English, baby! Daily Podcasts

How often do you leave your home? Thanks to the internet, we hardly need to leave our homes at all. We work remotely. We date people online. We exercise with YouTube videos. We watch movies on Netflix. We have food delivered by Uber. The newest trend is to try on things at home. The try before you buy concept is becoming more and more popular. For example, a company called Stitch Fix will help you with your wardrobe. First, you take a quiz about your style choices on their website. Then, a Stitch Fix stylist will pick out multiple clothes and jewelry just for you. Next, they’ll mail you these things to try on. Whatever you don’t like, you can send back with free shipping. You only need to pay for the items you keep. Dominique thinks that try before you buy companies are just tricking indecisive people into buying extra products. Is it true? Listen to Kelsey’s experience with one of these companies in today’s English lesson. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Sometimes, you want a fresh start in life. It’s possible that you grew into a new person, but your old friends are still the same. Or perhaps, you want to try something new and move to a different place. Your friends might not be into that, and you might need to reset and find new friends. There’s no need for a big confrontation, but you could explain why you are going to turn over a new leaf. When someone turns over a new leaf, they make a new start and begin again. Often, this person will change a lot during this time. Their friends might sense a disturbance in the force. But the truth is that everyone needs to turn over a new leaf at times. Finding exactly the right life for you can be a relief, but first, you need to be brave and make a change. Sheila and Andy are so happy to see each other, but will Sheila turn over a new leaf soon? Find out what she wants in today’s English soap opera. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Food trucks are a great part of US popular culture. In the past, construction workers liked food trucks because they served grab and go food. Recently, many fancy restaurants went out of business. Then, their chefs made their own food trucks. Food from food trucks became delicious! Food trucks are now very popular and trendy with millennials. Food trucks serve many kinds of food: Thai, Mexican, Vietnamese, Lebanese, fast food, coffee, desserts, and more. They are often colorful, tiny, and cramped. But they serve up awe-inspiring, delicious food! Some people think it is challenging to wait in the long lines. Other people say it is worth the wait! Both Gary and Jessica love food trucks. Listen as Jessica talks about food truck cuisine in today’s English lesson. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Superheroes are a huge part of U.S. popular culture. They were very popular during World War II and other times in U.S. history. They are important to many people because they are inspiring, imaginative, and resilient. Most of the time, we didn’t know the backstories of the superheroes. Now, there are television shows, books, and movies that are just about their backstories. Some examples are Smallville, Luke Cage, Dare Devil, and more. The movie Logan is about Wolverine from X-Men. The movie shows what Wolverine is like as a person. Logan is his real name. Logan is a very angry, sad, and lonely person. He doesn’t know what to do now that he’s not a part of X-Men. In the movie, he finds someone who gives him hope and goes on a long journey. Romeo loved Logan the movie. Listen as he tells Marni about it in today’s English lesson. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

“I feel like I obviously work with Vogue a lot, but in a different way, and it’s kind of nerve-wracking.“—Model Kendall Jenner, speaking about her new fashion line (Keeping Up With the Kardashians) -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

When you get fast food, do you always order the same thing, or do you like a little variety? Recently, many customers started wanting more variety than usual. They wanted things that were not on the menu. Because of this, at many fast food restaurants, you can now order something from the secret menu. Try a Big McChicken at McDonald’s by replacing the bun of your McChicken sandwich with more chicken patties. Or go to Starbucks and add a banana to your Vanilla Cream Frappucino to make a Banana Cream Pie Frappucino. There are many possibilities when you order off the secret menu!Some people love the idea of a secret menu, but other people think that these restaurants are going overboard. They think that some of the secret menu items might be very unhealthy or might not even taste good! The food on the regular menu is already delicious, they say. Why make any changes to it?Andy just ordered something off the secret menu at Chipotle. Listen as he tells Dominique about his experience. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

“Teenage-girl fans – they don’t lie. If they like you, they’re there. They don’t act ‘too cool.’ They like you, and they tell you. Which is sick.”—Musician Harry Styles, speaking about his fans (Rolling Stone) -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

