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Easy English listener Paloma sends in a message and Isi and Mitch announce new call days and time for their group conversation calls before discussing 10 ways you can be indirect, when speaking in English. Interactive Transcript Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership Show Notes Improve your confidence and fluency speaking English with us!: Join the Conversation Membership Transcript Mitch: [0:23] Hiya, everybody. Welcome to the Easy English Podcast. We're just coming down... Isi: [0:30] I never know what my position is in this. Okay, let's go. Let's not do too long of babbling. Mitch: [0:35] Okay. Isi: [0:36] Blah-blah-ing. Do you say blah-blah? Mitch: [0:37] I just wanted to say that, you know, we're celebrating still because, one, we reached our 100th episode just recently, and what followed then was... - Podcast episode. - Podcast episode. What followed then, was we also hit 250,000 subscribers on YoTube. So I just want to say thank you if you're one of those subscribers and if not... - Thank you. - Why the hell not? Isi: [0:59] It's a good number isn't it? It's nice. I think we have a question or a message. Mitch: [1:03] Yeah so, we actually had someone send in a message some weeks ago, and I'm sorry for not playing it directly, because we had episode 100 and we played some messages and yours came in just a little bit too late, but not too late for us to play it now. So here is a message from Paloma Isi: [1:20] Paloma, what a beautiful name. Mitch: [1:21] Nice name. - Yeah. Paloma: [1:22] Hi guys, how are you today? I hope you're hving a great day. Well, my name is Paloma, I'm Argentinian and I am living in Italy, right now. And, Ijust wanted to say thank you, because I love your content, I am a... let's say a fan of languages, I am studying, also, Italian, because I am living here, in Italy. I also speak English, and I am initiating, lets say with French... yep. Because, I love languages, but I don't hhave much time to... to study, you know. But, I want to tell you that I am an English teacher... yeah, I am an English teacher. But I am teaching English to students who speak Spanish, because that's my mother tongue and... nothing. I use, a lot, you content to practise and to take expressions... British expressions, even though I don't speak in a British way... real British way, but anyway, I do my best. thank you so much and have a nice day again, bye! Isi: [2:38] Very nice. So, Paloma, I directly thought her English is so good. Mitch: [2:43] It's really good. I thought she sounded a bit Scottish at one point. Isi: [2:46] I thought at the very beginning that she was a native, yeah. That makes sense now. You're an English teacher. You know your stuff. Mitch: [2:54] You've got some influences in your accent there, some British influence. Isi: [3:01] Okay, so it wasn't even a question. Thank you so much for, first of all, letting us know that you like our content and that you use it in your teaching lessons. That's really, really cool. And it really helps us, just to receive those messages because it makes all our work worth it. Mitch: [3:19] Absolutely. It's amazing to get those little nuggets of joy that people get from using our resources, basically. Because, we have no way of knowing unless you tell us how you like it, if you even like it. Isi: [3:33] It would really help us... I know we have asked this at the very beginning of doing YouTube, of doing podcasts. And you probably are not used to people creating content, asking this anymore. But I recently thought about it, that it would be really, really important to us, if we have more interactivity on YouTube, through comments, likes, subscribes, for our podcast, for example, on Spotify. It really helps. And you can also review our podcast on Spotify, for example, and on other podcast apps as well. And, I would like to add another thing, because we have just recently, last week, changed our membership. You maybe know that we have a Conversation Membership where people, once a week, until now, in our online pub on 'Zoom' could speak to us, to each other, practise their conversation skills. And we really saw, during the past years, how we have some members that are there for years, they improved their english, massively! We had one call a week, a pub call, on 'Zoom'' our online "pub", and we were like; we have to do this more, we have to give more people the chance to join, from different locations in the world, so different times. And we have to make it possible that you can practise with us, several times a week, so that you, within weeks, can improve your conversation skills. So now, we have, instead of one, four calls a week, on Tuesdays and on Thursdays we have a morning call, British time and an evening call. You can all check it out on our website. Mitch: [5:13] Or, by clicking the link up here. Isi: [5:15] There. And yeah, join us if you wanna go next level with your English. If you say like; I