The Level Up English Podcast (Natural British English)

Join me on a long, hot walk through the suburbs of Bangkok as I talk and share some insights about life in Thailand.

I talk about some of the things I'm seeing as I walk, cultural differences, the difference between judgements and observations, and insights on language learning based on my experience with the Thai language.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast398

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Feeling a bit under the weather today, I share some thoughts on the idea of starting again and the feeling of getting back to old routines after a break.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast397

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AI has come up a few times on this podcast, but I haven't done a great job until now of discussing the drawbacks of using it. I'm not strongly pro or anti Artificial Intelligence, so it's only fair that I spend some time and talk about the ways in which we might want to question our relationship to it.

In this episode, I share the problem of outsourcing our thinking to AI, when you shouldn't use it, and also the downsides of using it for language learning.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast396

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I chat with Tom from the Thinking in English podcast about some ideas from his podcast. Like me, Tom has been publishing episodes for over 6 years, so we have a lot in common here.

We start by discussing the question of how to think in English (and whether this is actually a good goal), and then go into some debate topics inspired by some recent episodes on Tom's podcast.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast395

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Have you ever wondered how to improve your speaking, but you find it hard to get a teacher or language partner? In this episode, I explore on method I found recently that works really well for me, so you'll have no excuse not to practice!

I'm not saying this method can replace interaction with another person, but if you're looking to get more speaking practice in your week, this might just work for you. Let me know what you think!

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast394/

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This podcast series is based on the idea that fixing just one or two of the biggest mistakes in your English will have the largest effect.

I noticed that students from the same countries always made the same mistakes in English, so let's go around the world and share the biggest mistake made by learners in that country based on my teaching experience.

Was your country mentioned? If not, leave a comment and share what you think the biggest mistake is there.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast393/

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This is Part 2 in my series of comparing formal and casual English, with the aim to make your English sound more natural for everyday conversations. You can listen to part 1 in Episode 388.

I give you a list of phrasal verbs and their more formal synonyms while giving examples of each one. I encourage you to share your own examples too so you can practice these yourself.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast392

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On my final day in the UK before returning to Thailand, I get quite self-reflective as I sit in the countryside and answer 10 questions that might change your life.

These are deep questions where on the way to find the answer, you might come to some big realisations about how to life. Of course, along the way, I'll also be sharing new and useful vocabulary.

I encourage you to answer these questions too, and as a bonus, try to practice any words that were new for you.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast391

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Paul is a teacher from the UK who has recently been teaching Saturday group classes on the Level Up English website. Although we've got to know each other over the years, this is the first time talking together on the podcast.

Paul shares his experience gaining confidence for TV appearances, the ups and downs of teaching group classes, interesting experiences teaching private classes, and more!

What I love most about this episode is Paul's insights on learning English, from accent and how you sound, to the most important things to focus on. Don't miss this one!

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast390/

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This is one of the rare Level Up English Podcast episodes that is better suited for video watching, so if you like, check it out on YouTube or Spotify to see where I am. Hopefully, the listening experience is still good despite the wind in the middle.

I take you on a journey to the 2nd most remote place in all of England. This is Dartmoor National park, where I'm on a hike to a place called Fur Tor. This is just one example of exploring off-the-beaten-path places in the UK, and I talk about some more in today's episode.

Remember, new vocabulary and bonus lessons are available for members on the link below.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast389/

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English is pretty famous for having loads of confusing synonyms - these are different words that have the same meaning.

What learners often struggle with is knowing when to use these words, because although they have the same meaning, they are used in different ways and at different times.

In this episode, I'll be sharing some pairs of words that have the same meanings, but one is formal and one is casual, so you'll know the best one to use in each situation. I'll also be sharing examples and answering questions using these words, and I encourage you to do the same to help learn them faster.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast388/

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Let's explore why Gerunds and Infinitives are so important.

The basics are a gerund is an ING verb that acts as a noun (eg. swimming), while an Infinitive is a verb beginning with 'to' (eg. to swim). Sometimes we can say both: I like to swim / I like swimming. But sometimes (in fact, more often) only one is possible.

What many learners don't know, is that sometimes you can use both, but the meaning changes when you do. In this episode, we'll be exploring these meaning changes in more detail.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast387/

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I bring Molly to a beautiful field in the English countryside on the border between Devon and Cornwall, and I quiz her on British culture.

