Espresso English Podcast

Today I'm going to teach you 10 English idioms for talking about problems and difficulties. Speaking of problems, idioms like these can be a problem when you're learning English! When you're watching TV or listening to a native speaker talk, you'll often hear idioms and they're hard to understand because you can't translate them word-for-word; you have to know the meaning of the whole expression. My course called 300+ idioms in 30 days will teach you tons of common idioms in a way that's especially effective because it actually helps you figure out idioms from context, and also put them into practice yourself.

Today we have a GREAT question from a student who asked: "Which is correct: if I was… or if I were…?" The answer is that we use BOTH in English, but in different situations! I'll give you some good examples to make it clear. Try to practice this right away by writing two sentences – one with "if I were" and one with "if I was" – to help you remember when to use each one correctly! Do you sometimes find yourself frustrated by English grammar? The problem might be that nobody has explained it to you very clearly - and when you look for grammar information online, it can just confuse you more... Inside my Grammar E-Books, each lesson is clearly explained to make it as easy as possible to learn correct grammar and use it confidently. They have 70+ lessons, with quizzes, and also audio for listening practice - and you can get both e-books for the GREAT price of $7!

Today we're going to learn some very practical phrases that native English speakers use for making invitations and responding to them - whether you want to accept the invitation (say yes) or decline the invitation (say no). When you know the phrases that native English speakers use, then you can use them confidently without worrying if your English sounds strange or wrong. That's why I created the Everyday English Speaking Courses – to help you learn real phrases and expressions for daily life! There are actually two levels – Level 1 focuses on more practical English for everyday situations, and Level 2 focuses on more advanced expressions used in conversation.

It's the goal that every English learner dreams of... being FLUENT in English! But what's the fastest way to get there? Today, I'm going to tell you my opinion and response to this question.

If you're working on improving your spoken English, you might have a problem with pauses. Maybe you start a sentence, but you hesitate because you're not sure how exactly to express your thought in English. You know how to say it in your native language, but you're just not sure how to translate it. This is really annoying because even though you can speak some English, you feel slow and incomplete - you definitely don't feel like you're fluent. Today you're going to learn how to eliminate pauses and hesitation when you speak.

Yesterday you learned how you can get fluent faster by focusing on learning phrases, NOT on memorizing individual words or grammar rules. But there's another problem that might be holding you back from becoming fluent. That problem is not being confident in your English. Here are three simple ways you can increase your confidence to speak English.

Over the next four days, I'm going to share with you my best tips for improving your English speaking. Let's get started! Here's one reason it can be hard to speak English. You might know a good number of English words... but then it's difficult to put them together into sentences when you speak. First of all, it's a LOT of work to put together an entire sentence word by word. It takes a lot of time, and it makes your speaking slow. Second, a lot of questions come into your mind: Am I using the right words? Is the grammar in this phrase correct? What if I make a mistake? Will the other person laugh at me or not understand what I'm trying to say? These doubts and worries can STOP you from speaking, or make you nervous to try! So my first tip that will help you speak English fluently and confidently is NOT to focus on memorizing words or grammar rules. Instead, focus on learning phrases.

A collocation is two or more words that go together naturally. Learning collocations is essential for making your English sound fluent and natural! Today we'll learn 50 English collocations with the words big, great, large, deep, strong, and heavy. These words all seem rather similar, but they are used in DIFFERENT combinations of words. WOW, those were a LOT of collocations – are you ready to see how well you learned them? Click here to take a quiz! It's so important to practice and review what you're learning, and that's why every lesson in my 1000 collocations e-book also has a quiz. Each lesson in the e-book only takes about 10 minutes a day, so you can learn a lot of English in little time.

Are you ready to practice your pronunciation with some longer words? The ones we'll practice today all have 5 syllables – like the word vocabulary: vo-CA-bu-la-ry I'll say each word twice – once a little more slowly with some separation between the syllables, and then once at normal speed. Repeat after me both times. To improve your pronunciation FAST, join my Pronunciation & Shadowing Courses. My pronunciation course will train you to pronounce all the sounds in the English language clearly and correctly, and then the shadowing course helps you practice saying whole phrases after me. There's a discount when you join both courses together!