have quite a good level of English, it's fine. I can communicate, but I want to understand my new boss, I want to land that job where you have to speak English. I want to move to an English-speaking country. I want to talk to my international friends. Or, I just love English. We have seen the success. We actually have done it ourselves. Like, I moved here to the UK and I had a good level of English, but the natural... I don't want to praise myself, but the natural comfort of speaking English, of understanding the dialects, and accents and to feel really comfortable, also to just go out, go to the supermarket, have small talk, have good conversation. That came here. And I know it only came from speaking. Getting outthere and speaking. You do the same with German right now. Mitch: [6:13] Yeah, I see it with learning German. That when I'm in Germany and I'm kind of in that, I have the opportunity to speak it and I'm listening to it on a very regular basis, that my German, my level increases, dramatically. And when I'm back home, I'm just like on apps. Whilst apps and watching videos online is very good, half of the battle is the confidence to really speak it and this is where our calls are so vital, because whether or not you're making mistakes, it doesn't matter because, making mistakes is part of learning anything and language and English is no different. And our calls are perfect for that, we welcome mistakes, we encourage learning by making mistakes. And if you are also feeling very nervous, there's no pressure like you have in these one-on-one conversations, to speak. You can listen and everyone's there trying to achieve the same goal. Isi: [7:05] And along the way, you meet amazing people, maybe make friends from around the world, if you want to. Mitch: [7:10] Really around the world Isi: [7:11] Yeah, it's amazing. So, take the chance, practise with us several times a week and level-up your English within the next weeks, months. Get better, reach your next goal. Mitch: [7:26] Exactly. If you're interested, then click the link that's on the screen right now, easyenglish.video/membership and we're even offering a seven-day free trial of our Conversation Membership. So in theory, that's four calls you can come to for free, to see how you like it, if you fit in, if you're confident enough and we're very welcoming. We're a very welcoming bunch; us and our conversation members. Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership

Making friends is hard, especially the older you get. So Isi guides you... and Mitch through the different ways, modern and old that you can make new friends. Interactive Transcript Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership Show Notes Improve your confidence and fluency speaking English with us!: Join the Conversation Membership Transcript Intro Mitch: [0:26] Welcome to the Easy English Podcast, the hangover from episode 100. - 101. - 101, we're into the... into a new century of podcasting, but with the same ethos, to help you improve your conversational English. Isi: [0:50] You do sound very unmotivated. I have a good topic for us, though. Mitch: [0:55] Yeah, you're at the steering wheel today, right? Isi: [0:58] Yes. It's a topic that is interesting and important for everyone. Maybe only those people that hate humans a lot. They will not like it now. Mitch: [1:09] Good build-up. Isi: [1:11] It's important for everyone, because we're talking, today, about how to make friends. Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership

We did it... 100 episodes! All thanks to your support, so what better way to celebrate than to answer some of your questions. Interactive Transcript Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership Show Notes Try 7 days of our Conversation Membership... for free: The Conversation Membership Transcript Intro Isi: [0:22] Hello! Mitch: [0:24] Hi everybody! Exciting times. Isi: [0:28] And why is it exciting? Because this is episode... podcast episode. Mitch: [0:34] Podcast episode. Isi: [0:35] Not video, podcast episode 100. And we didn't even train this. Rehearse this. 100, this is insane. It feels more and less, with so many things in life that's what it is right? It feels like, longer and shorter, more and less. But It's a nice number, 100. Mitch: [0:57] A great milestone to reach. - Not the last one. - Won't be the last 100 we reach. But um... as a way to celebrate it and also to say thank you, we reached out and asked you to send us some of your messages. So, that's why we're here today. You wrote in to... on our YouTube channel, you sent us emails and you also sent us voice messages. So we're gonna read them out. - Let's go. - Should I play an audio message? - Yes. - Okay, here is a message from Paskali Safari, for us. Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership

Find your ideal English teacher on italki 🎉 Use the code ENGLISH4 for €5 off your first class (minimum €10): https://go.italki.com/english4 Isi and Mitch show you different, everyday conversations and small talk topics with neighbours. Interactive Transcript Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership Show Notes Find your ideal English teacher on italki 🎉 Use the code ENGLISH4 for €5 off your first class (minimum €10): https://go.italki.com/english4 Transcript Intro Isi: [0:22] Hello. Mitch: [0:23] Hi, everybody. Isi: [0:25] Welcome to another episode. But now I am doing this. Oh, no. Mitch: [0:28] You're doing it. Isi: [0:29] Oh, no. Well, let's not do this. Mitch: [0:32] I pointed at you. Isi: [0:32] It's Easy English Podcast. We're starting now. Mitch: [0:37] Wow, what a surprise. Isi: [0:38] Whoever listened before knows that I got a bit annoyed that, not annoyed, I thought it was actually, now we talk about it even longer, that Mitch always says, welcome to the Easy English Podcast. Mitch: [0:48] Every episode. Isi: [0:50] When you actually probably know that it's the Easy English Podcast you're listening to. Mitch: [0:53] I just want to be formal, like you're opening your front door to somebody. Isi: [0:57] Yeah, but you're wasting people's time, and now I'm wasting people's time. So we start now. Mitch: [1:02] What are we talking about today? You're taking control again. Isi: [1:05] Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about another conversational topic. We have just talked about, if you listened to our last podcast, about flatmate conversations; living with people in houses or flats, in the UK. It's now, you would think it's similar, but it's not. We will, today, talk about small talk with neighbours. Isi: [1:37] Those people you might not know that well. They might live up your street, 10 houses up your street, and you just know them from, you know; "hiya, lovely today, huh?" Like, that kind of conversation. And this kind of small talk, I will say as an expat living in the UK, is very important. Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership

Get to know Isi and Mitch with their feelings and opinions about the modern relationship between humans and animals and how they co-exist today Interactive Transcript Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership Transcript Intro Mitch: [0:23] Hi everybody, welcome to another episode of the Easy English Podcast. Thank you for tuning in. Do people tune in these days? Isi: [0:33] We are such boomers. We're not boomers, though. The new boomers are millennials. Mitch: [0:39] But to say tune in sounds cool, but nobody tunes in. Isi: [0:43] Tune in on Saturday. Mitch: [0:45] Thanks for typing in that URL code. Isi: [0:48] Okay, now how do I get to my topic? Mitch: [0:50] Well, actually, you mentioned a good way, because if you are a regular listener, you'd have heard our relationship test episode. One of the questions are; what's something that Isi likes to speak about, on a regular basis? Isi: [1:05] You did it wrong, you said music, which is actually true though. Mitch: [1:08] I said music or Nola. - Yeah, I love it all. - So I got half a point, because... Isi: [1:12] Nola is actually number one. Mitch: [1:13] But Nola opens up a whole topic of animals and like, you said, animal welfare. - Yes. - Which is an important part of your life. Isi: [1:22] Very important for me. Mitch: [1:24] The consideration of animal welfare. Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership

Part 2 of Mitch and Isi's discussion about living with people in the UK vs Germany... this time they share their dreaded bathroom experiences. 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] Hi, everybody. Welcome to another episode of the Easy English Podcast. We're back at it with Isi's episode today, a part two-a of co-living? Flatmates? - housemates, flatmate conversations. Isi: [0:40] Yes. I directly want to... No, let's start a bit easier. We're not going to the bathroom directly. If you didn't listen to part one, do that first. Mitch: [0:52] Yes, we covered the kitchen, as part of living with other people. Isi: [0:57] We covered broken things, and we covered the first day in the flat. Mitch: [1:02] Food, cleaning, the whole thing. Oh yeah, introductions, icebreakers. Isi: [1:08] I now want to talk about the 'quiet vs the loud flatmate'. Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership

Mitch & Isi compare their experiences with this week's cultural topic of living with strangers or... co-living. Interactive Transcript Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership Transcript Intro Mitch: [0:22] Welcome to the Easy English Podcast. Isi: [0:26] Hello! Mitch: [0:26] Today... Isi: [0:28] I chose the topic again. Mitch: [0:30] Again. Taking the driver's seat. Isi: [0:33] You give me too much power. Mitch: [0:34] I'm constantly the passenger now. Isi: [0:38] You can leave us a message if that's a good thing. Maybe my topics are boring as hell. Mitch: [0:43] No, yest... the last one with couples was really good. Isi: [0:47] Well, now, I wanted to talk about something that we both have experiences with, where we can share some insight, not only into our experiences with it, mine will be from Germany and yours from the UK, but also, you can share some things about how that is working in the UK, because it's a bit different to how it's in Germany, I think. And that is, living together with flat, or housemates. Mitch: [1:15] Co-living. Isi: [1:16] Co-living, which is a big thing in the UK, at least when you study, but even afterwards. Mitch: [1:23] Yeah, especially if you are kind of a young professional, trying to climb the job ladder. Isi: [1:29] Or you live in London then it's all your life. - Or if you live in London, then you live with random people until you're 95. - Actually that sounds quite nice. So what I want to do, and we might make out of this, two podcasts, because I have a lot of topics. - Great. - I would like to go through different situations that you will face, while living together, with other people. And I thought we could, we can change it a bit. But first of all, I would like us to talk about it, if we have experience with that. How that was, share some personal stories. You can obviously share the British perspective. There's obviously a lot of new vocabulary that you can learn around living with people. Something that not in every country is common, but in lots of countries. Or maybe you come to the UK and you will live with somebody. And you are well prepared after this podcast, we hope. Or you don't want to do it any more. Mitch: [2:27] Yeah, you're put off completely. Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership

Isi tests Mitch's knowledge with practical examples of using the word 'sorry' for different, everyday scenarios. Interactive Transcript Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership Transcript Intro Mitch & Isi: [0:24] Hello again. - Hi everybody. Welcome to another episode of the Easy English Podcast, also available on YouTube. So if you want to quickly head over and watch us discuss different types of 'sorry's in the UK, then head over to YouTube now, to our YouTube channel. Youtube, YouTube Youtube. - You know that you also, are just talking to the YouTube viewers. And if you're watching on YouTube, hello. - You set it into the camera? - Oh yeah. Mitch & Isi: [0:50] So today we're discussing also British people's most used, maybe not favourite, but is, maybe you say overused in the UK, but for good reason. - You hear it all the time. And we will show you many different ways to use the word 'sorry'. Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership

Justin from Texas is back... this time he is fact-checking Isi and Mitch's experiences, comparisons and stereotypes of the United States. Interactive Transcript Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership Transcript Intro Mitch: [0:22] Hello, everybody. Welcome to the Easy English Podcast. Isi: [0:26] Good morning. Mitch: [0:27] Good morning in the morning. We're loaded up on coffee as we have a part two of an episode that we made recently. We're reintroducing you to our correspondent from the United States. Justin is back. Justin: [0:44] Hello, hello. Isi: [0:46] Hi. Well, he's corresponding from Berlin., I would say. Justin: [0:51] But originally from. - Yeah. - The United States, Texas to be specific, if those don't know. I usually always say that I’m from Texas, I never really say I’m from the United States, it's very interesting when people ask; "where are you from?" I always just say Texas. Isi: [1:05] That is very interesting. Justin: [1:06] I guess I expect people to know Texas and most times people do. But I like to represent Texas more than I like to represent the United States of America. Isi: [1:15] Okay, and how... what do you think... like I do know Texas, I guess, from the... I haven't been, but from the... a bit from the stereotypes more like the cowboy stereotypes. Mitch: [1:26] Beyonce! Justin: [1:27] Yeah, Beyonce. Isi: [1:28] And the heat. Justin: [1:29] And The Cowboys. Yes, all those things are very... all of those things are very much correct. Mitch: [1:34] Have you ever said yee-haw in a non-cliched way? Justin: [1:38] No, but I do say howdy all the time. Howdy is my favorite... howdy is my favorite introduction. Mitch: [1:45] Wow, like Woody from 'Toy Story'. Justin: [1:49] Yeah, howdy. Isi: [1:50] How would you describe a Texan within like a few sentences. Mitch: [1:54] That's a good question. Justin: [1:55] That's a good question. I would describe a Texan as a soulful, country... Isi: [2:04] Soulful that's nice Mitch: [2:05] I like that too. Justin: [2:06] Soulful, country, cowboy. Mitch: [2:08] Wow. Isi: [2:09] A soulful, country, cowboy. Justin: [2:12] At least that's how I describe myself. Isi: [2:13] So, I was once only in the U.S but like for five weeks or so. Which is 10 years ago, oh god. And it was with Easy German, we did a tour, a great tour from New York via some like countryside, Virginia to Colorado and from Colorado with a car to California so, a