Why is it so hard to make real friends in the UK? In this episode of English & Beyond, Oliver sits down with Antonio from Spanish with Antonio to talk about what it's actually like living abroad - the friendships that never quite happen, the cultural codes nobody explains, and why British politeness doesn't always lead to real connection. Antonio shares his experiences living in Portsmouth (UK) and Lille (France), and together they explore why making friends as an adult abroad is so complica...
Mar 24, 2026•21 min•Season 1Ep. 75
Is it rude to ghost someone, or is silence sometimes the kindest answer? In this episode of English and Beyond , Oliver and César explore the modern phenomenon of ghosting - when someone suddenly stops replying in dating, friendships or even professional situations. This episode is designed for advanced English learners who want to improve their English listening skills through natural conversation . As they discuss why people ghost, whether honesty is always better, and why rejection can someti...
Mar 06, 2026•16 min•Season 1Ep. 74
In this advanced English conversation, César and Oliver reflect on how birthdays change as we get older - from childhood parties and British birthday traditions to adult expectations, gifts and family gatherings. The discussion explores ageing, social pressure and cultural differences in a natural, unscripted dialogue designed for advanced learners. Improve your listening with real British English, authentic storytelling and reflective conversation. 📖 Want to improve your English even more? Rea...
Feb 23, 2026•16 min•Season 1Ep. 73
Does ambition make us more successful - or just more disconnected from the people around us? In this advanced English conversation, César and Oliver explore the role of ambition in modern life, from hustle culture and big-city pressure to discipline, happiness and personal relationships. Through a natural, unscripted discussion, they question whether constantly striving for more can affect how we see success, friendship and even ourselves. This episode is designed for advanced English learners w...
Feb 16, 2026•16 min•Season 1Ep. 72
Why does everyone have a podcast now? In this episode, we discuss the podcast boom, why most podcasts don’t last, and what podcasting says about modern culture - through natural, unscripted advanced English . Ideal for advanced English learners who want to improve listening comprehension, learn real expressions, and get used to native-level conversation without simplified language. 📖 Want to improve your English even more? Read the full transcript, access vocabulary flashcards and vocabulary tr...
Feb 07, 2026•16 min•Season 1Ep. 71
What do we really owe our families - and where do we draw the line? In this advanced-level English podcast episode, we explore family conflict, obligation, loyalty and boundaries. Using clear, natural British English, we discuss cultural differences, falling out with relatives, and when family expectations become a burden. Ideal for advanced learners who want thoughtful content and real-world vocabulary. 📖 Want to improve your English even more? Read the full transcript, access vocabulary flash...
Jan 26, 2026•21 min•Season 1Ep. 70
Are social networks and their new best friend, artificial intelligence, destroying our attention spans? In this episode, we examine how AI-generated content, endless scrolling, and algorithm-driven platforms are changing the way we focus, learn, and consume information online. We discuss fake influencers, their low-effort “educational” content, and why depth, effort, and long-form thinking are becoming harder - and hopefully more valuable - in the age of AI. 📖 Want to improve your English even ...
Jan 17, 2026•26 min•Season 1Ep. 69
In this advanced English listening episode, we talk about the reality of moving back in with your parents as adults. You’ll hear natural, unscripted English, real opinions, and everyday vocabulary about family life, shared spaces, awkward moments, and cultural differences. Ideal for advanced learners who want real English, not textbook English. 📖 Want to improve your English even more? Read the full transcript, access vocabulary flashcards and vocabulary trainers for FREE → www.morethanalanguag...
Jan 11, 2026•17 min•Season 1Ep. 68
Why do so many resolutions quickly fail - even when we feel so motivated at the start of the year? In this episode, we reflect on failed resolutions, accountability, and the uncomfortable idea that some goals don’t stick because they were never truly our goals. From language learning to fitness and productivity, we explore how honesty matters more than discipline. 📖 Want to improve your English even more? Read the full transcript, access vocabulary flashcards and vocabulary trainers for FREE → ...
Jan 03, 2026•19 min•Season 1Ep. 67
At the start of the year, I had a fairly clear idea of what the next twelve months would look like...that didn’t happen. In this episode, I talk about how the year actually ended up - the practical changes, the shifts in routine, and how you can end a year in a completely different place without any single dramatic moment causing it. It’s not a recap, and it’s not a lesson. Just a look at how plans drift, circumstances change, and how that only becomes obvious when the year is already over. 📖 W...