When writing letters and e-mails in business English, it's really important to avoid mistakes - which can make your writing look unprofessional. Today you'll learn about 10 common mistakes in business English writing. I'll explain why they are wrong and how to correct them. If you want to learn the phrases that native English speakers use for business English letters, e-mails, interviews, meetings, presentations, negotiations, and more – check out my Business English Course! The 40 lessons inside will teach you hundreds of vocabulary words and useful phrases to help you speak and write in English more confidently at work.

Today we're going to do a vocabulary with pictures lesson to help you learn 20 words for shapes in English, both two-dimensional and three-dimensional ones. You'll learn both the noun form (the name of the shape itself) and the adjective form (how to describe something else with this shape) – in some cases those are the same, and in other cases they're different. Have you ever wanted to say something in English, but you just couldn't think of the right word? That's a vocabulary problem, and it can be really frustrating! If you want to expand your vocabulary fast, come join my Vocabulary Builder Courses. Not only do they have lessons that are full of useful words and pictures, but they also have quizzes and exercises to help you put the new words into practice right away.

Come along, come across, come off, come on, come out, come over, come up... Phrasal verbs like these can be easy to confuse because they all seem so similar! Today we're going to learn 10 phrasal verbs with the word "come," and I'll give you an example sentence for each one to show you how it's used in English. I challenge you to try writing your own sentences with each of these phrasal verbs – because when you use them yourself, that's when you really start to remember them better so that they will come out naturally when you speak English. Inside my Phrasal Verbs in Conversation Course, each lesson includes questions that help you use the phrasal verbs yourself, and you can send in your sentences for correction and feedback from the Espresso English teaching team. This course is a simple, easy, and natural way to learn more than 500 common phrasal verbs in English!

Right now it's summer, and it's hot as blazes! (= the weather is extremely hot). This inspired me to teach you 15 English words and expressions with "hot." Some of these are idioms – short phrases or expressions that you can't understand literally, you can't translate them word for word to get their meaning – instead, you have to know the meaning of the whole phrase. Your own language has idioms, too... and lots of them are probably different from the ones we use in English! That's why I created a course to help you learn idioms fast – it's called 300+ English idioms in 30 days. Inside it, you'll practice understanding common idioms from context, you'll learn what they mean, and then you'll try to use them yourself.

If you had to talk with a doctor in English, would you know what to say? In today's lesson you'll learn phrases and vocabulary for talking about medical problems. Now you're a bit better-equipped to talk to a doctor in English if you ever need to someday – but there's a lot more to learn! In order to be fluent and CONFIDENT in English, you have to be comfortable speaking English in many different situations in day-to-day life. My Everyday English Speaking Course will teach you the phrases you need for these situations! You'll learn what to say in restaurants, while shopping, on the phone, while traveling, socializing, and much more. This is my most popular course because it's so practical and useful :-)

Today's lesson will be a challenging one – we're going to look at 10 more advanced vocabulary words. But I'm not going to just tell you what they mean… instead, you've got to try to figure out what they mean based on an example sentence. I'll show you a sentence with the word and give you three choices for what it means. Try to choose the correct answer, and after a few seconds I'll show you the right one. If you like the higher-level words in this lesson and you want to learn over 1000 more of them, check out my Advanced Vocabulary and Collocations Course. It will teach you sophisticated vocabulary words and how to put them together naturally, so that you can reach a higher level of English fluency. When you join, you'll get 45 lessons that are packed with amazing words! There's also an option to add writing exercises with feedback from our teaching team :-)

The English language has a lot of silent letters that cause difficulties for both native speakers and English learners, because they make the spelling of words different from their pronunciation. You don't want to make embarrassing mistakes by saying these words wrong, so today let's practice pronouncing some common English words with silent letters from A to Z! Thanks for practicing with me! When you practice by repeating out loud, you're training your mouth to pronounce these English words more clearly, so that other people can understand you even better. My American English Pronunciation Course has tons of listen and repeat exercises – both words and full sentences – so that you can get this essential practice and improve your pronunciation fast. I hope to see you in the course :-)

