Lesson 37 What a shame

ポイント
When learning a second language, people inevitably make mistakes. Even if you make mistakes, you should not feel too bad about them.

ダイアログ
Lindsey: Hi, Yoko. How was London? Did you use your English?
Yoko: Yes, but I made many mistakes. I was very ashamed.
Lindsey: Your mistakes probably weren’t that bad!

解説
The two potential translations of 恥ずかしい to describe people’s feelings are “ashamed” and “embarrassed.” Unfortunately, Yoko used the wrong one. We feel ashamed when we are caught doing morally wrong things, such as lying and cheating. We feel embarrassed when we make simple mistakes or do silly things. Yoko was embarrassed, but there was no reason for her to be ashamed. So remember, you shouldn’t be ashamed to make mistakes in English.