball because you're so tall?

David: No, but congratulations Sensei, you are now the 10,000th person to ask me that question.

Roza: Sensei, you can't stereotype like that. Just because David is tall doesn't mean he plays basketball. Of course he plays volleyball.

David: Wait, wait ...

Onishi: というわけで、今日はこの辺で。

All: Bye.