I ask a variety of questions on topics of behaviour, attitudes, cultural norms, and language. Play along while you listen and see how many you can get right too.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast386/

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Over the years I've taught students from most corners of the world, and over that time, I've noticed that students from each country tend to make the same mistakes. This could be due to the education system, or perhaps also the differences between English and their native language.

In this episode, I got a few of the largest countries and shared the number 1 mistake I hear from students in each country. I also share how you can avoid this mistake, then answer a question using the correct English as an example. Of course, I invite you to answer the questions too. You can do so in the shownotes comments.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast385/

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I'm sure you've asked yourself the question before - "What's the best way to learn a language?"

In this episode, I'll be trying to answer exactly that, as I rank various methods in a Tier List to find the most effective and least effective. Make sure you stay until the end because my summary and conclusion might be the most useful advice of the whole episode.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast384/

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We make decisions every single day - some of them little ones, and some of them huge life-changing decisions.

I'll be sharing some really useful expressions you can use when deciding between two things, while giving my own stories and examples for each one as well. This way, you can see how the expressions is used naturally, and I'll also encourage you to share or think about your own answers to each question.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast383/

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Which city in the UK is the best and which is the worst? In this episode, you will find out the answer and a little bit more on why. I will be ranking some of the biggest and most popular UK cities all around the country, from best to worst, and I'll be talking about my own experience in each one as well. So whether you are planning a future trip to the UK, or maybe you just want to hear more about it, the culture, what each place is like, and my opinion, then this will be a good episode for you.

And of course, you'll also be getting fantastic listening practice to level up your English, 

For a visual guide, you can watch the video version to see my final scores.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast382/

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Meg (Mega Language Coach) joins me for a second episode and this time we talk about inclusive language.

Inclusive language is a way of speaking that includes other people and doesn't leave people out based on their ability, gender, personality, or anything else. It's a small shift you can make in your language to sound nicer.

We talk about whether you can say "guys" when talking to girls, the difference between he, she and 'they', and also why people don't often say "police man" anymore.

In the second half of the episode, I challenge Meg to a game to fill in the blanks in common expressions, and I invite you to join in as well.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast381/

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In a more adventurous episode, I challenge myself to cycle alone from Seoul, South Korea all the way to the coastal city of Busan, and eventually end up in Fukuoka, Japan. Can I do it? Can I make it to the end without destroying my body? Join me to find out.

In this episode, I'll be sharing my experience of the cycle trip, including planning, advice for those who want to take on similar challenges, and sharing useful vocabulary for English learners along the way.

I highly recommend watching the video version on YouTube or Spotify for this episode since I'll be sharing almost 1 hour of footage from my cycling, so you can enjoy the beautiful scenery while I talk.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast380/

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Being able to talk about the past naturally in English is really important to sounding natural, and in this episode, we explore the use of "Used to" and "Would", which can both be used to talk about past habits that are no longer true.

There is a small difference between them, and understanding this can make your English sound much more natural.

I explain the difference, and give several examples from my own life to illustrate it. Of course, I invite you to do the same. In the shownotes comments below, leave your own answers.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast379/

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I go through a varied list of different opinions that I think the vast majority of people will disagree with - perhaps even think I'm insane for having them! For each opinion, I share some words and expressions, and I'd love to hear your thoughts too. Are there any that you actually agree with me on?

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast378

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Andrew from Culips English Podcast and Michael talk about things with wish we knew earlier in life and share some big regrets.

A relaxed, honest conversation with personal stories and some moments of self-reflection that includes topics of finances, life choices, skills, language learning and health/exercise.

It's also a great opportunity to practice some grammar structures such as "I wish I had", so be suer to answer these questions yourself too for practice.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast377/

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I often get requests to show more of my life in Thailand, so in this episode, I'll take you through a somewhat typical weekend day for me in Bangkok, while sharing lots of useful new vocabulary along the way.

If you have any suggestions for future outside episodes, let me know!

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast376

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In Episode 370, we covered a lot of common mistakes that native speakers make in their English, and today is the much requested part 2.

We'll be looking at a few areas or regional dialects, grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary, that seem to be mistakes in native speaker speech. Some of these are known mistakes and done out of laziness, some of these might be considered a natural part of how language changes and evolves over time.

But the real question is - are any of these okay for learners to make?

We'll be covering all of this in today's episode.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast375

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As humans, we all experiences negative emotions from time to time, but most of these feelings aren't too strong. Many of the daily emotions we feel include small levels of irritation or something that makes us a little unhappy for a short time.

