Luke's ENGLISH Podcast - Learn British English with Luke Thompson

553. Fighting Wildland Fires with Benny the Russian Firefighter Talking to firefighter Anton Beneslavsky (aka "Benny") who works as the leader of an international fire fighting project. We talk about becoming a firefighter, the work that he’s doing with Greenpeace around the world and the very serious threat of climate change. Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-8tv italki offer www.teacherluke.co.uk/talk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

552. Discussing Comedy & Culture (with Amber & Paul) Amber, Paul and I listen to a comedy video which is often sent to me by listeners to this podcast. The video is about the experience of trying to understand people when they speak English. Let's see what the pod-pals think of this comedy from another country. The conversation then turns to comedy, culture, language and some more Alan Partridge. I read out some listener comments at the end of the episode. Notes, transcripts and links available. Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-8sS Spoken offer www.getspoken.com/lep Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

551. Catching Up with Amber & Paul #8 - Stereotypes Chatting to the pod-pals Amber & Paul again and this time the conversation turns to the subject of national stereotypes, and why Paul has bleached his hair blond. Notes & transcripts on the website. Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-8sg Spoken offer www.getspoken.com/lep Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

550. British Comedy: Alan Partridge (Part 3) This episode is long, but stick with it! This is the final part of this trilogy of British Comedy episodes about Alan Partridge, analysing some of the quieter and darker moments in Alan's life. Expect analysis of both the comedy and the language. Vocabulary lists and transcript available. Vocabulary lists and transcript available. Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-8s9 italki offer www.teacherluke.co.uk/talk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

549. British Comedy: Alan Partridge (Part 2) Building on the previous episode, this time we're looking at how Alan Partridge interacts with people in his every day life and how this results in some classic moments of British TV comedy. All the material is explained with plenty of vocabulary to learn. Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-8rP italki offer https://www.teacherluke.co.uk/talk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

548. British Comedy: Alan Partridge (Part 1) Continuing the comedy theme by analysing a character that most British people know but learners of English find difficult to understand. Check the page for the episode for transcripts, notes and videos. Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-8rv italki offer www.teacherluke.co.uk/talk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Studying some jokes told by stand-up comedians at the Edinburgh Fringe comedy festival, and dissecting them for vocabulary. Learn English with some jokes and find out about typical joke structures used by stand-up comedians. Transcripts and jokes available. https://wp.me/p4IuUx-8rf Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

546. Death by Meteor This episode is called Death By Meteor and it’s all about asteroids, space, science, maths, astrophysics and the end of the world! Transcript available. Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-8qA italki offer http://www.teacherluke.co.uk/talk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

545. The Hitchhiker by Roald Dahl (Short Story) Learn English with this short story by British writer Roald Dahl. Introduction transcript and short story link available on the episode page, here https://wp.me/p4IuUx-8qm italki offer www.teacherluke.co.uk/talk :) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

544. The Rick Thompson Report: No Deal Brexit Talking to my dad about the current Brexit situation, including what could actually happen in the UK if we leave the EU with no deal. Expect language relating to politics, economics and the big issues of the day. Intro and outtro transcripts available. Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-8pp Spoken offer www.getspoken.com/lep Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Talking about the creepy subject of eating insects, which might be the solution to many of the problems that humans face as a species. This episode includes discussion of eating habits, environmental issues and some insect-related idioms and expressions. Transcripts and vocabulary lists available. Bon appetit! Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-8nD italki offer http://www.teacherluke.co.uk/talk :) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

542. Talking Rubbish & Just Having Fun with The Thompsons Talking to my dad, mum and brother about all manner of topics, including: Space, climbing mountains, British comedy, fishing, earworms, tattoos, David Beckham, jokes, citizenship tests, baby monkeys, ghosts and celebrity impressions. Intro and outtro transcripts available. Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-8oV italki offer www.teacherluke.co.uk/talk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

541. What British People Say vs What They Mean Examining British communication style and debunking a few myths about how British people communicate. This episode is based on a famous infographic called "What British People Say vs What They Really Mean" or "The Anglo-EU Translation Guide". It contains lots of thoughts about how direct and indirect cultures communicate with each other, and some samples of business English, with a few improvised scenarios too! Transcript available. Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-8nF Spoken offer www.getspoken.com/lep Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