really really cool tour. But what we did on the way is a lot of videos about being in the U.S and we did this video about like, where we shared our three things that we like, three things that we don't like, or things that would surprise us. And I literally found the list that I wrote back then on the road trip, can you imagine? - Exciting. - Yeah. And I was a bit surprised myself, what I wrote down. But I thought I'd share it. Mitch: [3:00] Yes so Isi's gonna... you're gonna read some of those out and I'm gonna... I also have been like, recently and then a long time ago um and there's some things which I sort of always kept in my mind, like experiences, stories and little notes I'd sort of, mentally made. Isi: [3:16] So, should I start? Justin: [3:18] Yes, I'm excited to hear. Mitch: [3:21] And Justin, maybe you can go into it, explain why, these cultural phenomenons, or whatever Isi is going to say, and maybe because you have an inside eye from all three places, can sort of, compare your experiences. Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership

Mitch & Isi take a quiz to test their relationship... Interactive Transcript Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership Transcript Mitch & Isi: [0:23] So, hello. - Hi. Hi. - Hi. Welcome to the Easy English Podcast. But... - But today as a video podcast. So, if you're listening, now, on a podcast app, you can also switch over to YouTube, where it's already out and watch it, as a video. But you don't need to. We will explain everything. You don't need to see our lovely faces. I prepared today's episode. - Wow. I'm nervous. - I think we thought about this topic, because it's an episode about us... - Oh god. - being a couple. - Usually we only speak about British culture and other people, but now we're talking... - Sometimes about us. - a little bit about us. We're opening up to you guys now, so be kind. - I prepared us a game where we have to, both answer questions the way that we think our partner, the other one, would answer. - A test of my knowledge of you. - So, the first is a little warm-up, with favourites. Do you know my favourites? - I hope so. I think so. - Okay. - I do. Mitch & Isi: [1:34] What's my favourite food? Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership

Listen to part 2 of the podcast where Isi and Mitch give advice on how to pass an English speaking test, based around the IELTS test. 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 everybody, welcome to another episode of the Easy English Podcast. Mitch: [0:28] This week's episode is a bit different, as we're carrying on from our part one of easy taking the IELTS test. What is it you ask? Let me tell you. It's one of the most popular English exams in the world. And you can take it to help you to study abroad, to work internationally, you might have to take it for your immigration or visa status and it's mainly just a way to prove your English level, officially. Now the IELTS stands for the 'International English Language Testing System', and last time you heard from us, Isi was taking it and there are three parts to this test and in the first episode, we covered part one, which were simple questions and at the very end I asked her part two question which is the main task, asking her to describe a place she enjoys visiting in the UK. If you didn't listen to it in episode one, then that's coming up next and if you did listen to it, maybe you just want to skip ahead a little bit, to hear my analysis of how well she did. And then afterwards, she'll be taking part three; the discussion task, asking her, what the benefits are of living in another country. I hope you all enjoy this episode, and you'll hear from me at the end. Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership

Find your ideal English teacher on italki 🎉 Use the code english3 for €5 off your first class (minimum €10): https://go.italki.com/english3 This week, Mitch and Isi guide you and give advice on how to pass an English speaking test, based around the IELTS test. Interactive Transcript Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership Show Notes Find your ideal English teacher on italki 🎉 Use the code ENGLISH3 for €5 off your first class (minimum €10): https://go.italki.com/english3 Transcript Intro Mitch: [0:22] Hello. Hi, everybody. Welcome to another episode of the Easy English Podcast. Today, we want to try something a little bit different. We're not going to be discussing so much cultural topics. We're actually going to be focusing on something which is going to help you, the Easy English listener, maybe even English learner. We're going to be taking a mock or a test. Isi: [0:52] Oh I'm taking a test probably. Mitch: [0:54] A test, test, a mock... Mitch: [0:56] I have the feeling this podcast is only about me taking tests. Mitch: [1:00] You're the guinea pig in the Easy English Podcast. - In your world. - In my world. But we're going to be taking a fake IELTS speaking test. And for those