What is foreign aid? What are the different types of aid? Why do countries give or loan money to other countries? And why is this such a controversial thing? Today, we are going to discuss all these questions and think in depth about aid (as well as learning some new vocabulary). TRANSCRIPT - https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2025/03/10/331-what-is-foreign-aid-english-vocabulary-lesson/ My Links AD Free Main Episodes - https://open.spotify.com/show/6gSPOxNCijMq2hTJW8tyx4?si=e7e195bbfae84b6b ...
Mar 10, 2025•27 min•Ep 331•Transcript available on Metacast 20 EUR Off Lingoda Classes - https://try.lingoda.com/ThinkingEnglishMarch My discount code (English, Business English, Spanish, Italian, German, and French): THINKINGMARCH I have lived abroad for about 5 of the past 8 or 9 years. I have lived in Japan as a worker, a student, and now a spouse (and also in Taiwan as a student too). People often ask me how I moved overseas, so today I want to talk about this topic. I’ll discuss the state of migration, some of the common visa types or methods of mov...
Mar 03, 2025•29 min•Ep 330•Transcript available on Metacast I’m sure many of you love to visit new places, but what is the best way to travel? Some people love to make their trips as cheap as possible. Others like to book first class flights that can be as expensive as a new car. Today I want to compare budget and luxury travel. In order to talk about this topic, and similar topics, we need to understand and know how to use comparisons of equality (be as something as something)! Let’s practise this grammar and discuss the best form of travel in today’s e...
Feb 24, 2025•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast Download ELSA for free + get 7 days membership for free: https://bit.ly/ELSAxTHINKINGINENGLISH Get exclusive ELSA discounts: https://elsaspeak.com/inf/promo-code-thinking-in-english/?promocode=THINK85 Today I want to discuss Noah Webster, the man who played a major role in creating American English. We’ll talk about his life and motivations, his famous dictionary, and some of the words and spellings he changed. I’ll end by discussing whether there is a correct form of “English.” TRANSCRIPT - htt...
Feb 17, 2025•19 min•Ep 329•Transcript available on Metacast Download ELSA for free + get 7 days membership for free: https://bit.ly/ELSAxTHINKINGINENGLISH Get exclusive ELSA discounts: https://elsaspeak.com/inf/promo-code-thinking-in-english/?promocode=THINK85 Populism is on the rise. Across the world, politicians and political parties are becoming increasingly populist. Today, I want define populism. We’ll discuss what populism means, think about some examples of populism (both left-wing and right-wing), and then discuss whether populism is a negative t...
Feb 10, 2025•27 min•Ep 328•Transcript available on Metacast Download ELSA for free + get 7 days membership for free: https://bit.ly/ELSAxTHINKINGINENGLISH Get exclusive ELSA discounts: https://elsaspeak.com/inf/promo-code-thinking-in-english/?promocode=THINK85 STUDY PACK - https://www.patreon.com/thinkinginenglish/shop/study-packs-past-present-and-future-807289 Since being founded in 2006, Spotify has been revolutionising and influencing the way people listen to music, discover artists, and even make careers as podcasts. At the same time, many people hav...
Feb 03, 2025•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Donald Trump wants to buy, or take over, Greenland. Since the end of December, he has been consistently discussing the Arctic island becoming part of the USA. His son has travelled there, his has refused to rule out military involvement, and his comments have angered Denmark and other European countries. Why does Trump want Greenland? Why is Greenland currently Danish? And what will actually happen in the future? Let’s discuss this in today’s episode of Thinking in English! Transcript - https://...
Jan 27, 2025•22 min•Ep 327•Transcript available on Metacast Australia is banning children from all social media platforms. Under a newly passed law, no one under the age of 16 will be allowed to use Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, or any similar platform. Today, I want to take a deeper look at the reasons behind banning social media, as well as some criticisms and challenges. We’ll end by thinking about the question, “Should Social Media Be Banned for Children?” Transcript - https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2025/01/20/should-social-media-be-banned-f...
Jan 20, 2025•19 min•Ep 326•Transcript available on Metacast STUDY PACK - https://www.patreon.com/thinkinginenglish/shop/study-packs-past-present-and-future-807289 The world was hit by a major recession in the year 2008, caused in part by a massive housing bubble in the United States. Banks had been lending money to almost anyone (even if they couldn’t afford it) and investors had been assuming that house prices would continue rising. They were wrong. Today I want to talk about the financial crisis, the housing bubble, and the man who had been predicting ...
Jan 13, 2025•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Try LINGODA FLEX - https://try.lingoda.com/Thinking_NewYear Up to 45 FREE PRIVATE Classes and 10% Off Lingoda Flex with my CODE: THINKING2025 - https://try.lingoda.com/Thinking_NewYear In 2019, I enrolled in a Chinese language school in Taiwan. Today, I want to talk about my experiences. I’ll discuss why I decided to go to a language school, what an average day at language school looked like, the benefits and challenges of language schools, and give all of you some tips and advice on how to ...
