Espresso English Podcast

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-listening/  

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/  

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/  

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 text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/10-conversational-english-expressions-with-the-word-what/

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/

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/

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-in-english/

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/

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/

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/

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 and benefits leave a lot to be desired."#5 – "I feel like I’m spread too thin, but every time I wrap up one project, I’m given two more – which, of course, need to be done yesterday."Click here for the lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/5-english-phrases-and-10-idioms-for-complaining-about-your-job/

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 text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/20-different-ways-to-use-the-english-word-mind/

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

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 roots are what support and sustain the entire tree. Therefore, “the root of the problem” is the deepest, most basic or fundamental reason for the problem.Click here for the lesson text: http://www.espressoenglish.net/english-collocations-metaphors/

Today's lesson will teach you the difference between:talk totalk withtalk abouttalk overtalk throughtalk intotalk out ofThere 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/

#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/