Australians Teach English

In this episode, we are joined by our good friend Mirella. She now lives in woop woop. Well, she also previously lived in woop woop before as well. We previously spoke with Mirella after crossing the Nullarboor, and she reflects on now having lived in isolated and small towns in remote Australia. She recounts many of her experiences and the different cultures and mental strength she has had to dra...

There is nothing that Australians like to do more than talk about sport. And as we come in to the Summer months, there's one sport that dominates conversation in Australia - cricket. So in this episode, we're bashing it out. And of course, there is nothing that unites (and divides) some communities in Australia, like cricket. And that's how I met my friend and guest on this week's program - Prasha...

We're back after a short break away. And while we were away we were able to continue to make language connections. This time, in the north of Argentina in one of the largest wetlands in the world. When you hear the word, "billabong", you're likely to think of the brand of clothing. But it has a very specific meaning in Australian English. It is a word that comes from an indigenous language in Aust...

Strewth! It's almost the end of the year already. Where does the time go? It's as much of a surprise to you as it is to us. And just like that, we have an Australian expression we use when we are surprised, or shocked by something. But where did this word come from? It is actually a contraction of God's Truth. But as English speakers, and especially Australians are inclined to do, we shortened thi...

Australians love a punt. We'll bet on almost everything. Whether this a good thing or a bad thing, we'll leave you to decide that one. But come October and November, betting slang is used widely amongst the punters. So here, we're giving the punters what they want. We have Ben back again, who isn't just one of the ordinary punters, but knows a lot about characters and different punters. We learn h...

Anyone that knows Australians, knows that we swear a lot. But how do we make up for this in English? Well, we use this handy expression if we have used some "colourful" language. And French isn't just limited to expletives in the English language. As we learn from Oriana, who studies French, we understand the influence French has and has had on the English language. Following on from our last epis...

We have a bonza episode for you this week and a bonzer special guest. Bonza might sound like an unusual Australian word - because it is. And its origins are not Australian at all. Just like our word, our special guest, one of our favourite seppos, has his origins in the southern United States. Previously we spoke to Evan about the gold-rush slang that Australia and the South and Western states of...

If you happen to be at international sporting event, and there is Australian team, chances are you are likely to hear this chant. A source of pride, and embarrassment, it is equally emblematic. In this episode, we talk to Angela, who worked at the biggest international sporting event of all - the Olympics. We spoke to her about her experiences before the Tokyo Olympics, and we were eagerly awaitin...

In a previous episode we spoke to Dr Howard Manns about his research on Australian slang and language. Due to popular demand we were able to have him back on the show. This time, to explain why, or why not, he is a blow in. Howard has a fascinating personal and language learning journey which is well worth listening to. Although he blew in to Australia, and remains beached there, he was certainly...

Ready for another episode? Righto. Have you noticed how listening activities in traditional language learning instruction, never really prepares you for "real world" interaction? Join Oriana and I as we discuss this on this week's episode. As we learned last week from Howard, discourse markers are an important part of our conversation. They help us to understand context, check and confirm informat...

Have you listened to our latest podcast yet? Yeah, nah, I'm not listening to any excuses. Especially as we are talking to an expert in Australian slang in this episode. When I asked him to come on the show, he didn't think he had much to offer. But I said yeah... nah. And you will find out why. Dr Howard Manns is a linguist from Monash University in Melbourne. Originally from the United States, Ho...

Have you had a look at our latest episode? Or maybe, as Australians might say, have you had a squiz at it? Well, get your eyes fixed on this one, as we look at another useful Australian word. This is also a useful moment to talk about and look at dependent or fixed prepositions. We talk about how this is a difficulty for all language learners and how even native speakers of different languages, wo...

In this episode learn the Australian expression for socially unacceptable behaviour. Enjoy this episode as I display my poor form with Oriana, putting her in some awkward situations on the show. We talk about day to day situations in our lives that we can describe as poor form. We also talk about how language learning, and language communication can be like different combative experiences in our l...

G'day ya dirty bludgers! It's time to get cracking, get off the couch, and to stop ya bludging! Australians are often regarded as a relaxed lot, but when does it become laziness? Well, we're here to tell you, in the Australian way. I met Jack when he was bludging his away around South America. He came to be an excellent teacher of conversational English due to his relaxed style and good nature. Or...

EP 49 Big Mobs There are many influences on Australian English from indigenous language and culture. Especially in the north of Australia where there are big mobs. This is both a blessing and a curse, as cultural and colonial influences have struggled to work effectively with local people, local culture and language. There are some positive examples of how this can be overcome. And who better to t...

Some might ask, "Why haven't us Australians gone back to Australia yet?" And well, the answer for many of us is, "the government can't organise a piss up in a brewery". In this episode we talk to Melanie about the current political situation on the ground in Australia. We talk about how Australia, a typically well organised country, has completely failed in regards to its vaccination program. In o...

This episode is going off like a frog in a sock. And at the moment, so are the Olympics! But that's a bit strange isn't it? Wouldn't a frog in a sock be a bit angry? Yes it would. It would be going off. In this episode we talk about the two ways we can use and apply this classic Australian idiom. We talk about why Australian idioms use animals and why they might be so visually oriented. We talk ab...

This week as always, we're talking a lot of malaka. But we hope you might learn something in the process! It is a special episode, because we have a special guest on the show, the Lord Mayor of Darwin, Kon Votskalis. Greek born, he speaks multiple languages and is now trying his hand at Chinese. Representative of many Australians, we talk about his journey and how he came to be such a successful m...

EP 45 - Go For Your Life When do things sound different to what they mean? How can this be confusing when we're learning other languages? Well, it's something that confronts us whenever we learn other cultures and languages. None more so than in English with phrasal verbs and expressions. We're telling you to go for your life, to find a party that is going off, to find phrasal verbs with go. And a...

Would you like to know how to insult people from England? Of course you would, who wouldn't? And in this episode, we're doing exactly that. You will learn the Australian insult for an Englishman, POM. But how did this get to be an insult and where did it come from? Our guest, Dennis, a POM is here to help you understand. A former Prisoner Of Mother England, Dennis arrived in Australia some 50 year...

EP 43 Snags In this episode we learn a key vocabulary item in Australian English - snags. It's something we're all probably familiar with, but can be confusing when arriving in Australia. In this week's episode, we talk to Paula and her experiences in confronting the language and words used by Australians. We talk with her about the strange customs involved with snags, and how much of Australian s...

It can be hard not to spit the dummy when you're learning something new, something challenging. But what can we do about it to make the process easier and more enjoyable? Well, we're here to release your inner child and help your learning journey in the process. What is your favourite dinosaur? How do you learn now compared to when you were at school? What are the internal voices in your head now,...

Kia ora! This week we talk to Sebastian. A former student with our institute, now living in New Zealand. He is on his way to being a fully fledged Kiwi, having recent aquired his sponsored work visa. New Zealand is one of the most popular immigration pathways, and shares many vocabulary and language features with Australia. Especially in Seb’s industry – the construction industry, there are many i...

*Trigger Warning* This episode contains content that may be distressing and unsuitable for some listeners. If you or anyone you know needs help please contact the help and support lines in your country or area. In Australia, this is Lifeline on 13 11 14 and Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636. This episode is chock-a-block full of information to help you learn. We interview Fernando, a Brazilian, currentl...

There's no point beating around the bush, some aspects of learning languages can be difficult. In English, one of these aspects is the -ing form and gerunds. When is it a noun and not a verb? Well, Oriana and I are here to get to the point. We discuss some tips about how to use these particular aspects. The why and when and how. And maybe we might beat around the bush a little bit. We like dancing...