http://www.englishanyone.com/power-learning/ Learn to express yourself confidently in fluent English and sound like a native speaker with our FREE Power Learning video course! Hello and welcome to lesson 36 in our series on how to get fluent in English faster! Today, you’ll learn some great words and phrases for describing similar people. This lesson is all in good fun and I hope you enjoy it. Let’s get started! We live on a planet of many cultures, and even in our own countries, there is great diversity in our behavior, how we dress, what we eat and where we live. These differences are usually the first things we notice when studying a new language because EVERYTHING seems so foreign and interesting. In lesson 17 of this video series, I encourage you to focus your energy on understanding the differences between your language and the one you’re learning because the different things will take more time to learn. As an example, if the alphabet of the language you’re studying is similar, or certain sounds are the same, it’s much better to spend time studying the sounds that are different because they’ll be more difficult to learn. Sometimes, however, it’s best to look beyond the language you’re learning and remember that we’re all just people. We all worry about our kids and parents. We all have to eat. We talk about births, weddings, work, sports and the weather. Sure, there are cultural differences, but as soon as you start using a language in real conversations with native speakers, many of these cultural stereotypes and ideas melt away to reveal individual people just like us who want to be loved and understood. So, in the spirit of unity and friendship, I thought it would be a great idea to share one of the similarities I’ve used to connect with Japan… Celebrity look-alikes! There are often TV shows here in Japan featuring people trying to mimic the voices and movements of Japanese celebrities. “Monomane” is the Japanese term for mimicking someone’s style and behavior. “Sokkurisan,” what you’ll be looking at today, is the Japanese term for look-alike. In this lesson, you’ll meet a few Japanese celebrities and some of their famous, foreign counterparts. I know some of these pictures aren’t perfect, but I hope you enjoy the show, and remember the similarities we all share, as you continue to become a fluent English speaker. First up are the current President of the United States, Barack Obama, and Nocchi, a popular comedian who regularly impersonates Obama on Japanese TV. When two people look very similar, you can call them “doubles” or “doppelgängers,” the German word for look-alike used commonly in English. Next is Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook. His doppelgänger is Takahashi, from the Japanese comedy duo Sabanna. These two look so similar that you could say they were “separated at birth.” You could also say, “They could be twins!” Here we have J. J. Abrams, an American producer, director and writer paired with another member of a comedy duo here in Japan, Oriental Radio’s Fujimori. I really think J. J. Abrams “bears a striking resemblance to” Fujimori. They “closely resemble” one another. Or maybe it’s just the glasses. My mother-in-law really thinks this one is really funny. The one on the left is Leonard Nimoy in his role as the Start Trek character Spock. On the right is Kenichi Mikawa, a famous Japanese singer. For two people who look really look alike, you can joke that one stole the soul or life of the other. “Kenichi, Leonard called. He wants his soul back!” Next are our two lady look-alikes, actresses Sarah Silverman and Yuko Takeuchi. Do you think they were separated at birth? Here we have Jon Favreau, American actor and director, and Zakiyama, a member of the Japanese comedy duo Untouchable. Don’t you think they bear a striking resemblance to each other? My wife “doesn’t see it,” but I really think Regis Philbin, the American singer and TV personality, and Monta Mino, a Japanese TV personality, are doppelgängers. In addition to how they look, each hosted their country’s version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” Our last pair is Syndrome, the villain from the Pixar movie The Incredibles, and Arita, from the Japanese comedy duo Cream Stew. When you want to say that two people have a similar feature, like a big chin, you can say that one person “has another’s” chin. You hear this a lot when looking at the pictures of relatives. “You really have your father’s eyes.” Well, that’s it for this lesson! If you think I missed anyone, please comment below this video so others can search for more look-alikes. Have a great day!