Charm English Pod

What’s the difference between show up, turn up, pop up, and come up?• Show up = arrive or attend. I invited 20 people, but only 12 showed up.• Turn up = appear unexpectedly or be found. I lost my passport, but it finally turned up.• Pop up = appear suddenly, often on a screen or unexpectedly in a situation. A strange error message popped up on my computer.• Come up = happen or arise, often when so...

I just got my permanent residency in Chile, so I wanted to do something a little different today and talk about what moving countries and learning a language has actually been like for me. In this episode I get into how I ended up in Chile, adjustments I had to make and what was challenging for me, and what living outside the US has shown me about the bubble I grew up in. If you’ve moved countries...

To join a small group speaking class with me, visit my website to sign up! charmenglish.cl Phrasal verbs with UP ⬆️ Movement: stand up, pick up, come up📈 Increase: speed up, heat up, build up, ramp up✨ Improve: dress up, glow up, cheer up, jazz up✅ Complete: fill up, eat up, use up, clean up, wrap up👀 Appear: show up, turn up, pop up💡 Create: come up with, think up, dream up, cook up🏃 Close...

Week 2 of our phrasal verb series! Last Saturday we covered phrasal verbs for physical movement. This week we're taking those same ideas and connecting them to metaphors, because pairing an image with a phrasal verb makes it so much easier to remember (there's actual research behind this too). We go through: go through, get over, clear up, burn out, hold back, wrap up, branch out, and sink...

In this live English class, we’re looking at phrasal verbs for movement and the literal meaning behind the particles. We’ll look at expressions like:• go up / go down• come up to someone• walk down the street• walk along the river• walk around the city• wander around / wander off• sneak in / sneak out• storm out• barge in• step out• walk across / walk past• go through / go under• come back / get b...

This class was all about relative clauses! "My sister who lives in Canada is a doctor" vs. "my sister, who lives in Canada, is a doctor." Same words, different meaning! In this live class we go through defining and non-defining relative clauses: when to use commas, when you can drop "who/which/that" completely, and why "that" never shows up with commas. Lots...

Interested in taking a class with me? Group classes available at www.charmenglish.cl Today's class was all about conditionals — specifically the part everyone gets stuck on, the if + past tense bit. I had students answer questions like "what would make you quit your job on the spot" and "in what situation would you eat a spider," and got some genuinely great answers! We also got into was vs. were...

In this live class, we go through several zodiac signs and read their personality descriptions: strengths, weaknesses, likes, and dislikes. Along the way we stop on vocabulary that comes up: bucolic, insatiable, aloof, condescending, martyr, altruistic, and more, plus a few idioms like "to a T," "my way or the highway," and the phrasal verb "come across as."Adjectives...

In this episode, I talk about life milestones and the language we use to describe the big steps and changes in our lives, from getting into university and landing your first job to falling in love, getting married, moving out, and becoming independent. We’ll look at useful expressions like get your foot in the door, learn the ropes, find your feet, work your way up, hit it off, ask someone out, tu...

This one started with a leak in my apartment and a new vocab word (caulking gun, if you're curious) before we got into the actual lesson — phrasal verbs about trends: catch on, sell out, opt out, fit in, stand out, water down. Real examples, live chat questions, the usual tangents. Also covered: podcast recs by level, fluency vs. precision, why grammar clicks once you've had enough exposure to it,...

Even if you don't follow sports, you've probably used a sports idiom without realizing it. In this episode, I break down common English idioms that come from soccer, boxing, baseball, American football, and horse racing — and show how they're used way beyond the field, court, or ring. We cover: Move the goalposts – changing the rules or expectations after something's already started Drop the ball...

Learn English vocabulary for describing food! In this lesson, we cover an extensive vocabulary list for talking about taste and texture of food (both pleasant and upleasant.) 📚 VOCABULARY COVERED: Basic Taste Descriptors: Sweet, Sour, Spicy, Salty, Bitter Delicious, Yummy, Tasty, Bland, Tasteless Rich & Heavy Foods: Rich (NOT the same as "rico" in Spanish) Cloying / Sickly Sweet Hea...

