Podcasts about American English

Have you ever been in a conversation in English and suddenly thought… “Wait. I didn't catch that.” Maybe someone was speaking too fast. Maybe they used a word you don't know. Maybe you understood the words - but not the meaning. And in that moment, you freeze.  You don't want to say the wrong thing. You don't want to look confused. You don't want to interrupt.Well here's the good news. Checking understanding and getting clarification is a natural part of a conversation in any language - even English. And today, I'm going to show you how you can do that.Happy English Podcast – Speak English Naturally I'm Michael from Happy English, and I help people speak English more naturally, confidently, and clearly.

Hey there! It's Michael here — and welcome back to Speak Naturally in a Minute from Happy English. I'm here every week with a quick one-point lesson to help you improve your pronunciation, rhythm, and intonation.Today, let's talk about a tiny word that changes a lot in American English:   and.In everyday conversation and usually reduces to something that sounds like a weak inSo rock and roll sounds like rock 'n rollsalt and pepper sounds like  salt 'n pepperham and eggs sounds like  ham 'n eggsThe reason is, like other short worlds, conjunctions like and are unstressed.  Here are a few more:you and me → you 'n meblack and white → black 'n whitebread and butter → bread 'n butterHey, thanks for listening! And remember to follow and subscribe so you won't miss the next Happy English Podcast and next week's Speak Naturally in a Minute.  Until next time, keep learning and keep it cool.Happy English Podcast – Speak English Naturally I'm Michael from Happy English, and I help people speak English more naturally, confidently, and clearly.

This is Happy English Podcast, Episode 1,000. Episode one thousand. I honestly didn't know if I'd make it to ten.When I started this podcast, I had no idea who would be listening… or if anyone would be listening. And now, here we are - one thousand episodes later.And the best part? I'm not doing this alone.  It's the comments and messages I get from all over the world every week.  That's what makes this special. Language connects people. And this podcast became a small part of that connection.This week, so many of you sent warm, thoughtful messages. Messages about studying on the train… listening before work… improving pronunciation… gaining confidence with phrasal verbs. I couldn't include every voice today, but please know - I heard you. And I'm grateful. Yes, thank you for 1,000 episodesHappy English Podcast – Speak English Naturally I'm Michael from Happy English, and I help people speak English more naturally, confidently, and clearly.

Hey there! It's Michael here, and welcome back to Phrasal Verbs in a Minute from Happy English. I'm here every Friday with a quick one-point lesson to help you learn a new phrasal verb and sound more natural when you speak.Today's phrasal verb is throw on. When you throw something on, it means you put on clothes quickly without thinking too much about how you look. You're not planning an outfit - you're just getting dressed fast.Like this morning, I woke up late and just threw on a hoodie and jeans before running out the door.And my friend Sarah said she didn't dress up for the party - she just threw something on at the last minute.Sometimes when I go to the convenience store near my house, I just throw on whatever's nearby and go.So how about you? When was the last time you just threw something on and headed out?Let me know in the comments, and remember to follow or subscribe so you don't miss the next Happy English Podcast.  Hey, thanks for listening - and until next time, keep learning and keep it cool.Happy English Podcast – Speak English Naturally I'm Michael from Happy English, and I help people speak English more naturally, confidently, and clearly.

If you speak English clearly but still sound robotic, slow, or overly careful, this American accent masterclass will show you exactly how to fix it.BOOK A 1 ON 1 CONSULTATION WITH ME HEREIn this episode, you'll learn how to stop sounding robotic in English by mastering American accent reductions, connected speech, English rhythm, and natural English flow. Most non-native English speakers over-pronounce grammar words and function words, which destroys natural fluency and makes speech sound choppy. This training breaks down how native speakers actually speak.You'll learn:How to use the schwa sound in American EnglishHow to reduce function words like the, a, an, to, of, canThe real pronunciation difference between can vs can'tHow to improve connected speech and linking in EnglishHow to reduce grammar words without sounding informalWhen to drop the H sound in American EnglishHow to speak fluent American English with natural rhythmThis American accent training focuses on real spoken English — not textbook pronunciation. You'll understand how to connect words in English, reduce unstressed syllables, and create smooth, natural English flow that sounds confident and professional.If you want to:Sound more natural in EnglishImprove American accent pronunciationFix robotic English speechMaster English reductionsSpeak fluent American English in meetings, presentations, and interviewsThis episode gives you a step-by-step system to improve your American accent, master English rhythm, and speak with connected speech like a native speaker.Stop over-pronouncing every word. Start speaking natural American English.Listen now and upgrade your American accent.COACH WITH ME 1 ON 1

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 spilled honey, we break down what the expression means, where it comes from (it dates back over 200 years!), and how Americans actually use it in everyday conversation. You'll hear relatable examples—from accidentally hitting “Reply All” at work to public mix-ups at the Academy Awardsand even the New Coke decision by Coca-Cola. We'll also compare similar expressions and practice pronunciation so you can say it naturally and confidently. And don't miss Part Two, where we cover the unforgettable Great Molasses Flood. ⭐ Get the full transcript, vocabulary list, quizzes, and more by signing up for Premium Content— available inside ⁠the Academy⁠.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Have you ever been asked a question in English and suddenly your mind just goes blank? Has that ever happened to you? Maybe someone says, “What do you think about remote work?” Or, “Where do you see yourself in five years?” And inside your head you're thinking, “Wait… give me a second…” Well, native speakers don't always answer immediately either. In fact, we use small phrases to buy time while we think. We use phrases like, “Let me think…” “That's a good question…” “I've never really thought about that…” Or small words like, “Well…” and “Actually…” These little phrases help you sound fluent - even when you're still organizing your thoughts. And that's what today's podcast English lesson is all about.Happy English Podcast – Speak English Naturally I'm Michael from Happy English, and I help people speak English more naturally, confidently, and clearly.

Want to go through Fluent American videos in a guided, structured way (and work with me every week)? Join the Institute: www.fluentamerican.com/instituteWelcome to the Schwa Mill, where we review pronunciation files you send us and give feedback to help you achieve a more natural American English sound the next time you talk!Send us audio files for FREE here in our Schwa Mill Telegram group: https://t.me/+TJTAfM5tEyQ1ODMx************Have you ever thought about speaking American English like a native speaker, especially for accent/pronunciation?As a language learner myself, I get the desire to sound more natural in a language I've learned, and I'm sorry if the language learning journey has ever been discouraging. I believe the sound you want is in reach though!This channel is one small step to make to move you closer to your goal. For those who want more help, find more info about Magnet Lab at www.fluentamerican.com/magnetlab to see if a deeper dive with me could help your goals become your reality.Who am I? My name is Geoff Anderson. I got my MA in Teaching English as a Second Language in 2012, and have been teaching since 2010. I've studied Italian to around level C1-C2. I was also an IELTS examiner for the speaking/writing tests for 3 years.#fluentamerican #americanenglish #pronunciation

Episode 1000 of the Happy English Podcast drops on February 28, and I'd really love to include you in it. If you've been listening for a while and this podcast has helped you in any way, please send me a short message — about 20 to 40 seconds. Just tell me your first name, where you're listening from, how long you've been listening, and how the podcast has helped you.You can record it on your phone in a quiet room and email the audio file to me at michael@myhappyenglish.com. If you'd rather write a message instead, that's totally fine too. Some of your messages will be featured in Episode 1000. Please send them by February 27. I can't wait to hear from you.People often say that Americans speak very directly. Have you ever heard that? Have you ever thought that? Well in some cases it's true, but quite often in every English conversation, we tend to soften our language in order to sound less direct. And that's what today's podcast English lesson is all about.Have you ever noticed that native English speakers don't always speak in extremes? We often use phrases to soften our language like,  “I'm kind of tired.” “It's a bit cold outside.” Or when someone asks, “Are you hungry?” we don't always say, “No.” We say, “Not really.” Native speakers soften things all the time.  So today, we're going to look at five very common softening phrases: kind of, sort of, a bit, a little, and not really. These small phrases can completely change your tone and make your English sound more natural, more polite, and more conversational.Happy English Podcast – Speak English Naturally I'm Michael from Happy English, and I help people speak English more naturally, confidently, and clearly.

