RealLife English: Learn and Speak Confident, Natural English

Today we're talking all about abbreviations in English. In case you're not familiar with this term, an abbreviation is a shortened form of a word or phrase. For example, we might say FYI instead of "for your information" or ASAP instead of "As soon as possible." You'll come across abbreviations in your work, studies, and general daily life. They're a huge part of communication, especially when texting or sending online messages or emails. In this podcast, we'll clarify the various types of abbreviations and also teach you some of the most common ones.

Show notes here.

.......... We're super excited to announce that we have publicly launched much anticipated RealLife English Podcast and Speaking App, which will give dedicated learners, just like you, the opportunity to listen to podcasts, not only with audio and transcripts, but also to speak English with other learners from around the world, at the touch of a button, for free. Download here .......... Sign up for the RealLife Native Immersion Course here .......... Follow us on: RealLife English (YouTube) Learn English with TV Series (YouTube) Instagram: reallife.english Facebook: RealLife English

"My weakness? Well, I'd say I'm a bit of a perfectionist." How many times have you heard someone saying that or have even said that yourself? It's quite common to repeat this over and over as an excuse to not take the next step towards a goal or a dream that you have.

Now, you may be thinking "But Ethan, I am proud of myself for being a perfectionist because it means that I care deeply about the things I do." I understand why you might believe that calling yourself a perfectionist makes you feel that you work hard(er) than others to achieve the things you want to do. And there is some truth in that. However, our admiration for perfection is so universal that we never really stop to question what this concept is doing to you and your language learning journey.

Download the App .......... Sign up for the RealLife Native Immersion Course here ..........

• Episode's Show Notes (find all the links there)

Follow us: RealLife English (YouTube) Learn English with TV Series (YouTube) Instagram: reallife.english Facebook: RealLife English

There's no doubt that English is the most widely spoken language in the world. So, by learning it, it will unlock a huge range of opportunities, no matter what your goals are, and some of them may be quite surprising. In today's podcast, we'll discuss four amazing ways that English will change your life. If you're looking for some motivation for continuing with your learning, then you don't want to miss out on this episode.

Show notes here.

.......... We're super excited to announce that we have publicly launched much anticipated RealLife English Podcast and Speaking App, which will give dedicated learners, just like you, the opportunity to listen to podcasts, not only with audio and transcripts, but also to speak English with other learners from around the world, at the touch of a button, for free. Download here .......... Sign up for the RealLife Native Immersion Course here .......... Follow us on: RealLife English (YouTube) Learn English with TV Series (YouTube) Instagram: reallife.english Facebook: RealLife English

Josh MacPherson is an English language instructor and curriculum developer currently based in Japan. With over 15 years of experience teaching English, Josh has specialized in teaching English learners how to better prepare for and increase their chances of achieving a higher score on the TOEFL exam and the new Duolingo English Test. At TST Prep, he helps future test takers get the English test score they need as quickly and easily as possible.

I hope you're ready because Josh has some major insight to share with you about language learning and test taking. Josh lives in Japan and he shares what has worked and not worked on his own journey to learn Japanese. He tells me about how he became an English teacher. He helps you with some advice to decide which English examination is right for you. What skills you need besides just fluent English to get the score you want on any of these exams. Some information about the new Duolingo Test and advice on how you can pass it. Finally, tests my speaking for both the TOEFL exam and Duolingo tests. I didn't do as well as I hoped, but Josh will give you some advice that will help you to do a lot better than I did. And so much more coming up on episode 20 of Beyond Borders!

Download the App .......... Sign up for the RealLife Native Immersion Course here ..........

• TST Prep (YouTube)
• Episode's Show Notes (find all the links there)

Follow us: RealLife English (YouTube) Learn English with TV Series (YouTube) Instagram: reallife.english Facebook: RealLife English

Have you ever wondered what type of English learner you are? The idea is that we learn best according to the archetype of language learners we are. Knowing which type of learner you are can be useful to work out which tips work best for you. Are you an Academic learner? A Jedi Master? Find out in today's episode! Show notes here.

.......... We're super excited to announce that we have publicly launched much anticipated RealLife English Podcast and Speaking App, which will give dedicated learners, just like you, the opportunity to listen to podcasts, not only with audio and transcripts, but also to speak English with other learners from around the world, at the touch of a button, for free. Download here .......... Sign up for the RealLife Native Immersion Course here .......... Follow us on: RealLife English (YouTube) Learn English with TV Series (YouTube) Instagram: reallife.english Facebook: RealLife English

Gabriel Wyner is an American polyglot, book author, and founder of Fluent Forever. He fell in love with language learning while training to be an opera singer at school. After feeling pressured by a deadline to achieve proficiency in French, he worked his way to fluency studying on his own. Noticing that there was valuable advice online that was not put together, Gabe decided to share his journey in the book Fluent Forever: How to Learn Any Language Fast and Never Forget It, which since has become a best-seller. Since 2019, he and his team have been helping thousands of people with their language learning through their Fluent Forever app. Their mission is to enable a million people to have comfortable conversations in a foreign language by 2030.