of you who don't know the IELTS it stands for the International English Language Testing System. It's one of the most popular English exams you can take in the world. Perhaps some of you who are listening are thinking about taking it, are about to take it, and are maybe nervous about taking it and would like a bit of help, a bit of backing, a bit of support. So for those of you who don't know about the IELTS, you would take this test, usually, to help you with studying abroad maybe, if you're going to study in the UK, Australia, Canada, if you maybe want to work internationally, your company might suggest you take it, or even require you take it, or maybe even for immigration or for your visa, they might suggest for maybe your citizenship or something. Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership

Mitch and Isi give you advice on things you shouldn't do, things you should do when making conversations with strangers in English in different, everyday scenarios. Interactive Transcript Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership Transcript Intro Mitch: [0:22] Welcome aboard the HMS Easy English. Isi: [0:27] Her Majesty's sail. Mitch: [0:29] Her Majesty's ship. Isi: [0:30] Why are we on a ship? Mitch: [0:32] I don't know, because people are on a journey with us when they listen to the Easy English Podcast. And if we had to pick any mode of transport, we'd pick a boat. Isi: [0:40] I just realised that I didn't have this peach tea. Little fun fact for that. Mitch: [0:45] Fun fact. Isi: [0:46] For months and months. Mitch: [0:48] Fun fact. Isi: [0:49] I think I got a bit sick of it. I love a certain peach tea from Germany that we always bring to England. Mitch: [0:54] Oh yeah, you do. That has nothing to do with today's episode. Today's episode, we're going to be talking about introductions, specifically, how to start conversations in English and when in England or in the UK, because starting conversations is always quite difficult, in these in different scenarios, right? Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership

Mitch and Isi give you 10 useful English contractions to help you sound like a native speaker! They also update you on a new, Asia-friendly 'Zoom' conversation call time. Interactive Transcript Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership Show Notes Register your interest in our Asia-Friendly conversation call here: Click Here Transcript Intro Mitch: [0:22] Hiya, podcast peeps. Isi: [0:25] Hello. Mitch: [0:25] Welcome to another episode of the Easy English Podcast. Just in case you didn't know what you're... Isi: [0:32] What's your alarm for? Mitch: [0:34] That the laundry's done. Okay. Isi: [0:37] We're both eating sweeties. Mitch: [0:39] Mm-hmm. I'm eating a chocolate bar that is based on the stars, the Milky Way. I just said the name of the actual chocolate bar. So I'm eating a chocolate based on a space-themed chocolate. Isi: [0:55] We cannot make advertisement. There are also other really great... Mitch: [0:58] Space-themed chocolate bars. Isi: [1:00] Yeah, like Mars. They're probably all from the... Mitch: [1:02] Don't say Mars. Don't say the name. Isi: [1:04] You just said Milky Way. Mitch: [1:05] Oh yeah, sure. Yours is based on the planet. Isi: [1:07] Mars is the planet. Mitch: [1:08] Are there any other space... Isi: [1:09] We need to name them all now so that we don't do advertisement. Mitch: [1:11] Space-themed chocolate. Isi: [1:12] They're all yummy, yummy. Kinderriegel. Mitch: [1:13] Uranus. Oh God, what's going on? So in today's episode, we've got a few subjects to cover. The first thing I want to do, part of our 'Topic of the Week', is I realised, when making a lot of these street interviews, that there are a lot of informal contractions that people and myself are saying. And I sort of, thought it'd be good to sort of, do a rundown of maybe, 10 that you will commonly hear, that are very useful for you to try to pick up, try to integrate into your English vocabulary, into your English speaking. So I'm going to read them out and Isi, maybe you're going to tell me what two words are being contracted into one or what three words or... I think these are all mostly two words though. Isi: [1:55] This is always a test of my English knowledge, isn't it? Mitch: [1:57] A little bit, yeah. But you'll get them all, for sure. Topic of the Week Mitch: [2:07] Okay, the first one, and it's almost the same as this infamous 'bottle of water'. It's got the same sort of feel to it. Do you know what I mean? Isi: [2:18] Do you know what I mean? Mitch: [2:20] Exactly. Do you say, are you able to do this? Are you doing it in your everyday speaking? Isi: [2:25] Yeah, but it's even shorter. Mitch: [2:26] What? Isi: [2:27] Do you know what I mean? Mitch: [2:28] Do you know what I mean? Do you know what I mean? Do you know what I mean? And that's a very common one that people say. And it will almost be like a reflex kind of thing, you'll say when making a point. Like, maths is