Want to go through Fluent American videos in a guided, structured way (and work with me every week)? Join the Institute: www.fluentamerican.com/instituteWelcome to the Schwa Mill, where we review pronunciation files you send us and give feedback to help you achieve a more natural American English sound the next time you talk!Send us audio files for FREE here in our Schwa Mill Telegram group: https://t.me/+TJTAfM5tEyQ1ODMx************Have you ever thought about speaking American English like a native speaker, especially for accent/pronunciation?As a language learner myself, I get the desire to sound more natural in a language I've learned, and I'm sorry if the language learning journey has ever been discouraging. I believe the sound you want is in reach though!This channel is one small step to make to move you closer to your goal. For those who want more help, find more info about Magnet Lab at www.fluentamerican.com/magnetlab to see if a deeper dive with me could help your goals become your reality.Who am I? My name is Geoff Anderson. I got my MA in Teaching English as a Second Language in 2012, and have been teaching since 2010. I've studied Italian to around level C1-C2. I was also an IELTS examiner for the speaking/writing tests for 3 years.#fluentamerican #americanenglish #pronunciation

Hey there! It's Michael here — and welcome back to Speak Naturally in a Minute from Happy English. I'm here every Sunday with a quick one-point lesson to help you improve your pronunciation, rhythm, and intonation.Today, let's talk about something that confuses a lot of learners. Why do “your” like, your pen and “you're” like you are nice sound exactly the same in American English? The reason is, in natural speech, both words usually reduce to “yer.”So instead of saying:  “your phone”   Americans say:  “yer phone.” And instead of:   “you're late”       We say:  “yer late.”Listen to these examples:“Is that your car?” → “Is that yer car?” “You're early today.” → “Yer early today.” “Your idea is great.” → “Yer idea is great.”This is part of American rhythm — small words often get weaker, and the important words get the stress.Try using this pronunciation in your English conversations this week. Let me know in the comments how that goes. And remember to follow and subscribe so you won't miss the next Happy English Podcast and next week's Speak Naturally in a Minute.Hey, thanks for listening!  Until next time, keep learning and keep it cool.Happy English Podcast – Speak English Naturally I'm Michael from Happy English, and I help people speak English more naturally, confidently, and clearly.

American English shadowing exercises are for people interested in expanding their American English accents, whether you are located in the US, North America, or other areas around the world. For the best use of shadowing exercises in American English, listen to a section of audio, pause, and repeat what you hear. Try to use the same pronunciation, intonation, stress, pitch patterns, and linking that you find native English speakers use; record yourself and compare the differences.Video version: https://youtu.be/8bFV9rwnYL4#fluentamerican #shadowing #americanaccent

Hey there! It's Michael here — and welcome back to English Tips in a Minute from Happy English. I'm here every Saturday with a short, simple tip to help you speak English more naturally and confidently.Before we get to today's English point, I need your help.  Episode 1000 of the Happy English Podcast drops on February 28, and I'd really love to include you in it.If you've been listening for a while and this podcast has helped you in any way, please send me a short message — about 20 to 40 seconds. Just tell me your first name, where you're listening from, how long you've been listening, and how the podcast has helped you.You can record it on your phone in a quiet room and email the audio file to me at michael@myhappyenglish.com . If you'd rather write a message instead, that's totally fine too.Some of your messages will be featured in Episode 1000. Please send them by February 27. I can't wait to hear from you.Today, let's look at another really natural conversational phrase — “that figures.” We use that figures when something happens that we expected, especially when it's typical or slightly annoying. It often has a little bit of sarcasm in it.Like if the train is late. You might say:  “The train's late again? That figures.”Or maybe your friend always forgets things.  “Jack forgot his wallet? That figures.”So that figures basically means, “Yep… I'm not surprised.” Usually in a slightly frustrated or sarcastic way. Just remember, your tone matters. If you say it lightly, it sounds funny. If you say it strongly, it can sound more annoyed. So next time something predictable happens, try saying “that figures.” It's short, natural, and very conversational.Lemme know in the comments if you've ever said “that figures,” and remember to follow or subscribe so you don't miss the next Happy English Podcast and next week's English Tips in a Minute. Hey, thanks for listening — and until next time, keep learning and keep it cool.Happy English Podcast – Speak English Naturally I'm Michael from Happy English, and I help people speak English more naturally, confidently, and clearly.

Hey there! It's Michael here, and welcome back to Phrasal Verbs in a Minute from Happy English. I'm here every Friday with a quick one-point lesson to help you learn a new phrasal verb and sound more natural when you speak.Today's phrasal verb is turn in. Turn in means to go to bed to sleep.During the week, I usually turn in at around 10:30.Jen is a night owl, so she doesn't usually turn in until 1 or 2a,I was exhausted last night so I turned in at nine!So how about you? What time do you usually turn in? What time did you turn in last night?Let me know in the comments, and remember to follow or subscribe so you don't miss the next Happy English Podcast and next week's Phrasal Verbs in a Minute. Hey, thanks for listening - and until next time, keep learning and keep it cool.Happy English Podcast – Speak English Naturally I'm Michael from Happy English, and I help people speak English more naturally, confidently, and clearly.

Want to go through Fluent American videos in a guided, structured way (and work with me every week)? Join the Institute: www.fluentamerican.com/instituteWelcome to the Schwa Mill, where we review pronunciation files you send us and give feedback to help you achieve a more natural American English sound the next time you talk!Send us audio files for FREE here in our Schwa Mill Telegram group: https://t.me/+TJTAfM5tEyQ1ODMx************Have you ever thought about speaking American English like a native speaker, especially for accent/pronunciation?As a language learner myself, I get the desire to sound more natural in a language I've learned, and I'm sorry if the language learning journey has ever been discouraging. I believe the sound you want is in reach though!This channel is one small step to make to move you closer to your goal. For those who want more help, find more info about Magnet Lab at www.fluentamerican.com/magnetlab to see if a deeper dive with me could help your goals become your reality.Who am I? My name is Geoff Anderson. I got my MA in Teaching English as a Second Language in 2012, and have been teaching since 2010. I've studied Italian to around level C1-C2. I was also an IELTS examiner for the speaking/writing tests for 3 years.#fluentamerican #americanenglish #pronunciation