It's useful to be able to put a name to these emotions, so today, I'll be sharing a few slightly negative emotions and behaviours, what we can call them, and some stories from my own life when I'm in a bad mood and experience these too.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast374

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We chat with Andrew from the Culips English Podcast and get to know him a bit.

We talk about moving from Canada and life in South Korea for 12 years, while comparing the good and bad of each country. We also explore topics of learning Korean, how to get the most out of a trip to South Korea, and more casual chat around various topics.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast373

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If you could remove one thing from your life to make it better, what would it be?

You might be thinking of something big, but what if it just takes a few bad habits and mindsets to go for your life to start drastically improving?

Today I’ll be talking about some habits and mindsets I’ve (mostly) stopped doing and the positive impact it’s had on my life. Have you tried any of these?

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast372

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Do you use AI to make your life easier in any way? Perhaps you use it for work, or perhaps maybe you ask it for life advice. Well, whether you are an avid user, avid means regular daily user, or you don't know how to use AI and you've never used it or you don't know much about it. In this episode, we will be learning how you can use AI to help your English grow and improve.

I'll be sharing my advice and ideas to use AI to learn a language and what I do personally in my own studies and how I use AI to help me learn. 

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast371

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Have you ever heard a native English speaker make a mistake in their English? Of course no one is perfect and this includes native speakers. There really is no such thing as perfect language and the fact that native speakers will make mistakes can be quite confusing for someone perhaps like you who is trying to learn English, and it's very difficult when you want to fix your own mistakes as a learner, but the native speakers you are trying to copy do not speak perfectly.

That is quite the problem. So if you've ever been confused by something a native speaker has said before, including me perhaps, and you've wondered whether this was actually correct, this is the episode for you.

So in today's episode, I will be talking about common mistakes that native speakers make and discussing perhaps why they make this mistake and whether it's okay for you to do the same.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast370

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If you’d like more personalised support with your English, I offer private lessonsfocused on real conversation, fluency, and targeted feedback.

🇬🇧 You can book a lesson here: 

https://lessons.levelupenglish.school/

If you can’t find a suitable time, feel free to email me: 

michael@levelupenglish.school

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Do you struggle with phone use? Maybe you'd like to cut back a little and enjoy your life more. In this episode, we cover lots of tips and advice for reducing phone use. Some practical ideas, and some mindset changes. I also explore the idea of using your phone to learn English and whether this is a good idea.

You'll also be learning new phrases, expressions, and words related to this topic, so you'll be ready to discuss this yourself in English.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast369

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Rayhan from Learn English with Ray makes his 3rd appearance on the Level Up English podcast, and this time we talk about the power of stories.

We cover the importance of story telling, tips on becoming a great story teller, and also give many examples from our own lives to try top practice what we're learning.

I learnt so much from Ray this episode since telling a good story is far more than speaking good English - it's an art than can help improve your relationships and social interactions, and maybe even make me a better podcaster!

Don't forget to stay until the end to hear my (real) story about seeing a UFO, and Ray's experience with ghosts!

Ray's Course on Storytelling:https://www.skool.com/elevate-english-6228/about?ref=77d17e9d6acf4bf1ae51158796ecaa0f

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast368

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We'll be looking at the popular subreddit r/Confessions and for each story, I'll be sharing my own views on what this person should have done and giving them advice. While giving advice, I'll be using some useful structures that you can use in your English too.

Of course, we also learn a lot of bonus vocabulary that comes up in each story as well.

If you wait around to the end, you'll even hear a couple of my own confessions where I talk about some bad things I've done (and still do!)

Podcast Shownotes: https://levelupenglish.school/podcast367/

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Many of you may be wondering how you can best make use of all these podcast episodes to improve your English.

Today, I'll be covering that topic and sharing some ideas and techniques to improve your English quickly while listening to podcasts - whether it's this one or any others!

At the end, I also share my own personal favourite podcasts that I listen to each week.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast366

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I've been keeping a secret for a while... About 6 months ago, I got a hair transplant!

In this episode, I talk openly about why I did this and the process that went into it. And I also talk more deeply and generally on the topic of self-esteem and self image and how the way we look affects our confidence in the world. It's a great topic to dive into, and along the way, I cover lots of useful vocabulary and phrases too.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast365

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In this episode, we're joined by Molly - an English learner and Chinese teacher. We go through a few different words and ideas to describe them, and you can play along and guess at home. We'll be comparing a native speaker and a learn to see who can do a better job of describing each one.

