English, baby! Daily Podcasts

Do you live in a place with cold winters? If you do, then you probably know all about snow. Snow can make the world a beautiful place. It can turn a noisy city street into a quiet wonderland. It lets us ski, snowboard, and make snowmen. Happy dogs will run around in it, trying to catch snowflakes. Teenagers will do donuts in parking lots. But when you need to drive in the snow, it’s suddenly not so much fun. Snow makes the roads slick and makes cars skid. It’s impossible to drive in whiteouts because you can’t see the road at all. You might need to use your high beams and put chains on or wait for snowplows to clear the road. Whatever you do, stay calm and don’t freak out! Andy and Marni are remembering what it’s like to live in places with snowstorms. Listen to today’s English lesson to find out more about this intense kind of weather. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

What is your favorite clothing company? Are you impressed by their ads? H&M is a popular clothing company that has a customer base in many different countries. The company started in Sweden in 1947. Now, they have more than 3,000 stores all over the world. They also have a program that helps the planet by recycling old clothes. Like all companies, H&M uses ads to sell their clothing. Some ads show women being happy and embracing their differences. Other ads show people representing different lifestyles. But not everyone is happy about H&M’s ads. Some people have no sympathy for the company. Other people are torn. They haven’t decided yet if they like or dislike the company. Dominique is not a fan of H&M. Listen to today’s English lesson to hear what she tells Andy about the company. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Adele is nothing but class. She reached out to me privately and publicly…. What a beautiful soul.—Singer Kesha, speaking about how Adele supported her during a difficult time (popsugar.com) -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Who should be the breadwinner in a family? The father? The mother? Or both? In the past, men were often the breadwinners. They went to work and brought home money. Women took care of the children and the house. A woman like this was called a stay-at-home mom. In our times, there has been a role reversal. Many women work, and some men are willing to stay at home with the children. A man like this is called a stay-at-home dad. Being a stay-at-home mom or stay-at-home dad is not for everyone. Staying at home all day can make a person feel stir crazy. For some people, though, it’s the perfect lifestyle. Jordin and Andy are talking about stay-at-home dads. Listen to today’s English lesson to find out what they think! -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Are you the type of person who likes to have fun while you exercise? Do you like to get social status by joining fun events? Then, maybe you will want to go on a Zombie Run for Halloween. Zombie Runs have become very popular in many places. Each person wears a zombie costume so they look like the living dead. Then, they join others and run together. A Zombie Run is always a process. There are many different types of Zombie Runs. Sometimes, everyone is an infected zombie. But at other events, some people are humans, and they must run to escape from zombies. These events are a fun way to enjoy sweating with a group of friends while looking for some tasty brains to eat. Romeo is excited about a Zombie Run, but Dominique doesn’t understand why. Listen to today’s English lesson to hear their opinions. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

I never publicly talk bad about people…. I’m being honest. I’m a fan. I like [Taylor Swift’s] music. There was no shade.—Kim Kardashian, speaking about her feud with Taylor Swift (E! News) -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Have you ever tried a fad diet? Most fad diets promise you amazing results, but they have lots of rules. For example, if you eat only watermelon for five days, you’ll lose ten pounds. Or maybe, if you consume only foods with a yellow color, you’ll never be sick again. When the fad diet is over, most people feel exhausted by all of the rules! Breatharianism is a popular topic on the internet nowadays. Instead of counting calories, a Breatharian is a person who consumes no food and no water. Breatharians believe they can replenish their bodies just by breathing air and meditating. Other people are not buying it. In fact, they think it’s dangerous and absurd. How can a human be sustained by only air? Marni has decided to try Breatharianism for a while. Listen to this English lesson to find out why Marni’s new diet makes Andy very unhappy. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

When do you act crazy and intense? What happens during these times? Perhaps, your brothers are so noisy that you can’t study. You might become angry and freak out on them by yelling and telling them to be quiet. Or you might learn that your ex-girlfriend has been on a stakeout near your home. This might freak you out and make you feel uncomfortable. On the other hand, you may have had a long week. On Friday, you could go to the dance club and freak out on the dance floor. So, what does freak out actually mean? We use this expression for both good and bad feelings. But when someone freaks out, they are always intense and probably a little crazy. They lose control of their emotions, sometimes, in a happy way and, at other times, in an angry way. Some people can save their energy. They use their intuition to decide when to freak out. Is Andy this type of person? Watch today’s English soap opera to learn why Andy’s crime-drama dream has a theme song called Freak Out. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Are you a morning person? A morning person is someone who feels good in the mornings. This kind of person can wake up at the crack of dawn and feel energized. In fact, they might not even need to set an alarm clock. Some people wake up naturally when the sun comes up. A morning person might use their mornings to exercise, write, meditate, or work on a life goal. And then, there’s the night owl. A night owl is a person who likes to stay up late and sleep in the next morning. This kind of person feels best at night. In the morning, they feel cranky and out of it. Sometimes, a night owl wants to become a morning person. This can be difficult! It takes a few weeks (and maybe, lots of caffeine) to get used to getting up early. Kelsey and Gary got up early today. Listen to this English lesson to discover who is a morning person… and who is not! -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

