Hey, I'm Dane. I grew up bilingual and after 15 years of teaching and working with English learners, I've realised that true fluency comes from understanding how the language fits into real life. I created English with Dane to give Spanish speakers a calm approach to becoming fluent through practical conversations about language, culture, TV and current events. No stress, just English that makes sense and gets easier to use over time.
In this episode, we'll take a look at the phrasal verbs put off, pay off, call off, back off, doze off and go off. Plus, we'll also take a look back in history to learn about the accidental development of X-Rays. Oh! and as always, there's a bunch of vocabulary in there too. Follow me on Instagram and TikTok
This is a special Halloween episode of English with Dane. What does that mean? Well, I read a creepy story online the other day and thought it would be a cool thing to do given the date this comes out. It's not just a creepy story. It's actually all about the vocabulary check too. A bunch of new words for you in this episode, so check it out and tell me what you think. Follow me on Instagram and TikTok
This episode of English with Dane is about something I think a lot of people need to hear. It's a topic that always seems to come up in different ways and so I wanted to share my thoughts on it. It's the idea of speaking like a native speaker. I think a lot of people have this as a goal when learning/practicing English and I'm not sure if is a healthy one. Are you setting yourself up to fail? Is it even achievable? Is it really important? This episode is about trying to answer these questions...
Before you listen, you should know that this is a particularly creepy episode of English with Dane. It's about a moment in history that took place in Nebraska in 1983. Spoiler alert: it's about a killer. I thought I would bring back our Today in History segment because these stories always seem to provide great new vocabulary to add to your arsenal. Plus, I think it's really cool to find out what happened on days like today but many years ago. Follow the show on Instagram and...
Hey! This episode of English with Dane is about a couple of different things. First, we'll talk about words that sound the same but look different (homophones) and words that look the same but sound different (homographs). Then, we'll cover a mistake a lot of English speakers make (and maybe you too) as well as taking a look at a phrasal verb you might not be using. As always, there will be plenty of examples, new vocabulary and a bunch of learning moments. I hope you enjoy the episode, and a...
I'm back! I'm back from my summer break and I feel recharged. In this episode, we'll read a fantastic Strange News headline, learn some new vocabulary words and then see how well you do in the first ever Speed Up challenge (please let me know if this is fun/useful for you). Here's the full Guardian story
How many words do you need to know to understand a language? Many students have asked me this and I'm sure it's also a question you have asked yourself at times. This episode is an answer to that question. I found an article by the BBC that I think is very interesting and that answers this question pretty well, so I thought I would share. It turns out that (resulta que) if we know the 800 most frequently used word families (listen to the episode to find out what a family is), we can und...
3 news stories and a bunch of new vocabulary for you. Let's find out what's been happening in the world while adding new vocabulary words to your arsenal. First story (Gel for hearts)Second story (Internet Explorer)Third story (Zebra guy)
This episode is about useful idioms and expressions. I've made a list of some of the ones I use the most and I've made a selection from said list. I guarantee these are natural-sounding, easy-to-use idioms and I want you to start throwing them into conversations as soon as possible. I know I haven't posted an episode in a while, but now I'm back and with a vengance! So get ready to keep learning, keep improving and keep feeling more and more comfortable in English. InstagramTikTok
This episode of English with Dane is a read-along, which means I found an interesting article, and we're going to read it together. We'll come across (nos encontraremos con) a bunch of useful, new vocabulary and you'll also improve your comprehension in general. I love this type of episode because it gives us the chance to learn about interesting things outside of the sphere of English learning, which is super necessary. If you want to follow the article while listening to this episode, the l...
Phrasal verbs are a great way to become more fluent in English but people often shy away (phrasal verb alert) from learning them because they can be frustrating. I think the reason for this frustration is the fact they learn long lists of phrasal verbs that are often out of context, and therefore difficult to remember and even more difficult to use efficiently. That's why in this episode of English with Dane, we'll take a look at 5 practical phrasal verbs with "in" and make sure you understan...
This is a special episode because I had a chance to sit down and have a chat with my new friend Sam. We shared our perspectives on a bunch of different things related to English-learning like the idea of levels, what is missing from traditional teaching, our unique approaches and motivations, and much more stuff. I know it's a bit of a long one, but I honestly think there is a lot to get from it, so throw those headphones on and get into it.You can find Sam on TikTok as well as on Instagram
PRONUNCIATION TIME! I know I usually preach that pronunciation isn't super important past a certain point, but that doesn't mean you can't improve it! In this episode of English with Dane I go over (repaso) a few problematic words that continue to come up, and I also talk about long and short vowels and how we can use them to our advantage. As always, I'll include tips and tricks on how to improve and practice on a daily basis to make sure you are improving as efficiently as possible. Sit bac...
I'm back! Today's episode is about SAY vs TELL, a topic that has been haunting English learners for years. It's not as simple as you might think, but it's also pretty easy once you get it. In this episode of English with Dane, we'll go over the difference between these two verbs while also checking out some collocations as well as some idioms you can start using today, all with examples of course. So, check it out and let me know what you think.InstagramTikTok
Here's a conversation I recorded with my friend Mario Marzo while we were in Tenerife. We talk about the role of confidence in language-learning, his experience as a non-native speaker growing up and how his approach to learning a new language has paid off. We also talk about more stuff too, so listen to the episode and find out. I met Mario towards the end of summer and we hit it off (that's a good expression). We got along right away, basically. I thought it was really interesting that his ...
