Happy English Podcast

Hey, can you believe it? This is Episode 900 of the Happy English Podcast. Nine. Hundred. Episodes. I can hardly believe it myself. Here’s what I’ve learned along the way! I just want to take a moment today to say how grateful I am to YOU. Whether this is your first time listening, your 50th time, or you’ve been here since Episode 1, thank you. The fact that you listen, learn, and grow with me is...

Here’s a question. Have you ever heard someone say ain’t in a song or a movie? Like, <“Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone,”> or “I ain’t got no time for that”? Maybe you wondered… is ain’t actually English? Well, it sure ain’t in the textbooks, but it is in real life! And I ain’t kidding.  Today we’re diving into a word that confuses a lot of English learners - ain’t. It’s not considered “sta...

You know, I started this podcast in 2014 so I can help people speak English better. And now, there are so many podcast episodes, It’s almost near a thousand. So, check this one out.  Today, we’re talking about so. Just two letters - S-O. But this little word works overtime in English. We use so to show a result, to give a reason, to add emphasis, and yeah, we even use it when we’re not sure what t...

Hey there! It’s Michael here — and welcome back to another Happy English Sunday Speak. I’m here every Sunday with a quick one-point tip to help you speak English more naturally. Sometimes, you need to ask someone to wait. In situations like this, you could say “Please wait a moment.” And sure, that’s correct English — but it sounds a bit formal and not something we usually say to friends or cowork...

Hey there! It’s Michael here — and welcome back to another Happy English Saturday Short, your quick tip for speaking English better. Today, let’s look at three really natural phrases: kind of, sort of, and a bit. We use these to soften what we’re saying. They make a statement sound less strong, less direct — and that makes your English sound more natural in everyday conversation. For example, let’...

Hey there! It’s Michael here — and welcome back to another Happy English, Phrasal Verb Friday. I’m here every Friday, with a quick, one-point English lesson to help you learn one new phrasal verb and sound more natural when you speak. Today’s phrasal verb is jazz up. When you jazz something up, it means you make it more interesting, exciting, or attractive. It’s like giving something a little extr...

They didn’t even say thank you.  Not “they didn’t say thank you.” They didn’t even say thank you. So… what’s the deal with even in negative sentences? In Episode 880, we looked at how to use even in general - like for comparisons and emphasis. But today, we’re going to zoom in on something more specific… and honestly, something really common - using even in negative sentences. Join my Podcast Lear...

It was very cool this morning. Like around 11 degrees celsius. When I took Max for a walk I was actually surprised it was so cool. Like, there’s a nip in the air kinda cool. Boy, I’m hoping this coming winter isn’t too cold. Let’s see how it goes. These three little words - too, very, and so - all come before adjectives, and they all talk about how much of something there is. Like, how hot, how ta...

I’m so hungry. No time for lunch today. No wonder my stomach is grumbling. That’s why i decided to order a double cheeseburger and some fries...at the diner.  Because is a great word - and it’s totally correct. But when it comes to speaking naturally, we often don’t use because directly. Instead, we give the reason in a more casual, fluent way. So today, I’ll show you how native English speakers g...

Now, when you want to ask why in English, sure, you can just say “why.” But in everyday conversation, native speakers often use a more casual phrase: “How come?” “How come” means the same as “why,” but it sounds softer, friendlier, and very conversational. And, it’s easy to use. You can use it by itself!  Like, your friend says, “I’m skipping lunch today.” You can ask, “How come?” Or your coworker...

We often use a negative question like “Isn’t this…?” or “Aren’t you…?” in conversation. Technically, these are not questions for asking something. They are a casual and friendly way to confirm something or make a suggestion. For example, if you and your friend are at the peir on a sunny day, you might say:   “Isn’t this a perfect day for fishing?”  You’re not really asking for information — you’re...

Today’s phrasal verb is slack off.  When you slack off, it means you become lazy about your work, your studies, or your responsibilities. You don’t try as hard as you should. Like, my friend Eddie started going to the gym in in July, but by the middle of this month, he really started to slack off. And in the office, Jenny was slacking off all week, so now she has to stay late to finish her project...

