In this episode I talk to my friend Irena who has previously been on the podcast to talk about painting. This time the topic is birds since Irena is fascinated with them. ZEP Patrons can also enjoy an additional 30-minute mini lesson where I go through the most interesting bird-related vocabulary from this episode. ________________________________________________________________________________________ 👉 Become a ZEP patron - become a PATRON of Zdenek’s English Podcast to get a MINI LESSON with...
Jul 12, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 626
Are you into football? Have you been enjoying EURO 2020? Do you like English learning podcasts? If the answers are YES, then this might be for you!!! Once again, I teamed up with Luke and Martin to record part 2 of EURO 2020 swapcast. ❓ Have we been enjoying this EURO? ❓ Who is Panenka, and what’s the significance of Panenka penalty? ❓ What’s been the secret behind Denmark’s success in EURO 2020? ❓ Was the penalty in Denmark - England semifinal a penalty? ❓ What’s the best place to watch a footb...
Jul 10, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 625
Paul is back on the podcast. This time we talk about nothing but food. What's Paul's favourite meal? How did he learn to cook? How similar is food to music? You'll find the answers to these questions and much more in this feel-good episode. And if you haven't got enough after this, I've got a second helping for you, i.e. a well-prepared mini lesson focusing on aspects of pronunciation of a 45-second excerpt from this episode is now available for patrons. _________________________________________...
Jul 05, 2021•35 min•Ep. 623
Website: teacherzdenek.com
Jun 26, 2021•6 min•Ep. 622
👉 Are you into football? Do you follow EURO 2020? Do you like English learning podcasts? Well, this might be the podcast for you!!! I teamed up with 2 much more famous podcasters than me to record a football themed swapcast. What's more, all three of us are also giving away some cool prizes!!! Here is where you can enter the competition by providing your email: https://forms.gle/qdSsfruS5Bzc1W2j8 Why do we love football? Do you want to know what football players we look like? What do we think a...
Jun 22, 2021•2 hr 2 min•Ep. 620
It was a huge honour to feature a really cool guest in this episode - Michael the Shaman - who had previously appeared in episode 718 of Luke's English Podcast, which happens to be in my top 5 Luke's English Podcast episodes. We briefly talked about what it was like for Michael to be on Luke's podcast, we discussed how Michael has learnt English playing games with native speakers, specifically Dungeon's and Dragons. Michael explained to us what DnD is and why it has such appeal. We went through ...
Jun 21, 2021•56 min•Ep. 619
Once again we have Rob on the podcast. This time we talk about everything gadgets and technology related. The highlight is a somewhat shocking anecdote from Rob, which I am sure some podcasters would censor, but as you know, we are liberal here on Zdenek's English Podcast. Patrons get a 20-minute mini lesson which is, as always, a follow-up to the episode for everyone. This time I break down the idiomatic language used in the episode - phrases like to click with someone, dabble in something, to ...
Jun 14, 2021•59 min•Ep. 617
This bonus episode is more or less all about admin. It is an invitation to join my brand-new English course English through Role Plays, I also speak about the live lessons that I have started doing recently on Youtube, I tell you what you can get out of my Discord server if you join it, and finally I talk about the EUROS 2020 and some more podcast as well as life related stuff. A silly ad for my brand-new English through Role Plays course: https://youtu.be/njBKnImihcM ___________________________...
Jun 11, 2021•40 min•Ep. 616
In this episode I talk to Saviour about means of transport. Saviour is a cheerful young man from Zambia, and he is currently studying in the Czech Republic. As Saviour says himself, English is in his blood. Naturally, this is a vocabulary-rich episode. A patron-only mini lesson focusing clarifying the language for addition follows right after this. ________________________________________________________________________________________ 👉 Become a ZEP patron - become a PATRON of Zdenek’s English...
Jun 07, 2021•46 min•Ep. 614
In this episode I chat with Dustin from Board Gaming with Education who has been on the podcast before. What is he up to? Are his projects going strong despite the pandemic? How does he help teachers to integrate board games into their lessons? What new board games does he recommend? Board Gaming with Education Website: https://www.boardgamingwitheducation.com/ Board Gaming with Education FB: https://www.facebook.com/BoardGamingWithEducation Board Gaming with Education Instagram: #boardgamingwit...
