Espresso English Podcast

We're in the middle of the month of June, and next month is July... so today let's learn 10 vocabulary words that begin with the letter "J." Don't just read the lesson... also, make sure to listen to the words and repeat them out loud to practice your pronunciation. One of the most effective things you can do to improve your English is to improve your pronunciation. If you have BAD pronunciation, then nobody will understand you (even if your grammar is perfect and you have a great vocabulary). But if you have clear and correct pronunciation, then you'll be able to speak English with everyone! I have two courses to help you get better at pronunciation: the American English Pronunciation Course and Shadowing with Shayna. In both of these courses, you'll do a lot of listen-and-repeat exercises, and at the end of each one there's an opportunity to get an evaluation of your pronunciation. I hope to see you inside!

Today’s lesson is inspired by a student question – he asked what the expression “we're spinning our wheels” means. Take the lesson to find out! You'll learn 10 interesting expressions for progress, including: run into a brick wall shift into high gear at breakneck pace ...and more. You can learn a lot more of these casual and colorful expressions in spoken English in my courses. I especially recommend:  Everyday English Speaking Course Level 2 (helps you learn expressions from conversations) or my English Idioms Course (in which you will figure out idioms through quizzes). Click on each link to learn more and try some free sample lessons from each course.

When writing a business letter or when e-mailing a business contact who we don’t know well, we use slightly more formal words and expressions. Today you’ll learn how to transform casual, conversational English into more appropriate business English phrases. If you’re learning English for your career, make sure to check out my Business English Course, with 40 practical lessons for work. In this course, you can improve your ability to handle interviews, phone calls, meetings, and negotiations in English. You'll also learn useful vocabulary for networking, managing people, talking about projects, marketing, helping customers, and much more!

Let's learn some collocations - words that often go together! In today's lesson, you'll learn 30 different collocations with the word "country." At the end of the lesson, I also clarify the difference between "country" and "countryside." If you want to learn more collocations, you'll love my e-book 1000 English Collocations in 10 Minutes a Day. It has short lessons and quizzes to help you learn new expressions every day. Here are some comments from English learners who have enjoyed the 1000 collocations e-book: "I think that your 1000 Collocations e-book is absolutely essential to speak English confidently, avoiding misspeaking or inappropiate sentences." "I feel this e-book is complete, useful and practical for everyday situations, plus being able to work with the quiz I consider this a unique option to put in practice what I learn in every unit. It's clear and concise." I hope you enjoy today's lesson!

What does it mean when someone asks, "Do you drive at all?" In today's lesson, you'll learn how to use the expression "at all" in negative statements and questions. Lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/how-to-use-at-all-in-english

One student said she sometimes sees "police" and sometimes "the police" - which is correct? What's the difference? Today you'll learn the answer to this question, as well as find out why saying "a police" is wrong. Lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/do-we-use-the-with-police

What situations would make you feel embarrassed?  What situations would make you feel ashamed? Learn the difference between these confusing English words in today's lesson! Lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/difference-between-embarrassed-and-ashamed

What's the difference between meet, meet with, and meet up with? You'll learn (with examples) in today's podcast! Lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/meet-meet-with-or-meet-up-with

Today's episode is another free sample from the Business English Course. You'll learn 12 common business idioms by figuring them out from the context. One question you might be asking is, "Can we use idioms in business English?" The answer is "sometimes." In more official situations (such as writing a business report or formal letter), we avoid idioms. However, it is OK to use idioms in e-mails among co-workers as well as in conversations at work. Take today's lesson to learn expressions such as: in the loop call the shots way off the mark bring someone up to speed ...and more! Lesson text: https://www.espressoenglish.net/business-english-idioms/

Have you ever been shy about participating in a meeting in English? It can be really hard to think of the right phrases in a professional situation, when everyone is watching you. Some English learners prefer to stay quiet. But I want to help you speak up confidently - so in today's lesson, you'll learn 82 practical English phrases to use in meetings. This is a free sample lesson from the Business English Course, which will teach you useful vocabulary and phrases for working in an English-speaking company. I've just finished updating and expanding the course - I improved the audio quality and added 10 NEW lessons on management, sales, networking, work safety, and more!  Lesson text: https://www.espressoenglish.net/english-phrases-for-meetings/

It can be hard for English learners to know when to use the word “to.” In today's lesson, you'll see 6 common mistakes with "to" - and learn the correct way to say these sentences. Lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/common-english-mistakes-with-the-word-to

Sometimes students ask me about the "rules" of English pronunciation - but it's impossible to teach "rules," because there are so many exceptions. A lot of English words are pronounced differently from the way they appear to be written. In today's lesson, you'll learn about common pronunciation mistakes - and the right way to pronounce these words. I encourage you to LISTEN AND REPEAT, because the best way to remember the right pronunciation is to practice! Watch the video: http://www.espressoenglish.net/common-english-pronunciation-mistakes

Prepositions can be very challenging, even for advanced English learners! Today I’ll teach you 10 of the most common mistakes students make with prepositions. Lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/10-common-english-mistakes-with-prepositions

Can you find the mistakes in these sentences? They are all incorrect. They don’t sound natural. “I bought yesterday a new t-shirt.” “Please finish quickly the report.” “I’ll put on the table the dishes.” What’s wrong with these sentences? Listen to today's lesson to find out! Lesson text: https://www.espressoenglish.net/common-english-mistakes-with-direct-and-indirect-objects/

If you're tired of using the same basic and boring English words all the time, today's lesson will teach you some new vocabulary. You'll learn 20 very powerful adjectives, such as excruciating, destitute, miraculous, absurd, and jittery. You can practice your pronunciation by repeating these words after me, and study the example sentences to see how they are used.

Do you know the difference between get away with and get along with ? Do you know what sleep with really means? Can you use deal with, stick with, and mess with in a sentence? Today's lesson will teach you 10 useful phrasal verbs with "with"!

You probably already 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. Today I’ll teach you ten of them! on the right track if you play your cards right it serves you right his/her heart is in the right place right on! wrong number get off on the wrong foot wake up on the wrong side of the bed don't get me wrong rub someone the wrong way Lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/10-right-and-wrong-expressions-in-english

In December, I like to reflect on all the wonderful things we did during the year. How about you? How has your English improved this year? Here are some of the highlights for Espresso English in 2016. Lesson text: http://us4.campaign-archive2.com/?u=280ab49b7536a997b0d741c18&id=569a581180

I have a very special holiday gift for you: A FREE little e-book with 50 expressions... illustrated with short comics! You can download it, learn from it, and share it with your friends who are also learning English :-) Visit http://www.espressoenglish.net/gift to get the e-book

""Give"" is a common English verb - and we use it in a lot of expressions. You can give advice, give someone a hug, give priority to a project, etc. In today's lesson, I'll teach you 10 ""give"" expressions you might not know: - give way - give credence - give (someone) grief - ...and more Lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/10-english-expressions-with-give