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 about how and why expressions and idioms change over time. This leads us into a discussion of some mor...
Aug 02, 2021•45 min
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 member of the Australian community. He tells us about the different immigrant influences on Australia...
Jul 26, 2021•48 min
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 all of these, you'll learn about in this episode. You'll also learn about sea enemies, how to say pla...
Jul 19, 2021•32 min
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 years ago. He tells his amazing story of how he arrived and succeeded in Australia. He also explains the...
Jun 21, 2021•1 hr 6 min
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 social life revolves around the humble snag. Paula also gives us some very useful tips about how to l...
Jun 14, 2021•50 min
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, that weren't there when you began learning? All of these questions might seem trivial, but they are...
May 31, 2021•44 min
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 industry specific words that are shared between Australia and New Zealand. We talk to Seb about his e...
May 24, 2021•1 hr 2 min
*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, currently living and working in Australia. He's chock-a-block full of talent. He has his own personal projec...
May 17, 2021•50 min
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. And there are lots of parallels between dancing and language learning? Are there any? We discuss h...
May 10, 2021•47 min
When asked if he would like to come on the show, Ben said that he'd give it a nudge. Ben has worked in and traveled to many different parts of the world. He's worked in the Red Centre, in Japan and most recently on cruise ships. He has had to transition to teaching due to current circumstances. But we talk about how his life experiences, and how his attitude of trying, having fun, giving things a nudge, has helped and is helping with his teaching and language learning. He also shares with us his...
May 03, 2021•46 min
This week’s episode is a dead set ripper. We have a guest who has a dead set interesting story of how he came to Australia and learn English. Our guest, Juan, arrived in Australia when he was 9. Living for the first 9 years of his life in Colombia, he knew very little English. But he was dead set on learning English and learning it well. As you’ve guessed, our expression for this week is “dead set”. Juan tells us about his learning journey, his strange confrontation with Australian culture – cri...
Apr 27, 2021•48 min
Most governments around the world at the moment couldn't organise a root in a brothel. We're talking about covid and one of the symptoms - feeling tired, stuffed, rooted. It's a very Australian term and a fun one to learn as you will see. In this episode we are practicing one of the most difficult skills in English - the -ed endings of words. When do you pronounce it? When do you not? We'll help you in this episode! We're looking at how studying the "root" word can help you learn these different...
Apr 19, 2021•37 min
WIFI was invented by Australians. Did you know that? How would you talk about things like inventions? Well, we use the passive voice. It's a common difficulty that students of languages have. But the team is here to help. In this episode you will learn about some of the inventions from Australia and other countries around the world. Practice your listening for the passive, and think about some inventions from your country. And of course, it's as lighthearted as always. The episode was fun. We ho...
Apr 12, 2021•33 min
Have you ever been invited to a barbie? Well, here's your chance. It's a great Australian tradition. But there are some things you need to know to avoid confusion. So the team, and our special guest Sara are here to help! Sara is our first speaker of Italian to come on the show. Now a true blue Aussie, she explains how she came to be living in Australia. Sara explains some of the conventions and unwritten rules of Australian barbecues and how they are different to her own cultural norms. Barbecu...
Apr 04, 2021•58 min
EP 33 - Chuck a Wobbly We all know learning a language can be hard, frustrating and challenging. And sometimes it gets a little too much. Maybe we have little outbursts like a child would. And in Australian English, we have a great expression for this - to chuck a wobbly. But, we are here to help! We hope to limit your wobblies and this episode gives you some great tips! We are talking to Clayton, an Australian living in Korea, and his experience learning a new language, culture and completely n...
Mar 28, 2021•1 hr 9 min
Have you had a good one? Are you going to have a good one? A one what? How do you know what these words are referring to? Well. That's what this episode is here to help you with. We're talking auxiliary and general purpose verbs, such as do and have. You will learn how to correct common errors with sentence and question construction. You will also learn simple tips and tricks to help you improve your language. We talk about why these simple things help us to sound and to speak much more naturall...
Mar 21, 2021•35 min
EP 31 No Worries How do you politely respond to a request in your language? How do you respond in English? Do you know how in Australian English? Well, we can show you how no worries at all! Join our team as we meet Angela, an Australian living and working in Tokyo. Angela works as a part of a communication team for the Olympics, and this is her story. She shares her challenges with not only learning Japanese, but communicating with many different language speakers. We discuss female sports in A...
Mar 14, 2021•47 min
We're fair dinkum about learning languages here at the Australians Teach English Podcast. What about you? Are you fair dinkum? We talk to Romina, a fair dinkum aussie, about her learning journey and how she came to settle in Australia. We discuss possible ways to get Australian residency and some of the considerations when moving to another country. Culture shock is something we experience when we travel or move to another country. But we often don't consider how this can impact our language lea...