May 31, 2021•39 min•Ep. 612
This is part 2 of arguably the most ridiculous venture I have ever undertaken on Zdenek's English Podcast - an improvised story called the Recorder Story. It is a sequel to episode 212 which I recorded about 3 years ago. The story is 100 percent improvised, and I genuinely did not have the slightest idea where I was going with it. The main characters are: Zdenek, Gandalf, and a squirrel with a speech impediment. The mini lesson for patrons is published simultaneously with this episode, and it fo...
May 24, 2021•38 min•Ep. 610
In this episode, I speak to my mate Kieren, who you might know as the author of the book Battery Life, about danger and Kieren's attitude to taking risks. A mini lesson for patrons in which I explain 18 cool idioms related to danger and safety follows. ________________________________________________________________________________________ 👉 Become a ZEP patron - become a PATRON of Zdenek’s English Podcast to get a MINI LESSON with target language every week. 👉 ZEP Live Shows - listen to Zdene...
May 17, 2021•41 min•Ep. 608
In this episode I talk to my good friend Franta who is a regular on ZEP. I ask Franta how he has been coping with the lockdown. We touch upon Franta's work-out routine, the Seagull (Brighton football team), the Super League, and more. A mini lesson for patrons focusing on vague language with examples from this episode follows. ________________________________________________________________________________________ 👉 Become a ZEP patron - become a PATRON of Zdenek’s English Podcast to get a MINI...
May 10, 2021•45 min•Ep. 606
This time I speak to Erin from Dublin, Ireland. Erin is a fellow English teacher and a brilliant podcaster. She is also very passionate about the Lord of the Rings books and films, which happens to be the topic of this episode. Here is a selection of questions I ask in the episode: What's so appealing about the Lord of the Rings story? How does Erin compare the films and the books? Which of the characters does she like the most? And what does Erin think about the Game of Thrones? Erin's podcast ...
May 02, 2021•50 min•Ep. 604
Over the years, my cousin Honza has been the guest with the most appearances on this podcast. You might remember that we used to record a series called Road to Civilization, which does contribute to that fact quite significantly. I decided to catch up with Honza in this episode to ask how he is doing, how he is coping with the lockdown era, and above all to tell us about his job. ________________________________________________________________________________________ 👉 Become a ZEP patron - bec...
Apr 25, 2021•50 min•Ep. 602
What can we do for our environment as individuals to reverse the destruction of our planet which seems imminent? I invited teacher Vlada to answer this important question. I highly recommend following Vlada on her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/english_with_vlada/ ________________________________________________________________________________________ 👉 Become a ZEP patron - become a PATRON of Zdenek’s English Podcast to get a MINI LESSON with target language every week. 👉 ZEP Live Shows...
Apr 18, 2021•52 min•Ep. 600
In this episode I interview my DELTA tutor Cathy about British politics. We touch upon Cathy's political career, John Bercow, Brexit, the last parliament elections, Labour Party, Scottish independence, and more. ________________________________________________________________________________________ 👉 Become a ZEP patron - become a PATRON of Zdenek’s English Podcast to get a MINI LESSON with target language every week. 👉 ZEP Live Shows - listen to Zdenek’s English Podcast live every Sunday at ...
Apr 11, 2021•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 598
This episode epitomizes what the expressions mixed bag means. A friend of the podcast Mark from England makes his first appearance this year to discuss various topics with me. If you are a patron, a mini lesson explaining the target language from this episode follows right after this. This time it features 25 three-part phrasal verbs. ________________________________________________________________________________________ 👉 Become a ZEP patron - become a PATRON of Zdenek’s English Podcast to ge...
Apr 04, 2021•43 min•Ep. 596
This is an interview with Rod from Brazil. Rod is a great English teacher who also happens to have his own Youtube channel called Rod the Brazilian teacher. Rod is a very inspiring person. He has achieved a lot despite (and because of) his disability, which I chose as the main topic of the episode. I ask Rod questions about what it is like being disabled and what sort of difficulties one has to face and how this can actually make one stronger. We also talk what it is like being a no-native Engli...
Mar 28, 2021•53 min•Ep. 594
In this episode, I chat with Daniel from England who happens to be living in Spain. Apart from being a good laugh, Daniel has an excellent Youtube channel for English learners, these days specifically focusing on The Cambridge Proficiency exam (CPE). We talk about Daniel's channel and how he helps high level learners to pass what is notoriously known as the most difficult exam with it. One day, I'd like to try my hand at it, so I personally find channels like Daniel's extremely useful. 👉 Daniel...
