English Outside the Box

Hi there, got a sweet tooth today? We hope this episode doesn’t make your mouth water too much as we talk about all things sweet! What are desserts and sweets (and are there differences in American and British English)? Do we enjoy eating candies, chocolates, sweets and cakes? What’s our least favorite dessert? You’ll find all of this out + a lot of helpful vocabulary in this week’s newest convers...

Do you work consistently for long term goals? When you get knocked down do you get back up again? If so then you can proudly describe yourself as being … gritty! Grit is a very popular topic of conversation nowadays and you can find out all about it by listening to this podcast from your 2 English teacher podcast hosts. Find out whether Jennifer and Dan consider themselves to be gritty and listen...

Hello there, wherever you are in the world! Today’s episode might divide us a little, because we’re talking about weather! Depending on where you are in the world, you may celebrate the end of the year holidays in the SUMMER (warm) weather or the WINTER (cold) weather. Because we both celebrate Christmas and New Year’s in the winter, we thought it would be fun to imagine a HOT holiday season. Enjo...

What are you afraid of? Spiders? Flying? Heights? The dark? As well as talking about these ‘classic’ fears, we’re also chatting about fears associated with learning English. Many students are afraid of making a mistake, speaking English in public or chatting with a native speaker. Are you one of them?! If so, then listen to our conversation to find out how you can become more confident about your...

Hi, Would you like to come to our potluck? If you live in an English speaking country or plan to visit one day, there is a great chance you may be invited to a potluck! So what exactly IS a potluck and how should you “prepare” to go to one? Join us in another fun and natural conversation and let us tell you! In this “Living in English” episode, we’ll help you understand what a potluck is, where yo...

Soft skills? This week we are chatting about the skills that people have apart from their qualifications and work experience. These include the  ability to communicate effectively, to work well in a team, to be decisive, to be able to solve problems, etc. Join your 2 English teacher hosts, Jennifer from the US and Dan from England as they chat about soft skills and discuss ways in which you can im...

Hello! We “expect” you to love today’s episode :) What are expectations and how do you talk about meeting them… or not meeting them? Are you the type of person that has high or low expectations for yourself and others? Are expectations good to have? Whether they’re high or low, or we like them or not - we all have some sort of expectations in our lives. Dan and Jennifer dive into this topic head f...

Are you a confident person? Do you believe that you can or worry that you can’t? Join your 2 native speaker English teacher hosts, Dan from the UK and Jennifer from America, as they discuss their feelings about confidence. Improve your English skills as you discover if they consider themselves confident people and how they believe you can improve your self-confidence. The language focus is all abo...

BOO! Did we scare you? It's a spooky time of the year, so it's OK to be on the edge of your seat. In fact, we often sit on the edge of our seats, covering our eyes in anxious suspense as we watch... HORROR movies! Join us this week in a Halloween inspired conversation about popular movies at this time of the year. Are you into gory, slasher films? Perhaps you're more of the paranormal type? Find o...

Dan Methven & Jennifer Nascimentio

Close your eyes and imagine lying in a beautiful forest, under a clear, dark sky and gazing at the hundreds and hundreds of glowing stars. Then you see a flashing light fly across the sky and you realize it's a shooting star! What wish do you make? :) If you're wishing for better English, we can help you out with that because it's time for another new English podcast (yay!) Join us as we talk abou...

Hello and welcome to this week’s episode all about something people do a lot in English speaking countries - apologising. Join your 2 English teacher hosts, Jennifer and Dan, as they chat about their experiences with this delicate topic. Their natural conversation is fun, great for improving your listening skills and packed full of all the vocabulary and advice you need help you to say sorry with...

Hi! I'll take an almond milk latte for me and a cold brew with a splash of simple syrup for my husband, thanks! Can you guess where you might hear or use this phrase in an English speaking country? If you guessed a coffee shop, then you are correct! Join us this week in another 'Living in English' episode as we help you experience a cafe with more ease and confidence. You'll not only hear about Je...

Nothing beats a day at the beach - sunny skies, white sand and the sound of the ocean waves - aaahhhhhh! :)  This week your 2 podcast hosts, Dan from England and Jennifer from the US, are chatting about the fun times they have spent at the beach so sit back and relax as you improve your language skills by listening to this natural conversation from 2 English teachers.  Find out about the things th...

Happy Birthday to ... Jennifer! It's another birthday celebration here at English Across the Pond and this year, in this week's episode, we'll talk all about birthday traditions from childhood into adult life!  Learn more about how Jennifer and Dan have celebrated birthdays over the years and what common ages are celebrated in their countries. Can you find some differences in American and British...

Whether you eat your meals with chopsticks, a spoon and fork or simply your bare hands, table manners are something that affect us all. Join 2 English language teachers, Jennifer from the US & Dan from the UK, as they have a natural conversation about their experiences regarding table manners as well as some advice for you, dear listener, about what to expect when eating in an English speaking cou...

Do you do what you do with intention? Have you ever thought about why you do the things you do? What is the meaning of life to you? Although these are pretty deep questions, we talk all about our meanings for life in this week's episode! Our episode will go into a common confusion between TO and FOR in our language focus, and members, you’ll be able to identify the meaning in your own life by the...

We’re sure you have at least one of them and that you use it most days - yes, this week we’re talking all about ... bags. And! It turns out that one half of the team, Jennifer, knows a thing or two about the topic and so Dan, the other half, learns a lot :) We’re sure you’ll learn a lot too - not just about bags but also English vocabulary and everyday expressions. The language focus is all about...

As August comes to an end, many families are getting their kids ready to go back to school! Are you one of these families? This week, Jennifer and Dan talk a bit about school traditions and even mention some US and UK differences. We used a lot of verb + preposition + gerund combinations in our natural conversation, and this is why we wanted to highlight this grammar point in our language focus. A...

Welcome to English Across The Pond. This is a weekly podcast made with much love and care just for you, an English language learner. It's brought to you by your 2 English language teacher hosts, Jennifer (from there US) and Dan (from the UK).   Batman? Superman? Wonder Woman? This week we’re talking all about superheroes. And while we  do  chat about comic and movie superiors a bit, most of the co...

If you like to celebrate special occasions with alcohol, then pop the bottle of champagne because it's a brand new week to learn English with us! :) Whether you drink alcohol or not, you hear about it on TV, in the news, or in movies. Perhaps your friends or family like to enjoy some drinks now and then, so you're surrounded by it? Either way, it's an important topic for everyday English fluency a...

Mindfulness is one of the hot topics of 2018 - it seems like everybody is taking about it. But what is mindfulness and why has it become so popular so quickly?  Join your English language teacher hosts, Dan from the UK and Jennifer from the US, as they explain everything you need to know about this latest trend. As you listen, you'll be getting all the natural conversation, vocabulary, expressions...

This podcast is all about helping you improve your English use, confidence, and success and that is especially the goal for this week's episode about the dentist. Today's conversation will help you live in English a little easier, and help you visit a dentist office in an English speaking country. Dan and Jennifer talk about some of their own experiences at the dentist, what to expect in the US an...

Motivation is the reason we do what we do: if your health is important to you then you’ll be motivated to eat a balanced diet and if you want to be fit then you will be motivated to go running, join the gym or stop smoking. And, of course, if you want to pass an exam, travel the world or get a better job, you’ll be motivated to learn English! Listen to your podcast hosts Jennifer and Dan talk abou...

Happy belated "birthday", America! A couple of days ago was July 4th, and this is the day that many Americans celebrate Independence day. While we've already talked about the 4th on past English Across the Pond episodes, today we're going into specifics of the celebration. No 4th of July is complete without some fireworks, and this episode will talk all about Jennifer and Dan's thoughts and experi...