Charm English Pod

What’s the difference between show up, turn up, pop up, and come up?• Show up = arrive or attend. I invited 20 people, but only 12 showed up.• Turn up = appear unexpectedly or be found. I lost my passport, but it finally turned up.• Pop up = appear suddenly, often on a screen or unexpectedly in a situation. A strange error message popped up on my computer.• Come up = happen or arise, often when something needs your attention. Something came up, so I had to cancel my plans.Once a problem comes up, you might need to figure it out (understand it or find a solution), sort it out (organize or resolve the problem), or iron out (resolve the last few details or disagreements).For example, if a work problem popped up, I’d try to figure out what happened and sort it out. If a few details were still missing, we’d need to iron them out.Which of these phrasal verbs do you use most often? And what’s the last unexpected thing that came up in your life?

I just got my permanent residency in Chile, so I wanted to do something a little different today and talk about what moving countries and learning a language has actually been like for me.In this episode I get into how I ended up in Chile, adjustments I had to make and what was challenging for me, and what living outside the US has shown me about the bubble I grew up in.If you’ve moved countries or learned a language, I’d love to hear your story in the comments. And if there’s anything you want me to go deeper on let me know!Thanks for watching,!

To join a small group speaking class with me, visit my website to sign up! charmenglish.cl

Phrasal verbs with UP

⬆️ Movement: stand up, pick up, come up📈 Increase: speed up, heat up, build up, ramp up✨ Improve: dress up, glow up, cheer up, jazz up✅ Complete: fill up, eat up, use up, clean up, wrap up👀 Appear: show up, turn up, pop up💡 Create: come up with, think up, dream up, cook up🏃 Close a gap: catch up, keep up with, meet up➕ Combine: add up, sum up, team up, pair up🔒 Close/fasten: zip up, button up, lock up💥 Break apart: chop up, tear up, smash up, split up🎯 Final result: end up, wind up

Week 2 of our phrasal verb series! Last Saturday we covered phrasal verbs for physical movement. This week we're taking those same ideas and connecting them to metaphors, because pairing an image with a phrasal verb makes it so much easier to remember (there's actual research behind this too).

We go through: go through, get over, clear up, burn out, hold back, wrap up, branch out, and sink in; each one starting with the literal, physical meaning and then moving into how it's used metaphorically in everyday conversation.

Some highlights:

• go through a tunnel vs. go through a hard time

• get over a wall vs. get over a breakup

• clear up the sky vs. clear up a misunderstanding

• burn out (like a candle) vs. burning out at work

• hold back water vs. holding back your emotions

• wrap up a present vs. wrapping up a meeting

• branch out (tree) vs. branching out into something new

• sink in (like rainwater) vs. letting information sink in

Want the full list of phrasal verbs from this series, plus more speaking practice? Check the link in my bio on instagram you'll find the B1/B2 phrasal verb doc and info on joining a live speaking class.

New live class every Saturday, so drop your questions and I'll see you in the next one!

In this live English class, we’re looking at phrasal verbs for movement and the literal meaning behind the particles.We’ll look at expressions like:• go up / go down• come up to someone• walk down the street• walk along the river• walk around the city• wander around / wander off• sneak in / sneak out• storm out• barge in• step out• walk across / walk past• go through / go under• come back / get back / head back• walk into a room• run into someone• move over / come overOne of the reasons I like starting with movement is that it helps you see that phrasal verbs aren't always as random as they seem.The particles — up, down, in, out, around, off, back, through, over, into, etc. — often give us information about direction, position, or what happens to the movement.For example:I walked around the park.→ I stayed within the park and moved around without a specific destination.I wandered off.→ I walked away from where I was, without a clear destination.I’m in the room.→ I’m already inside.I walked into the room.→ I moved from outside to inside.We also look at how these literal meanings can develop into more idiomatic expressions:move forward with a projectget through a difficult timeget over someonebe into somethingget back at someoneThis is one of the things I really want my students to understand about phrasal verbs: you don't necessarily need to memorize every expression as a completely separate piece of vocabulary.There is often a logic behind the particle.Think of the verb as describing how you move:walk, run, climb, crawl, creep, dash, tiptoe…And the particle gives you more information about where or how that movement happens:up, down, around, away, into, through, over, back…Once you start paying attention to that relationship, you can become much more specific when you speak.Instead of simply saying:“He walked to me.”you might say:“He came up to me.”“He crept up on me.”“He wandered over to me.”“He stormed over to me.”This is the first class in a series I'm doing on phrasal verbs. We’re starting with the literal meanings and gradually moving toward the more idiomatic uses.🌐 Find my classes at charmenglish.cl

This class was all about relative clauses!