You can live large in Dubai or Ibiza, but the gambling is better in a certain flashy city in the Arizona desert. Las Vegas! It’s a famous party spot where people can truly indulge. In fact, so many crazy bachelor parties happened in this city, there’s a popular saying: What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. This means that you shouldn’t tell other people what you do in Vegas. Although Vegas is a tourist trap, you can see many breathtaking things on The Strip. If you walk along The Strip, which is the city’s main tourist street, there’s an Eiffel tower, a Statue of Liberty, a giant pyramid, and even real canals with gondolas! However, before you go ask Elvis for his autograph, remember that it’s Vegas. It’s all fake. Jessica hit the shops in Vegas recently. Listen as she tells Dominique about her trip to Sin City! -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Do you fret about being angry with people? Maybe, you and your best friend are mad at each other. It probably doesn’t even matter why you are angry. You both have hurt feelings. What do you do in a situation like this? It’s easy to stay mad, but then you may lose your best friend. How can you both become friendly again? It might be time to bite the bullet and apologize. When you bite the bullet, you do something that you don’t want to do. But you do it because you feel you need to do it. For example, you might think you are right, and your best friend is wrong. But if you want to stay friends, you won’t fight. Even though you think you’re right, you’ll bite the bullet and tell your friend that you’re sorry. Maybe, your friend will come to the same conclusion and apologize to you, too. Jordin is going to bite the bullet and tell Sheila that she’s sorry for kissing Andy. Will Sheila also apologize to her? Find out in today’s English soap opera. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Everybody loves fresh food! And it’s wonderful when you can grow this food in your own garden. However, many of us have limited space, and we can’t do a lot of gardening in our yards. But a popular new idea can help… vertical gardening! Vertical gardens grow on walls or in tall planters with different spaces for many plants. Growing food vertically is a slick way to tend to your own edible plants. Just like a normal garden, a vertical garden needs soil, nutrients, and water. However, you might put the soil into pots that hang on a wall. Or you might put the soil into a special planter that stands up tall instead of laying out wide. These simple changes make it possible for almost anyone to have a garden. Andy is sad because his new apartment isn’t big. But Marni has the perfect idea for him in today’s English lesson. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Were you born in the 1980s or 1990s? If so, you probably remember the Friends TV show, CD players, and hip-hop music. Perhaps, you also remember Lisa Frank. The company’s neon designs were synonymous with the 1980s and 1990s for millions of people. Now, as we approach the year 2020, Lisa Frank is making a comeback. Is the world ready for a Lisa Frank revival? Lisa Frank is an American businesswoman who started her own company in 1979. The company sold school supplies like binders, pencils, stickers, and lunch boxes. Schoolchildren loved the neon colors and cutesy animals of Lisa Frank. Now, those children are adults, but many of them still enjoy the puppies, dolphins, and rainbows from the era of their youth. Lisa Frank’s company is ready to make money again. Marni still loves anything with a neon unicorn. But can she convince Romeo that the Lisa Frank comeback is a good thing? Listen to this English lesson to find out. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

“Some [people] have gone as far as to say I look ‘skeletal.’ Well, just because I am a male doesn’t mean I’m impervious to your whispers. Body shaming hurts.”—Actor Chris Pratt, speaking about his weight loss for the movie Jurassic World 2 (Instagram) -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Can you taste music? Can you hear colors? Can you smell numbers? These might seem like crazy questions. But they aren’t crazy for someone who has synesthesia. Synesthesia is an amazing condition. People who have synesthesia perceive things differently with their senses. They might hear a symphony and taste the music in their mouth, for example. Each person with synesthesia has a different experience. The crossed channels in their senses are not often the same. One person might feel colors as emotions, but another person might smell colors instead. For some people, tapping into their synesthesia is wonderful, but for others, it might be scary. Synesthesia will bring on a different experience for each person who has it. Marni’s mom has synesthesia, and she enjoys her experience. Listen as Marni tells Romeo how her mom sees music in today’s English lesson. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

If you are like most people, there are mornings when you don’t have the energy to get out of bed. You just want to sleep, and you don’t want to get ready for the day. On the other hand, you probably also have mornings when you pop out of bed. You are full of energy, and you can’t wait to start your day. You are up and running from the very beginning. When a person is up and running, they are excited and ready for the next thing. A machine is up and running when it is working well. Of course, people’s energy level changes during the day. You might start the day awake and excited, but you could begin to fall asleep after lunch. You’ll need to get your blood pumping so you can be up and running for the rest of the day. Andy needs to be up and running so he can surprise Sheila when she arrives for her party. Find out if he can stay awake in today’s English soap opera. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Sometimes, you want to be a little different than other people. You want to make a big change. You want a body modification. This means you’re going to use your body as art. Maybe, you’ll try a different hair color. Perhaps, you’ll get a piercing. Or if you want a more expensive commitment, what about some ink? But there are consequences to body art. It can be painful. You need to take care of it. Other people might judge you for it. Also, if you get a tattoo, you can’t take it back very easily. On the other hand, maybe, you want to someday be an 80-year-old person with a dirty little secret… a colorful tattoo! So, will you get some body art? Body art is all the rage where Jessica lives. Listen to this English lesson to find out if Andy thinks it’s a good idea for her to get some ink. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com