In 2011, three university classmates created a new app called Snapchat. Like other websites and apps, Snapchat digitizes your life. It lets you share short videos and pictures with friends. You can follow famous people and your favorite companies. But unlike those other websites and apps, Snapchat is temporary. Your photos and videos disappear after people see them. Wait, what? The photos and videos disappear? That’s right. Although you can save your own content, you can’t save other people’s content. For some people, this is frivolous. For other people, this is awesome. They can see life in real time as it happens. All of us at English, Baby! think Snapchat is great for language acquisition, and we hope to see you there soon! Dominique just realized that she can follow English, Baby! on Snapchat. Listen to this English lesson to find out if you should follow us too. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

In the past, many people were oppressed in the United States. Throughout US history, many people were subjected to unfair actions. However, groups began standing in solidarity with each other. Many people wanted life to be more equal and fair for everyone. Today, things are better, but people are not always treated equally. There is still a lot of work to do before all people in the US are truly equal. This is why the Black Lives Matter movement began. People created a peaceful protest against violence toward black people. Recently, some NFL players began to protest by taking a knee, instead of standing, during the national anthem. This peaceful action is their way of saying, “This country does not treat me as equal. Please, change the situation.” Andy wants to talk about this elephant in the room. Listen as he and Gary share their thoughts in today’s English lesson. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

“There are things that I smell that really bring me back. It can remind you of a place or a person more acutely than many other things can.” —Actor Jared Leto speaking about memories and smell. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Everyone knows about The City of Angels, right? It’s home to Hollywood movie stars, famous theme parks, and lots of trendy people. Los Angeles is a huge city. It’s the second-largest city in the United States, and millions of people visit the city each year. Los Angeles, also know as LA or The City of Angels, is one of the most famous cities in the state of California. The hardest part about visiting LA is deciding what to do. If you’re interested in the glitzy lives of movie stars, try a celebrity house tour. If you’d prefer to go off the beaten path, sign up for a hike through the city’s underground tunnels. If you just want to hang out somewhere, go to the beach. Los Angeles also has tons of great restaurants and coffee shops that are under the radar. There’s always something fun to do in this city! Someone from the English, Baby! team is taking a vacation to LA. Listen to today’s English lesson to find out all of the details. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Most people follow the rules most of the time. After all, the world would be crazy if we didn’t! However, what if you are running late for an important meeting? Do you follow the speed limit exactly, or do you go a little faster than you’re supposed to? If you are alone at a crosswalk and the street is empty, do you wait for the sign to walk, or do you just cross the street when you feel like it? And, be honest… if you really want to see an episode of your favorite TV show, do you pay to stream it online, or do you find a slightly-less-legal website and watch it for free?Sometimes, it can be easier to bend or break the rules a little. But be careful! If you do it too much, you might start to think that you’re above the law. We use the expression above the law to talk about someone who does whatever they want. They do not care about what is legal. They might not even care about getting caught or punished. People who live above the law take a lot of risks and break a lot of rules.It can be dangerous to act above the law… unless you are the law! Watch the video to find out what happens next in Andy’s 1970s police drama dream. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Do you remember life before the internet? Nowadays, we send messages at lightning speed. We use Facebook to talk to relatives who live far away. We use Instragram and Snapchat to share videos with friends. We can communicate with everyone, all of the time. But life wasn’t always like this. Before the internet, people sent each other snail mail. They wrote letters on real paper, used real envelopes, and bought real stamps. If they needed to communicate pertinent information, they had to make a phone call. Sometimes, people had a penpal or a friend who lived in another city or country. Now, sending snail mail to a penpal is almost a lost art. Marni and Andy have different opinions about penpals. Is it worth having a penpal? Listen to this English lesson to find out what they think. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com