This interview with Gabe was absolutely fascinating. It left me with so many questions, I only wish we could have talked longer. The interview starts a little bit slow, but trust me, stick in there through the whole interview for a goldmine of life-changing language learning advice. Gabe shares with me about his childhood and how his parents instilled a growth mindset in him from an early age. How a coming of age ceremony led him to become an opera singer and study vocal arts. Why goals are a crucial part of his language learning and how he sets effective objectives. How learning another foreign language might help you better learn English. The brain science that goes into making the fluent forever method effective, and how you can learn pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar in an efficient and natural way. You are really in for a treat with this one—it could change the way you think about language learning. I'm so excited to share this interview with you, so let's get into episode 19 of Beyond Borders!

Download the App Here .......... Sign up for the RealLife Native Immersion Course here ..........

• Fluent Forever (book)
• Episode's Show Notes (find all the links there)

Follow us: RealLife English (YouTube) Learn English with TV Series (YouTube) Instagram: reallife.english Facebook: RealLife English

Today we'll be talking about the topic you've voted for: how to give compliments in English. If you compliment a person, you praise them or say good things about them. It's not just the words that you say that are important, but also the tone. We'll also explore a variety of sentence structures that you can use to give compliments.

Show notes here.

.......... We're super excited to announce that we have publicly launched much anticipated RealLife English Podcast and Speaking App, which will give dedicated learners, just like you, the opportunity to listen to podcasts, not only with audio and transcripts, but also to speak English with other learners from around the world, at the touch of a button, for free. Download here .......... Sign up for the RealLife Native Immersion Course here .......... Follow us on: RealLife English (YouTube) Learn English with TV Series (YouTube) Instagram: reallife.english Facebook: RealLife English

Natasha Broodie is an American communication specialist and founder of Life with the big E. She's a diplomat who previously worked with the United Nations. She is also a travel and language enthusiast and has lived in Russia and France where she taught Business English and noticed how non-native speakers interacted in multicultural business contexts. This experience led her to write her new book "Give Me Tea, Please" to help students politely navigate formal and informal conversations in English-speaking business environments. I loved how different this interview is from any of the Beyond Borders shows so far. Natasha brings a great energy.

She shares what she learned from studying a masters in International Relations and doing humanitarian work in western Africa. And why negotiation is such an important skill, even in learning English. We dive into what you need to do to really stand out in a job interview in English and how you can prepare, even if it is tomorrow! Natasha shares how she has learned to tolerate and become comfortable with rejection, which will definitely help any of you listening. We get into why you might be at risk of being left behind in this globalizing world. You are probably using the simple words YOU, WHAT, and WANT. Natasha tells you how to avoid making a big mistake with these words. Her advice for starting to learn a new language. So let's not waste anymore time getting into episode 18 of Beyond Borders!

Download the App Here .......... Sign up for the RealLife Native Immersion Course here ..........

• www.LifeWithTheBigE.com
• Episode's Show Notes (find all the links there)

Follow us: RealLife English (YouTube) Learn English with TV Series (YouTube) Instagram: reallife.english Facebook: RealLife English

In today's podcast episode, you'll get some more practice with your English idiomatic vocabulary by learning some animal idioms. Idioms are a type of figurative language which can be very confusing for English language learners. Now, there are tons of expressions that use animals and we use them all the time. If you stick around until the end, you won't be so confused when English speaking friends use them, or when you hear them when watching TV and movies. Plus, you'll have a fun new way of expressing yourself in English.

Show notes here.

.......... We're super excited to announce that we have publicly launched much anticipated RealLife English Podcast and Speaking App, which will give dedicated learners, just like you, the opportunity to listen to podcasts, not only with audio and transcripts, but also to speak English with other learners from around the world, at the touch of a button, for free. Download here .......... Sign up for the RealLife Native Immersion Course here .......... Follow us on: RealLife English (YouTube) Learn English with TV Series (YouTube) Instagram: reallife.english Facebook: RealLife English

Luke Thompson is an ESL Teacher, Podcaster, and Stand-up Comedian. He's originally from England and currently lives in Paris. Luke has been helping learners practice their listening skills for over 10 years through his podcast. His webpage and podcast were voted #1 in the Best Blog category for the Macmillan Dictionaries Awards four times in a row. His goals are to engage the learners with authentic conversations that explore all different aspects of everyday life and bits of British culture.

Luke is quite the polymath, meaning he has a broad knowledge and many different skills and passions, and he is an absolute delight to speak with. He explains to me what it's like living in Paris, what a perfect day there might look like, and how he has overcome culture shock. We talk about what stand-up comedy, rock climbing, surfing, and swimming all have in common with learning English or another language. Why "I'm too old" is a bad excuse for not learning a language. How he finds time for all of his different work, hobbies, family, and passions, and how you can make more time for your own learning. What do do if you feel overwhelmed by not understanding something you are listening to. And so much more in Episode 17 of Beyond Borders, so let's dive right in.

Download the App Here .......... Sign up for the RealLife Native Immersion Course here ..........

• Luke's English Podcast on YouTube
• Episode's Show Notes (find all the links there)

Follow us: RealLife English (YouTube) Learn English with TV Series (YouTube) Instagram: reallife.english Facebook: RealLife English