boring, do you know what I mean? Okay, next one. Probs. It is a contraction, but only of one word. Isi: [2:48] Probably. Mitch: [2:49] Probably. So how would we use this in a sentence? Mitch, is the laundry done? Probs. A classic one, which you like to use. You alright? Isi: [3:00] Are you alright. Mitch: [3:01] And you're not even saying the 'are' at the beginning. Isi: [3:03] No. Mitch: [3:06] Are you all right? Isi: [3:07] All right. Mitch: [3:08] Which can be used as a question or even just a sort of, a greeting. Isi: [3:12] All right, all right. Mitch: [3:13] You all right? And then the other person would respond. Isi: [3:16] Yeah, all right. Mitch: [3:17] Yeah, you all right? You all right, mate? Tomoz. Isi: [3:21] Tomorrow. Mitch: [3:22] Is shortening for tomorrow. Okay, here's ones that are very common that you should be using if you really want to sound like a native speaker, because everyone's using those. Those previous ones are kind of, quite informal. These ones are almost so commonly used, that they've almost become formal contractions. Dunno. Isi: [3:44] I don't know. Mitch: [3:45] I don't know. Dunno. I don't know. I don't know. What do you think? Isi: [3:49] What do you think? Mitch: [3:50] Dunno. What do you think? Gonna. Isi: [3:54] I'm going to. Mitch: [3:55] I'm going to. I'm going to. I'm going to go get the laundry in a bit. What are you going to do? Isi: [4:00] I'm going to go to the doctors. Mitch: [4:02] Nice. That is all very true statements we're saying. Isi: [4:05] For today. Mitch: [4:06] Wanna. Isi: [4:08] I want to. Mitch: [4:09] I don't wanna go get the laundry, how about you? Isi: [4:14] I don't wanna go to the doctors. Mitch: [4:16] Got... gotta or gotta. a lot of people say gotta. Isi: [4:20] Like, gotcha? Mitch: [4:21] g-o-t-t-a gotta. Isi: [4:25] I have to, I got to. Mitch: [4:27] Yeah, but I got to get the laundry. Isi: [4:30] But you would probably more say; I have to get the laundry than I got to get the laundry. Mitch: [4:34] I got to get, got to get. Isi: [4:35] Got to get, got to get. Mitch: [4:36] I got to get, got to get, got to get through this. I got to get through this. Lemme. Isi: [4:43] Let me. Mitch: [4:44] Yeah, like the singer from Motorhead. Let me go get the laundry, please. Or let me avoid the laundry duties for this week. Gimme. - Give me. - Gimme some peace of mind. Gimme shelter. Oh yeah is that... yeah the Rolling Stones song; 'Gimme Shelter'. - Yep. - Kinda. - Kind of. - It's kind of, yeah. Lemme, kinda, is spelt the same way as the singer from Motorhead but there's no 'I' at the end it's just l-e-m-m-e. Isi: [5:20] lemme kinda tell you how I'm gonna... - Wow! - Blah, blah, blah. Mitch: [5:24] We can make an Easy English contraction song. I don't know what I'm gonna wanna get a lemme, give me kinda. Isi: [5:32] Shoulda, shoulda, woulda. Mitch: [5:34] Yeah, shoulda, woulda, coulda. Isi: [5:36] Shoulda, woulda, coulda. Mitch: [5:37] Sounds like you're doing an Eminem really fast rap. I shoulda, woulda, coulda, coulda. And then sorta. Isi: [5:43] Sort of? Mitch: [5:44] Sort of. I sorta like doing the laundry, to be honest. Isi: [5:49] Do you? It's a lie, guys. No one likes to do the laundry. Do you like to do the laundry Mitch: [5:53] Not really uh outta. Isi: [5:56] I'm out of love set me free this is what did you. Mitch: [6:05] Misery. Easy English Updates Mitch: [6:16] As you may or may not know, every Tuesday, we are hosting an online conversation call for our Conversation Members, which are a group of people from all around the world, who are looking to improve their English conversational skills. So they're speaking and listening. I truly believe that the best way to improve your speaking and listening skills is just by doing it, and speaking and dusting off those cobwebs and overcoming those nerves to speak. because making mistakes is the best way for you to understand and to learn and to progress with your English speaking skills. This is absolutely the perfect place to come if you're feeling a bit nervous, or you just want to sort of shake off some cobwebs and dust which has settled on your English speaking level, that maybe you stopped doing when you left school or maybe you got a bit overwhelmed with your New Year's resolution and you stopped suddenly. Mitch: [7:13] We're offering one free group class as part of our seven-day free trial of the Conversation Membership and the reason why this is part of our Easy English Updates is, at the moment we have, like I said this class at 18:15 in British time but that doesn't allow for people that are living in Asia, so we would like to, in the summer, open up our first ever Easy English call which is going to be at a time which is friendly for Asia. So we're looking at doing it at 10:15am in England, which will equate to 15:45am in India, 18:15am in China, and 19:15am in Japan and Korea. And if you're interested in us starting this call, we would really appreciate it if you would click the link in the show notes of this