What's today's date? Can you answer quickly in English? A lot of English learners have doubts about how to say and write dates correctly, and you don't want to make mistakes with something so common and basic. So let's make sure you're doing it the right way, because there are a lot of little details to remember. If you want make less mistakes fewer mistakes in your English, it's good to learn the most common ones so that you can avoid them! This means your English will be more accurate, and you can also speak and write more confidently since you know you're saying things correctly. I created a course called 200 Common Errors in English for exactly this reason! The 40 lessons in this course can help you fix any mistakes you might be making in grammar, spelling, pronunciation, and more.

Do you know what it means to: drop someone a line get your wires crossed or beat around the bush? These are all examples of idioms that we're going to learn today! Idioms and informal expressions like these are used frequently in movies, TV shows, and casual conversations. But a lot of English textbooks don't teach you these expressions! So you might be confused when you hear them in real life. That's why I created the 300+ English Idioms Course - to teach you the most common idiomatic expressions! After you learn the idioms, there are quizzes and writing exercises to help you review and practice the expressions.

You already know a LOT of nouns in English, but did you know that there are different types of nouns? That's what we'll be learning today! Make sure to watch to the end of the lesson, because I'm going to clarify a very common confusion between categories of nouns that many English learners have. There's a lot more grammar to learn - and you can learn it easily in my Basic and Intermediate Grammar E-Books! They have 70+ step-by-step lessons and quizzes teaching you grammar in about 10 minutes a day, so that you can be confident you're saying and writing things correctly.

Today I want to help you fix a pronunciation problem that I hear in a LOT of students' English, and that is saying things like this: I ask-ed him to help me. We pre-par-ed for our trip. The mistake is with the verbs in the past, ending in -ED. The correct way to say them is: askt (not ask-ed) pre-pard (not pre-par-ed) It's a small mistake, but unfortunately it makes it obvious that someone's not a native English speaker. I'll explain some simple rules to help you pronounce the -ED ending correctly every time, and we'll practice together! If you want to improve your pronunciation fast in the next 30 days, then I'd like to invite you into my American English Pronunciation Course. We'll go through every sound in the English language and help you speak more clearly, so that you can be confident that other people will understand you!

A lot of English learners are curious about the word "shall." Is it the same thing as "will"? When exactly do we use it? I'll answer those questions in today's lesson. I hope this lesson has helped you understand when people sometimes use "shall" and what it means, as well as the alternatives which are becoming more and more common nowadays, especially in American English. If you've got a question about a word or a phrase, please let me know, because I love getting ideas from students about tips and lessons to create in the future. And if you want to take your English to the next level, check out my courses and e-books because they can help you improve your speaking, understand better when listening, expand your vocabulary, and so much more!

Today I'm going to quickly clear up confusion between the words wander and wonder. These are two completely different words, but sometimes English learners mix them up because of their similar spelling and pronunciation. For more simple and clear lessons about the differences between confusing words in English, get my e-book, 600+ Confusing English Words Explained! These are words that English learners often ask me about, or often make mistakes with – and when you read this e-book, you can avoid those mistakes and use these words correctly.

Today we've got a really interesting question from a student: In English, do we say "congratulations ON or FOR your anniversary"? Listen to the lesson to find out :-) When you're learning English, it can be hard to feel like you've really mastered the grammar of the language. There are so many rules, so many exceptions, and the grammar might be very different from how it works in your native language. At Espresso English we've got something to help you at every level: Our Basic & Intermediate Grammar E-Books will give you a strong foundation. Our Advanced Grammar Course will really help you reach a high level. So if you're confused by grammar, if you hate grammar, or if you just want to make sure your grammar is good and you're not making mistakes all over the place, check out our basic, intermediate, and advanced grammar lessons!

