One verb in English can be followed by various prepositions to make many different phrasal verbs. So you might know the basic meaning of the verb play (play sports, play the piano, etc.) - but do you know what it means to play at something or play along with something? Today you'll learn 10 different phrasal verbs with the word ""play."" There are also questions to help you form your own sentences and put the phrasal verbs into practice. Click here for the lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish...
Jul 06, 2016•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast When you're learning a language, it's common to feel sad about your progress. You want to become fluent... but it seems like that goal is so far away! If you hear an expression that you don't know, or have difficulty understanding a fast conversation, it's easy to lose confidence in your abilities. You might think negative thoughts like "My English is so bad." You might wonder, "Will I ever become fluent in English, or is it impossible for me?" Let me tell you about my language-learning experien...
Jun 29, 2016•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast One of the best ways to learn English phrasal verbs is to see them in context. This lesson will teach you 15 common English phrasal verbs related to sports and health by showing each one in use in an example sentence. Click here for the lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/15-english-phrasal-verbs-in-use-sports-health/...
Jun 22, 2016•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast In today's episode, you'll learn expressions like buckle up, give you a ride, pull over, pit stop, and slam on the brakes. Click here for the lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/12-everyday-english-phrases-driving/
Jun 15, 2016•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today's lesson is a challenge - I'm going to show you 10 sentences, and you have to find the grammar mistake in each one. After you've done your best to identify each error, I'll give you the correct answers and explanations. Click here for lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/can-you-find-the-english-grammar-mistakes-in-these-sentences/...
Jun 08, 2016•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast Reading the news in English is a great way to learn new words and phrases, especially for talking about current events. I was reading the newspaper recently, and found these 10 English expressions I'd like to teach you today. Click here for lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/10-english-expressions-i-found-in-the-news-recently/
Jun 01, 2016•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast Hello students! How's life? We sometimes use the question "How's life?" as a casual way to ask how the person is feeling and what they have been doing recently. In today's lesson, you'll learn 10 phrases and expressions with the word "life," such as: - "Get a life!" - "He leads a charmed life." - "They put their lives on the line." - "I feel like I have a new lease on life." - ...and more! Lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/english-phrases-and-idioms-with-life/...
May 25, 2016•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast Do you have difficulty listening to and understanding native English speakers? How to improve your English listening Listening is one of the BIGGEST problems for English learners. It’s possible for you to: read well have good grammar & vocabulary skills be able to speak and write …but when you listen to spoken English, you don’t understand everything. So why is listening so difficult? There are three main reasons. Lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/do-you-want-to-improve-your-english-li...
May 18, 2016•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast A lot of students ask me about the difference between house and home. The word home refers to the place where you live and feel an emotional connection, and the word house refers to a specific type of building. We also use some different collocations with house and home! Today you'll learn 36 adjectives, verbs, and nouns that are frequently used together with these words. Lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/english-collocations-with-house-and-home/
May 11, 2016•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today I'm going to teach you English words that many learners confuse: - beside and besides - than and then - wander and wonder By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to use these English words correctly and confidently! Lesson text: https://www.espressoenglish.net/beside-or-besides/ http://www.espressoenglish.net/then-or-than/ https://www.espressoenglish.net/wander-or-wonder/...
May 04, 2016•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today you'll learn English phrases with the word "What." These phrases are common in English conversation. #1 - "What's the catch?" Say this in response when something sounds too good to be true... and you suspect there's a hidden problem. For example, if your friend says he'll sell you his car for just $200, you could say, "What's the catch?" because you are wondering if there's something wrong with the car... or if your friend wants you to do some favor in return. Click here for the lesson tex...
Apr 27, 2016•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this lesson, you’re going to practice English words with very similar sounds. Many English learners have problems pronouncing these words correctly. If you can master the differences in pronunciation between these words, you’ll improve your pronunciation and be able to talk more like a native English speaker. Click here for the lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/top-10-english-pronunciation-problems/...
Apr 20, 2016•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast Both of these words refer to the action of putting something down on a surface, or an object/person/animal resting on a surface. However, lay has a direct object and lie does not. In today's episode, you'll learn how to use the English words LAY and LIE with examples. Click here for the lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/lay-or-lie/...
Apr 13, 2016•5 min•Transcript available on Metacast Do you want to expand your English vocabulary? Here are 10 negative adjectives for describing undesirable traits in people, things, or situations. You'll learn how to use words like hideous, petty, repulsive, obnoxious, dreary, and more. Read the definitions, learn from the examples, and try to create your own sentences, too! When you improve your vocabulary, it's much easier to express your ideas in English. Click here for the lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/10-negative-adjectives-i...
Apr 06, 2016•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast A lot of students ask me about when to use WHO and when to use WHOM. This is an aspect of English grammar that even native English speakers confuse! Today I'll explain it to you clearly with example sentences. Click here for the lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/who-or-whom/
Mar 30, 2016•5 min•Transcript available on Metacast In your native language, are there "regular words" that also have a slang meaning? In today's lesson, you're going to learn the alternative slang meanings of English words like hot, high, dump, dig, grand, beat, and more! Click here for the lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/10-common-english-words-with-slang-meanings/...