Hey, let me ask you a question - You’ve studied English grammar, haven’t you?  And you’ve probably heard tag questions or negative questions before, right? Well, isn’t this going to be an interesting lesson for you! It's a nice day, isn't it? That's a Tag Question, and today, I’ll show you how these work - and how you can use them to sound more like a native speaker.  Join my Podcast Learner's Stu...

Unless you have something else to do right now, You should listen to this whole podcast episode. And as long as you’re listening, why not take notes...In case you want to use the phrases from this lesson in your daily English.  These three little phrases - unless, as long as, and in case - all help us talk about situations that might happen. But they each have a different nuance, and getting them...

You know what? I’ve got a question for you. Or… should I say, I have a question for you? Hmm. Which one sounds better? Or… are they both OK?   For many English learners, “have got” can be a little confusing. I mean, we’ve got “I have a dog,” and “I’ve got a dog”… and both are correct? What’s going on here? Well today, we’re going to break it all down — grammar, style, and real-world usage — so you...

Hey there! It’s Michael here — and welcome back to another Happy English Sunday Speak. Every Sunday, I’ll be here with a quick one-point tip to help you speak English more naturally. One thing you need to know how to do in English is to communicate that you understood what someone said. Like if someone gives you directions on the street. You could say, Oh ok, I understand. And sure, that’s correct...

Hey there! It’s Michael here — and welcome back to another Happy English Saturday Short, your quick tip for speaking English better.   Today, let’s look at a commonly used conversational phrase is “by the way.” We use by the way when we want to add something to the conversation, kind of like when we need to change the topic, or bringing up an extra point. It’s casual, friendly, and super common in...

Hey there! It’s Michael here — and welcome back to another Happy English, Friday Phrasal Verb. Every Friday, I’ll be here with a quick, one-point English lesson to help you learn one new phrasal verb and sound more natural when you speak. Last week we looked at toy with, which means to consider something not so seriously. Today’s phrasal verb is the opposite of that:  mull over. When you mull some...

Fall is right around the corner. Soon there will be a nip in the air as you look at the harvest moon, while sipping your pumpkin spice latte. When the season changes, so does the way we talk. So today, before Indian Summer comes, let’s dive into some seasonal vocabulary and phrases that’ll help you talk about fall just like a native speaker. Join my Podcast Learner's Study Group here: https://www....

Let me say right now, this ain’t gonna be your average English lesson. And even considering that I’ve been teaching English for over 30 years, I ain’t got no problem sharing this information with you. What I’m trying to say is, would you mind if I break some grammar rules today? In this lesson, I want to show you how native speakers break grammar rules — and why that’s actually a part of sounding...

I came up with this podcast yesterday. I even wrote some of it in the car. And even though I touched on this topic in a podcast like 10 years ago, this lesson is ever better.  Have you ever heard someone say something like, “It’s even colder today than yesterday,” or “He even brought his cat to the party,” and thought… what’s going on with that little word even? It’s just four letters, but even do...

Hey there! It’s Michael here — and welcome back to another Happy English Sunday Speak. Every Sunday, I’ll be here with a quick one-point tip to help you speak English more naturally. Now, sometimes in English we need to say “no,” but just saying no can sound too direct or even a little rude. So let’s look at some casual, yet polite, natural ways to say no. If someone invites you to do something an...

Hey there! It’s Michael here — and welcome back to another Happy English Saturday Short, your quick tip for speaking English better.   Today’s point is one that even native speakers sometimes get mixed up: 👉 everyday which is one word vs. every day which is two words. Here’s the deal: Everyday (which is one word) is an adjective. It means “common” or “ordinary.” Like, Having a cup of green tea is...

Hey there! It’s Michael here — and welcome to the very first Happy English, Friday Phrasal Verb. Starting today, I’ll be here every Friday with a quick, one-point English lesson to help you learn one new phrasal verb and sound more natural when you speak.  Today’s phrasal verb is toy with. When you toy with something, it means you’re considering it, but not very seriously. It’s like you’re playing...

I saw one of my old students the other day. I was like, how’s it going, and he goes, I finally found a new job. And I go, that’s awesome. And he was like, I finally got a job using English. And I was like, that’s really fabulous! Have you ever gotten stuck trying to figure out when to use say and when to use tell? These words seem really similar, but they’re used in different ways. So today, let’s...