Today let's expand your vocabulary by learning 20 different words for lights - from lamps to lighthouses to lightning (which you shouldn't get confused with lighting). As you learn each word, repeat it after me to practice your pronunciation. Do you ever have trouble remembering the English vocabulary words you learn? It's very common. In fact, lots of students write to me asking what to do about this problem. I have several tips, but one important thing to think about is how you originally learn the word. Is it from a word list, textbook, or dictionary? Well, that's a good start... but your memory will be even more powerful if there's an image - a picture - associated with the new word. That's how we learn vocabulary as children. We don't yet know how to read, but we learn to associate new words with the objects we see. That's why there are lots of pictures and illustrations in my Vocabulary Builder Courses! Each level of the course will teach you more than 1,000 useful words in a simple, efficient way.

English has some interesting expressions with the word "business" – and many of them AREN'T related to work. Today you'll learn 10 expressions with "business": funny business [someone] means business [do something] like nobody's business make it your business [to do something] ... and more! If you are learning English for work, my Business English Course will teach you the phrases and vocabulary you need. You'll learn what to say in interviews, meetings, negotiations, phone calls, presentations, networking events, and more. You'll also expand your vocabulary in the areas of management, finance, marketing, human resources, entrepreneurship, and many other topics. 👉 Learn more inside the Business English Course: https://www.espressoenglish.net/business-english-course/

Mistakes are part of language learning... and part of life! Remember that with the word mistake, we always say: "I made a mistake" and never "I did a mistake." But what are some DIFFERENT phrases native English speakers use to admit mistakes and promise to resolve them? That's what we'll learn in today's lesson. Inside my Everyday English Speaking Courses, you can learn phrases for lots of different situations in everyday life. And if you'd like to focus on correcting mistakes you might be making in English, then a good choice is my 200 Common Errors in English Course! ⭐ Everyday English Speaking Course: https://www.espressoenglish.net/everyday-english-speaking-course/ ⭐ 200 Common Errors in English Course: https://www.espressoenglish.net/200-common-errors-in-english-course/

Compound words are made of two words together, forming a new word with a new meaning. For example: bathroom = A room where you can take a bath mailbox = A box in which you receive mail toothbrush = A brush that you use on your teeth Let's improve your English vocabulary and practice your pronunciation with these compound words around the house. How many of these things do you have in your home? When you expand your vocabulary, you will be able to express yourself better in English because you won't always have to pause trying to think of the right word. You can increase your vocabulary by 1,000+ words in the next 30 days when you join my Vocabulary Builder Course – it's a FAST way to learn and practice useful English words! There are two levels of the course – Level 1 is easier, and Level 2 is more advanced. (The words in the courses are different, so you'll learn 1,000+ words in Level 1, and 1,000+ MORE words in Level 2)

The pronunciation of many English words sounds different from the way they appear to be written. Some English words have "disappearing or dropped syllables" - reductions or eliminations of sounds in the middle of the word. One example is the word favorite - we don't pronounce it FAV-o-rit with three syllables. Instead, we say it more like FAV-rit - the "o" syllable disappears. In today's lesson, you're going to practice pronouncing some of the most common English words that tend to have dropped syllables. If you're having difficulty with pronunciation, the key is to practice repeatedly and consistently! You can get that practice inside my Pronunciation & Shadowing Courses. There are lots of exercises for you to listen and repeat, and at the end you get a pronunciation evaluation. When you buy both these courses together, you get a discount, so you can get a lot of pronunciation training for a great price :-) 👉 Learn more inside the American English Pronunciation Course: https://www.espressoenglish.net/american-english-pronunciation-course/