Mar 20, 2021•42 min•Ep. 592
In this episode, I talk to Irena from Poland whom I know quite well from Learn English online Discord group. There is so much I could talk about with Irena, but I thought why not explore one of her passions - painting. How did she get into painting? What is Irena's style? How does Irena paint these days? What does Irena like to paint, and what does she say about some of her favourite pictures? This and much more in episode 357 of Zdenek's English Podcast. A mini lesson for patrons focusing on mo...
Mar 13, 2021•50 min•Ep. 590
In this episode, I talk to Alvaro, an English teacher from Spain, about confidence. How important is it to be confident as a language learner? What ramifications can being less confident have for someone's progress in English? Are there any ways to boost one's confidence? I apologize for the sound quality in this episode. Alvaro's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mc_courtain/ Alvaro's interview on My Fluent Podcast: https://www.myfluentpodcast.com/84-how-alvaro-overcame-his-stuttering-alvaro...
Mar 08, 2021•49 min•Ep. 588
This is an improvised episode recorded as a live show. I first explain why there was no guest this time, I tell you what I hate about pursuing my ventures, and then I go on to explain a few dad jokes that I found online. Over a 20-minute long mini lesson of me going through the target language from this episode follows right after this. ________________________________________________________________________________________ 👉 Become a ZEP patron - Support Zdenek’s English Podcast and get a MINI...
Feb 27, 2021•37 min•Ep. 586
In this episode, I talk to my ex-colleague from London Jack about his band called Lucid Jake. Not only do you get to hear Jack's fascinating story about how it all started for him and his band and what sort of music they play, but exclusively for Zdenek's English Podcast, you can listen to Lucid Jake's debut single. A mini lesson for patrons follows right after this. This time I'll be clarifying 11 music collocations that appeared in the interview. Lucid Jake's FB page: https://www.facebook.com/...
Feb 21, 2021•43 min•Ep. 584
Here's a mini lesson based on episode 353. This time, I'm looking at an essential aspect of pronunciation - the weak forms. The next mini lesson will only be available to ZEP patrons. ________________________________________________________________________________________ ZEP Live Shows - listen to Zdenek’s English Podcast live every Sunday at 9pm CET GMT+1. Click the link to find out how. Become a ZEP patron - become a patron of Zdenek’s English Podcast to get a mini lesson with target language...
Feb 18, 2021•16 min•Ep. 583
In this episode, I talk to good old Clare (actually she is pretty young). This must be the worst description to an episode I've ever written. Anyway, how is everyone? I'm sure you remember my friend Clare, don't you? There are quite a few episodes in the archive with her, some recorded online, some in the UK. The main focus of the episode is Clare's job of a history teacher. What is it like to teach history in the UK? What does one have to do to become a history teacher? What's Clare's favourite...
Feb 18, 2021•38 min•Ep. 582
Would you like to know what the idioms "go over one's head", "a flash in the pan", and "It's All Greek to me." mean? Listen to this mini lesson that is based on the interview I did with Pan. ________________________________________________________________________________________ ZEP Live Shows - listen to Zdenek’s English Podcast live every Sunday at 9pm CET GMT+1. Click the link to find out how. Become a ZEP patron - become a patron of Zdenek’s English Podcast to get a mini lesson with target l...
Feb 10, 2021•15 min•Ep. 581
In this ZEP live show I talk to Pan, a fascinating English teacher who is now working in Finland. Pan speaks many languages, knows a lot about language learning, and has a lot of experience living in various countries. The interview is full of idioms and that's why a mini lesson focusing on idioms from this episode follows. Don't forget the mini lessons will soon be only available to patrons. ________________________________________________________________________________________ ZEP Live Shows ...
Feb 10, 2021•38 min•Ep. 580
In this ZEP live show, I talk to my countrywoman and a fellow teacher Eliska. She teaches Czech and her Slow Czech project is doing really well. Eliska is a well-travelled person who speaks many foreign languages including French. That's why I invited her to talk about French people and French stereotypes. At the end of the show I also asked my French friend to record a short message to give us her take on people from her own country. This is the last long live show. From now on, all live shows ...
Feb 07, 2021•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 579
Target language: gritty, jovial, vibrant, scenic, quick-fire, far-fetched, upbeat, dire, unique, conventional Become a ZEP patron - become a patron of Zdenek’s English Podcast to get a mini lesson with target language every week.
Feb 05, 2021•23 min•Ep. 578