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I recently learnt that not everyone thinks the same way I do. In fact, there are some areas in which our brains differ greatly. For me, this is a fascinating topic. How do I know the green colour you see, is the same as the green colour I see?

In this episode, I share a few different ways in which our brains are different, and what this might mean for us living our daily lives, and the implications as language learners.

So if you want to learn more about your brain and how it works, listen to this episode, and don't forget to share your own experiences in the comments.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast363

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The main focus of today's episode is the word 'cringe'.

It's a useful word to describe a strong feeling of embarrassment or awkwardness, especially at someone else's behaviour, or memories of your own past behaviour. I'll be sharing a few cringey things from my life, some embarrassing stories, and some everyday things that I find a bit cringe.

While chatting, I'll be sharing some useful phrases and expressions too, so you can learn something new with each story.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast362

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I react to a list of various unpopular opinions (taken from the popular subreddit) looking at some strong views, unusual takes, and some deeper, more philosophical opinions.

With each one, I share my views and experiences that are relevant, and also a new English phrase that you can learn and take away from this episode.

If you'd like the share your opinions in response, I'd love to hear them! You can do so on the shownotes page below.

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Ivan Doan is a multilingual actor, speaking 6+ languages, of Ukrainian Vietnamese descent working around the world.

Ivan joins the Level Up English Podcast today to discuss acting, mistakes when acting, skills and tips to being a good actor and director, improving pronunciation and accent for language learning, favourite TV series and movies, and much more.

To connect with Ivan online, click the shownotes page to view all his social links.

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The question I get asked most often these days is "How can I learn English?" and "What's the best way to learn?"

It's clearly a topic that people want to hear about, so my goal today is to finally answer that big question once and for all.

I'll be giving advice to people who know some English, but don't know how to make it a daily practice. And also advice for learners who have been studying for a while, but feel like they don't have a clear aim and are not seeing fast improvements.

I'll talk about questions to ask yourself before getting started, steps you need to take to see improvements in your English learning, and finally, 11 questions to ask if you are studying but not improving as fast as you'd like.

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I'm talking to you from the beaches of Okinawa, Japan, and bringing you an outside episode today. Click the link below if you'd like to watch the video version on YouTube.

It's a bit of a chatty episode, but my main topic is Travel Hot Takes. A hot take is a controversial opinion that many people will disagree with, and today I list some of my biggest ones. I'm sure I'm going to anger a few people with these today.

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This is the episode I've been excited about for months! In the final episode of the year, I'll be going in detail about what you can do to set goals and become the best version of yourself in 2026. 

I'll start by going through my process this year of how you can best do this. It involves writing a review of the good and bad of the previous year, so you can appreciate your successes and think about what could have gone better.

We then talk about planning for the year ahead, and break it apart into categories, and then finally set some actionable habits so you can make progress towards these goals.

I also spend a lot of time sharing personal details from my own review, so you can see what it looks like, and also learn (and laugh) at my mistakes.

Don't forget to click the shownotes link below and use my simple template to write your own review.

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This is a continuation of a annual series where I track my language learning progress and draw lessons from the data. The first time was Episode 248, and then again in Episode 306.

If you're like me and you love to get nerdy about data and statistics, then you'll get a lot out of this episode. I break down all the categories of how I've spent my time studying over the last year and take some valuable (and hard-to-accept) lessons from it.

Even if you don't think tracking appeals to you, you can certainly still learn from the lessons in this episode and end feeling more motivated to improve your English.

Click below to track your English learning!

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In this episode, I go through a list of 2nd Conditional questions that encourage me to self reflect and think about how I could improve my life and habits in the new year. 

Using this grammar structure is really useful, and I encourage you to answer each question as well.

This is a more casual, chatty episode, so if you actually want to learn about the grammar in more detail, Episode 65 might be more useful. 

Feel free to share your thoughts or answers in the comments below.

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In this episode of the Level Up English Podcast, we dive into the world of sadness -an emotion we all experience, yet often struggle to express clearly in English. 

We'll be looking at a few different ways to say you're sad in English, and to keep things happy and optimistic, I also share some ideas on how to be happy in life.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast354

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If you're planning on taking the IELTS exam, this episode is a must listen for you. In it, I cover an overview of the exam, and some tips on how to prepare and ace the listening section.