⭐ Watch the video: https://www.espressoenglish.net/phrasal-verbs-challenge-day-5/ ✔️ Download the worksheet: https://www.espressoenglish.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Phrasal%20Verbs%20Challenge%20-%20Day%205%20Review%20Practice.pdf Today is the FINAL DAY of our phrasal verbs challenge. We've covered a lot this week, but there are still many more phrasal verbs to learn! You can do that inside my Phrasal Verbs in Conversation Course. The lessons in that course teach phrasal verbs through dialogues, so you can easily see how native English speakers use them when speaking. Let's get started with our challenge questions! Try to figure out the meaning of the phrasal verb from the sentence, and after a few seconds, I'll show you the right answer. This brings us to the end of our phrasal verbs challenge! I hope you've enjoyed it and learned a lot. We covered 50 phrasal verbs in 5 days, so make sure you also go back and review the lessons to help you remember them better. Your learning doesn't have to stop here – you can keep going and learn 500 more phrasal verbs by joining my Phrasal Verbs in Conversation Course. Make sure to check that out if you want to master these phrasal verbs that we use so frequently. Thanks again for joining me for the phrasal verbs challenge – we'll move on to other topics next week – so I'll say goodbye for now and I'll talk to you in the next video. Learn more in the Phrasal Verbs in Conversation Course: https://www.espressoenglish.net/phrasal-verbs-intensive-course

⭐ Watch the video: https://www.espressoenglish.net/phrasal-verbs-challenge-day-4/ ✔️ Download the worksheet: https://www.espressoenglish.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Phrasal%20Verbs%20Challenge%20-%20Day%204%20Review%20Practice.pdf Welcome to day 4 of our phrasal verbs challenge – we've been flying through these phrasal verbs, learning 10 a day, every day. I hope you're enjoying the quizzes; they're an interesting and challenging way to learn these phrasal verbs because they make you look more actively at the sentence and think for yourself about what the phrasal verb might mean. I've got 10 more for you today; let's give them a try! How many of these phrasal verbs were new to you? Remember to download the worksheet to review and practice these a little more, so that you don't forget them. And tomorrow will be the final day of this challenge, so make sure to watch the final video. I'll talk to you then! Learn more in the Phrasal Verbs in Conversation Course: https://www.espressoenglish.net/phrasal-verbs-intensive-course

⭐ Watch the video: https://www.espressoenglish.net/phrasal-verbs-challenge-day-3 ✔️ Download the worksheet: https://www.espressoenglish.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Phrasal%20Verbs%20Challenge%20-%20Day%203%20Review%20Practice.pdf It's day 3 of our phrasal verbs challenge and today we'll learn 10 more interesting phrasal verbs through a quiz where you'll have to guess what each one means. Do your best – good luck! Phrasal verbs are important to learn, because we use them so often in everyday spoken English. You can learn a lot more phrasal verbs inside my course called Phrasal Verbs in Conversation – those lessons are based on conversations, so it's really easy to see how the phrasal verbs are used in context. Click on the link in the description for more information about that. And we still have two more days left in this phrasal verb challenge, so stay tuned for the next lesson. Bye for now! Learn more in the Phrasal Verbs in Conversation Course: https://www.espressoenglish.net/phrasal-verbs-intensive-course

⭐ Watch the video: https://www.espressoenglish.net/phrasal-verbs-challenge-day-2 ✔️ Download the worksheet: https://www.espressoenglish.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Phrasal%20Verbs%20Challenge%20-%20Day%202%20Review%20Practice.pdf Welcome to day 2 of our phrasal verbs challenge, where we're learning 50 phrasal verbs in 5 days by looking at them in context. As a reminder, these lessons are quiz-style, and I'd highly encourage you to try your best to figure out each phrasal verb from the sentence. Let's jump right in. Now that you've learned these 10 phrasal verbs, download the worksheet to review and practice by clicking on the link in the video description. I'll be back tomorrow with the next challenge video! Learn more in the Phrasal Verbs in Conversation Course: https://www.espressoenglish.net/phrasal-verbs-intensive-course

⭐ Watch the video: https://www.espressoenglish.net/phrasal-verbs-challenge-day-1 ✔️ Download the worksheet: https://www.espressoenglish.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Phrasal%20Verbs%20Challenge%20-%20Day%201%20Review%20Practice.pdf Today is the first day of our phrasal verb challenge! Over the next 5 days, we're going to learn 50 phrasal verbs through quiz-based lessons. Here's how it works: I'll show you a sentence with a phrasal verb, and give you three choices for what that phrasal verb means. Your goal is to understand it from the context of the sentence, and try to choose the right option. After a few seconds, I'll show you the correct answer. After we go through today's 10 phrasal verbs, then download the worksheet. The worksheet has a reference table of the phrasal verbs, definitions, and examples, as well as a practice exercise where you'll try to put the phrasal verbs in the right sentences. Learn more in the Phrasal Verbs in Conversation Course: https://www.espressoenglish.net/phrasal-verbs-intensive-course

