Espresso English Podcast

When you watch a TV show or movie in English, have you ever heard someone described as foxy, ripped, a brat, a munchkin, or an old fart? These are all slang words for types of people. In today's lesson, you'll learn what they all mean - as well as whether each one is offensive or OK. Click here for the lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/english-slang-words-for-appearance-age

Sometimes people ask me to explain in detail the difference between a collocation, a phrasal verb, an idiom, a slang word, a proverb, etc. To be honest, that's the wrong question. All of these types of expressions are part of the English language, but most native English speakers could NOT tell you the technical differences between them. The most important thing for an English learner is to know what they mean and how to use them. So today's lesson is a mix of idioms, phrasal verbs, and collocations with the word ""set"" - all with examples so you can see them in use! Click here for the lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/collocations-idioms-and-phrasal-verbs-with-set

Here's a fun way to study prepositions - let's learn some casual conversational expressions using IN and ON. You might hear a native speaker say things like, - ""I'm in the same boat."" - ""You're on a roll!"" - ""Do you ever feel like you're in a rut?"" - ""That car looks like it's on its last legs."" Today you'll learn what all these expressions mean... so that you won't be confused when you hear them in conversation! Click here for the lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/15-conversational-english-phrases-with-in-and-on/

Do you want to understand English conversations better, learn the expressions that native speakers use, and speak English more fluently? The Everyday English Speaking Course – Level 2 will help you! This course has more advanced conversations that are full of common informal expressions used by native English speakers. It teaches you the phrases in context so that you’ll be able to remember and use them – and become more fluent in English as a result. Click here to learn more and sign up: http://www.espressoenglish.net/learn-to-talk-more-like-a-native-english-speaker

Do you know what the phrasal verbs harp on, rattle off, and butt out mean? If not, you'll learn all of these and more in today's lesson. This is actually a free sample from the Phrasal Verbs in Conversation Course - if you haven't taken this course yet, I think you'll really enjoy it. According to one student, ""I definitely lost my fear of making mistakes with phrasal verbs, because the dialogues of every lesson are incredibly interesting and clear. I highly recommend this course to all students – especially to those who feel scared to death of phrasal verbs and want to become friends forever with phrasal verbs."" Click here for lesson text: https://www.espressoenglish.net/20-english-phrasal-verbs-for-communication/

Learn English phrases for talking about travel nightmares. For example, “My Flight Was Overbooked, And I Got Bumped To A Later One.” A “flight” is a trip by airplane. If the flight is “overbooked,” it means that the airline sold too many tickets, and there is not enough space on the plane for all the people who have purchased tickets. This means that some people will get “bumped” to a later flight – they can’t go on the flight at the original time, and have to wait for a different flight later. Click here for the lesson text: https://www.espressoenglish.net/english-phrases-for-bad-travel-experiences/

“Ask” is one of the most common verbs in English, but there are a number of details to remember when you use it in a sentence. Here are 4 ways to use the English verb “ask” correctly - and one very common error to avoid. Click here for the lesson text: https://www.espressoenglish.net/how-to-use-the-english-verb-ask-correctly/

You probably already know some basic English expressions with the verb “make,” such as “make breakfast,” “make money,” and “make a promise” – but here are 15 idiomatic expressions in English that might be new for you. Click here for the lesson text: https://www.espressoenglish.net/15-idiomatic-expressions-with-the-verb-make/

You want to express yourself better in English, right? Well, you can add more ""color"" and detail to your sentences by learning to use these 20 interesting adverbs of manner. Adverbs of manner tell us how or in what way an action was done. Here's where to use them: 1. Immediately before the main verb He quickly drank the water. 2. Immediately after the main verb I laughed nervously. 3. If the main verb has an object, then put the adverb of manner either after the object or before the main verb She read the letter carefully. - CORRECT She carefully read the letter. - CORRECT She read carefully the letter. - INCORRECT In today's lesson, you'll learn 20 adverbs of manner such as eagerly, promptly, recklessly, smoothly, and wildly - with example sentences. Click here for the lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/20-english-adverbs-of-manner-to-make-your-sentences-more-interesting/

Native English speakers use a LOT of informal expressions in day-to-day life! Lately, I've been paying attention to my own conversations - and today I'll teach you 10 informal English expressions I've used recently. You'll learn phrases like: ""Can we just drop it?"" ""That's not for the faint of heart."" ""You're in for a treat!"" What do these mean? Take the lesson to find out! Click here to read the lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/10-informal-english-expressions-ive-used-recently/

Many students get confused when there are two consecutive verbs in a sentence – what form does the second verb take? This lesson will show you five types of verb + verb combinations with example sentences. If you want to practice more, try creating your own example sentence for each verb in the tables! Click here for the lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/5-types-of-english-verb-verb-combinations/

One verb in English can be followed by various prepositions to make many different phrasal verbs. So you might know the basic meaning of the verb play (play sports, play the piano, etc.) - but do you know what it means to play at something or play along with something? Today you'll learn 10 different phrasal verbs with the word ""play."" There are also questions to help you form your own sentences and put the phrasal verbs into practice. Click here for the lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/10-english-phrasal-verbs-with-play/

When you're learning a language, it's common to feel sad about your progress. You want to become fluent... but it seems like that goal is so far away! If you hear an expression that you don't know, or have difficulty understanding a fast conversation, it's easy to lose confidence in your abilities. You might think negative thoughts like "My English is so bad." You might wonder, "Will I ever become fluent in English, or is it impossible for me?" Let me tell you about my language-learning experience... Click here for the lesson text: http://us4.campaign-archive2.com/?u=280ab49b7536a997b0d741c18&id=7dc976843f

One of the best ways to learn English phrasal verbs is to see them in context. This lesson will teach you 15 common English phrasal verbs related to sports and health by showing each one in use in an example sentence. Click here for the lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/15-english-phrasal-verbs-in-use-sports-health/

In today's episode, you'll learn expressions like buckle up, give you a ride, pull over, pit stop, and slam on the brakes. Click here for the lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/12-everyday-english-phrases-driving/

Today's lesson is a challenge - I'm going to show you 10 sentences, and you have to find the grammar mistake in each one. After you've done your best to identify each error, I'll give you the correct answers and explanations. Click here for lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/can-you-find-the-english-grammar-mistakes-in-these-sentences/

Reading the news in English is a great way to learn new words and phrases, especially for talking about current events. I was reading the newspaper recently, and found these 10 English expressions I'd like to teach you today. Click here for lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/10-english-expressions-i-found-in-the-news-recently/

Hello students! How's life? We sometimes use the question "How's life?" as a casual way to ask how the person is feeling and what they have been doing recently. In today's lesson, you'll learn 10 phrases and expressions with the word "life," such as: - "Get a life!" - "He leads a charmed life." - "They put their lives on the line." - "I feel like I have a new lease on life." - ...and more! Lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/english-phrases-and-idioms-with-life/  

Do you have difficulty listening to and understanding native English speakers? How to improve your English listening Listening is one of the BIGGEST problems for English learners. It’s possible for you to: read well have good grammar & vocabulary skills be able to speak and write …but when you listen to spoken English, you don’t understand everything. So why is listening so difficult? There are three main reasons. Lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/do-you-want-to-improve-your-english-listening/  

A lot of students ask me about the difference between house and home. The word home refers to the place where you live and feel an emotional connection, and the word house refers to a specific type of building. We also use some different collocations with house and home! Today you'll learn 36 adjectives, verbs, and nouns that are frequently used together with these words. Lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/english-collocations-with-house-and-home/