Charm English Pod

Even if you don't follow sports, you've probably used a sports idiom without realizing it. In this episode, I break down common English idioms that come from soccer, boxing, baseball, American football, and horse racing — and show how they're used way beyond the field, court, or ring.

We cover:

• Move the goalposts – changing the rules or expectations after something's already started
• Drop the ball – making a careless mistake or forgetting something important
• The ball is in your court – it's someone's turn to act or respond
• Throw in the towel – to give up (and why it's "throw in the towel," not "throw the towel")
• Saved by the bell – escaping a difficult situation at the last moment
• Touch base – checking in briefly with someone
• Cover all the bases – making sure every possibility is considered
• Neck and neck – a very close competition
• Front runner – the clear leader in a competition
• Kick off – to start something
• Plus a couple of British English bonus phrases: score an own goal and crack on

We also talk through real-life examples — from immigration paperwork to forgetting a friend's birthday — so you can hear exactly how English speakers drop these phrases into everyday conversation, not just sports talk.

Great episode if you want to sound more natural in work meetings, casual conversations, or just understand what's going on when your English-speaking friend says the candidates are "neck and neck".

🎧 Listen now, and let me know your favorite idiom from the episode!

Keep in mind this was recorded last week so the World Cup conversation is not up-to-date :)

Learn English vocabulary for describing food! In this lesson, we cover an extensive vocabulary list for talking about taste and texture of food (both pleasant and upleasant.)

📚 VOCABULARY COVERED:

Basic Taste Descriptors:

• Sweet, Sour, Spicy, Salty, Bitter

• Delicious, Yummy, Tasty, Bland, Tasteless

Rich & Heavy Foods:

• Rich (NOT the same as "rico" in Spanish)

• Cloying / Sickly Sweet

• Heavy, Caloric, Fatty

Savory & Umami Flavors:

• Savory

• Umami (Japanese word for savory/meaty flavor)

• Meat-forward, Earthy

Fresh & Bright Flavors:

• Zesty (citrus, ginger)

• Tangy (pleasant sour flavor)

• Refreshing

• Citric, Acidic

Strong Flavors:

• Pungent (garlic, onion, blue cheese, wasabi)

• Bittersweet

Pleasant Textures:

• Creamy, Velvety

• Silky, Smooth

• Crunchy, Crispy

• Fluffy, Tender

Unpleasant Textures:

• Gritty (hard, rough pieces)

• Mushy, Soggy

• Stale (not crispy)

• Rubbery (tough, chewy meat)

Negative Descriptors:

• Disgusting, Nauseating

• Repulsive

• Rancid (rotten tasting)

• Vomit-inducing

✓ "Pig out" = eat a lot
✓ "Finger-licking good" = delicious
✓ "Junk food" = unhealthy food high in fat/sugar
✓ "Hearty meal" = filling, nutritious, homemade
✓ "Rich food" ≠ "delicious food" (it's heavy & creamy)

🎯 USEFUL PHRASES:

In this class, we break down all the ways English speakers talk about mistakes, failures, and obstacles with real examples you can actually use.

Learn these phrases:✓ Drop the ball✓ Snowball✓ Out of hand✓ In a pickle✓ Hit a snag✓ At fault vs. guilty✓ And more

Plus: My microphone has its own problems (and it accidentally becomes a techno remix 😅)

Perfect for intermediate learners who want to sound more natural when things go wrong at work, with friends, or just in everyday life.

In this live English class, we explore a variety of time-related expressions to help you sound more natural and precise in conversation.

We start with different ways to say “I’m late,” including phrases like running late, behind schedule, cutting it close, and racing against the clock, along with related expressions such as setbacks and holdups. Then we look at the opposite—how to talk about being early—covering ahead of schedule, on time, and in time, with a clear explanation of the difference between on time (not late) and in time (just before something happens).

Next, we focus on describing how time feels. For time passing slowly, we cover expressions like at a snail’s pace, taking ages, time dragging, and it felt like forever. For time passing quickly, we explore time flies, in the blink of an eye, before you know it, and losing track of time, all with practical examples.

We also introduce phrases to talk about frequency, such as every now and then, once in a while, from time to time, once in a blue moon, and time and again, highlighting the difference between occasional and repeated actions.

Toward the end, we expand into everyday language, including different ways to say sorry (from my sincerest apologies to my bad) and a quick pronunciation tip on apologize vs. apologies. The session finishes with a Q&A on topics like listening skills, accent, and fluency, with practical advice on improving through comprehensible input and effective listening strategies.

This class is ideal for intermediate learners who want to build vocabulary, improve fluency, and speak more naturally about time in English.

In this episode, I’m joined again by Vitória Tamarindo, an English teacher from Brazil! If you missed Part 1, make sure to check it out first. You can follow her here: https://www.instagram.com/teachervitoriatamarindo/

In Part 2, we get into practical strategies for learning English, from how to make the most of just 15 minutes a day to finding the right balance between comfort and challenge. We also share our thoughts on AI in language learning, reading as a tool for improvement, and what really helps students move from passive understanding to active use. Plus, some fun rapid-fire questions at the end.

Listen to Chapters 1-5 before this one! Practice your listening with this audiobook reading of Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli. It is a coming-of-age story about Stargirl Caraway, a girl who starts high school in Mica, Arizona and immediately stands out from everyone else. Her quirky behavior surprises her classmates at first, but little by little, they begin to warm up to her.

Practice your listening with this audiobook reading of Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli. It is a coming-of-age story about Stargirl Caraway, a girl who starts high school in Mica, Arizona and immediately stands out from everyone else. Her quirky behavior surprises her classmates at first, but little by little, they begin to warm up to her.

Leave a comment if you would like the next chapters!

Today’s live class is all about the subjunctive in English: how we use past verb forms to talk about wishes, regrets, preferences, and unreal or hypothetical situations. I break down key phrases like it’s time, I wish, if only, I’d rather, and as if/as though, and look at how they actually work in real conversations. You’ll see the difference between present vs past wishes, common mistakes (like was vs were), and how to sound more natural when expressing complaints, desires, or hypotheticals.

In this episode, I’m joined by Vitória Tamarindo, an English teacher from Brazil! You can follow her here: @teachervitoriatamarindo https://www.instagram.com/teachervitoriatamarindo/We talk about all sorts of things from where we live and life changes, to hobbies, her backgrounds in English, the role of music and pop culture in language acquisition, and the specific methodologies we use in our online classrooms to help students move past the basics.00:00 – Introduction04:23 – Rural life vs. city07:25 – Living in Chile12:20 – Getting into teaching15:35 – Music and pronunciation18:15 – Student-led topics24:55 – Lexical approach explained29:42 – Improvisation and games34:40 – Pre-tasks and learning

"Why am I learning this?" If you’ve ever asked that while staring at a grammar chart, this video is for you.

Most intermediate and advanced English learners know how to conjugate verbs, but they struggle to use them in real conversations. In this episode, we’re moving away from the textbook and into the real world. I’m walking you through all the major English tenses with practical, funny, and slightly ridiculous examples. Watching this video and taking away a new, highly relevant way that you can use one of these tenses is a win in my book!

Remember that tenses are tools for you to be more precise when you speak and say things in a way that's closer to your intention. We learn grammar to help us with real life situations.

Which verb tense is still hard for you to wrap your head around? Let me know in the comments!

Here's my website for classes: charmenglish.cl