"V" is a voiced consonant. "Voice" starts with "V." We make the sound with the upper teeth lightly touching the lower lip, like "F" but with the voice, too. It vibrates. The verb "to vibrate" also starts with "V." That should make it easy to remember.

"W" is a consonant, but it is very vowel-like and is considered a "semi-vowel." "W" is featured in plenty of important words, and it combines with other letters to make some new sounds.

"X" is a special letter in that we often use it by itself. It's useful in a lot of situations. In the middle of a word, however, it can be pronounced in a few different ways.

"Y" is a tricky letter because it's both a consonant and a vowel. As a vowel, it has different sounds. Don't worry. But hey, maybe keep your eye on the "Y." Don't let it fly away.

Sigrid finishes the alphabet with "Z," covering words like "zone" and "zebra," but also the useful suffix "-ize."

Julia and Rachael are young American women living in Berlin. Maggie, a friend of theirs from the United States, is coming for a visit. They are pretty excited about Maggie's arrival.

The three girls are happy to be reunited, and Maggie gets settled into the apartment. She feels lucky to have such good friends.

The three friends have breakfast together, do some catching up, and muse about the future. Who knows, will they all end up living together in Berlin one day?

Living together can be challenging, even for good friends. Maggie, as a guest and friend, can't help but notice that Julia is feeling frustrated about something.

It turns out that Rachael is also unhappy, and Maggie is feeling more and more uncomfortable about being in the middle of things.

Maggie decides to intervene, and finally the girls are encouraged to stop sulking and talk about their issues.

Rachael, Julia, and Maggie talk about a fun party they attended the night before. Julia may even have found a boyfriend.

Thomas invites Julia to a cafe. She's nervous beforehand and almost calls it off, but Rachael and Maggie help her maintain her confidence and pick out a nice outfit.

Rachael and Maggie have some doubts about telling Julia what they saw on one of their walks. In terms of language, this segment nicely captures how often the word “really” is used in conversation.

“Manic Monday” is a 1980s classic from American pop rock group The Bangles, and an anthem for those who tend to find Mondays challenging!