Intransitive phrasal verbs examples: https://www.espressoenglish.net/intransitive-phrasal-verbs-in-english/ Separable phrasal verbs examples: https://www.espressoenglish.net/separable-phrasal-verbs-in-english/ Inseparable phrasal verbs examples: https://www.espressoenglish.net/inseparable-phrasal-verbs-in-english/ ✔️ Read the lesson text: https://www.espressoenglish.net/phrasal-verbs-in-english/ Did you know that there are different types of phrasal verbs in English? Phrasal verbs can be... transitive or intransitive separable or inseparable What does that mean? Listen to today's lesson to find out! 👉 Learn more inside the Phrasal Verbs in Conversation Course: https://www.espressoenglish.net/phrasal-verbs-intensive-course

Next week we're doing a FREE "Phrasal Verbs Challenge" – and you're invited! Phrasal verbs are combinations of verbs + prepositions like take off, set apart, crack up, and break out - they are very common in English, and they have meanings that aren't always easy to know. In the 5-day "Phrasal Verbs Challenge" you'll learn 50 phrasal verbs fast through fun, quiz-based lessons. The challenge will run from Feb. 21-25 and the challenge videos will be published on this channel – make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss any of them! If you also want to get the lessons by e-mail, click on the link to register (again, it's free!): https://www.espressoenglish.net/phrasal-verbs-challenge/ I'm really looking forward to doing this challenge with you next week – get ready to learn a lot!

In today's lesson we're going to practice our pronunciation and learn when to use the words proof and prove, belief and believe. These pairs of words are different by only one sound. Their meanings are closely related, but their grammar is different. If you want to take it to the next level, try to use each one of these words in your own sentence. And make sure to check out my American English Pronunciation Course, where we practice all the different sounds in the language. You even get an evaluation of your pronunciation when you finish the course! 👉 Learn more inside the American English Pronunciation Course: https://www.espressoenglish.net/american-english-pronunciation-course/

When a person asks you a question in English, it's hard to give a quick answer. How can you reply to questions faster? One way is to learn some of the typical responses to common questions - and in today's lesson you'll learn 100 answers to common English questions! If you want to improve your English speaking ability for situations in daily life, join my Everyday English Speaking Course. The lessons in this course are based on conversations - with topics like traveling, shopping, restaurants, entertainment, discussions, and more. You'll learn hundreds of phrases so that you can speak English confidently in any situation. Everyday English Speaking is my most popular course, because it's so practical and useful. "I found the Everyday English Speaking Course to be one of the best. It covers such a wide range of topics – from simple things such as telephone conversations and ordering food at a restaurant to dealing with tricky situations such as how to complain politely and criticize diplomatically. In fact, it covered many topics that none of the other courses did. It definitely exceeded my expectation and has boosted my confidence." - Mak, India

⭐ 600+ Confusing Words Explained E-Book: https://www.espressoenglish.net/600-confusing-english-words-explained ✔️ Read the lesson text: https://www.espressoenglish.net/confusing-words-in-english-wish-and-hope/ Today I'm going to explain the difference between wish and hope and how to use these words correctly in English – with lots of examples. I hope you put this into practice so that you remember the difference and you don't mix up these two words like a lot of English learners do. For more lessons like this one, make sure to download my e-book, 600+ confusing English words explained, because it will make the differences between confusing words clear to you. ⭐ 600+ Confusing Words Explained E-Book: https://www.espressoenglish.net/600-confusing-english-words-explained

You know that "right" and "wrong" are the same as "correct" and "incorrect" respectively. These words are also used in a lot of informal expressions and idioms in English - let's learn 10 of them! One of the hardest things about learning English is not being sure if what you're saying and writing is right or wrong... And one of the great things about many Espresso English courses is that they include opportunities for feedback and correction from our teaching team! Feedback on short answers: Vocabulary Builder Courses Phrasal Verbs Course Idioms Course Advanced Vocabulary & Collocations Course Feedback on paragraph writing: Reading Course Advanced Grammar Course Feedback on recorded speaking: Everyday English Speaking Courses Pronunciation Course & Shadowing Course (end-of-course evaluation) This way you can put your English into practice and find out what you're doing well, and what needs improvement.

Today we have a great question from a student who asked about the difference between the words lifetime, lifelong, and lifespan. These words all seem to refer to the time period of someone's life, but we use them in different ways in English. You might have a lot of questions like this one, about the difference between English words that seem very similar or even identical – and you'll find a lot of answers inside my e-book, 600+ Confusing English Words Explained. The lessons have easy-to-understand explanations and examples, so that the confusing words become clear to you! 👉 Learn more inside the 600+ Confusing Words Explained E-Book: https://www.espressoenglish.net/600-confusing-english-words-explained/

Hello and happy 2022! It's a great time to make plans for the goals you want to achieve in the new year :-) Do you have a plan for improving your English this year? If you DON'T have a plan... you won't know what to study you won't feel like you're making progress you'll lose motivation But if you DO have a plan for your English learning... it's easier to study consistently you'll know exactly what to learn next you'll be confident that your English is improving day by day! When you join my Complete Program, you'll get ALL my courses and e-books at 50% off - AND a suggested study guide that takes you from the easier lessons up through the more advanced ones. The New Year is the perfect time to join, because you can start 2022 with a study plan and make GREAT progress in your English skills throughout the year! And I have another piece of good news... You can divide the payment of the Complete Program into parts! Just choose which is best for you: Option A: 3 monthly payments of $99 each Option B: 6 monthly payments of $49.50 each You'll get INSTANT ACCESS to the Complete Program (all 600+ lessons) when you make the first payment, and then the other monthly payments will happen automatically. When all the payments are finished, then you won't need to pay anything more - and you'll keep your permanent access to the Complete Program. There's no time limit :-) This is a great way to take advantage of the 50% discount... and still "spread out" the payments over time!

Have you ever missed your flight? (Remember that in English we say "I missed my flight" and not "I lost my flight") Today we'll learn some phrases you can use to talk about bad travel experiences and problems that can happen on a trip. I hope you don't experience any of these things if you have a trip in the near future… but if you do, now you know some English expressions for describing them. When you're in a difficult or stressful situation, it can be even harder to speak English while you're nervous or upset – but when you know the right phrases to use, it becomes much easier! When you take my Everyday English Speaking Course, you'll become much better prepared to speak English in any situation in daily life – so you can handle things calmly and confidently without panicking because you don't know the right words to say. Come join the Everyday English Speaking Course – it's my most popular course because it's so practical and useful. 👉 Learn more inside the Everyday English Speaking Course: https://www.espressoenglish.net/everyday-english-speaking-course/

Today's lesson is on two phrasal verbs – take back and taken aback. These look quite similar, but they have very different meanings, and I'll explain them with examples. I think it's helpful to learn phrasal verbs in context, inside sentences, in situations where we'd really use them. That's the strategy we use inside my Phrasal Verbs in Conversation Course. It's an easy and effective way to learn the phrasal verbs that are so common in English! 👉 Learn more inside the Phrasal Verbs in Conversation Course: https://www.espressoenglish.net/phrasal-verbs-intensive-course/

In English, we use the word "please" to make requests and orders more polite – but have you ever considered where exactly to put the word "please" in your sentence? In today's lesson I'll show you several correct places to put the word "please" as well as a couple that sound unnatural, which you should avoid. "Please" is a word we use every day, so we want to use it correctly. It's really important to know the most common words and phrases so that you can be more confident speaking English in daily life. That's why I created the Everyday English Speaking Course, to help you know exactly what to say in lots of different situations! There are actually two levels of the course - so you can make progress and become a more advanced English speaker day by day. 👉 Learn more inside the Everyday English Speaking Course: https://www.espressoenglish.net/everyday-english-speaking-course/

