Espresso English Podcast

A "joke" is a funny comment or short story that is supposed to make people laugh. Do you know any good jokes? Today's lesson will teach you some useful English  vocabulary for talking about jokes and humor! You'll learn: how to describe a funny joke vs. a bad joke what it means to be a "laughingstock" when to say "just kidding" Now you know some new vocabulary words! Improving your vocabulary is a...

English pronunciation and spelling are very tricky - the same letter can be pronounced in different ways, and the same sound can be spelled with different letters. Today you're going to learn about a  common pronunciation mistake  that students make with the letter "U," and practice words with the long and short U sounds. I first noticed this mistake when I was doing evaluations for students in my...

Today is my birthday! I'm now 33 years old  :-) That's why today's new English lesson will teach you  30 expressions with "party." This word actually has a few different meanings in English - take the lesson to find out what they are! Do you want to get me a birthday present? The best thing you can do for me is to SHARE my lessons on  Facebook ,  Twitter , and  YouTube! Knowing that thousands of s...

In American culture, people go to bars to socialize, flirt, and even to get to know business colleagues. In today's lesson, you'll learn  21 expressions about bars and drinking alcohol.  Many of them are slang or informal expressions. This is a guest post by my teacher friend Ryan from  EnglishForMyDream.com .

A  phrasal verb  is a combination of a verb + preposition that has a specific meaning. Sometimes the meaning of the phrasal verb is quite different from the meaning of the regular verb by itself! I often see students make mistakes by mixing up  regular verbs and phrasal verbs . Here are some common verbs and phrasal verbs in English, and the situations in which each one should be used. Lesson text...

There are a lot of words in English that seem to be the same – and in fact they are very similar – but we use them in different ways. In today's lesson, you'll learn the differences between  5 pairs of confusing words: deem / regard elder / older loyal / faithful crush / squeeze joke / prank Lesson text:  https://www.espressoenglish.net/students-asked-me-about-these-confusing-english-words/ You mi...

The English language has some interesting expressions with the word "business" - and not all of them have to do with companies or work. Let's learn  10 of these phrases  and how to use them. Lesson text: https://www.espressoenglish.net/10-english-expressions-with-business/ If you're learning English for work, my  Business English Course  will teach you the phrases and vocabulary you need.

A student recently asked me how to pronounce English words starting with CON- such as  content ,  contest , and  conduct . My answer was - "It depends!" These three words are interesting because they each have two forms, with different pronunciation. Take today's lesson  to learn how to pronounce these and 38 other English words with CON-.

Do you think you have a good understanding of English vocabulary? Today I'm sending you a challenging quiz to test your knowledge! Click here to take the vocabulary quiz. Choose the best word to complete each sentence, then click on "Get Results" at the end to see your score and the correct answers. If you can improve your vocabulary, you'll have a lot more ways to express yourself in English. You...

If you're embarrassed, it can be almost impossible to think of the right thing to say... especially in English! In today's lesson, you'll learn useful phrases for responding to embarrassing situations . Learn these, and you'll never have to worry about saying the wrong thing during an awkward moment. You might also enjoy my Everyday English Speaking Courses , which teach you phrases and expression...

Students often say "I have a doubt" and then ask me something about the English language. However, native English speakers don't usually say it this way. If you want to know the answer about something, you should say "I have a question." So when can we use the word "doubt"? Click here to find out in today's lesson! English has a lot of words that seem to be the same... but native speakers actually...

I see this problem in a lot of more experienced English learners: Their written English might be 90% fine, but there are still some small errors. These mistakes don't affect communication... but of course we still want to correct them! In today's lesson, I'll teach you 8 common English grammar mistakes with examples from real students of mine. Are you an upper-intermediate or advanced student, and...

We're in the middle of the month of June, and next month is July... so today let's learn 10 vocabulary words that begin with the letter "J." Don't just read the lesson... also, make sure to listen to the words and repeat them out loud to practice your pronunciation. One of the most effective things you can do to improve your English is to improve your pronunciation. If you have BAD pronunciation,...

Today's lesson is inspired by a student question – he asked what the expression "we're spinning our wheels" means. Take the lesson to find out! You'll learn 10 interesting expressions for progress , including: run into a brick wall shift into high gear at breakneck pace ...and more. You can learn a lot more of these casual and colorful expressions in spoken English in my courses. I especially reco...

When writing a business letter or when e-mailing a business contact who we don't know well, we use slightly more formal words and expressions. Today you'll learn how to transform casual, conversational English into more appropriate business English phrases. If you're learning English for your career, make sure to check out my  Business English Course , with 40 practical lessons for work. In this c...

Let's learn some collocations - words that often go together! In today's lesson, you'll learn 30 different collocations with the word "country." At the end of the lesson, I also clarify the difference between "country" and "countryside." If you want to learn more collocations, you'll love my e-book 1000 English Collocations in 10 Minutes a Day. It has short lessons and quizzes to help you learn ne...

What does it mean when someone asks, "Do you drive at all?" In today's lesson, you'll learn how to use the expression "at all" in negative statements and questions. Lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/how-to-use-at-all-in-english

One student said she sometimes sees "police" and sometimes "the police" - which is correct? What's the difference? Today you'll learn the answer to this question, as well as find out why saying "a police" is wrong. Lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/do-we-use-the-with-police

What situations would make you feel  embarrassed?  What situations would make you feel  ashamed? Learn the difference between these confusing English words in today's lesson! Lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/difference-between-embarrassed-and-ashamed

What's the difference between  meet, meet with,  and  meet up with? You'll learn (with examples) in today's podcast! Lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/meet-meet-with-or-meet-up-with

Today's episode is another free sample from the Business English Course. You'll learn 12 common business idioms by figuring them out from the context. One question you might be asking is, "Can we use idioms in business English?" The answer is "sometimes." In more official situations (such as writing a business report or formal letter), we avoid idioms. However, it is OK to use idioms in e-mails am...

Have you ever been shy about participating in a meeting in English? It can be really hard to think of the right phrases in a professional situation, when everyone is watching you. Some English learners prefer to stay quiet. But I want to help you speak up confidently - so in today's lesson, you'll learn 82 practical English phrases to use in meetings. This is a free sample lesson from the  Busines...

It can be hard for English learners to know when to use the word "to." In today's lesson, you'll see 6 common mistakes with "to" - and learn the correct way to say these sentences. Lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/common-english-mistakes-with-the-word-to

Sometimes students ask me about the "rules" of English pronunciation - but it's impossible to teach "rules," because there are so many exceptions. A lot of English words are pronounced differently from the way they appear to be written. In today's lesson, you'll learn about common pronunciation mistakes - and the right way to pronounce these words. I encourage you to LISTEN AND REPEAT, because the...

Prepositions can be very challenging, even for advanced English learners! Today I'll teach you 10 of the most common mistakes students make with prepositions. Lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/10-common-english-mistakes-with-prepositions