English, baby! Daily Podcasts

One night, you have a nightmare. You dream that you must survive in the wild. You’re naked. You are not allowed to have clothes, food, water, or a map. Oh, and you must live with a naked stranger for these three weeks! You must find food and water together, and you must help each other to survive. Does this sound like a scary nightmare? Surprise! It’s not a dream. It’s actually a TV show called Naked and Afraid! Reality TV is very popular now. It’s cheaper to make a reality TV show than a TV show with real actors. But if everyone is making reality TV, it’s hard to be different and get good ratings. That’s why Naked and Afraid is a show about being naked in the wilderness. It’s different than other reality TV shows. Some people even think it’s staged. Can two people really survive like this? Watch the show, and let us know what you think. Marni and Andy are talking about Naked and Afraid. Listen to this English lesson to find out what they think about the show. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

“Sometimes, I’ll wear something and think, I’m going to get so much flack for this tomorrow, but if I want to wear it, I will.”—Singer Rihanna, talking about her fashion (ELLE) -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

There is a famous saying: You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. This means that when you are old, it’s impossible to learn new things. Is this true? Can a dog or a person be too old to learn? Maybe, age is not as important as we think. Maybe, the important things are repetition and patience. Will you try something new over and over again? Will you stay calm if it doesn’t work the first time? Most people teach a dog to do tricks when the dog is still a puppy. The puppy must listen to its owner and do the trick on command. The first trick is usually to shake. The puppy should lift its paw and touch its owner’s hand. Other common tricks include to roll over, speak, fetch, and stand. If the puppy does the trick correctly, it will get treats from its owner. Some dogs can do many different kinds of tricks! Dominique is having trouble with her puppy. Listen to this English lesson for advice on dog training from Gary. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Do you ever just know something? You can’t explain how or why, but you are sure that you are right. Perhaps, you have a hunch that it is going to rain, even though there isn’t a cloud in the sky. Or maybe, you meet someone and know right away that you are going to be friends. Feelings like these are hard to explain, but they are also very common. In fact, they are so common that there is a word for them: a gut feeling.A gut feeling is an instinct or intuition. Your gut is another word for your stomach, so a gut feeling is something you feel in your stomach or chest. Don’t confuse this with a stomachache! A gut feeling does not have anything to do with being sick. You may not have any logical reason for a gut feeling, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore it. Sometimes, gut feelings can save a person’s life! For example, maybe, you had a hunch that you should not get on a certain train, then found out later that the train had crashed. Your intuition warned you about the danger. However, sometimes, a gut feeling does not pay off, and our instincts are wrong.Watch the video to see if Andy’s gut feeling pays off in this episode. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Sometimes, life is hard. What do you do when life feels hard? Do you go for a hike? Do you call a friend? Do you get away from your regular life and travel to another city? Do you unwind with a massage? There are many different things that people can do to let it all go. Some are passive, like watching TV, and others are active, like swimming. Visiting a hot spring is both passive and active… and fun! Hot springs are places where hot water comes up from the ground. They are usually in nature, so you must hike or drive there. At the hot spring, you might sit in a natural spring or in a hot tub to relax in the water. People say this is extremely therapeutic. Andy is having the single worst month of his life. Jordin thinks it would be good for him to relax at a hot spring. Listen to this English lesson to find out about Jordin’s favorite hot spring. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Are you a fan of Hello Kitty? This popular cat from Japan is everywhere. She’s on t-shirts, suitcases, pencils, stickers, and even cakes. Her fans are obsessed with her. They think she’s adorable! This international phenomenon started in 1974 as something for children. Later, older people became obsessed with this little, uplifting cat, too. Other people don’t get it. Why pay extra money for a t-shirt with a cat on it? Many of these people think Hello Kitty is childish. It’s OK for a child to like her, but adults are too old to think she’s adorable. They’re convinced that Hello Kitty is just a way for companies to make lots of money. In 2014, Hello Kitty products earned billions of dollars. Jordin and Marni have different opinions about Hello Kitty. Listen to today’s English lesson to learn why they agree to disagree about this international phenomenon. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

“Theater was definitely part of my roots.” —Actor Christian Slater speaking about growing up in a theater family. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Are you the type of person who loves to be outside? If so, you might even love doing yard work. Perhaps, pulling weeds and mowing the grass makes you feel happy. Maybe, changing a yard that is out of control into a neatly manicured lawn gives you a feeling of success. If this is true, you probably have a garage with a lawn mower in it. On the other hand, you might hate doing yard work. It is often hot and difficult work. If you are this type of person, you might forgo mowing the grass and pass on fertilizing your plants. In fact, you might even like having dandelions in your yard. People have many different ideas of what a yard should be like. Romeo and Dominique had a plan to have date night tonight, but Romeo wants to mow the lawn instead. Find out what Dominique thinks in today’s English lesson. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

