American English Podcast

⭐ Feature: Funny Chat with My Dad (+Superlatives!)

➡️ Start improving your English today! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Learn more about the Academy.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Every month, I like to bring back one of my favorite episodes from the past, and this on

218.2 - English Story: Irregular Verbs with Dance Marathons

The other day, I was staring at my list of common Irregular Verbs, trying to think of a lesson I could create with 10 of them. Immediately, I saw some potential! Swing ->

218 - Expression: To Keep Someone On Their Toes

The other day, I was staring at my list of common Irregular Verbs, trying to think of a lesson I could create with 10 of them. Immediately, I saw some potential! Swing ->

217 - What Bugs You? Insects and Annoyances with Lucas

Well, well, well. I never thought I’d make an entire episode about bugs and annoying things until Lucas was attacked by a swarm of yellow jackets this week! It got me thi

⭐ Feature: The Truth About Shark Attacks in U.S. Waters

Every year when I go to the beach, I have the same thought: Are there sharks out there in that dark water? It's not an irrational fear. Years ago, a student at my univer

216 - Soccer Vocabulary and the Miracle Match

While watching soccer matches in Brazil, I quickly realized I had no idea how to comment on a game in Portuguese. There were so many moments when I wanted to yell at the

215 - Countries and Nationalities (Pronunciation and Quiz!)

How do you say the names of countries and nationalities in American English? Is it Swiss or Switzerlanders? Spaniard or Spanish? Dutch or Netherlanders? In this episode,

214 - Soccer in the United States (History, Stories, and More!)

⭐ Take part in our Free ⁠14-Day English Slang and Expression Challenge.⁠ Why do Americans call it soccer instead of football? Why isn't it the most popular sport in the

⭐ Feature: The Sweet History of the American Doughnut (or Donut)

⭐ Want to start sounding more natural in English? Sign up to ⁠⁠the Academy⁠⁠ to learn more with each lesson. About this episode Why do doughnuts have holes? Who inven

213 - Discover South Carolina with Lora

What comes to mind when you think of South Carolina? Maybe it's Charleston's cobblestone streets, beautiful beaches, or Spanish moss hanging from ancient oak trees. But

212.2 - The Birth of Netflix and the Fall of Blockbuster

In this episode, I’m taking you back to the 1990s and sharing what family movie nights were like growing up in suburban California. From browsing the aisles at Blockbuste

212 - Expression: To Think Outside the Box

What does it really mean to think outside the box? In this episode, you’ll learn one of the most common expressions in American English, used to describe creativity, inn

211 - Preposition Party 🎉 : 7 Everyday Word Pairs with Lucas

Lucas and I are back for another Preposition Party! Today our conversation is going to based on common English collocations like famous for, similar to, suffer from, beli

⭐ Feature: 5-Minute English: Springtime in the U.S.

Join my 14-Day Slang and Expression Challenge. It's free! In this 5-Minute English episode, we’re diving into springtime in the United States. From blooming flowers and

210 - Quick Fix: Further vs. Farther

Do you like this episode format? I've been thinking about doing a series of these "quick fixes" for word confusion, pronunciation, and grammar. That is, if you like t

209 - Ghost Towns in the American West with Aubrey Carter

In this episode, we explore the fascinating world of ghost towns in the United States—places where thousands of people once lived, worked, and searched for fortune… and t

208 - How to Improve the Four Skills in English: Listening, Reading, Speaking & Writing

In this episode, we go back to the fundamentals of language learning:listening, reading, speaking, and writing. But here’s the key idea: You’ll learn faster when these s

⭐ Feature: 5-Minute English: Cleaning

In this 5-Minute English episode, you'll learn useful vocabulary, phrasal verbs, and collocations related to cleaning your home. Through a short story, we follow someone

207.2 - The Great Molasses Flood of 1919

In this episode, we explore the Great Molasses Flood of 1919, one of the strangest and most tragic disasters in U.S. history. On a cold January afternoon in Boston’s Nort

207 - Expression: In a Sticky Situation

In this engaging (and slightly sticky) episode, we explore the common American English idiom “to be in a sticky situation.” After a real-life kitchen disaster involving s