Mar 07, 2021•54 min
EP 29 Seppo This week we are learning how to do one of the world's favourite things - insulting those from the United States - the Australian way. Discover how we use rhyming slang to form one of our most well known insults. In this episode you will learn how "yank" rhymes with "septic tank", and then in classic Australian language, we shorten this again to "Seppo". We learn why Australians use so much rhyming slang and how you can use it and understand it in your own conversations. We speak to ...
Feb 28, 2021•48 min
Some might say we've got a few roos loose in the top paddock, that we're a bit different, a bit crazy. And they'd be right. You can find out why in this episode. Maybe you have a few roos loose as well? In this episode, we are talking about the influence of languages on our brains. Just like learning anything, they can drive us crazy. But what are the benefits? In this episode we talk about some of these benefits for our brain health in learning a language. We also talk about some of the myths t...
Feb 21, 2021•44 min
EP 27 Under the Pump It's episode 27, and we're feeling the stress - sentence stress that is! Under the pump is the episode all about stress. We learn that English is a stress-timed language and there is another groups of languages called syllable-timed languages. We discuss what this means to a learner of languages - how to learn a language from the other group and how to teach the learning of each. We talk about the history of different languages, language evolution and what this means for lea...
Feb 14, 2021•58 min
Come and explore some of the most special forests in Australia and the world! In this week's episode learn the slang word for people who care about the environment - greenie. We talk about the influence of indigenous cultures on languages and the unique position that Australia has with this in its place names. Languages have a connection with place and the environment and we talk about this. We compare environmental politics in three continents, the distinctions between scientific and anti-scien...
Feb 07, 2021•58 min
In this episode join Delphi and the team as we learn about some key toilet related vocabulary. Learn words like dunny, bog-roll, loo and the differences in English speaking countries when we talk about going to the toilet. We talk with Delphi about her experiences working with children and the shock she experienced when they communicated this language with her. Delphi explains what it's like being a ski instructor in Australia, working on a vineyard in one of Australia's most beautiful places - ...
Jan 31, 2021•54 min
EP 24 True Blue. January 26 is the day that Australians celebrate, commemorate and even mourn. It is Australia Day. We are joined by Mel - 50% yankee, 50% Argentine and 50% Australian. But she is 150% true blue. Come with us and learn how she came to call Australia home. We explore this term and what it means to be "true blue" and Australian. We learn what is distinct with Australia - what are some of the positives and negatives of our treatment of our first people - and how this compares with o...
Jan 25, 2021•1 hr 4 min
I reckon we might've discovered the reason we ask, "What are you thinking?" What do you reckon? Come on a journey with Guest, Kyron, from Brisbane. We learn the common and informal "(I) reckon". Frequently used by Australians and a great one to know. We talk about Kyron's journey through Latin America, experiencing the last World Cup in Argentina. We discuss if Argentines are just Argentina supporters or actual soccer fans? With Oriana we also discuss why intonation might be so important. We tal...
Jan 16, 2021•37 min
We're not here to .... spiders. So come with us and get down to business. Let's look at some of our language learning goals for this year. Join Oriana and I as we discuss common student goals, and what can be done to achieve these. We discuss the common goal that people want to "sound like a native". We talk about why this is difficult to attain and how we can go about setting more constructive goals. We also talk about spiders in Australia, and how they're not as dangerous as what you are led t...
Jan 09, 2021•27 min
In this week's episode learn one of our shortest words, "ta". We say ta to all our listeners this year and reflect on our learning goals. We look at the origins and the benefits of using such a simple word. We also talk about how different places in the world, can act like a time capsule for languages. How words and forms can fall out of use in one place, but maintain its use in another. We talk about Australian Christmas, and different customs and traditions with Christmas in the Southern Hemis...
Dec 21, 2020•30 min
Learn the Australian word "buggered". To mean exhausted or without energy. We apply this to the context of soils in Western Australia. They are buggered, knackered - without nutrients. Join Professor Hans Lambers and I for a discussion as to why these buggered soils make Western Australia so special. Learn how these soils make Western Australia one of the most bio-diverse places on the planet. Practice your listening to comparatives and superlatives such as worst, crappier as we discuss our favo...
Nov 30, 2020•39 min
A common difficulty of people arriving in Australia is understanding this particular word, "arvo". We often use, "in the arvo" to arrange meetings and social events. In this episode, you will find out what it means and how we use it. We talk about how languages often shorten words, the logic behind it and tips for learning these words. We compare the use of Australian English and different forms of Spanish. We talk about our experiences learning different character languages - the advantages, di...
Nov 13, 2020•42 min
Take a trip from the Netherlands to the Wildflower Capital of the World with leading Western Australian botanist, Hans Lambers. After discovering the biodiversity in Western Australia, and the love of his life, he decided to move to Perth. This is his story about his journey with learning Australian English. At the same time, you can learn some key vocabulary and expressions: sunnies, Bob's your uncle, she'll be apples, she's a bit of alright. Also practice comparing cities and places. We talk a...
Nov 10, 2020•31 min