Jan 06, 2025•29 min•Ep 325•Transcript available on Metacast Use code GOAL for 25% your first month/year of Patreon membership - https://www.patreon.com/thinkinginenglish This episode is a little different to typical Thinking in English episodes. Last year, I publicly revealed 6 New Year’s resolutions or goals for 2024. Today, I am going to review these goals, consider whether I achieved them or failed them, talk about how to set good goals, and then end with some examples of goals to set in 2025. Hopefully this episode will motivate or insp...
Dec 30, 2024•22 min•Ep 324•Transcript available on Metacast PATREON CHRISTMAS SALE - https://www.patreon.com/thinkinginenglish What do you eat during the holidays? Around the world, we associate different and diverse dishes with special occasions and celebrations like Christmas. Today, I want to explore some of these dishes! I’ll talk about Christmas food in the UK (where I’m from) and Japan (where I live). I also asked the wonderful Thinking in English Patreon community to tell me the Christmas and holiday foods most popular wh...
Dec 23, 2024•21 min•Ep 323•Transcript available on Metacast STUDY PACKS AVAILABLE NOW (study exercises, transcripts, downloadable audio, and an EXCLUSIVE EPISODE on mixed conditionals) - https://www.patreon.com/thinkinginenglish/shop/ Before the development of germ theory and the discovery of bacteria and viruses, medicine relied on ancient theories that often caused more harm than good. Without modern knowledge, doctors had often used dangerous procedures or had performed surgery without washing their hands. Today I want to talk about medicine before t...
Dec 16, 2024•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast Download ELSA for free and get 7 days pro membership for free: https://bit.ly/ELSAxTHINKINGINENGLISH Get up to 85% off of ELSA lifetime membership by going to elsaspeak.com/redeem and use my code THINK85 Last week I came second in a Japanese language speech contest. Today, I want to talk to you all about how I prepared for giving a speech in a foreign language, explain my approach to writing and practicing speeches and presentations, and hopefully give you some useful advice on public speaki...
Dec 09, 2024•25 min•Ep 322•Transcript available on Metacast What are tariffs? Donald Trump has been talking about introducing and increasing tariffs on goods and products imported into the USA. Today, let’s take a deeper look at tariffs. We’ll talk about the definition of tariffs, real world examples, and the pros and cons of the US introducing tariffs! Transcript - https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2024/12/02/321-what-are-tariffs-english-vocabulary-lesson/ My Links Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/thinkinginenglish TEST YOUR ENGLISH LE...
Dec 02, 2024•26 min•Ep 321•Transcript available on Metacast STUDY PACKS AVAILABLE NOW (study exercises, transcripts, downloadable audio, and an EXCLUSIVE EPISODE on "perfect" tenses) - https://www.patreon.com/thinkinginenglish/shop/ I have now lived in the Japanese countryside for over a year! I have experienced many interesting situations. I have discovered new interests and hobbies. I have faced significant challenges. And I have learned a lot about myself! In order to talk about my past year in Japan, and similar topics about events in the past which ...
Nov 25, 2024•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast Use Code THINKING50 for up to 50% off a Lingoda English class! Click this link for a Discount and 7 Day Free Trial! https://try.lingoda.com/ThinkingEnglish Collins English Dictionary has just announced the 2024 Word of the Year. Let's discuss this word, as well as some of the runners up, in today's Thinking in English episode! TRANSCRIPT - https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2024/11/18/320-what-is-the-2024-word-of-the-year-english-vocabulary-lesson/ WOTY - https://www.collinsdictionary.com/woty My Li...
Nov 18, 2024•21 min•Ep 320•Transcript available on Metacast Nihon Hidankyo, an organisation formed by survivors of the atomic bombs dropped on Japan in 1945, have been awarded the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to raise awareness and create the nuclear taboo. Today, I want to talk about the nuclear taboo and other theories that try to explain why nuclear weapons have not been used since 1945! Let’s learn about international relations and learn some vocabulary at the same time. Transcript - https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2024/11/11/319-what-is-t...
Nov 11, 2024•27 min•Ep 319•Transcript available on Metacast On November 5th, the United States of America will elect their next President. The two candidates this year are former President Donald Trump and current Vice President Kamala Harris. The election has been controversial and close. There have been assassination attempts against Donald Trump, the original Democratic candidate Joe Biden dropped out of the race, and the United States seems relatively politically unstable. This episode is not going to focus specifically on this year’s US election, bu...
Nov 04, 2024•23 min•Ep 318•Transcript available on Metacast In 1692, the village of Salem in Massachusetts was the location of the infamous Salem witch trials. Hundreds of innocent people were accused of witchcraft and being witches. People were executed, tortured, and imprisoned. In this Halloween special episode of Thinking in English, we are going to explore the history, causes, and legacy of the infamous witch hunt! TRANSCRIPT - https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2024/10/28/317-what-were-the-salem-witch-trials-english-vocabulary-lesson/ My Links ...