podcast and that will also take you to a time conversion website, which will show you exactly what time the pub call will be at in your country. And by clicking this link, we'll be given a notification that you are interested in joining this call when we start it in summer. So if you are, like I said, looking to improve your English speaking skills in a nerve-free and inclusive way, where there's no pressure and we're going to learn all through making mistakes, then join our Easy English Conversation membership with a seven-day free trial by going to easyenglish.video/membership. It will be in the show notes, click the link and we're looking forward to greeting you and welcoming you into our conversation calls. Now back to the episode. Mitch's Movie Club Mitch: [9:01] As part of this topic, we'd like to speak about a movie that we both watched and give it a review and really recommend it. Because we, last week, watched a movie on 'Netflix' called 'Materialists'. Isi: [9:14] Are we now making an advertisement? Mitch: [9:17] No. Well, we're recommending a good movie, which I think would be very nice for any of you, anyone over the age of 18, I think it's for 16, to watch. Isi: [9:27] Did you think it was 16? There's some harder topics. Mitch: [9:31] There's some harsh language, some sexual references. Isi: [9:34] There's also sexual assault, so that should probably be for... Mitch: [9:38] Yeah, so we would like to recommend a movie to all you adults listening to this podcast. We watched a movie called 'Materialists' last week, didn't we? Isi: [9:48] Yep. Mitch: [9:48] What style would you say this movie is? Isi: [9:50] I'm not a movie person. I thought, I think it was advertised as a rom-com. Mitch: [9:59] Which means? It's another good contraction. Isi: [10:

Justin, an American from Texas and Easy Languages family member joins us to talk about money, driving on the left, the Royal Family, plus culture shocks and strange similarities between Brits and people from the United States 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, everybody. Isi: [0:24] Hello. Mitch: [0:25] Welcome to another episode of the Easy English Podcast. Isi, we have an exciting episode today, right? Isi: [0:33] Yes. Mitch: [0:35] Why is that? Isi: [0:36] We have a guest from our Easy Languages family. And, it will be exciting and interesting. Maybe we let our guests introduce themselves. Mitch: [0:49] Yes, greetings to our mystery guest. Who are you Justin: [0:54] Hello hello, my name is Justin, and I am a part of the Easy Languages family. I've been with Easy Languages for over four years now, which is beautiful, amazing. - Wow. - Yes. - And I'm really... yeah, I'm really excited to be on this Easy English podcast, because my native language is English. I grew up in the United States, in Houston, Texas, to be specific. But I also lived in Manchester, UK for a bit of time, around nine months, I want to say. And yeah, there are definitely a lot of differences. Some of them I kind of yearn to go back for, if I'm being honest. Mitch: [1:40] Wow, amazing. That's a good introduction. And you're a really amazing guest to have on to do these comparisons and contrasts, I guess. Can I ask a question before we start, Justin? Justin: [1:53] Yeah, go ahead. Mitch: [1:53] Can you name us some famous people from where you're from? Where in Texas were you from again? Justin: [1:59] I'm from Houston, Texas. And the most famous person that I will always represent is Beyoncé. Mitch: [2:03] Oh, really!? Justin: [2:04] Beyoncé is from Houston, Texas. Yes. So is all of the Destiny's Child. Some younger artists that I know. Post Malone is from Texas. Mitch: [2:14] Really? Wow! Justin: [2:15] Yes. But... Khaled, if you know that artist. Isi: [2:20] Yeah. Mitch: [2:21] DJ Khaled? Justin: [2:22] Not that one. The one that made that like breezy song. I forgot what it's called. Mitch: [2:29] Is Dolly Parton from Texas? Justin: [2:31] I was thinking about that, but I think she's from Tennessee. Mitch: [2:35] Because with Texas, it comes with a stereotype of people that look a bit like Dolly Parton in my mind. That's what I always think of. Justin: [2:42] I mean, they do exist. - Cowboy hats, cowboy boots. - The "bless your heart", type of people. Bless your heart, darling. Those people exist for sure. Mitch: [2:51] Pumpkin pie, people. Justin: [2:54] Matthew McConaughey. He's from Texas. Mitch: [2:57] Wow. All right, all right, all right. Justin: [3:00] Yes. He actually was a professor at the United... at the University of Texas in Austin. Mitch: [3:07] Wow. From Matthew McConaughey to Liam Gallagher, you went from. But this is great. This is already good. I'm already sort of getting a sense for the cultural comparisons that we're going to get. So, I believe you've prepared a list of certain contrasts and similarities for our 'Topic of the Week', right? Justin: [3:31] Yes. Mitch: [3:32] Okay, let's get started with that. Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership