Espresso English Podcast

Today's lesson is on two phrasal verbs – take back and taken aback. These look quite similar, but they have very different meanings, and I'll explain them with examples. I think it's helpful to learn phrasal verbs in context, inside sentences, in situations where we'd really use them. That's the strategy we use inside my Phrasal Verbs in Conversation Course . It's an easy and effective way to lear...

In English, we use the word "please" to make requests and orders more polite – but have you ever considered where exactly to put the word "please" in your sentence? In today's lesson I'll show you several correct places to put the word "please" as well as a couple that sound unnatural, which you should avoid. "Please" is a word we use every day, so we want to use it correctly. It's really importan...

No matter how much you like your job, there are always a few things to complain about. In today's lesson we'll use five sample sentences to learn phrases and expressions for talking about negative points at work. Are any of these complaints true for you presently? Or maybe you've experienced these things in the past. Try to write a sentence or two putting some of the expressions we learned into pr...

Today's lesson is going to be a challenge even for me... We're working on 10 tongue twisters - short phrases that are very difficult to pronounce, even for native English speakers! I like tongue twisters because they're a fun way to train ourselves to develop very precise pronunciation, and if you can learn to pronounce a tongue twister well, then regular English sentences will probably feel a lot...

In today's lesson we'll learn 10 idiomatic expressions with the word LIFE , including: - can't for the life of me - lead a charmed life - put their lives on the line - have a new lease on life - not on your life ...and more! Remember that idioms are short phrases that can't be translated literally word by word; instead, you need to know the meaning of the whole expression. If you really want to re...

English spelling can be a real challenge. Because of the way the English language has changed over time, there are LOTS of irregularities and exceptions in the spelling. Although it's difficult, it's important to learn to spell correctly because it gives a bad impression when there are spelling mistakes in your written English. Today you'll learn  15 common spelling mistakes  that even native Engl...

Today let's expand your vocabulary by learning  40 interesting  collocations  (combinations of words) with the key words comment, conversation, and speech. This is a free sample lesson from our newest course -  Advanced Vocabulary and  Collocations  - so if you like the lesson, join the course to get more! Do you want to take your vocabulary from "average" to "amazing"? The  Advanced Vocabulary an...

Today's lesson is a quick tip about a small difference that could really mix you up – do you attend English class, or attend to English class? Watch the lesson to find out! (I'll also explain when to use call vs. call to) It's in these tiny little details where English learners – even more advanced ones – often make mistakes. And that's why it's so important to get some feedback and correction on...

Let's practice pronunciation together! We'll work on pairs of words with confusing pronunciation - in which the same combinations of letters are pronounced differently. One very frustrating thing about the English language is that the pronunciation is irregular. There aren't strict pronunciation rules that you could memorize and always know exactly how words are pronounced – it's just not possible...

Do you know the difference between  business  and  busyness ? They're pronounced differently... ...and they mean different things! Let's learn them in this quick lesson. If you need to use English in your job or career, I can help you speak more confidently when you join my  Business  English Course! It will teach you what to say in lots of professional situations like interviews, meetings, phone...

Today I'm going to explain two phrases in English – one is saying  "something speaks for itself"  and the other is telling someone  "speak for yourself." These are very different, and I'll teach them to you by using examples of situations where we'd use these expressions. To learn a lot more common English phrases for daily situations, you can join our  Everyday English Speaking Courses  – these w...

This lesson is a quick tip to help you avoid mistakes that can make your English sound unnatural. I'll explain them and tell you what you should say instead.   Don't say "today morning"!   I've noticed this error in a lot of student homework.   Many of our courses at Espresso English  include homework that you can send in and get feedback and correction on your answers – one of those is our  Advan...

Do you know what it means to "run interference," "jump the gun," and "show someone the ropes"? Today you'll learn these expressions and more idioms from sports! If you're looking for a fun and easy way to learn more than 300 idioms in English, check out our Idioms Course.

Today you're going to learn the difference between the words  human  and  humane . These are different by only one letter, but they're pronounced differently and are used in different ways. By the way, if you want to learn a LOT more confusing word pairs like this, check out my e-book  600+ Confusing Words Explained ! Inside that e-book, I'll help you understand confusing English words easily and...

Today I'm sharing my  top 8 tips for improving your writing  in English :-) Even when you know a lot of English words, it can be really hard to form good sentences and write well. But when you put these strategies into practice, you'll be able to improve so that you can write confidently in English. We have two courses where you can get your writing evaluated! Our  Advanced Grammar Course  and our...

Your pronunciation is one of the first things other people notice about your English. If you have nice, clear pronunciation, you'll make a good impression. But if your pronunciation is difficult for others to understand, then it will be very hard to communicate - and frustrating, too! The good news is that you CAN improve your pronunciation with practice - by using my top 5 tips for getting better...

Does this ever happen to you? You study and study and learn lots of new vocabulary... ...but then when you want to use it, you can't think of the words! How can you make sure you don't forget the vocabulary you're learning? Here's one simple thing you can start doing today to remember vocabulary better! Improving your vocabulary can take a long time because there are SO MANY words to learn in the...

I always ask new students what their biggest difficulty is in English... ...and the #1 difficulty is speaking. Many, many English learners have a really hard time with it! So today I'm sending you my top 10 strategies for improving your speaking. Check them out and make sure to put them into practice! Now you know HOW to improve your speaking... ...but how can you learn exactly WHAT to say? You ca...

Today I wanted to clarify the difference between the words CON-tent, con-TENT, and contents , since it can be really hard to figure out. The English language is full of words like these, and I've collected a lot of them inside my e-book, 600+ Confusing English words Explained. Like the title says, the e-book will explain them to you so that you'll understand when to use one word and when to use th...

Chance can mean a possibility (which could be good or bad) or an opportunity (which has a more positive connotation) and we use it in combination with lots of other words. Let's learn 30 collocations with CHANCE. These are all words that go together naturally with the word chance. When you learn these common combinations of words, then it's easier to put them together so that your speaking sounds...

Today we're going to focus on how to use two small but very common words in English – even and ever. I'll show you how to use them correctly, with lots of examples. It's important to be able to use these words correctly so that your grammar sounds good and you can avoid mistakes. I know a lot of you are worried about mistakes or nervous about making them, and that's why I created a course on 200 c...

You probably know that an English word ends in -E, the -E is usually silent; we don't pronounce it - like in the words date, cheese, fine, spoke, and rude. But there are a few exceptions! Many of these words came into English from other languages and so they don't follow the typical trend of a silent E at the end. Repeat after me to learn  12 words in which we DO pronounce the final -E. I know tha...

Do you want to learn more than 1000 advanced vocabulary words, so you can speak and write like a master of the English language? Keep listening, because this course is for you. ⭐ Advanced Vocabulary & Collocations Course: https://www.espressoenglish.net/advanced-vocabulary-and-collocations-course/ ✔️ Save $15 with discount code ROCKET If you've been studying English for a while, then you already...

I hope you're ready to learn some awesome words! You don't want to use the same basic English words over and over... instead, you want to use interesting and powerful words to express yourself better. Today I'll teach you  20 verbs that will supercharge your vocabulary. That's actually a good example – I could say "improve your vocabulary" or "expand your vocabulary" but the word "supercharge" is...

One HUGE step towards fluency is learning  how to think directly in English. This will help you speak with fewer pauses and express yourself better! But many students say... "It's too hard! "I don't know enough English words!" "I need to think in my native language and translate." "I'm not advanced enough to do that." Today I'm going to show you 4 simple steps to help you develop the skill of thin...