Easy English: Learn English with everyday conversations

• 65: How British are YOU?

  A noisy neighbour, an awkward stand-off, an ironic compliment and a round at the bar... 4 difficult scenarios for Isi to deal with in the UK. Interactive Transcript Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership Transcript Mitch: [0:22] Hiya, welcome to the Easy English Podcast. Isi, how's it going? Isi: [0:28] It's going. Mitch: [0:29] It's going. Very good. That's a very British response. So today, I wanted to, like in the last video episode, test you on your British cultural knowledge. Isi: [0:42] Oh dear. Mitch: [0:45] So for those of you who are listening, you can also, if you'd like, watch this podcast on YouTube, on our YouTube channel. So head over there to watch us debate some British culture topics. So what I'm going to do is I'm going to propose a scenario to you and maybe give you some options, about what you could possibly do. Or you can... Isi: [1:06] You can only go wrong. Mitch: [1:08] Yeah, exactly. You can volunteer your own response if you like as well. Isi: [1:12] We'll see. That was last time already really good. Mitch: [1:15] Yeah. Yeah, because the answers are maybe not what you might expect. Isi: [1:19] Okay. Mitch: [1:20] Okay. Isi: [1:21] I'm ready. Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership

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• 64: Love is Blind

  Today's episode is all about love; the reality TV show Love is Blind; how the concept works, if it is successful and how it is good for learning English. Isi also has three phrases all about love from the medieval ages and from French nobility. Lastly, Samuel asks us a question about improving their English and we announce our NEW Wednesday afternoon conversation classes. Interactive Transcript Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership Transcript Intro Mitch: [0:23] Hello welcome to Easy English episode 64? It is episode 64, just to clarify. Isi: [0:34] clarify. And I will again, cough around. People only know me with an ill voice. I saw it on our recent video about being on the island Sylt for a month. Mitch: [0:44] Yeah we've been away on a German island? There's an island in Germany? What? We made a video about it, you can watch it on YouTube. Yeah we spent four weeks, off-season on this island. It was very relaxing, but as there is not so much to do, because in the off-season, a lot of places are closed or closing early. To fill the time, we were watching some series and to cosy up in our airbnbs. We'd like to speak about one of them, which we really like. - Yep. - And one that gets a bad reputation, I think, because it fits into the category of reality TV. - And Nola just came in. - That was well synchronised, let's do it again, three two one reality three two one reality TV, Unhelpful Advice Mitch: [1:52] Before we talk about the series Love is Blind, we actually have a voice message from a listener. Isi: [2:01] Okay. Samuel: [2:02] Good morning, Easy. I'm Samuel St Fort. I want to speak English. Mitch: [2:08] Ah, thanks for sending in your message, Samuel. They want to speak English. Isi: [2:13] Yeah, I think they want to speak English. So, yeah. Mitch: [2:17] So if you're also like Samuel listening to this podcast and wanting to improve your English and you've, maybe hit a wall and you're really struggling to take your English to that next level, then why don't you try learning and improving your English with us? There are many ways you can improve your English with us at Easy English. We offer material for our YouTube videos. For example, you can get worksheets for our videos, which takes from the vocabulary used in the episode, and we give you a little quiz that you have to complete. Or, if you listen to the podcast, and this is what you'd like to improve on, your listening skills, then you can get an interactive transcript for each and every podcast we record, which helps to translate the podcast in live-time as you're listening to it on your phone, or on your laptop. You can download a interactive translator tool, which allows you to click on each and every word we are saying and then it translates it in live-time, into your language of choice. Or if you're an advanced speaker, then you can improve your English speaking, pronunciation, your vocabulary by joining our conversation classes. Now these are group conversation classes that we hold on Zoom. We now have two, every week. We have one on Tuesday evenings at 18.15 in British time and on Wednesday lunchtimes at 12:00. So maybe you want to, in your lunch break, quickly jump onto a call and meet other members and meet myself, and Isi and try to improve your English speaking skills. And we have a last minute or maybe even second offer for you if you're listening to this podcast today. Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership

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• 63: Great British Culture Quiz