You wouldn’t be human if you didn’t feel a little jealous sometimes. It’s difficult when someone has something that you want. Maybe, your best friend just bought the most beautiful dress. You wanted to buy the same dress, but your friend bought it first. Now, she gets to show off the beautiful dress, and you are still wearing your same old clothes. What a nightmare! In situations like these, it is difficult not to feel green with envy. When someone is “green with envy,” they feel very jealous. They want what someone else has, but they can’t get it. A person can also feel green with envy because someone else is getting all the attention. For example, it might be neat to meet someone who can time travel. However, being friends with this person might be difficult because everyone will want to talk to them about their amazing experiences. They may not talk to you, and you might feel green with envy. Andy had an awesome dream last night. Watch today’s English soap opera to find out if it makes Kelsey green with envy. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Everyone wants to smell nice, right? Using antiperspirant under one’s arms helps stop bad odors, but what else can we do to smell nice? Some people love perfume and essential oils. The aroma of a rose, for example, is a very popular aroma. A woman might want to smell like a rose if she is going on a date. Instead of perfume, men use cologne to smell nice. Perfume, cologne, and essential oils are often sprayed on the neck, wrists, and elbows. But how much aroma is too much aroma? If someone has a sensitivity to aromas, they don’t want to smell any strong aroma. For this person, it feels like the aroma is poisoning the air. They may start to sneeze, or their skin might become red and itchy. Because of this, companies now make fragrance-free shampoos, soaps, and other products. Also, certain hospitals, schools, offices, and churches are becoming fragrance-free. People shouldn’t use perfume, essential oils, or cologne in these fragrance-free spaces. Gary and Romeo are talking about odors in public places. Listen to today’s English lesson to find out if they think fragrance-free spaces are a good idea. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

How flexible are you? If you’re very flexible, you’ll have a great time playing party games like Limbo and Twister. Limbo is actually a dance. Players need to bend backwards and walk under a stick. The stick gets lower each time someone walks under it. This game is very easy at the beginning, but soon only the most bendy players will still be playing. Twister is another silly and popular game. To play it, you need a mat with red, blue, yellow, and green circles. You put your hands and feet on the circles, and things get crazy fast! Playing Twister is much more fun than a regular board game. This year is the fiftieth anniversary of Twister, so it’s a great time to try the game for yourself. Dominique and Romeo are talking about Twister. Listen to this English lesson to find out what Romeo thinks about the game… and if Dominique thinks it’s OK to cheat! -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

“I go on dates. It’s not that difficult — I’m a nice young lady — but that’s not my focus. I’m really stoked about being with myself right now.” —Singer Selena Gomez, speaking about her dating life (Popsugar.com) -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

These days, almost everyone has a website. Some websites are for businesses, and others are for personal hobbies and ideas. But what do you do if you need a website and you don’t have a clue how to begin? Then, it’s time to find a friendly nerd who loves web design. A good web designer can help you create a cohesive and beautiful website. Web design isn’t always difficult, but there are many things to think about, especially if you want to push a product. You will need to think about your brand and how people should see your company. This includes big ideas, like your brand’s personality and values. But it also includes many small details, like choosing fonts and color palettes. Romeo needs help with his new WordPress website, so he talks to his favorite nerd, Gary. Learn about Gary’s web design ideas in today’s English lesson. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

When did you have your last big surprise? Was it a good surprise, like getting a new car for your birthday, or was it a bad surprise, like getting fired from your job? When surprises happen, life usually changes. It’s important to relax and not become stressed when life moves in a new direction. Often, these changes happen in ways that you don’t expect. In fact, they will sometimes blow your mind. When something “blows your mind,” it surprises you in a big way. It might be a wonderful surprise. Your mind might be blown because your boyfriend asked you to marry him! Or your mind could be blown by learning unexpected information. For example, it might blow your mind to know that your family wanted to keep a secret from you. When your mind is blown, you will probably feel many emotions. You might be excited or angry. You will also have new information about something important. Dominique wants to blow Sheila’s mind. Listen to her brainstorm with the Travel Bug team in today’s English lesson. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Life is so busy that it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. We have work overload, stress overload, and information overload. Teachers and bosses want us to be productive all the time. We’re all trying to accomplish a million things in one day. Sometimes, we need to take a step back from our busy lives and find new ways to relax. Let’s brainstorm some ideas together. If you have money and time, take a vacation. If you have only money, hire someone to clean your home or teach you something new. If you have only time, go for a long walk or read a good book. If you have no money and no time, put down your phone or even switch it off completely. Then, take a long nap! Can you think of some other ideas? Dominique is feeling overwhelmed. Gary thinks a digital detox is a good idea. Listen to today’s English lesson to find out if Dominique can stop spending so much time online. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com