SEASON 4 EPISODE 60: COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN A-Block (2:30) SPECIAL COMMENT: Arizona Senate Republicans just introduced a measure to make ICE MANDATORY at polling places this November. Mandatory. At voting booths. This November. No - It won’t pass. This time. But this does dispel any MAGA crap that this isn't the goal, that rounding up immigrants isn't just practice. Happily, DHS and MAGA are too busy purging themselves. Maybe just as importantly: Does Trump look drawn and unnaturally thin in the face? Like, lost a lot of girth in the face - the kind of thing where people who don’t know say “you’ve lost a lot of weight, you look great” – except you don’t? Also he has just confused Harmeet Dhillon for Phyllis Diller. Standard stuff. But he made a different gaffe that you just can’t write off because it’s new. It’s not something stupid – it’s something he’s misplaced, mentally. The one Trump blunder that suggests he’s getting WORSE: The Penn Station post. AND HOW THE DEATH OF ROBERT DUVALL mainlines into the death of CBS News and the prophesy of Duvall's most important film: Network. Which you should go watch, today. B-Block (50:00) PART TWO of my list of the nearly two dozen destructive changes we are now suffering from, in television news and media in general, that we were warned by, by Paddy Chayefsky, by Peter Finch, Faye Dunaway, Robert Duvall, and director Sidney Lumet. C-Block (1:10:00) THE WORST PERSONS IN THE WORLD: A little out of order, but still really good. Tom Emmer, Minnesota moron. Peter Navarro, economic consultant who doesn't know the Dow Jones number isn't in dollars. And the joy of Candace Owens, so lost she can't pronounce ordinary American English words like "Bureau" and "Grandiose" and as chronicled by one of the best of all Twitter-X follows: @CandaceReading1See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this lively and insight-packed episode of the Global Marketing Show, Wendy MacKenzie Pease sits down with British business English coach Megan Nicholls to explore the subtle differences between British and American English and what they mean in today's global workplace. From spelling shifts like “colour” vs. “color” to deeper cultural contrasts in feedback styles (British understatement vs. American directness), Megan reveals how communication is shaped just as much by culture as by vocabulary. They also discuss why multilingual professionals don't need to lose their accents to be taken seriously, and how perfectionism often blocks confidence more than language ability itself. The conversation moves beyond pronunciation into the business implications of language: how marketing messages require cultural sensitivity, why literal translation can create costly misunderstandings (including a memorable “family shooting” ad mishap), and what role AI should (and shouldn't) play in global communication. Megan shares how she coaches professionals to build clarity, authority, and mindset resilience, helping them navigate international teams with confidence. Listen to learn: The Real Differences Between British and American English Go Beyond Spelling. Listeners will understand how tone, feedback styles, and cultural expectations differ between the UK and US, and how those differences impact meetings, marketing, and leadership communication. You Don't Need to Erase Your Accent to Sound Professional. Clarity beats perfection. This episode reframes accents as identity and provides insight into building confidence by speaking more, not waiting to feel “ready.” AI Can Draft Your Email, But It Can't Replace Cultural Intelligence. While automation is reshaping written communication, high-stakes marketing and relationship-building still require human nuance. Listeners will learn when technology works and when specialist, culturally aware communication makes all the difference. This episode is essential listening for global managers, marketers, expats, and anyone navigating the bridge between British and American English in international business. Check out The Global Marketing Show Blog.

Why does FUTURE sound like "fuchure"?In this English Makes No Sense episode, we break down why the T + U combination sometimes sounds like CH in American English.You'll learn:✔ When TU becomes /tʃ/✔ Common -ture words✔ Words that DON'T follow the rule✔ Clear pronunciation practicePerfect for ESL learners who want clearer American pronunciation and better listening skills.#EnglishMakesNoSense#EnglishPronunciation#LearnEnglish#ESL#SpeakEnglish#AmericanAccent#PronunciationTips#ESLPodcast

In this playful and spontaneous episode, Liz and I play a fast-paced guessing game using common English portmanteaus—words created by blending two others together. From hangry and bromance to Spam and chillax, we break down their meanings, origins, and how Americans actually use them in conversation. Along the way, you'll hear natural dialogue, cultural references, and plenty of examples to help these words stick. If you want to sound more natural in everyday American English, this one's for you. ⭐ Get the full list, as well as the full episode by signing up to Premium Content. Now available as part of the Academy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Have you ever heard people say things like this? Really? Get outta here! Seriously? No way! When something surprising happens in an English conversation, we have a number of different ways we can express our surprise or disbelief. And n English, reacting naturally when you feel surprise or disbelief is not just about vocabulary. It's about tone. It's about intonation. And sometimes it's even about your relationship with the other person. And that's what this podcast English lesson is all about.Today, we're going to look at 4 very natural reaction phrases that native speakers use all the time - and we're also going to practice the pronunciation and intonation that make them sound real.Happy English Podcast – Speak English Naturally I'm Michael from Happy English, and I help people speak English more naturally, confidently, and clearly.

Free audio/mp3 version of this video: www.fluentamerican.com/podcastWant to go through Fluent American videos in a guided, structured way (and work with me every week)? Join the Institute: www.fluentamerican.com/instituteWelcome to the Schwa Mill, where we review pronunciation files you send us and give feedback to help you achieve a more natural American English sound the next time you talk!Send us audio files for FREE here in our Schwa Mill Telegram group: https://t.me/+TJTAfM5tEyQ1ODMx************Have you ever thought about speaking American English like a native speaker, especially for accent/pronunciation?As a language learner myself, I get the desire to sound more natural in a language I've learned, and I'm sorry if the language learning journey has ever been discouraging. I believe the sound you want is in reach though!This channel is one small step to make to move you closer to your goal. For those who want more help, find more info about Magnet Lab at www.fluentamerican.com/magnetlab to see if a deeper dive with me could help your goals become your reality.Who am I? My name is Geoff Anderson. I got my MA in Teaching English as a Second Language in 2012, and have been teaching since 2010. I've studied Italian to around level C1-C2. I was also an IELTS examiner for the speaking/writing tests for 3 years.#fluentamerican #americanenglish #pronunciation

Have you ever been in the middle of a conversation and thought, “Okay… I need to leave now… but how do I say that?” Maybe you're at a party. Maybe you're on the phone. Maybe you're chatting with a coworker and you actually have work to do. Well, we usually end a conversation with soft, natural phrases to signal that the conversation is ending. We ease out of it. And that's what this podcast English lesson is all about.Today, we're going to look at some very natural phrases native speakers use to wrap up a conversation smoothly, politely, and without awkwardness. Happy English Podcast – Speak English Naturally I'm Michael from Happy English, and I help people speak English more naturally, confidently, and clearly.

Want to go through Fluent American videos in a guided, structured way (and work with me every week)? Join the Institute: www.fluentamerican.com/instituteWelcome to the Schwa Mill, where we review pronunciation files you send us and give feedback to help you achieve a more natural American English sound the next time you talk!Send us audio files for FREE here in our Schwa Mill Telegram group: https://t.me/+TJTAfM5tEyQ1ODMx************Have you ever thought about speaking American English like a native speaker, especially for accent/pronunciation?As a language learner myself, I get the desire to sound more natural in a language I've learned, and I'm sorry if the language learning journey has ever been discouraging. I believe the sound you want is in reach though!This channel is one small step to make to move you closer to your goal. For those who want more help, find more info about Magnet Lab at www.fluentamerican.com/magnetlab to see if a deeper dive with me could help your goals become your reality.Who am I? My name is Geoff Anderson. I got my MA in Teaching English as a Second Language in 2012, and have been teaching since 2010. I've studied Italian to around level C1-C2. I was also an IELTS examiner for the speaking/writing tests for 3 years.#fluentamerican #americanenglish #pronunciation

Hey there! It's Michael here - and welcome back to Speak Naturally in a Minute from Happy English. I'm here every Sunday with a quick one-point lesson to help you improve your pronunciation, rhythm, and intonation.Today, let's look at a two words that are often hard to hear: can and can't First is can. Can is unstressed and the sound is more like kin. And the stress is on  the verb after can: I kin TAKE it She kin DO it We kin GO there tomorrow.On the other hand, can't is stressed I CAN'T take it She CAN'T do it We CAN'T go there tomorrow.Listen again. I can go. She can't go. Can is unstressed, can't is stressed. I can do it. She can't do it.Remember, pronunciation is half listening and half doing, so practice every day!Hey, thanks for listening! And remember to follow and subscribe so you won't miss the next Happy English Podcast and next Sunday's Speak Naturally in a Minute.  Until next time, keep learning and keep it cool.Happy English Podcast – Speak English Naturally I'm Michael from Happy English, and I help people speak English more naturally, confidently, and clearly.