Mar 23, 2016•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast When learning another language, it's easy to make the mistake of being a little bit rude, since you might not be aware of the phrases which sound "polite" and "impolite" to native speakers. Yes, you already know to say “Please”, “Thank you,” and “Excuse me” – but here are 15 more ways to make your English sound more polite! Click here for the lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/15-phrases-for-speaking-polite-english/...
Mar 16, 2016•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast Sometimes the verb "have" can be used in the present continuous (having) and sometimes it can be replaced by "have got"... but not always. In today's podcast, I'll teach you 15 expressions with the verb "have" and tell you whether you can use "having" and "have got" in these phrases. Click here for the lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/15-english-expressions-with-have/...
Mar 09, 2016•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast Amanda is looking for a place to stay on her vacation, and she asks Joe his opinion of a hotel she's considering. Joe gives her some advice. Listen to the dialogue to learn phrases and vocabulary for talking about hotels. Click here for the lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/english-conversation-hotel-recommendations/...
Mar 02, 2016•5 min•Transcript available on Metacast Listen to these five English sentences to learn some idiomatic expressions for talking about negative points at work. #1 – "My co-workers don’t pull their weight, and I’m always picking up the slack." #2 – "I can’t stand the office politics. It seems like kissing up to the people who call the shots is the only way to move up the ranks." #3 – "My boss loves to micromanage and I can’t do my best work when she’s constantly breathing down my neck." #4 – "The job itself is rewarding, but the salary a...
Feb 24, 2016•5 min•Transcript available on Metacast The English word “mind” refers to the center of your thoughts, memory, and imagination. In this lesson, you’ll learn 20 common English phrases using the word “mind.” To talk about making a decision, you can use the phrase “make up my mind” – for example, “I can’t make up my mind about which movie to see tonight.” A variation on this phrase is “my mind is made up” – this means you have already made your choice and implies that you are not open to changing your decision. Click here for the lesson ...
Feb 17, 2016•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today's lesson comes from a really good student question: What's the difference between... - effective and efficient? - suitable and appropriate? - benefit and advantage? - distinguish and differentiate? Click here for the lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/very-similar-english-words-whats-the-difference...
Feb 10, 2016•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast Do you make New Year’s Resolutions? Here are the top 5 goals people tend to have for the New Year, along with some other ways to express related goals. You'll learn what phrases to use for talking about your future intentions. Click here for the lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/english-phrases-for-talking-about-plans-and-goals/...
Feb 03, 2016•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast A number of words in English are used metaphorically – with a meaning that is not exactly the same as their literal meaning. Usually they apply a quality of one word to another word. For example, when we say that something is lightning fast, we are using the quality of lightning (which is almost instantaneous) to describe something that is extremely fast. Another example is the root of the problem – the literal meaning of the word “root” is the part of a plant or tree that is under the soil. The...
Jan 27, 2016•5 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today's lesson will teach you the difference between: talk to talk with talk about talk over talk through talk into talk out of There are plenty of example sentences to make everything clear... so you'll never have this doubt again :-) Click here for the lesson text - http://www.espressoenglish.net/talk-to-or-talk-with/...
Jan 20, 2016•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast #1 – Forgetting to use “it” when the sentence needs a subject “I just bought a new computer. Was on sale.” Every sentence in English needs a subject. In the second sentence, we need to say “It was on sale” – the word “it” functions as the subject, referring to the new computer. Learn the other mistakes here : http://www.espressoenglish.net/3-very-common-mistakes-with-the-english-word-it/...
Jan 13, 2016•4 min•Transcript available on Metacast A lot of students ask me about phrases and idioms they've heard in conversations and TV shows. In today's lesson, I'm going to share the answers with you, explaining each expression with a few examples. Click here for the lesson text - http://www.espressoenglish.net/learn-english-idioms-answers-to-your-questions-about-idiomatic-expressions...
Jan 06, 2016•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast Hello! How have you been? Today's lesson will be the answer to one question I'm constantly being asked... When exactly can you use be, being, and been? If you've ever had doubts about these verbs, listen to today's lesson and it'll all become clear :-) Click here for the lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/confusing-words-be-being-or-been...
Dec 23, 2015•5 min•Transcript available on Metacast For this lesson, I decided to do something a bit different. I took some snippets (small pieces) of conversations that I've heard in the past week, which have interesting informal expressions - and I'll be using them to teach you today. Click here for the lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/10-informal-english-expressions-in-conversation...
Dec 16, 2015•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast You already know what the words "stand" and "sit" mean... but do you know these expressions? - won't stand for something - standoffish - not sit well with someone - sit idly by In today's lesson, I'll teach you all these idioms and more. Click here for the lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/16-english-expressions-with-the-words-stand-and-sit...
Dec 09, 2015•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