Dec 24, 2025•18 min•Season 1Ep. 66
Let's improve your English listening skills while discussing a very relevant topic: why do we just 'click' so much better with some people more than others? In this episode, Oliver and César talk about the strange mechanics of adult friendship: why it’s so hard to make genuine friends through work or hobbies, why life constantly interrupts the friendships we do build, and why occasionally we meet people who feel familiar from the very first conversation. 📖 Want to improve your English even more...
Dec 04, 2025•21 min•Season 1Ep. 65
Shameful! But maybe relatable? 😂 Why do two language teachers - people who literally teach languages for a living - end up quitting their own language learning lessons after just two months? In today’s episode, we talk honestly about motivation, classrooms, commuting, group dynamics, and why even experienced learners sometimes lose momentum. We discuss the reality of adult language learning, the temptation of digital tools, and the strange nostalgia that made us think traditional classes would ...
Nov 23, 2025•16 min•Season 1Ep. 64
Why do so many celebrities follow the same tragic script - early success, impossible pressure, public decline, and a carefully managed collapse? And has anything really changed in the age of influencers, TikTok fame and constant online visibility? In today’s Advanced level episode of English and Beyond , Oliver and César explore the darker side of fame: the industry built on illusion, the toxic incentives behind talent management, and the strange role we , the audience, play in keeping the syste...
Nov 15, 2025•21 min•Season 1Ep. 63
We all do it: promise too much, deliver too late, and thus fail to meet someone’s expectations. In this Advanced level conversation, Oliver and César explore disappointment, guilt, and the strange pressure to meet other people's standards. From over-promising at work to letting friends down, we reflect on why we care more about strangers’ opinions than our loved ones’, and what it really means to “lower the bar.” 📖 Want to improve your English even more? Read the full transcript, access vocabul...
Nov 09, 2025•18 min•Season 1Ep. 62
Almost half of UK marriages end in divorce - yet we often still treat it as a shameful or tragic failure. In this episode of English and Beyond , César and I explore why so many relationships end, talk a bit about our own (experiences with) marriage, whether staying married always means happiness, and why divorce might sometimes be an act of honesty rather than defeat. 📖 Want to improve your English even more? Read the full transcript, access vocabulary flashcards and vocabulary trainers for FR...
Nov 02, 2025•19 min•Season 1Ep. 61
After a period where every small problem felt catastrophic, and he was encouraged to be more "mindful", Oliver asks how and why this radical idea about awareness became yet another lifestyle brand. In this conversation, he and César unpack how a practice meant to help us face discomfort ended up being sold as the cure for it. 📖 Want to improve your English even more? Read the full transcript, access vocabulary flashcards and vocabulary trainers for FREE → www.morethanalanguage.com Follow us on ...
Oct 26, 2025•21 min•Season 1Ep. 60
What does it really mean to be European ? Shared values, a shared history… or just a shared habit of thinking our neighbours are doing everything wrong? In this episode, we are joined by Elisa from French Mornings with Elisa (https://www.frenchmornings.com/) to talk about the strange mix of rivalry and affection that unites the continent. We compare British, French and Spanish attitudes to each other, Erasmus memories, Brexit, national clichés, and even which country gets blamed when things go w...
Oct 17, 2025•30 min•Season 1Ep. 59
Most of us remember a teacher - and not always for positives reasons. Maybe they inspired us. Maybe they embarrassed us. Maybe they simply showed up every day and did their job without ever realising how much it mattered to us. In this episode of English and Beyond , Oliver and César reflect on the people who taught them and left a big impression. They share stories of teachers who left a mark, both good and bad, and explore how those small, unspoken moments in education can shape who we become....
Oct 12, 2025•20 min•Season 1Ep. 58
Are we becoming obsessed with optimisation? From Greek philosophy to Apple Watches, the idea of “the good life” has shifted from balance and virtue to data, tracking, and biohacking. In this episode of English and Beyond (Advanced), Oliver and César explore the culture of self-optimisation - from sleep divorces to clean eating, from supplements to billionaire blood transfusions. You’ll hear natural British English conversation on: Where “healthy living” becomes obsessive control; Why sleep track...
Oct 02, 2025•18 min•Season 1Ep. 57
They say you never forget your first love. And maybe that’s true - not because it was perfect, but because it carried an intensity that later relationships rarely match. Years later, a song, a name, or a face in a crowd can bring the memory back, fresh and overwhelming. In this episode, we talk about first crushes, awkward kisses, and secret teenage romances. Some stories are sweet, others bittersweet, but all of them remind us how powerful those early feelings can be - and how they stay with us...