Hey there! It's Michael here - and welcome back to English Tips in a Minute from Happy English. I'm here every Saturday with a short, simple tip to help you speak English more naturally and confidently.Today, let's look at another,  common conversational phrase - “I'm into…”We use I'm into to mean I really like or I'm interested in something. And here's the cool thing - we use it for both romantic situations and everyday interests.For example, in a romantic way, you might say:“I think I'm really into her.”Or, “He's into girls who love to travel.”But we also use it for hobbies and interests. Like:“I'm really into photography these days.”Or, “I'm not into horror movies.”So I'm into just means you have a strong interest in something - or someone. It's casual, natural, and you'll hear it all the time in everyday conversation.So remember, the next time you want to say you really like something - or someone - try using “I'm into…”Lemme know in the comments what you're into these days, and remember to follow or subscribe so you don't miss the next Happy English Podcast and next week's English Tips in a Minute. Hey, thanks for listening - and until next time, keep learning and keep it cool.Happy English Podcast – Speak English Naturally I'm Michael from Happy English, and I help people speak English more naturally, confidently, and clearly.

Hey there! It's Michael here, and welcome back to Phrasal Verbs in a Minute from Happy English. I'm here every Friday with a quick one-point lesson to help you learn a new phrasal verb and sound more natural when you speak.Today's phrasal verb is chisel away at. A chisel is a tool used to shape wood, a little at a time. When you chisel away at a task, it means you work on it little by little over time. Like my friend Alex has been chiseling away at writing his novel for the past year. He only writes a few pages a week, but it's adding up.And my neighbor has been chiseling away at renovating his house - one room at a time.These days, I'm chiseling away at improving my Japanese reading and writing. A little practice every day really makes a difference.So how about you? What's something you've been chiseling away at recently? Let me know in the comments, and remember to follow or subscribe so you don't miss the next Happy English Podcast and next week's Phrasal Verbs in a Minute.Hey, thanks for listening - and until next time, keep learning and keep it cool.Happy English Podcast – Speak English Naturally I'm Michael from Happy English, and I help people speak English more naturally, confidently, and clearly.

Free audio/mp3 version of this video: www.fluentamerican.com/podcastWant to go through Fluent American videos in a guided, structured way (and work with me every week)? Join the Institute: www.fluentamerican.com/instituteWelcome to the Schwa Mill, where we review pronunciation files you send us and give feedback to help you achieve a more natural American English sound the next time you talk!Send us audio files for FREE here in our Schwa Mill Telegram group: https://t.me/+TJTAfM5tEyQ1ODMx************Have you ever thought about speaking American English like a native speaker, especially for accent/pronunciation?As a language learner myself, I get the desire to sound more natural in a language I've learned, and I'm sorry if the language learning journey has ever been discouraging. I believe the sound you want is in reach though!This channel is one small step to make to move you closer to your goal. For those who want more help, find more info about Magnet Lab at www.fluentamerican.com/magnetlab to see if a deeper dive with me could help your goals become your reality.Who am I? My name is Geoff Anderson. I got my MA in Teaching English as a Second Language in 2012, and have been teaching since 2010. I've studied Italian to around level C1-C2. I was also an IELTS examiner for the speaking/writing tests for 3 years.

Sometimes you need to tell someone whether you're free or not. And when I say free, I'm talking about time, not cost. Maybe a coworker wants to set up a meeting. Maybe a friend wants to grab dinner. Maybe someone asks, “Are you available tomorrow?” In situations like these, you don't need to say yes or no. In everyday English, we have a few short, natural phrases that clearly show whether we are available - or not. And that's what this podcast English lesson is all about.Happy English Podcast – Speak English Naturally I'm Michael from Happy English, and I help people speak English more naturally, confidently, and clearly.

Learn the difference between short and long vowel sounds in English with /ɪ/ vs /iː/ (ship vs sheep). This ESL pronunciation lesson helps improve clarity, listening skills, and speaking confidence in American English.#EnglishPronunciation #ESLPronunciation #LearnEnglish #VowelSounds #SpeakEnglish #AmericanEnglish #EnglishListening

Want to go through Fluent American videos in a guided, structured way (and work with me every week)? Join the Institute: www.fluentamerican.com/instituteWelcome to the Schwa Mill, where we review pronunciation files you send us and give feedback to help you achieve a more natural American English sound the next time you talk!Send us audio files for FREE here in our Schwa Mill Telegram group: https://t.me/+TJTAfM5tEyQ1ODMx************Have you ever thought about speaking American English like a native speaker, especially for accent/pronunciation?As a language learner myself, I get the desire to sound more natural in a language I've learned, and I'm sorry if the language learning journey has ever been discouraging. I believe the sound you want is in reach though!This channel is one small step to make to move you closer to your goal. For those who want more help, find more info about Magnet Lab at www.fluentamerican.com/magnetlab to see if a deeper dive with me could help your goals become your reality.Who am I? My name is Geoff Anderson. I got my MA in Teaching English as a Second Language in 2012, and have been teaching since 2010. I've studied Italian to around level C1-C2. I was also an IELTS examiner for the speaking/writing tests for 3 years.#fluentamerican #americanenglish #pronunciation

Cookies or biscuits? Autumn or fall? Catherine and Doug discuss British and American English. Hear about differences and similarities in vocabulary from both sides of the Atlantic.Visit our website ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglishFollow us ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/followusDiscover Beating Speaking Anxiety: ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/beating_speaking_anxietyLearn more English for Work: ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/business-englishSubscribe to our newsletter: ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/newslettersLIKE PODCASTS? Try some of our other popular podcasts including: ✔️ 6 Minute English ✔️ Learning English for Work ✔️ Learning English ConversationsThey're all available by searching in your podcast app.

Sometimes, in the middle of a conversation, you need to change the topic. Maybe something that was said suddenly reminds you of something else that you want to say. Well, if that's happened to you, then you've come to the right podcast. In situations like these, we have a few short, natural phrases that gently guide the conversation in a new direction - and that's what this podcast English lesson is all about.Happy English Podcast – Speak English Naturally I'm Michael from Happy English, and I help people speak English more naturally, confidently, and clearly.

