The A to Z English Podcast | Superstitions from around the world

In this episode of The A to Z English Podcast, Jack, Salimeh, and May talk about superstitions from their countries: USA, Iran, and Malaysia. Transcript: 00:00:00 Jack You're listening to the A-Z English podcast. 00:00:14 Jack Welcome to the Ages English podcast. My name is Jack and today I'm with my good friends saleme and may. 00:00:22 Jack And today I want to do a quick talk episode where we just really quickly talk about superstitions. And so let me give you an example from America. OK. So in America, we believe that the number 13 is an unlucky number. 00:00:41 Jack So in some cities, if you have like an older build. 00:00:46 Jack The building will go to floor 12 and then the next floor is 14. They just don't put the 13th floor. I mean the 14th floor is the 13th floor, but they've used the number 14 and just skip over 13 because we believe that that number is bad luck. 00:01:07 Jack And there's other superstitions that are really common in American culture. For example, Black Cats are bad luck, never walk under a ladder. That'll give you bad. 00:01:24 Jack Lock never open an umbrella inside a house. Always open the umbrella outside. If you open it inside, it will bring you bad luck. If you break a mirror it will give you 7 years of bad luck and I'm wondering, do you have any superstitions? 00:01:44 Jack In your in your countries that people. 00:01:47 Jack Eve and I'm wondering what they are, because I think every country, every culture, has its own. And so in the West, ours are like the number 13. Don't break a mirror, don't walk under a ladder, don't open an umbrella. Inside those kinds of things. So what do you guys have? 00:02:07 Jack They can. 00:02:07 May You were mentioning about number you were mentioning about number just now? 00:02:11 May Uh, yes. It's uh for Chinese. So we believe that, uh, #4 is not a good. 00:02:19 May Number I mean when? Because when we translate? 00:02:22 May Number of four. 00:02:23 May Into Chinese language. It also means die. 00:02:28 Jack Right, number 44 means death in in Chinese, right? 00:02:32 May Yeah. Yeah. So whenever like for, for instance, when we're when entering the OR going to the 4th floor, some anything to do with four. So usually they will remove the four. 00:02:51 May Or maybe replace the number four with something like 3A? 00:02:56 May Ah, so yeah, something like 3A usually would be 3A. 00:03:02 Jack Yeah, yeah, that the same thing in Korea too. It goes like first it goes like in like a building on the elevator. It goes 123F. 00:03:13 Jack Like they don't like the number four, yeah. 00:03:15 May Ohh OK, so well, we usually we don't put #4 uh, sorry three uh F but sometimes you see. 00:03:24 May 3A. 00:03:26 May Or maybe they went they put something. Yeah, or. 00:03:29 Jack 3/8 and then 512-3315. OK. 00:03:35 Jack Right. 00:03:35 May Yeah, 3A. 00:03:37 Jack OK. 00:03:37 May So something else, as long as it. 00:03:40 May Is not #4. 00:03:43 Jack Right. Yeah, I think that's that's really common in Asia because that that we have that here. 00:03:47 Jack Too in Korea? 00:03:49 Jack That the number four is is just don't talk about it. So what if you're born? What if your birthday is April 4th? 00:03:58 May We can order them. 00:04:00 Jack Is that is. 00:04:01 Jack That just like devices like are the parents just like totally destroyed? If that happens like, you know, don't have this baby today, this month to the 4th month to the 4th day 2004, that would be terrible. 00:04:09 May No, no, we can't change. Yeah. And another thing, don't bring the umbrella inside the house. I mean, I mean, close the umbrella close before bringing. 00:04:27 May In into the house. So some people believe. 00:04:31 May Uh, if we bring the umbrella or if if you open the umbrella inside the house, some other entity will follow us. So we that's why we close the umbrella. 00:04:43 Jack When you're bringing, like bad spirits into the. 00:04:47 May Yes, spirit or another creature. Life creatures created b