"My sister who lives in Canada is a doctor" vs. "my sister, who lives in Canada, is a doctor." Same words, different meaning!

In this live class we go through defining and non-defining relative clauses: when to use commas, when you can drop "who/which/that" completely, and why "that" never shows up with commas. Lots of student examples in here too, which will help you understand even more!

Full audio version is on Spotify if you'd rather listen: Charm English Pod Live classes happen every week on Saturday on Instagram (11am Chile time), and Tuesday on Tiktok (9:30pm Chile time)

This was the last grammar-heavy class before we move into phrasal verbs in September, so if you've got requests for that topic, drop them below.

Interested in taking a class with me? Group classes available at www.charmenglish.cl

Today's class was all about conditionals — specifically the part everyone gets stuck on, the if + past tense bit. I had students answer questions like "what would make you quit your job on the spot" and "in what situation would you eat a spider," and got some genuinely great answers!

We also got into was vs. were and practiced so many examples that I hope you can write down a few! Good episode if conditionals have always felt confusing to you.

In this live class, we go through several zodiac signs and read their personality descriptions: strengths, weaknesses, likes, and dislikes. Along the way we stop on vocabulary that comes up: bucolic, insatiable, aloof, condescending, martyr, altruistic, and more, plus a few idioms like "to a T," "my way or the highway," and the phrasal verb "come across as."Adjectives covered for each sign:Aries — courageous, confident, passionate / impatient, moody, aggressiveTaurus — reliable, patient, practical / stubborn, possessive, uncompromisingScorpio — resourceful, brave, loyal / distrusting, jealous, manipulativeGemini — affectionate, curious, adaptable / nervous, inconsistent, indecisivePisces — compassionate, intuitive, wise / fearful, overly trusting, escapistCapricorn — responsible, disciplined, self-controlled / know-it-all, unforgiving, condescendingAquarius — progressive, independent, humanitarian / temperamental, uncompromising, aloofSagittarius — generous, idealistic, funny / over-promising, impatient, undiplomaticVirgo — loyal, analytical, hardworking / shy, overly critical, all work no playWe also talk about pronunciation (20th, realm, dull) and go off on a few tangents (as per usual) like Jesus' birthday, the difference between the Western and Chinese zodiac, and whether people actually identify with their sign.Good for intermediate/advanced learners who want to build descriptive vocabulary for talking about personality in English.Comment your zodiac sign and let me know if the description matches you.#LearnEnglish #ESL #EnglishVocabulary #Zodiac

In this episode, I talk about life milestones and the language we use to describe the big steps and changes in our lives, from getting into university and landing your first job to falling in love, getting married, moving out, and becoming independent.

We’ll look at useful expressions like get your foot in the door, learn the ropes, find your feet, work your way up, hit it off, ask someone out, turn someone down, pop the question, tie the knot, settle down, and put down roots.

We also talk about the idea that a milestone doesn't have to be something traditionally "big." Sometimes learning a language, passing an exam, starting over somewhere new, or simply becoming happier with your life can be a milestone too.

This one started with a leak in my apartment and a new vocab word (caulking gun, if you're curious) before we got into the actual lesson — phrasal verbs about trends: catch on, sell out, opt out, fit in, stand out, water down. Real examples, live chat questions, the usual tangents.

Also covered: podcast recs by level, fluency vs. precision, why grammar clicks once you've had enough exposure to it, plus a detour into 2000s eyebrows, Y2K fashion, and why I don't pick up unknown calls anymore.

For intermediate/advanced learners trying to sound less like a textbook.