Want to go through Fluent American videos in a guided, structured way (and work with me every week)? Join the Institute: www.fluentamerican.com/instituteWelcome to the Schwa Mill, where we review pronunciation files you send us and give feedback to help you achieve a more natural American English sound the next time you talk!Send us audio files for FREE here in our Schwa Mill Telegram group: https://t.me/+TJTAfM5tEyQ1ODMx************Have you ever thought about speaking American English like a native speaker, especially for accent/pronunciation?As a language learner myself, I get the desire to sound more natural in a language I've learned, and I'm sorry if the language learning journey has ever been discouraging. I believe the sound you want is in reach though!This channel is one small step to make to move you closer to your goal. For those who want more help, find more info about Magnet Lab at www.fluentamerican.com/magnetlab to see if a deeper dive with me could help your goals become your reality.Who am I? My name is Geoff Anderson. I got my MA in Teaching English as a Second Language in 2012, and have been teaching since 2010. I've studied Italian to around level C1-C2. I was also an IELTS examiner for the speaking/writing tests for 3 years.#fluentamerican #americanenglish #pronunciation

Hey there! It's Michael here - and welcome back to Speak Naturally in a Minute from Happy English. I'm here every week with a quick one-point lesson to help you improve your pronunciation, rhythm, and intonation.Today, let's practice liaison - how sounds link together in natural American English.  Our focus today is the phrase “whaddaya.” I everyday English conversation,  what do you and what are you often sound exactly the same: whaddaya.So instead of saying:  “What do you think?”  Americans usually say:  “Whaddaya think?”And instead of:  “What are you doing?”  We say:  “Whaddaya doing?”Now, let's do some shadowing practice. I'll say a phrase twice.  First, just listen.  Then, say it together with me. Ready?Whaddaya think?  (Again - shadow me)  Whaddaya think?Whaddaya like?  (Again - shadow me) Whaddaya like?  Whaddaya want?  (Again - shadow me) Whaddaya want?  Whaddaya doing?   (Again - shadow me)  Whaddaya doing?Whaddaya thinking?   (Again - shadow me)  Whaddaya thinking?Whaddaya getting?   (Again - shadow me)  Whaddaya getting?This kind of liaison makes your English sound faster, smoother, and more natural. So next time you ask a question, try it the natural way:  Whaddaya think?Hey, thanks for practicing with me! And remember to follow and subscribe so you won't miss the next Happy English Podcast and next week's Speak Naturally in a Minute.  Until next time, keep learning and keep it cool.Happy English Podcast – Speak English Naturally I'm Michael from Happy English, and I help people speak English more naturally, confidently, and clearly.

Hey there! It's Michael here - and welcome back to English Tips in a Minute from Happy English. I'm here every week with a short, simple tip to help you speak English more naturally and confidently. Today, let's look at another really common conversational phrase - “at the end of the day.” We use at the end of the day to sum things up or to focus on the final point or conclusion. You'll hear this a lot in business meetings, but people also use it in everyday conversation.Like, in a meeting, someone might say:  “These are all good idea, but at the end of the day, we need to meet the deadline.”Or in a more personal situation:  “The car salesman offered a really good car, for a great price, but at the end of the day it was just too far out of my budget.”Or about language learning: “There are a lot of apps out there to learn English, but at the end of the day, having English conversation with others is the best way to improve.”Remember, you can use at the end of the day to focus on the final point or conclusion. It helps your English sound clear, confident, and natural - especially when giving opinions. Practice using at the end of the day in your english conversations this week.Try leaving an example in the comments,  and remember to follow or subscribe so you don't miss the next Happy English Podcast and next week's English Tips in a Minute. Hey, thanks for listening - and until next time, keep learning and keep it cool.Happy English Podcast – Speak English Naturally I'm Michael from Happy English, and I help people speak English more naturally, confidently, and clearly.

Full interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yz4p3sU5o04&t=2sAmerican English shadowing exercises are for people interested in expanding their American English accents, whether you are located in the US, North America, or other areas around the world. For the best use of shadowing exercises in American English, listen to a section of audio, pause, and repeat what you hear. Try to use the same pronunciation, intonation, stress, pitch patterns, and linking that you find native English speakers use; record yourself and compare the differences.

Hey there! It's Michael here, and welcome back to Phrasal Verbs in a Minute from Happy English. I'm here every Friday with a quick one-point lesson to help you learn a new phrasal verb and sound more natural when you speak.Today's phrasal verb is follow through on.When you follow through on something, it means you finish what you promised or planned - you don't quit halfway.Like the problem with Jack is, he has lots of good ideas, but he never follows through on any of them.My friend Emily followed through on her goal to read 20 books last year - pretty impressive.These days, I'm trying to follow through on the study plan I set up.So how about you? What's something you're trying to follow through on these days?Let me know in the comments, and remember to follow or subscribe so you don't miss the next Happy English Podcast and next week's Phrasal Verbs in a Minute. Hey, thanks for listening - and until next time, keep learning and keep it cool.Happy English Podcast – Speak English Naturally I'm Michael from Happy English, and I help people speak English more naturally, confidently, and clearly.

Want to go through Fluent American videos in a guided, structured way (and work with me every week)? Join the Institute: www.fluentamerican.com/instituteWelcome to the Schwa Mill, where we review pronunciation files you send us and give feedback to help you achieve a more natural American English sound the next time you talk!Send us audio files for FREE here in our Schwa Mill Telegram group: https://t.me/+TJTAfM5tEyQ1ODMx************Have you ever thought about speaking American English like a native speaker, especially for accent/pronunciation?As a language learner myself, I get the desire to sound more natural in a language I've learned, and I'm sorry if the language learning journey has ever been discouraging. I believe the sound you want is in reach though!This channel is one small step to make to move you closer to your goal. For those who want more help, find more info about Magnet Lab at www.fluentamerican.com/magnetlab to see if a deeper dive with me could help your goals become your reality.Who am I? My name is Geoff Anderson. I got my MA in Teaching English as a Second Language in 2012, and have been teaching since 2010. I've studied Italian to around level C1-C2. I was also an IELTS examiner for the speaking/writing tests for 3 years.#fluentamerican #americanenglish #pronunciation

This is part four of the Restoration Theology class. Last time we covered the importance of using the Bible to build our beliefs. But what is the Bible? Well, it wasn’t written in American English or in the West or in recent history. The Bible is a library of books written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. Still, that doesn’t quite answer the question of what the Bible is. Let’s just focus on the New Testament (NT) for a moment. The NT contains twenty-seven books written in Greek. But that still doesn’t tell you the whole picture. In fact, when you pick up a Greek New Testament (GNT), you’re looking at a scholarly reconstruction of what textual specialists think the earliest recoverable form of each word of the original New Testament is. This reconstruction is based on thousands of little decisions of textual critics who have at their disposal thousands of handwritten GNT manuscripts. It’s a little complicated, but you need to know what’s going on. Eventually in this class we’re going to get around to building and evaluating doctrines based on the Bible. Sometimes manuscript variations have a great bearing on doctrine. So, you need to know this stuff. What I’ve done in this episode is put together a narrative, marching through history to see not only what the most important kinds of manuscripts are, but also their exciting stories of discovery. I hope you will enjoy learning about this important field.   Listen on Spotify   Listen on Apple Podcasts —— Links —— Check out the other episodes of the Restoration Theology class Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Facebook group, follow on X @RestitutioSF or Instagram @Sean.P.Finnegan Leave a 90 second voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play it out on the air Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price. Get the transcript of this episode Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.

Do you need to recharge? No, I'm not talking about your phone. I'm referring to you! Maybe you need to slow down a bit or take a break. If any of those are relatable, you've come to the right place. Today, we're gonna  talk about slowing down, taking care of ourselves, and getting back our energy.This English lesson is all about some natural phrases native speakers use when they need to rest, slow down, or recharge - especially after being busy or feeling stressed. Happy English Podcast – Speak English Naturally I'm Michael from Happy English, and I help people speak English more naturally, confidently, and clearly.