540. What’s Up? Post World Cup / News / LEP Meetup London / Super Mario Earworms Giving some news, summing up the World Cup, England out, France win, and some chat about music that gets stuck in your head. Get some English stuck in your head with this episode. Transcript available! Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-8mW italki offer www.teacherluke.co.uk/talk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More football episodes - but it won't last forever! In this one I'm in England talking to my Dad and my brother about the world cup so far including England's performances, World Cup songs, diving, VAR and predictions for the semi finals. Enjoy! Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-8kI italic offer www.teacherluke.co.uk/talk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Talking about the second round of the World Cup in Russia, including comments about the teams, the games, the issues, England's penalties vs Colombia and the way football commentators speak. Listener comments are read out. Notes available. Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-8la Spoken offer www.getspoken.com/lep Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

537. How Olly Richards Learns a Language (Part 2) Intermediate Plateau / The Magic of Story / Pronunciation & Personality / Classroom vs Self-Guided Learning The rest of my conversation with polyglot Olly Richards, talking about how to overcome the intermediate plateau, the magic of story, pronunciation and identity issues, and self-guided learning. Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-8kw italki offer www.teacherluke.co.uk/talk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

536. How Olly Richards Learns a Language (Part 1) Compelling Material / Input-based Learning Talking to polyglot Olly Richards about the benefits of listening, reading and using stories to learn English. Full of insights and strategies for effective language learning. Transcripts and notes available. Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-8k5 italki offer www.teacherluke.co.uk/talk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

535. World Cup 2018 [1] Talking about the World Cup 2018 in Russia, including comments about the teams, players, groups, VAR and England's performances. Notes & transcripts available. Episode page italki offer www.teacherluke.co.uk/talk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

LEP Premium is ready - www.teacherluke.co.uk/premium This is an announcement to let you know that LEP Premium is now ready to go. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

534. Sugar Sammy Interview (Part 2) Language & Comedy Part 2 of my chat with Canadian stand-up comedian Sugar Sammy, talking about his 4 languages, TV shows from our childhood, copying Indian accents, language-related controversy in Quebec, Sammy’s crowd-work skills, stories of difficult gigs in the UK, and our thoughts on recent Star Wars films. At the end of the episode you can hear my spoiler-free review of “Solo: A Star Wars Story”. Transcriptions and notes available. Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-8jK Spoken offer www.getspoken.com/lep Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sugar Sammy is a very popular and famous comedian from Canada. He's often described as Montreal's #1 stand up comedian. He speaks 4 languages, he has performed comedy in lots of countries. He might be coming to your country soon to make you laugh. Ladies and gentlemen - meet the wonderful Sugar Sammy! Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-8jD italki offer http://www.teacherluke.co.uk/talk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is a history of The World Cup. You’ll see that it’s very long! I didn’t expect it to be this long. I hope you enjoy it! I covers all the World Cups we’ve had since 1930, focusing on the key events with a few dodgy jokes along the way. You can read 99% of the transcript on the page for this episode. Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-8jl Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Test yourself and learn various verbs and nouns related to crime. Features some amusing chat and anecdotes with Moz from the Murder Mile True Crime Podcast. Transcripts and vocabulary available. Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-8iF italki offer http://www.teacherluke.co.uk/talk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My friend Moz (Michael J. Buchanan-Dunne) from the Murder Mile True Crime Podcast tells us some more true stories about murders from London's past. Contains some gruesome details and explicit descriptions, and some fascinating and unbelievable true stories! Intro and outtro transcripts available. *Adults Only: This episode contains gory details and explicit violent descriptions* Spoken offer http://www.getspoken.com/lep Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-8iD Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

529. The "M" Word (with Andy Johnson) Friend of the podcast Andy Johnson returns to give us some news and tell some stories all related to things that begin with the letter "M". Intro & outtro transcripts available. Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-8ir italki offer http://www.teacherluke.co.uk/talk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

528. The Royal Wedding (with Mum)Talking to my mum about the royal wedding between Prince Harry & Meghan Markle. Describing the ceremony, the guests and the dress, and discussing the place of the monarchy in modern British life. Some transcriptions and vocabulary available.Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-8i2italki offer http://www.teacherluke.co.uk/talk  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

527. Can Paul Taylor Pass The UK Citizenship Test? Testing Paul Taylor's knowledge of British life, history and culture and discussing the "Life in the UK" citizenship test. Practise listening to British English natural speech, learn facts about the UK and have a laugh as Paul gets angry about this test for people who want to become UK citizens. Will Paul actually pass the test? Listen to find out what happens. Take the same test https://lifeintheuktestweb.co.uk/test-1/ Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-8hD italki offer http://www.teacherluke.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

[Audio version] Catching up with Paul Taylor and talking about his recent trips to Japan & Barcelona, the pros and cons of being a tourist and some recommendations for people visiting London and Paris as tourists. Video available on the website and in the LEP app. For LEP App users - find the video in the Videos category. Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-8h9 italki offer http://www.teacherluke.co.uk/talk VOTE FOR LEP in the British Podcast Awards http://www.britishpodcastawards.com/vote Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Help me build my pod-castle! Vote here: http://www.britishpodcastawards.com/vote Click the link and search for "luke's english podcast" Thank you to everyone who's already voted. Fingers crossed! 🤞🤞🤞 Vocabulary in this Mini Episode to be in with a chance (of doing something) you need to achieve certain milestones it shows that you're getting somewhere, you're making progress it's a flag you can wave or a banner you can show to people you need flags you can fly from the top of the castle to fly the flag of victory I'm asking you to do me a favour in return for the free things I've been giving to you "I can't be bothered" "I think I'll just not bother" it would mean the world to me it's up to you whether I actually get this or not I'm hoping, praying, wondering whether or not it's actually possible listen to me begging! that would be a nice birthday present, wouldn't it? get your skates on don't hang around don't put it off, it's not the washing up! you need to do it sooner rather than later don't leave it until the last minute men, women and any other denomination you choose to respect I didn't video the second one because I'd run out of memory on my camera-thing I was up for about an hour and a half at a very ungodly hour she got a bit over-excited I've got a dry, painful, sore throat and I've got a blocked-up nose it's raining and its a bit chilly Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

525. Ninja August / Podcast Corrections / Useful Japanese Cat (Listener Comments & Questions) Responding to more comments and questions from listeners, including some rambling about public holidays in France, why May is like 'ninja August', some corrections to what I said about bats and Stephen Hawking on the podcast and the story of an amazing useful cat from Japan. Vote for LEP in the British Podcast Awards http://www.britishpodcastawards.com/vote Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-8gz italki offer http://www.teacherluke.co.uk/talk Transcript Collaboration https://teacherluke.co.uk/episodes-with-transcripts/transcripts/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Talking about words which can be pronounced several ways, words which are often pronounced incorrectly by native speakers and the debates, arguments and frustration that arises between native speakers as a result. Includes the "You Say Tomato..." song and the Grammar Nazi sketch, explained. Transcript & notes available. Vote for LEP in the British Podcast Awards! http://www.britishpodcastawards.com/vote Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-8ge italki offer http://teacherluke.co.uk/talk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Talking to fellow English teacher Cara Leopold about advice for using TV shows and films to learn English, both with and without subtitles. Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-8fB italki offer www.teacherluke.co.uk/talk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Talking to my ex-colleague Raphael Miller about his new summer school for teenagers + rambling about British social and communication culture, growing up in Liverpool, studying at Oxford University, the famous Star Wars actor Raphael knows and remembering some of the old-fashioned ways we used to describe computers and the internet. Transcripts and links below. 👨‍🎓🌞🇬🇧 www.yourenglishsummer.co.uk Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-8ft italki offer www.teacherluke.co.uk/talk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Usually when I talk to my brother on the podcast we talk about fairly obscure topics, like cult films, musical subcultures or skateboarding, but this time we chose a universal topic; pets. Listen to this conversation to hear James and me remembering the pets we had as children and discussing some issues related to keeping animals as pets.Transcript for the introduction and ending available on the website.Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-8f4 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The second part of my chat with Andy Johnson. Listen out for 18 more idioms which will be explained later. Topics include: Twitter abuse, the other Andy Johnson, training for the London Marathon + more. Transcripts and vocabulary definitions available. Episode page: https://wp.me/p4IuUx-8dR italki offer: http://www.teacherluke.co.uk/talk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A conversation with Andy Johnson including loads of idiomatic expressions and their explanations. First you can listen to a rambling chat with Andy and then I'll explain 25 idioms that came up during the conversation. Part 2 coming soon... Transcriptions, Vocabulary list & Definitions available. Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-8dL italki offer http://www.teacherluke.co.uk/talk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Answering grammar questions from listeners, with details about verb tenses (including present continuous vs present perfect continuous & future continuous vs going to) and the language of newspaper headlines. Includes references to The Queen, The Legend of Zelda and a lot of pizza. Transcriptions & grammar notes available. Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-8cN italki offer http://www.teacherluke.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I woke up this morning to the news that Stephen Hawking had died and I thought - I really must talk about this. He was a British scientist who must be considered one of the most significant people of recent years - a brilliant mind who contributed so much to our understanding of the nature of reality itself while also struggling against some extreme personal difficulties and for those reasons he’s a great inspiration to many people around the world. In this episode I’m just going to talk about him, his life, his achievements, his sense of humour and how he will continue to be an inspiration to people for many years to come. Let's learn some English along the way. Vocabulary list available Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-8cy italki offer http://www.teacherluke.co.uk/talk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Learn English from an anecdote told by Sir Paul McCartney. Let's listen to Paul telling a sweet story about something funny that happened to him and George Harrison when they were teenagers, before they became world famous musicians in The Beatles. Let's listen to his story, do some intensive listening practice and then I'll help you understand everything. Also, let's have a laugh with some funny Paul McCartney impressions. Video and notes available below. Episode page https://teacherluke.co.uk/2018/03/10/516-paul-mccartneys-spider-story/ italki offer http://www.teacherluke.co.uk/talk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I'm talking to friends of the podcast Amber Minogue and Sarah Donnelly about the subject of raising children in a foreign country - in this case, France. So this is an episode all about cross-cultural experiences, specifically relating to parenthood. It's also about a new podcast and stage show which Amber & Sarah have just started. Transcriptions, notes and links available. Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-8aE italki offer http://www.teacherluke.co.uk/talk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode you can hear me chatting to Fred Eyangoh and Alex Quillian and discussing various topics including growing up in different countries, recognising different accents in English, religious backgrounds, movie re-boots, Arnold Shwartzenegger going "nyarrrgh" and more. Fred and Alex are both stand-up comedians living in Paris who perform in English. Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-8b4 italki offer http://www.teacherluke.co.uk/talk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A general ramble about things like: dishwasher sounds, online clickbait, updates to the LEP app, my recent appearances on some OPP (other people's podcasts), LEPster meetups and some responses to recent comments on the website. Notes, links & videos available. Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-8bt italki offer http://www.teacherluke.co.uk/talk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Talking more about my experiences as a student of French, this time reading from notes I took during my French lessons (when I should have been focusing on the class!) and some considerations about learning a language in a classroom and learning on your own. Notes & transcript available. Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-8ab italki offer http://www.teacherluke.co.uk/talk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sharing my experiences of learning French (or not learning it). My French and Me - How I learned some French as a child and how I'm failing to learn it properly as an adult. Includes conclusions about language learning, immersion and the importance of motivation, habit and simply applying yourself. Notes & transcriptions available. Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-81p italki offer http://www.teacherluke.co.uk/talk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode you can listen to Amber, Paul and me as we take an online quiz and try to find out what school of philosophical thought we belong to. Are we empiricists, epicurianists, existentialists, hedonists, humanists, platonists, skeptics or stoicists? Listen on to find out more and to hear a full-on discussion of life, the universe and everything. Episode page: https://wp.me/p4IuUx-88T italki offer: http://www.teacherluke.co.uk/talk PHILOSOPHY QUIZ LINK - CLICK HERE Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is all about philosophy and how this applies to language learning. Listen to me describing 8 different 'schools' of philosophical thought. Are hedonists good language learners? How do rationalists and empiricists disagree about how we learn languages? Is language learning an innate ability or just something that can only happen as a result of things we do after we're born? And, how does philosophy answer life's big questions such as, "What's life all about?" "What are we doing here?" and "What shall we have for dinner?" Transcript available. Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-88S italki offer http://www.teacherluke.co.uk/talk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Learn English by listening to Rick Thompson telling some true stories of petty crimes committed in an English town in 1851. Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-88W italki offer http://www.teacherluke.co.uk/talk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recommendations and descriptions of British comedy TV shows with some comments about how to use comedy TV shows to learn English. Transcript available on the episode page. Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-81r italki offer http://www.teacherluke.co.uk/talk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Listen to readings of "If—" by Rudyard Kipling, a popular poem from England. Includes analysis of the vocabulary and the themes in the poem and also a chance to enjoy the unique voice of Sir Michael Caine - with some funny impressions too. Transcript, vocabulary and videos available on the episode page. Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-81n italki offer http://www.teacherluke.co.uk/talk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.