Sep 26, 2025•19 min•Season 1Ep. 56
When AI can podcast, teach and even translate in real time, what’s left for us humans? In this episode of English and Beyond: Advanced English Podcast , Oliver and César discuss the promises and threats of Artificial Intelligence. From Apple’s new live-translation AirPods to AI-generated podcasts on YouTube, they ask hard and sometimes depressing questions about the future of education, creativity, and work! Will teachers and podcasters (and lawyers) become redundant? Could AI replace not only r...
Sep 19, 2025•20 min•Season 1Ep. 55
Why are humans so devoted to pets? We spend billions on them, treat them like family, and grieve their loss as deeply as we would a relative. But they’re not human. They don’t share our language or our culture, and their lives are heartbreakingly short. So why do we choose to invite animals into our homes - knowing from the beginning that the story will end in loss? In this episode of English and Beyond , Oliver and César explore the paradox of pet ownership. We look at the history of pets, cult...
Sep 12, 2025•20 min•Season 1Ep. 54
Why do compliments so often make us cringe? In this advanced English podcast episode, we explore the psychology of praise and the language of compliments: why a simple “you look nice today” can trigger self-doubt, suspicion, or even discomfort. You’ll discover how cultural differences shape the way compliments are given and received in English, why flattery can sometimes feel manipulative, and how a “backhanded compliment” works. We’ll also look at natural phrases and advanced vocabulary you can...
Sep 05, 2025•20 min•Season 1Ep. 53
Improve your English listening with this advanced-level story. Oliver shares the real experience of studying a language abroad - the good, the bad, and the sweaty. What happens when you go abroad to learn a language? Does immersion really work? In this episode, I talk about my time in Montpellier: the grammar lessons, the teachers, the pros and cons… and what I actually took away from the whole experience. 📖 Want to improve your English even more? Read the full transcript, access vocabulary fla...
Aug 01, 2025•19 min•Season 1Ep. 52
In this episode, we explore a subtle, often unspoken kind of rivalry - the sort that happens not in sports or business, but in close relationships. What does it mean to compete with someone you care about? Can it help you grow, or does it just create tension? Oliver and César share the story of their two-year French-learning journey, but things quickly turned into a challenge. Who would reach B2 first? Who was more consistent? And who would end up paying for dinner? 📖 Want to improve your Engli...
Jul 10, 2025•24 min•Season 1Ep. 51
In this special 50th episode of English and Beyond , Oliver and César reflect on one year of podcasting, what anniversaries really mean, and why they could often forget their own. From the challenges of staying consistent to the little victories along the way, we talk about how far we’ve come - and whether anniversaries are worth celebrating at all. Expect language tips, personal stories, some light teasing, and a spilled coffee or two. Whether you’ve been here since episode one or just joined u...
Jul 10, 2025•18 min•Season 1Ep. 50
In this sweaty, slightly chaotic episode, César and Oliver question whether moving to Valencia was such a great idea... in the middle of an early summer heatwave. Join us as we talk about the oppressive Spanish humidity, sweaty public transport, unexpected cockroach encounters, and whether torrid weather leads to torrid affairs. You’ll learn expressions like sweating like a pig , dog days of summer , break a sweat , and pungent , all in the context of a fun, natural conversation. It’s English fo...
Jun 08, 2025•20 min•Season 1Ep. 49
Is Tuscany really as perfect as Instagram makes it look? In this episode of English and Beyond: Advanced English Podcast , Oliver and César sit down to share the unfiltered truth about their recent holiday in Italy - and it’s not all rolling hills and Chianti. From postcard-perfect views and delicious dinners to mosquito bites , awkward group dynamics, and way too much sun, this is a real conversation about travel expectations vs. reality. Whether you’ve had a disappointing holiday yourself or j...
May 30, 2025•19 min•Season 1Ep. 48
In this episode of English and Beyond: Advanced Edition , Oliver and César explore a question we all secretly ask ourselves: “Do I actually like this… or do I just think I’m supposed to?” From five-star restaurants and summer holidays to podcasts and museums, they take a light-hearted but honest look at things that might be a little overrated , a bit overhyped , or just not all they’re cracked up to be . Along the way, they revisit The Emperor’s New Clothes as a perfect metaphor for modern trend...
May 22, 2025•21 min•Season 1Ep. 47
What makes a film critically acclaimed , atmospheric , or even box office poison ? In this episode of English and Beyond , César and I (I'm Oliver!) dive into the full cinema experience - from noisy popcorn munching to unexpected plot twists - and explore the vocabulary and expressions you need to talk about movies like a native speaker. Whether you’re a film lover, a language geek, or someone just looking to expand your advanced English, you’ll learn real-life phrases and idioms like suspension...
May 09, 2025•18 min•Season 1Ep. 46