In this episode, Shana is joined by her husband Lucas for another fun Preposition Party. Together, they play a guessing game with common English prepositions while sharing personal stories about food, fears, parenting, moving, and unexpected passions. You'll hear natural, real-life examples of expressions like look forward to, get used to, care about, to fall in love with and more. It's a relaxed, conversational episode designed to help you build confidence and sound more natural in American English. Sign up to the Academy to learn more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mario Bros. is the biggest franchise of all time. Bigger than Star Wars, Marvel… bigger than Harry Potter. Nintendo is an empire. Dave Young: Welcome to the Empire Builders Podcast, teaching business owners the not-so-secret techniques that took famous businesses from mom and pop to major brands. Stephen Semple is a marketing consultant, story collector, and storyteller. I’m Stephen’s sidekick and business partner, Dave Young. Before we get into today’s episode, a word from our sponsor, which is… Well, it’s us, but we’re highlighting ads we’ve written and produced for our clients. So here’s one of those. [Travis Crawford Ad] Dave Young: Welcome back to the Empire Builders Podcast. Dave Young here with you, and Stephen Semple’s alongside, with another empire-building story for us that- Stephen Semple: An exciting story. Dave Young: It’ll take you back to childhood, but it doesn’t take me back to childhood because I’m too goddamned old. Stephen Semple: Well, it depends how you look at this, this might be- Dave Young: No, I suppose. I suppose the company [inaudible 00:01:55]. Stephen Semple: It might be older than your childhood, but depends what we decide to talk about. Dave Young: Yeah, it’s just like when the big games came out, the… So we’re talking about Nintendo today. Stephen Semple: Correct. Correct. Dave Young: And I had Atari and things like that. And my kids all had the Nintendo. I actually have a Nintendo Switch, but I didn’t get that until I was… Stephen Semple: It also originally started as an arcade game, if we go back, because we are going to go back far enough. Dave Young: Well, that’s true. That’s true. Stephen Semple: Yes, yes. But if we actually went back to the company, Nintendo, we would be going back to 1889. Dave Young: Okay. So not so much my childhood. There you go. Stephen Semple: 1889. Yeah. And we’re really not going to talk so much about the origin and Nintendo as a company, but really, the origin of the video game business, and more specifically Donkey Kong, and went on later to become the Mario Brothers franchise. That’s really what we’re going to talk about. Dave Young: Now, hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Now, I don’t know everything, but I’m pretty sure video wasn’t around in 1889. Stephen Semple: It was not. Dave Young: There was no video games. Stephen Semple: No, there was not. So that’s why we’re really going to be talking about more of the recent history of Nintendo. Dave Young: A real Donkey Kong, climbing ladders and throwing barrels. Stephen Semple: Okay. That’s it. That’s it. Dave Young: Or a monkey, a gorilla. Yeah. Stephen Semple: And here’s the thing, the Mario Brothers franchise is huge. It’s one of the biggest franchises in history. There’s been 800 million video games sold worldwide, making it the bestselling video game of all time. It’s bigger than Pokemon in game sales alone. The estimated lifetime sales across all revenues for the Mario Brothers franchise is $60 billion. Bigger than Star Wars, bigger than Harry Potter, bigger than Marvel. Dave Young: Wow. Stephen Semple: The movies alone sold over a billion dollars. There’s theme park now. It’s huge. It’s absolutely massive. And the Nintendo company is very old. It was founded back in Kyoto, Japan in 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi. That’s it, Yamauchi. Dave Young: Oh. Stephen Semple: Boy, I’m going to struggle with these names. Dave Young: What were they doing back then? What was the company doing? Stephen Semple: The first product they did was a playing card called Hanafuda, and it was very, very successful. So they actually started- Dave Young: As a gaming company. Stephen Semple: … in game business doing playing cards. Dave Young: Okay. Stephen Semple: Now, during the 1950s, during Japan’s economic recovery, because if you remember, the economy was decimated in World War II, and through the Marshall Plan and whatnot, there was this rebuild going on. And during that time, they had a new leader, Hiroshi Yamauchi, who decided to explore all sorts of new businesses. He was doing all sorts of stuff. They had taxis, they had love hotels. Yes, you heard it right, love hotels. Dave Young: Love hotels. Stephen Semple: Instant rice, and of course, toys. And most of the things they did failed, except toys held a promise, so they continued to lean into toys. So it’s April 1978, so this is basically really where our story starts, and Taito, a competitor, releases a game called Space Invaders. Dave Young: Oh, right. I remember Space Invaders. Sure. Stephen Semple: Remember Space Invaders? And of course, this is back in the day of arcades, and you’re putting money into the games. This is so big in Japan, there’s 100 yen shortage. It would be like being in the U.S., and we run out of quarters. Dave Young: Right. Stephen Semple: It’s so big. So Nintendo, because it’s having some success in the game space, decides to make a knockoff of Space Invaders. So it’s October 1980, they create this knockoff called Radar Scope, and they decide also to ship it to the U.S., because they’ve started up a U.S. division. And it takes four months for the game to travel from Japan to the United States, and once it arrives, the trend has changed, it’s no longer Space Invaders, it’s now Pac-Man is the big game. Dave Young: Okay. Stephen Semple: So they’re left with these 2,000 unsold cabinets sitting in the United States. Enter Shigeru Miyamoto, who’s a graphic designer with Nintendo, and he has an idea, and he says to them, “Look, let’s reuse the cabinets, and let’s just create a new game. Let’s do that.” And it’s like, “What the heck? Let’s give this a try.” So Shigeru grew up in rural Japan, and this deeply influenced how he looked at games, because he grew up in a place where there was no television, none of these things, and he would go and he would play in like a cave that was nearby, and he would create all of these stories and characters. And this is the ’80s where the games do not have characters or a story. Dave Young: Okay. Yeah. Stephen Semple: They didn’t have that. Dave Young: Space Invader, you’re just knocking down… Stephen Semple: Right. Pac-Man, the same thing, there was no story. Pong, all that stuff, no stories. He takes a look around and he realizes that Nintendo has the rights to use Popeye, so Shigeru makes a suggestion to create a game using Popeye, where they already have the rights, and he moves ahead and does that. And so he also decides to make a game where characters move up rather than scrolling left to right, and there’d be different levels, which was also a relatively new idea. And he created this whole thing where they could jump, and using just a joystick in the buttons that already existed. So they started to create this game, but they hit a snag. Just before the release, they discovered Nintendo only had the rights to use Popeye for playing cards. Dave Young: For playing cards. Darn it. Stephen Semple: Now, turns out this was a gift from heaven, and the best thing that could ever happen in Nintendo. Dave Young: So it would’ve been Bluto up at the top, and Popeye trying to get up there, climbing the ladders and- Stephen Semple: And saving- Dave Young: So sort of a nautical theme? Stephen Semple: And saving olive oil. Dave Young: Yeah. Stephen Semple: Because remember, he would always capture olive oil. Dave Young: Yeah. Stephen Semple: And Popeye was this love triangle, right? Dave Young: Yeah. Stephen Semple: So what does Shigeru do? Replaces- Dave Young: Bluto becomes- Stephen Semple: … with- Dave Young: … the gorilla. Stephen Semple: Right. Popeye becomes Mario. Dave Young: Yeah. Stephen Semple: And olive oil is Princess Peach. Dave Young: Okay. Stephen Semple: It’s the same story. Dave Young: Yeah. Beautiful. Stephen Semple: It’s exactly the same story. And if you think about it, even the whole idea of this gorilla capturing the princess kind of sounds like King Kong, doesn’t it? Dave Young: A little bit. Sure. Stephen Semple: A little bit. And of course, they can’t use the name King Kong, so it’s Donkey Kong. And the reason why Donkey Kong is, he went looking through English dictionaries, and there’s all this stubbornness, and all this other things that go along with it. So we went, “You know what? This monkey, this Kong is kind of stubborn.” So Donkey Kong is the name of the game. Dave Young: Did they run into any issues with the King Kong folks? Stephen Semple: Nope. Dave Young: No? Stephen Semple: No, because you think about it, it’s a completely different name, Donkey Kong, right? Dave Young: Yeah, but it’s still a big gorilla with the word Kong in it. Stephen Semple: Yeah. Nope, no. It was different enough. Dave Young: [inaudible 00:09:14] just because it’s stubborn, and it sort of went with the word Kong? Stephen Semple: Yep. So it was different enough. It was all great. And the original character was not Mario. Dave Young: Stay tuned. We’re going to wrap up this story and tell you how to apply this lesson to your business right after this. [Using Stories To Sell Ad] Let’s pick up our story where we left off, and trust me, you haven’t missed a thing. Stephen Semple: And the original character was not Mario. The original