Here are some verbs that came up recently in my life that I wrote down to share with you. I thought these were great candidates to add to your arsenal and I've never talked about them before so here they are. As always, don't stress out about learning all of them, it's important to be aware of them and to recognize when you can use them. So, check out this episode and let me know what you think.
Here's a strange news episode that talks about a couple buying a home only to discover that some really creepy stuff happened there. So creepy, it inspired the movie The Exorcist (1973). This episode of English with Dane is full of new vocabulary you can use right now. I found the article here in case you want to read it first hand. Reading is a great way to pick up new vocabulary because you are much more likely to remember new words. Lists are cool, but reading is better. It's a nice ...
Here's a list of some of the best TV shows to practice English. I did a similar episode a year ago or so, but here's an updated and probably more balanced list. I didn't want to list the typical TV shows you'll find in a bunch of boring articles, so let me know what you think. On this list (nunca IN this list) You'll find documentaries, dramas, and comedies that will help you build a better vocabulary, learn how to structure sentences better, but overall gain fluency and improve your co...
This episode is exactly what you think it is. This time we're taking a look at some of the most useful and practical phrasal verbs in English you might not be using: phrasal verbs with THROUGH. Go through, see through, fall through, and more on this episode of English with Dane. Maybe you have a good idea of what these mean, but you're not sure how to use them. Maybe you've never heard of them at all, but either way you should check out this episode and incorporate them into your day-to-day. ...
Prueba TWYN grátis una semana y practica tu SPEAKINGThis was a really fun episode because I got the chance to answer your questions. I didn't answer all of them so, but I think my answers to these will help a lot of you out. Let me know what you think of the episode and if you agree or disagree with what I say in this episode. InstagramTikTok
Prueba TWYN grátis una semana y practica tu SPEAKINGIdiom time! Here's a quick compilation of idioms in English I use very often. I think you'll enjoy these. As always, I added example clips from movies and stuff so you can get a feel (buen idiom también) of how native speakers use them. Idioms are a great way of sounding more natural when speaking English, so I encourage you to learn some of these and try them out. Let me know how they feel! Write to me on Instagram or TikTok and share your ...
Prueba TWYN grátis una semana y practica tu SPEAKINGThe other day I found an article online about expressions in English and their crazy origins. I thought I'd share 5 of them with you and hopefully you find these origins as interesting as I did. The expressions that we'll take a look at in this episode are to bite the bullet / to break the ice / to butter someone up / to go the whole nine yards / to rub the wrong way. You might know some of these, but I bet their origins will surprise you.Ex...
More phrasal verbs coming at you! 5 easy, useful ones you can add to your day-to-day without any stress. As always, don't feel pressured to learn all 5 but just be more aware of them and let them work their way into your conversations in a natural way. There are examples for each of them to give you an idea of how to use them, so you can't go wrong. I know phrasal verbs can be tricky sometimes but with a bit of practice, you'll be using them in no time. But, that's the key, though: practice. ...
Strange News is back! In this episode, we're going to Hong Kong, where a company is offering bus tours for people who can't sleep. Yup. You read that right. People are taking tours around the city to be able to finally get some sleep. Strangely, I identify. Find out how people respond to these tours and let me know what you think of the idea. As always, this will be a great opportunity to discover new vocabulary in English (especially compound adjectives) that you can add to your arsenal toda...
Here's an episode several of you have asked me to do. Tips, or strategies on how to practice English from the comfort of your home. This is a topic that became really relevant during the start of the pandemic when we were all stuck at home and although I've shared some of these throughout the life of the podcast, I thought I'd get my favorite tips not just from but from other teachers too and condense the best ones into this episode. It's important to note that none of these strategies are mi...
Here we go with another read-along episode! I love these. Let's read an article together and learn about new things while picking up new vocabulary along the way. Today we're reading this article about motivation in life and business written by James Clear, a New York Times best-selling author. I think this article is inspiring and hopefully, it will help you by giving you some good tips on how to approach (como enfocar) your journey to becoming the most fluent English speaker you can be. You...
Advanced phrasal verbs this time, and in a format that might be more fun. I play clips from movies, and you have to figure out what each phrasal verb means. I've been doing a lot of phrasal verb stuff recently, but I think it's important to get comfortable with them. Don't get discouraged if you don't decipher all of these, the point is to become aware of them, and eventually incorporate them into your day-to-day. Try the challenge and let me know what you think.
Here we go again with more phrasal verbs! After episode 121 (What are Phrasal Verbs and How to Learn Them) I realized it would be much better to group phrasal verbs by particle (UP) instead of the main verb, so this episode is about exactly that. I'll talk about different phrasal verbs with UP, and give you a few meanings for each so you can practice them and incorporate them into your day-to-day because that's what it's about. Today's phrasal verbs are: turn up, give up, heat up and put up w...
This episode has been a long time coming. This is a question I often get from students, and so I've put this episode together to answer it. There's no real difference between increasing your vocabulary in English and in your native language, but when it comes to a second language, the effort needs to be more present. I feel that a lot of you are experiencing a lack of confidence when it comes to speaking English because you feel like you're going to get stuck mid-sentence and not know how to ...
This might seem like a basic episode (or not) but I think it's a necessary one. I get a lot of questions about phrasal verbs from a variety of students, beginners and more advanced ones too, so I thought I would address those questions with an episode dedicated specifically to what they are, and more importantly: how to learn them. This episode includes three practical tips to make your life easier when it comes to learning phrasal verbs, while at the same time comforting those of you w...