No matter how much you like your job, there are always a few things to complain about. In today's lesson we'll use five sample sentences to learn phrases and expressions for talking about negative points at work. Are any of these complaints true for you presently? Or maybe you've experienced these things in the past. Try to write a sentence or two putting some of the expressions we learned into practice. Remember to come check out my Business English Course. In addition to the lessons focusing on practical situations, it also includes lessons on business idioms – yes, many informal expressions are actually used in the business world or when talking about work – so you'll learn those as well inside the course. 👉 Learn more inside the Business English Course: http://www.espressoenglish.net/business-english-course

Today's lesson is going to be a challenge even for me... We're working on 10 tongue twisters - short phrases that are very difficult to pronounce, even for native English speakers! I like tongue twisters because they're a fun way to train ourselves to develop very precise pronunciation, and if you can learn to pronounce a tongue twister well, then regular English sentences will probably feel a lot easier by comparison. English pronunciation is really tricky, and I'd love to help you improve yours so that you can speak more clearly, confidently, and correctly. My American English Pronunciation Course is a great way to train your pronunciation, make it better, and also receive an evaluation at the end of the course! 👉 Learn more inside the Pronunciation Course: http://www.espressoenglish.net/american-english-pronunciation-course

In today's lesson we'll learn 10 idiomatic expressions with the word LIFE, including: - can't for the life of me - lead a charmed life - put their lives on the line - have a new lease on life - not on your life ...and more! Remember that idioms are short phrases that can't be translated literally word by word; instead, you need to know the meaning of the whole expression. If you really want to remember the idioms from today's lesson even better, try putting them in your own example sentence! If you'd like to learn more common idiomatic expressions, my 300+ Idioms Course can teach you in a way that's easy and fun, and helps you put them into practice. Each lesson in the course includes short answer questions that help you use the idioms you've learned, and then you can send in your answers for feedback and correction. 👉 Learn more inside the 300+ Idioms Course: https://www.espressoenglish.net/english-idioms-course

English spelling can be a real challenge. Because of the way the English language has changed over time, there are LOTS of irregularities and exceptions in the spelling. Although it's difficult, it's important to learn to spell correctly because it gives a bad impression when there are spelling mistakes in your written English. Today you'll learn 15 common spelling mistakes that even native English speakers often make - so you can be aware of them, avoid them, and spell these words correctly! Please don't feel bad if you've been making some of these spelling mistakes – like I said at the beginning, these are mistakes that even native English speakers make because English spelling is tricky. Mistakes are an opportunity to learn and improve, and you can do exactly that inside my 200 Common Errors in English Course. I'll teach you the WRONG way to say things and the RIGHT way to say them, so that you can speak and write more confidently and more correctly in English.

Today let's expand your vocabulary by learning 40 interesting collocations (combinations of words) with the key words comment, conversation, and speech. This is a free sample lesson from our newest course - Advanced Vocabulary and Collocations - so if you like the lesson, join the course to get more! Do you want to take your vocabulary from "average" to "amazing"? The Advanced Vocabulary and Collocations Course will help you express yourself more fluently, without using the same basic words over and over. You'll learn 1,000+ high-level English words AND how to put them together in ways that sound natural. This helps you sound more sophisticated when you speak and write in English :-)

Today's lesson is a quick tip about a small difference that could really mix you up – do you attend English class, or attend to English class? Watch the lesson to find out! (I'll also explain when to use call vs. call to) It's in these tiny little details where English learners – even more advanced ones – often make mistakes. And that's why it's so important to get some feedback and correction on your writing from a native English speaker. You can get that inside our Advanced English Grammar Course. In addition to 45 lessons teaching you grammar in great detail, you also have the option to add teacher feedback – you can practice your writing and get it corrected by the Espresso English teaching team. This is really for the most dedicated English learners and it's super valuable to get personalized feedback – so I hope we'll see you inside that course!