character was Jumpman. Jumpman. Dave Young: I kind of remember that. Stephen Semple: Jumpman. And the game allowed them to reuse the cabinets, and just do it. And think about it, the objective of this, because he was also just a very junior graphic designer, and the objective on this was, “Hey, if we can sell these 2,000 unsold cabinets sitting in the U.S., that’ll take the financial strain off of our U.S. operations, and it will be great, it will keep them afloat.” And here’s what happened, they sold in 1981 alone 60,000 cabinets. Dave Young: I tell you, I poured a lot of money into one of those cabinets when I was in college. Stephen Semple: So Shigeru goes from this low-level designer to the creator of one of the best performing games up to that point. And one of the things that also ends up happening, he starts making modifications to the game. And one of the modifications is, he’s walking one day, and he sees these pipes, and he realizes character should be a plumber, and the landlord for one of the Nintendo properties’ name was Mario. Dave Young: Okay. Stephen Semple: So that’s where the whole idea of Mario came from, and eventually evolved to being brothers, Mario and Luigi. And of course, there was continuing success, and other formats and differing games. And Mario Brothers grew beyond Donkey Kong, it went from Donkey Kong to really the franchise being the Mario Brothers, with all sorts of new characters being added, and all sorts of new themes, like there’s go-kart racing and all sorts of different things. But the birth of the idea happened when they had this problem of, “We’ve got to have these cabinets…” And Shigeru saying- Dave Young: “And we either have to make a whole bunch of Popeye playing cards, or we have to find something to put in these cabinets.” Stephen Semple: “We have to find something to put in these cabinets.” And Shigeru saying, “It needs to be a story.” Dave Young: Yeah. No, that’s brilliant. And I feel like I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out to our listeners here in the U.S. that Steve is Canadian, and he pronounces it Mario, and everybody I’ve ever met says Mario. Stephen Semple: Mario. Dave Young: Mario. It’s Mario Brothers. Stephen Semple: Mario. Dave Young: It’s sort of like you say Mazda, we say Mazda. Stephen Semple: Right. Yes. Yes. Dave Young: So- Stephen Semple: Yeah, that’s true. Dave Young: Here’s a weird tangential thought. Do you have a minute for one of my weird tangential thoughts? Stephen Semple: Isn’t that why we’re here? Just for your weird tangential… Isn’t what we tune in for? Dave Young: That’s the way I look at it. I wonder if the guy that shot the UnitedHealthcare… Luigi, I wonder if there was a little bump in Nintendo stock. Stephen Semple: Oh, I wonder. Dave Young: And I wonder too, what was the discussion inside Nintendo about that? At first it was probably, “Oh my God, a guy named Luigi just shot someone.” And that was probably, “Oh my God, a guy named Luigi just shot someone that… Okay.” It’s not cut and dry. Stephen Semple: Well, it isn’t, because sometimes these negative events actually have positive impacts on sales. The one that I always remember that always comes to mind, I always find bizarre, is the white two-door Ford Bronco was due to be discontinued until O.J. Simpson went and did a joyride on LA freeways, and it actually extended the sales of that vehicle several years. And to this day, the white two-door Ford Bronco is a premium price from that year. Dave Young: Yeah- Stephen Semple: It’s nuts. Sometimes these crazy things happen. Dave Young: I don’t know if it was a joyride, but yeah. But we remember it, for sure. Stephen Semple: But we remember it. But- Dave Young: And those things have these impacts that you couldn’t buy that. There’s nothing Ford Motor Company could do that would’ve done that, that would’ve saved the Bronco. Stephen Semple: So here’s the interesting thing, coming back to Nintendo, that I find… So one of the influences it had was it was the first game that came along and basically said, “We should have a story.” And if we take a look at video games today, they’re all very heavy story based. And in fact, the stories are unbelievably rich, like Zelda, and all these other ones are these very complex universes that have been created. And he was kind of the first to come along, and his influence from that came from the fact that he didn’t grow up with these things. Dave Young: Yeah, he grew up with stories. Stephen Semple: So again, it’s this whole outside… We had this graphic designer that didn’t grow up with these things saying to a game, “Here’s what it should do. It should have this story, and there should be this imagination.” And all these things. And when you think about it, there was a couple of accidents, a couple of lucky happenstances that led to the birth of this. First of all, the console. Because if you think about it, if it was the creating of a brand new game, you wouldn’t take some junior graphic artist and put on it. The objective was, “All we need to do is move these 2,000 consoles.” So it was like, “Okay, so we’ll give it to the junior guy to do.” And then it blows out of the water. The other lucky happenstance is, think about how Nintendo’s fortunes would be completely different if they actually had the rights to use Popeye. Dave Young: Yeah, it would have been, like, Mario Brothers, that whole universe would never have come about, and- Stephen Semple: Well, the whole universe would be Popeye Universe, even if it worked. Dave Young: And I can’t see that happening. Stephen Semple: Right. But even if it worked, it would not have been theirs, it would have been- Dave Young: Oh, true. Stephen Semple: The people who would have made all the money were the owners of the Popeye license, would have been a licensee. Dave Young: Yeah, that’s true. Stephen Semple: So they had a couple of really lucky, fortunate things that happened that totally changed the trajectory of Nintendo. But here’s the other interesting lesson, and look, we talk about this all the time in storytelling, is there’s a couple of things you can do in storytelling. One is, you can take an existing story and just change the characters. We just took Popeye, changed as Donkey Kong. And what you know is, we knew that story worked, so it’ll work over here with different characters. Or what you can do is, you can take existing characters, and you can change the setting. In magical worlds, you’re always talking about how Sherlock Holmes, and- Dave Young: House M.D. Stephen Semple: … House M.D. is the same story. Dave Young: Sure. Stephen Semple: It’s just one is a detective during Elizabethan times, and the other one is an emergency room doctor in modern times. Same character, different setting, changes the story. Dave Young: Right. Stephen Semple: So when you’re looking to use stories, find ones that work, and do that. Dave Young: Find the popular stories and just take the framework. And I’ll give you another example- Stephen Semple: Right. Either change the characters, make it same story with different characters, or take the characters and put them in a different setting. Dave Young: … there’s a book called the Bible that had this story about this Jesus fella. Stephen Semple: I think it’s rather a relatively popular book. Dave Young: And then in 1605, a guy named Miguel Cervantes wrote a book called Don Quixote, and he took a lot of the storylines and metaphors from this story in the Bible and created a book that became the second bestselling book of all time right after the Bible. Then a guy named John Steinbeck took a lot of the stories from Don Quixote, and renamed characters, and put them in different situations, but took the structures of the stories, and… So this works. Just do this. Stephen Semple: Oh, yeah. Dave Young: Just find a story you like- Stephen Semple: Absolutely. Dave Young: … and take the [inaudible 00:17:59]. Stephen Semple: Reimagine it. Reimagine it. Reimagine it. Either change it, keep the same story and change characters, or take the characters and put them in a new setting. Dave Young: I mean, the cool thing is, you can’t copyright a story arc, right? Stephen Semple: No, no. Dave Young: Something bad happens to someone and they overcome it. “Okay, no, that’s mine.” Stephen Semple: I’m still waiting for the overcome part. Dave Young: Yeah. Right? Stephen Semple: Yeah. Dave Young: That’s still the part of the story. Oh, I love it. Stephen Semple: I just found these things that came together for the creating of the Mario Brothers to be really interesting. And it’s also interesting when you consider who was expected to be the star of the show was the donkey, and it ended up becoming the Mario Brothers. Dave Young: Yeah. Great story. And I see it. Thank you for switching to English. American English. I’m sorry. Stephen Semple: American. Dave Young: [inaudible 00:18:54]. Stephen Semple: All right. Thanks, David. Dave Young: Where can we go play some Donkey Kong next time? Stephen Semple: Well- Dave Young: Anybody got an old Donkey Kong console? Stephen Semple: Yeah. You know what? My kids have got some old play stuff, I’ll bring it down. Dave Young: No, I want the console. I want the big- Stephen Semple: Oh, you want that… Well, I think we may have to look hard for that. Dave Young: Yeah, that’s good. Well, keep your eyes out. Stephen Semple: I will. Dave Young: Thanks for the story of Nintendo, Stephen. Stephen Semple: All right. Thanks, David. Dave Young: Thanks for listening to the podcast. Please share us. Subscribe on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a big, fat, juicy five-star rating and review at Apple Podcasts. And if you’d like to schedule your own 90-minute empire-building session, you can do it at empirebuildingprogram.com.