Oct 27, 2024•22 min•Ep 317•Transcript available on Metacast STUDY PACKS AVAILABLE NOW (study exercises, transcripts, downloadable audio, and an EXCLUSIVE EPISODE on mixed conditionals) - https://www.patreon.com/thinkinginenglish/shop/ Imagine if China had been the first country to industrialise and modernise. How different would the world look? What culture would be dominant? How would history have changed? Would technology and industry still be recognisable? In order to talk about this, and similar topics focused on unreal situations in the past, we nee...
Oct 21, 2024•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast Listen to Simple English News Daily - https://open.spotify.com/show/4QctJjCUuHefLzeZWDoXqc?si=a87d593d939643dd SEND7 Podcast - https://www.send7.org/ This episode is going to take a detailed look at culture shock. We’ll define both “culture shock” and “reverse culture shock” and then discuss the various stages you go through while experiencing culture shock. And at the end of the episode, I’ll share some of my experiences and give you advice on how to deal with culture shock! Transcript - https:...
Oct 14, 2024•27 min•Ep 316•Transcript available on Metacast Losing the ability to understand and use a language is known as language attrition. It is an incredibly common process, effecting most language learners at some point in their life, and can be really frustrating. Today, I’m going to define and explain language attrition and then will give you all some advice on how to avoid it happening to your English ability! Transcript - https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2024/10/07/315-what-is-language-attrition-losing-your-ability-to-speak-english-english-vocab...
Oct 07, 2024•25 min•Ep 315•Transcript available on Metacast STUDY PACKS AVAILABLE NOW (study exercises, transcripts, downloadable audio, and an EXCLUSIVE EPISODE on mixed conditionals) - https://www.patreon.com/thinkinginenglish/shop/ Today I want to talk about Artificial Intelligence and its likely impact on language learning and language learners. To do this, we need to understand the first conditional and know how to use the first conditional in real life situations. TRANSCRIPT - https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2024/09/30/ai-and-language-learning-the-f...
Sep 30, 2024•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast Negotiations are important parts of our lives, whether we are buying a house, asking for a higher salary, or trying to convince your family to go on vacation. Today let’s take a look at negotiations. We’ll discuss different types of negotiation, some of the key negotiation theories, and think about how we can negotiate in English! Transcript - https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2024/09/16/313-how-to-negotiate-in-english-english-vocabulary-lesson/ My Links Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/t...
Sep 23, 2024•26 min•Ep 314•Transcript available on Metacast Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/thinkinginenglish After 6 years of studying, I finally passed the Japanese Language Proficiency Test N2 level. Today, I want to share with you how I prepared for the exam, how I learned from my previous failure in 2022, and talk about the successes I had and the mistakes I made this time round. Hopefully this episode will be interesting and useful to anyone out there thinking about taking an English exam in the future! Transcript - https://thin...
Sep 16, 2024•27 min•Ep 313•Transcript available on Metacast SEND7 Podcast - https://www.send7.org/ Beginning in the late 1950s, the USA and USSR began an intense competition to reach outer space. The Space Race, as it became known, led to technological achievements and milestones in human history. Today, let’s discuss the space race, the first humans in space and on the moon, the new space race that is developing right now, and learn some useful space related vocabulary! Transcript - https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2024/09/09/312-the-space-race-english-vo...
Sep 09, 2024•25 min•Ep 312•Transcript available on Metacast Use Code 2024THINKING to save 20 EUR on any Lingoda Language Course - https://try.lingoda.com/ThinkinginEnglishPod Get up to 20 FREE PRIVATE CLASSES when you sign up to LIngoda Language Flex - https://try.lingoda.com/ThinkinginEnglishPod If you had the opportunity to change your career right now, what would you do? If you had the qualifications or skills, which job would you be interested in trying out? If you were financially stable, would you start your own business? Today, I want to talk abou...
Sep 02, 2024•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Debating is an excellent way of practicing English. It forces you to present information and arguments in English, it challenges your listening comprehension, and it helps you to communicate confidently. This episode explains the concept of a debate, talks about how debates are structures, and introduces some really useful vocabulary and phrases! Transcript - https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2024/08/26/311-how-to-debate-in-english-english-vocabulary-lesson/ My Links Patreon - https://www....
Aug 26, 2024•23 min•Ep 311•Transcript available on Metacast Pizza is one of the most popular foods around the world, but home much do you know about its history? Today, we’ll look at how pizza evolved from ancient flatbreads to a food for working people in Naples, to a globally popular dish! Transcript - https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2024/08/19/310-history-of-pizza-english-vocabulary-lesson/ My Links Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/thinkinginenglish TEST YOUR ENGLISH LEVEL - https://thinkinginenglish.link/placement-level-test/...
Aug 18, 2024•26 min•Ep 310•Transcript available on Metacast 