  Why do Brits celebrate November 5th? What time should you arrive to a party? Should you go to the pub with your boss? All these questions... and more, will be answered in this episode's British culture quiz. Interactive Transcript Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership Transcript Mitch: [0:22] Okay, so welcome to episode 63 of the Easy English Podcast. Mitch: [0:28] Today, our main topic will be testing not only Isi, but also myself, quite nervously, on a British culture quiz. But, before we go into the quiz, we have a really exciting announcement, that we've been waiting to announce for ages. We will be starting another additional, conversation call. - Pub call. - We have one already, which is on Tuesday evenings, GMT at 18:15. Our new date will be every Wednesday at 12pm GMT. So maybe you're someone who you're quite good at speaking English, or you think you are, but you don't really have a way to practice your conversational English, speaking and listening. And let's say you've got to a certain level and you've hit a wall, this is the place where you should come, to really get to that next level and level-up your English. We will meet every week, twice a week now, and we will just talk about regular topics that you'll be speaking about, when you come to England, when you're working for an English company, or working in England, when you're visiting the UK, because it's all well and good reading a book and understanding the grammar and vocabulary, but when, we British people speak, as Isi can probably testify. - Yeah. - We're using grammatical errors, we're speaking very quickly, we're lazy, we're sloppy. Mitch: [1:56] Sorry Brits. - And so, the Easy English call is the best way to really put yourself on the ground and improve your English and really feel comfortable and confident, when you're going to come to the UK, work in the UK, and be able to interact with native speakers. Isi: [2:13] And even if you don't come to the UK, but just want to get better with your English, if you live in another English-speaking country, move to another English-speaking country, or just really are interested in the English language, or need it for your job, or because you have friends, partners, from English-speaking countries, whatever your reason is, you might want to improve and level-up your English. Mitch: [2:36] So if you are interested in becoming confident and levelling up your English speaking and listening skills, then join our Conversation Membership at easyenglish.video/membership. Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership

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• 62: Meeting Strangers

  After discussing the phrase 'mad as a hatter', Isi and Mitch discuss the British etiquette of interacting with strangers in private, in public and in pubs and restaurants. Interactive Transcript Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership Transcript Intro Mitch: [0:23] Welcome to the Easy English Podcast, episode 62. Isi: [0:28] Hello, good morning. Mitch: [0:29] Good morning. Isi: [0:30] From Germany. Mitch: [0:31] From Germany. I'm living the German dream. Isi: [0:35] Mitch is just eating a pretzel with butter. Just had coffee and a pretzel, very German. We arrived, already over the weekend. It was the first thing in the supermarket that we got. Mitch: [0:46] What is the... this has now become a small topic, but how would you rank German supermarkets? Isi: [0:55] What does that mean? Mitch: [0:56] From top to bottom, which is considered the most premium, to the most scabby. Isi: [1:00] I don't even know all the supermarkets any more. Mitch: [1:04] In England? Isi: [1:05] I would say the best is, well, the best, the most expensive is, is it Marks and Spencers? Mitch: [1:14] Yep, I'd say so, Marks and Spencers. Isi: [1:16] You know that you eat, should our listeners hear you eating? Marks and Spencers and then... Mitch: [1:23] Morrison's. Isi: [1:24] Morrison's. Is that actually, even more premium? Mitch: [1:27] No, Morrison's is a more premium supermarket. M&S, which is actually a clothing store, has like, a small sort of, supermarket section. Isi: [1:38] Yeah, M&S. Then not Morrison's, next one. And Tesco's? Mitch: [1:45] I think Tesco's and Sainsbury's are kind of locked. Isi: [1:49] Sainsbury's and Co-op is also somewhere around them, I'd say. Or is Co-op actually better than Sainsbury's? Mitch: [1:55] Co-op is actually probably better than Sainsbury's and Tesco's. Isi: [1:57] Saino's, as we call it. Mitch: [1:59] Saino's. Isi: [2:00] And then probably ASDA, which is a discounter. Mitch: [2:05] Yeah. Isi: [2:05] And then the German ones. Mitch: [2:07] Then the German ones. Isi: [2:08] Lidl and Aldi. Where Lidl is better in England and Aldi is not... or? Mitch: [2:14] I'd say that Lidl could be above ASDA. ASDA also goes by the other name of ASBOs, which stands for Antisocial Behaviour Order. Isi: [2:23] Oh, God. I think ASDA has a lot more to offer, at least. Mitch: [2:27] It's usually massive, because it's owned by Walmart. Isi: [2:29] Yeah, and they have a lot of, if you like to cook from different cuisines, they have like World's Food Isles and all that. Lidl doesn't have that. Mitch: [2:37] Okay, so we're saying Marks & Spencer's M&S, Morrison's Co-op, Sainsbury's and Tesco's, then Asda, Lidl, Aldi. Okay, shall we move on to our actual program? Isi: [2:53] I would like to, yes, can I start? Mitch: [2:56] Please. Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership

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  24:14
• 61: Pub Grub pt.2

  Isi and Mitch discuss the final courses of a pub menu; unhealthy halloumi sticks, slimy onion rings, French/Belgian fries vs English/Dutch chips, jacket potatoes, Mary Rose sauce, sticky toffee pudding and... spotted dick? Before all of this, let Mitch and Isi treat you to an uplifting, school assembly song... Interactive Transcript Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership Transcript Intro Isi: [0:22] Hello. Mitch: [0:23] Hiya, welcome to the Easy English Podcast episode 61. Isi: [0:28] Wow. Do we always want to say welcome? Mitch: [0:31] Well, until we reach 100, I always consider that people are still stumbling onto us. Isi: [0:37] God, and everyone now, 39 more episodes. I would like to know if there's a Monday morning song that you can sing for us? It's Monday morning, we have a coffee, our second actually, and I want you to sing a typical song, that you would sing to kids going to school like, yay! Monday morning! Mitch: [0:54] hat's exact... I wasn't thinking exactly that, but I was thinking... the first thing I thought was this one song; morning has broken... very sad. And then I thought what's actually more uplifting and upbeat? And I thought what are the songs we sang at school assembly? Did you have an assembly before school started Isi: [1:16] No, not every day, with special occasions, yes. I think I only did it in primary school, those assemblies. But do you sing a song, then? I don't think so, no. And your song was quite depressive I have to say. Mitch: [1:27] Yeah yeah, but we we didn't sing that song at school assembly, that's why I thought, what did we sing at school assembly? Because it was always a way to get the kids up and running, early in the morning, because I mean early in the morning, we started at nine. (That's holidays.) And so, the only songs can really remember us singing, are... before I get into the one I was thinking of, we had this bizarre one called '20th century highway man', which was an eco-song we'd sing. And it was like about a guy, who's like, working for a big business destroying the Amazon. (Okay.) And it's like; 20th century highway man... he's the 20th century something something man. And then the chorus goes; stand and deliver, he's heading for the Amazon River. He'll steal from the forest, he'll steal from the trees, He gets what he wants and he wants what he see. (Why?) I don't know Okay, but forget that It just came in my head. Isi: [2:25] That's what you sang. In the assembly room? Mitch: [2:27] Yeah, yeah. (What?!) 20th century highwayman. It's like a Bob Dylan song. Isi: [2:33] Wait... is that to educate children about colonialism? Mitch: [2:37] I think it's more about eco... Isi: [2:39] Not that Britain was in the Amazon. Mitch: [2:42] No, the empire never quite reached that part of the world. Isi: [2:46] Would have been better to have a song about... Mitch: [2:50] About what? Bringing slaves over? Isi: [2:52] No. Well, if you want to do the make... The next generation feel the guilt thing, which is good, I think. at least do it properly, with a region that you did colonise. Colonise? Mitch: [3:09] Colonise, yeah? Isi: [3:10] Colonise. But now... well, anyway. Mitch: [3:13] Anyway, you want to wake up the kids. So the song we actually sung, which I remember, and you probably also did it, because I think... it's almost a hymn, but it's not religious or anything. And it was; If I had a hammer, I'd hammer in the morning, I'd hammer in the evening, all over this land. I'd hammer out danger, I'd hammer out a warning, I'd hammer out love between my brothers and my sisters, all over this land... la la la la, la la la la, la la la la, second verse, la la la, If I had a bell, I'd ring it in the morning, (Ding ding ding ding.) I'd ring it in the evening, (Ding ding ding ding.) all over this land, I'd ring out a danger, I'd ring out a warning, I'd ring out love between my brothers and my sisters, all... and I'm just... I'm doing like a globe, I'm doing jazz-hands while sort of doing a. .. (Yeah, Mitch is dancing.) I'm doing a jazz-hands while sort of like drawing the outline of the world, with my hands. I'd hammer out love between my brothers and my sisters, all over this land. Isi: [4:22] Okay, third one, come on. Mitch: [4:24] I don't know what that instrument is. Isi: [4:26] If I had a song. Mitch: [4:27] Oh, yeah? Isi: [4:28] I'd sing it in the morning, I'd sing it in the evening, all over this land, I don't know... how's that melody? I'd sing out danger. Mitch: [4:37] Danger, yeah. I'd sing it out of warning. Isi: [4:41] I'd sing out of... What? I'd song off out of warning. Mitch: [4:44] I'd song off out of warning. That's a tongue twister. Isi: [4:48] I'd sing out love between... Mitch: [4:50] Birds and my sisters, all... jazz-hands over this land. Isi: [4:54] Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, Ah, well that is a morning song. Mitch: [5:07] Don't you feel awake now? Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership

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