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Seems like these days a lot of folks are busy, and even stressed. How about you? Have you ever wanted to describe your situation or feeling with something more conversational than  “I'm very busy,” or “I'm stressed.” I'm glad you said yes. In fact, native English speakers usually have a few other ways to talk about stress and being busy that sound more natural and more conversational. We often explain why we're busy, or we soften what we say so we don't sound dramatic. And that's what I want to help you with today - talking about stress and being busy naturally in English.Happy English Podcast – Speak English Naturally I'm Michael from Happy English, and I help people speak English more naturally, confidently, and clearly.

Hey there! It's Michael here - and welcome back to Speak Naturally in a Minute from Happy English. I'm here every week with a quick one-point lesson to help you improve your pronunciation, rhythm, and intonation.Today, let's talk about something fun in American English: Stretching words to show emotion or emphasis. In natural spoken English, we often lengthen the vowel sound in a stressed word.  We do this to show feeling - like surprise, excitement, or strong emotion.Like, That movie was sooooo good.OR I'm not gooing out because I'm reeeeeally tired."Hey Michael! Did you hear? Jenny broke up with her boyfriend." “She diiiid? nooo waaaay”So the words don't change - only the length of the vowel changes. Stretching the vowel sounds gives emphasis and emotion to that word.  This is part of the melody and rhythm of American English. Try that, and leave me a comment to let me know how it goes.Hey, thanks for listening! And remember to follow and subscribe so you won't miss the next Happy English Podcast and next week's Speak Naturally in a Minute.  Until next time, keep learning and keep it cool.Happy English Podcast – Speak English Naturally I'm Michael from Happy English, and I help people speak English more naturally, confidently, and clearly.

Hey there! It's Michael here - and welcome back to English Tips in a Minute from Happy English. I'm here every week with a short, simple tip to help you speak English more naturally and confidently.Today, let's look at another natural conversational phrase - “long story short.”We use long story short when we want to summarize a situation and skip all the details. It's like saying, “I'm just gonna tell you the main point.”Like,  “What a morning! Long story short, I missed the train and got to work late.”Or when talking about a problem:  “Long story short, the project took longer than we expected.”You can also use it when explaining how something ended:  “Yeah, we were going to go hiking, but, long story short, we decided not to go.”You'll hear long story short a lot in casual conversation, especially when people don't want to or don't need to give a full explanation. It helps your English sound more relaxed and natural - just like everyday spoken English.So remember, the next time you want to summarize a situation quickly, try using “long story short.”Lemme know in the comments how it goes, and remember to follow or subscribe so you don't miss the next Happy English Podcast and next week's English Tips in a Minute. Hey, thanks for listening - and until next time, keep learning and keep it cool.Happy English Podcast – Speak English Naturally I'm Michael from Happy English, and I help people speak English more naturally, confidently, and clearly.

Hey there! It's Michael here, and welcome back to Phrasal Verbs in a Minute from Happy English.I'm here every Friday with a quick one-point lesson to help you learn a new phrasal verb and sound more natural when you speak.Today's phrasal verb is stick to. When you stick to something, it means you continue doing it and you don't give up - even when it's difficult.You know, a lot of people make New Year's resolutions but have trouble sticking to them.My friend Jake wants to stick to his new workout plan… we'll see how long that lasts.And I'm trying to stick to my goal of studying Japanese for at least 20 minutes every day.So how about you? What's something you are sticking to this year? Let me know in the comments, and remember to follow or subscribe so you don't miss the next Happy English Podcast and next week's Phrasal Verbs in a Minute.  Hey, thanks for listening - and until next time, keep learning and keep it cool.Happy English Podcast – Speak English Naturally I'm Michael from Happy English, and I help people speak English more naturally, confidently, and clearly.

Here's a fun fact. In 2010, I started Happy English. In 2010. That sounds pretty accurate, right? And saying the date or the year is certainly correct - but that's not always how native speakers talk. In everyday conversation, we're often much more casual and even imprecise when we talk about the past. And that's what I want to introduce you to today - some very informal ways native speakers talk about the past casually in English.Happy English Podcast – Speak English Naturally I'm Michael from Happy English, and I help people speak English more naturally, confidently, and clearly.

Let's go to the beach? Yeah, sounds like a plan. Do you ever notice that when someone makes a suggestion in English, native speakers often answer with very short phrases?  Things like: “Sounds good.” “That works.” “No problem.” “Sounds like a plan.”These responses are everywhere in spoken English — at work, with friends, on the phone, and in text messages.Today, let's look at these very common response phrases native speakers use to respond to ideas, plans, and requests — and how each one sounds just a little different.Happy English Podcast – Speak English Naturally I'm Michael from Happy English, and I help people speak English more naturally, confidently, and clearly.

Hey there! It's Michael here - and welcome back to Speak Naturally in a Minute from Happy English. I'm here every Sunday with a quick one-point lesson to help you improve your pronunciation, rhythm, and intonation.Today, let's look at a pair of words that sound very similar, but mean very different things:  wonder and wander.First, wonder. The vowel sound here is a short, relaxed uh sound - also known as the schwa. The one in wonder is like the number one. One wonder. It's a short vowel sound. One wonder  “I wonder what time it is.”  “I wonder if she's coming.”  One wonder - same short sound.Next is wander, wander. The vowel sound here is longer AH sound, like want. I want to Wander. Your mouth opens more and the sound lasts longer - I want to Wander.  “We like to wander around the city.”  “He wandered into the wrong room.” I want to Wander. So listen to the difference:  wonder -  wander /  wonder -  wander /  wonder -  wander The vowel sounds are different lengths: wonder, short. Wander, long. Remember, pronunciation is half listening and half doing, so practice every day!Hey, thanks for listening! And remember to follow and subscribe so you won't miss the next Happy English Podcast and next Sunday's Speak Naturally in a Minute.  Until next time, keep learning and keep it cool.Happy English Podcast – Speak English Naturally I'm Michael from Happy English, and I help people speak English more naturally, confidently, and clearly.