In this class, we break down all the ways English speakers talk about mistakes, failures, and obstacles with real examples you can actually use. Learn these phrases: ✓ Drop the ball✓ Snowball✓ Out of hand✓ In a pickle✓ Hit a snag✓ At fault vs. guilty✓ And more Plus: My microphone has its own problems (and it accidentally becomes a techno remix 😅) Perfect for intermediate learners who want to soun...

In this live English class, we explore a variety of time-related expressions to help you sound more natural and precise in conversation. We start with different ways to say “I’m late,” including phrases like running late, behind schedule, cutting it close, and racing against the clock, along with related expressions such as setbacks and holdups. Then we look at the opposite—how to talk about being...

In this episode, I’m joined again by Vitória Tamarindo, an English teacher from Brazil! If you missed Part 1, make sure to check it out first. You can follow her here: https://www.instagram.com/teachervitoriatamarindo/ In Part 2, we get into practical strategies for learning English, from how to make the most of just 15 minutes a day to finding the right balance between comfort and challenge. We a...

Listen to Chapters 1-5 before this one! Practice your listening with this audiobook reading of Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli. It is a coming-of-age story about Stargirl Caraway, a girl who starts high school in Mica, Arizona and immediately stands out from everyone else. Her quirky behavior surprises her classmates at first, but little by little, they begin to warm up to her.

Practice your listening with this audiobook reading of Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli. It is a coming-of-age story about Stargirl Caraway, a girl who starts high school in Mica, Arizona and immediately stands out from everyone else. Her quirky behavior surprises her classmates at first, but little by little, they begin to warm up to her. Leave a comment if you would like the next chapters!

Today’s live class is all about the subjunctive in English: how we use past verb forms to talk about wishes, regrets, preferences, and unreal or hypothetical situations. I break down key phrases like it’s time , I wish , if only , I’d rather , and as if/as though , and look at how they actually work in real conversations. You’ll see the difference between present vs past wishes, common mistakes (l...

In this episode, I’m joined by Vitória Tamarindo, an English teacher from Brazil! You can follow her here: @teachervitoriatamarindo https://www.instagram.com/teachervitoriatamarindo/ We talk about all sorts of things from where we live and life changes, to hobbies, her backgrounds in English, the role of music and pop culture in language acquisition, and the specific methodologies we use in our on...

"Why am I learning this?" If you’ve ever asked that while staring at a grammar chart, this video is for you. Most intermediate and advanced English learners know how to conjugate verbs, but they struggle to use them in real conversations. In this episode, we’re moving away from the textbook and into the real world. I’m walking you through all the major English tenses with practical, funny, and sli...

Are you stuck on the intermediate plateau, or struggling to keep up with fast-talking native speakers? In this episode, I break down the mindset shifts and practical tools needed to move toward advanced English fluency. In this episode, we cover: Grammar as a Functional Tool: Why we use the Present Perfect for "catching up" and how the Past Perfect acts as the "past of the past.&quo...

Check out my website at charmenglish.app :) In this episode, I break down one of the most confusing parts of English: phrasal verbs. Why does bring up mean “mention”? What does hang out have to do with hanging? I explain why phrasal verbs feel so random (and why they actually do have a bit of logic to them), why avoiding them can hold you back, and how they add nuance and naturalness to your Engli...

Sign up for B1 and B2 speaking-focused English classes at charmenglish.app :) In this English lesson, I explain several common phrasal verbs in English and how the small particles in phrasal verbs ( off, out, up, over ) change the meaning. Phrasal verbs are extremely common in everyday English, but they can be confusing for English learners because small words can completely change the meaning of...

Want to join me in a small group class to practice your English? Sign up here! https://CharmEnglish.app In this live English class, we talk about awkward but very important vocabulary that many English learners never study: bodily functions. These are words people often feel embarrassed to ask about, but they come up in everyday life more often than you think. In this lesson, you’ll learn natural,...

In this live class, I taught reporting verbs, not just reported speech, but the verbs we use to explain what someone said. These verbs are especially useful in storytelling, conversations, and news contexts. We started with verbs followed by the to-infinitive when the subject does not change, such as agree, demand, offer, promise, refuse, threaten, and claim. For example, “He agreed to come” or “S...