I also want to make sure all learners can learn from this episode, so in the second half, I cover some general listening tips and things you can do to level up your listening skills, sharing techniques and motivational tips to encourage you.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast353

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Whether you like cats or not, this is the purrfect episode to learn a lot of useful cat-related expressions that you can use to improve your spoken English.

I share a list of different expressions, go over the meaning and popularity of each one, and of course give examples from my own life. If you'd like to join in the conversation, go to the comments on the shownotes page.

At the end, I also share 4 things we can learn from cats to improve our lives. Do you agree?

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast352

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Jesús returns for another episode, but this time we challenge each other with some phrasal verbs from America and Britain. We each have a secret list of 5 phrasal verbs, and our goal is to share one that the other doesn't know.

While talking, we discover whether these phrasal verbs are used internationally, or only in one part of the world, and we also share examples from our own lives.

Join us and level up your English vocabulary with phrasal verbs.

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In this cross-post episode, Lewis and Michael go through some fun conversation questions that involve a lot of British English idioms and slang.

While hearing our funny stories, you'll improve your knowledge of spoken English and train your listening.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast350

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I just came back from a trip to Japan where I cycled the 80km Shimanami Kaido trail that connects two of the main islands by a group of small islands and bridges. It was a beautiful experience, and in this episode I share an overview of the trip.

You'll hear some funny stories and mistakes, as well as some reflections on language learning and using it in the country while travelling.

It's more of a casual episode, but I hope you like this style. 

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast349

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Shower thoughts are basically deep thoughts that tend to come to us when we're in the shower, or at other times in the day free from distractions. 

In this episode, I go through a few funny thoughts, and a few deep and philosophical ones I've gathered and find interesting to think about. Hopefully you'll enjoy hearing them too!

Make sure to listen carefully to the vocabulary I mention throughout the episode. The full list of new words will be available on the website for members.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast348

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Ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes of a top English learning podcast? 

In this episode, I chat with Luke from Luke's English Podcast about the challenges and joys of content creation.

We discuss: filming outdoors and dealing with self-consciousness, balancing YouTube's algorithm with quality educational content, audio vs video podcasting, audience capture and staying authentic, Luke's 16+ years of podcasting wisdom, and future content ideas inspired by creators like GeoWizard.

Whether you're a content creator or just curious about the podcasting world, this conversation is full of honest insights and practical advice.

Shownotes Page: https://levelupenglish.school/podcast347/

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"The more you know, the more you realise you don't know"

This is an example of a well-known proverb (that is so true for language learning too, by the way) and in this episode, we'll be looking at several proverbs, quotes, maxims, and aphorisms that contain some wisdom or rule for living a better life.

We'll be learning a few key terms and also exploring the vocabulary within each proverb, while exploring the meaning and wisdom behind each one. 

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Sentences that are too short and simple is an issue that all language learners face. We can say what we want, but we don't sound natural because all of our sentences sound like children.

In this episode, we're going to practise extending sentences and making more natural phrases using Relative Clauses. I spend just 5 minutes reviewing the grammar, and then delve into a casual chat where I share my answers to a few questions using these patterns, and I invite you to do the same.

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It's great to have goals, but what's the point of having them if we never actually achieve them?

Or maybe you do eventually get there, but wouldn't it be nice if we could get there faster and more efficiently?

In this episode, I talk about SMART goals and give examples of how you can make your goals Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. I give examples from my own goals in life, and also relate it to the example of learning English as a goal.

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This is an episode I'm excited for because we'll be looking at a group of words that have gone through a similar history; namely, they have all had quite a drastic change in their meanings over time.

Many words we use today in English such as 'terrific' or 'fond' used to have almost completely opposite meanings! 

In this episode, I explore why these changes took place, share both the old and new meanings, and give examples from my life for each one. I'll invite you to do the same.

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Rayhan is back for his second appearance on the podcast since Episode 144, about 4 years ago, to talk about a range of topics from getting better at small talk, self-improvement, the origins of the universe, spirituality, and more! 

Ray teaches on Preply, and you can also find him on Instagram, as well as his course and membership site Elevate English.

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As you may know, politeness in English - especially in British English - is a very important thing. Learners often struggle to keep up with the confusing grammar and long sentences, so in this episode, I break down a few key phrases that you can start using today to make your questions and requests sound more polite.

I go through each phrase one by one and explain how we use it, give an example anecdote from my own life where I could use it, and also end each section with a question to get you thinking.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast341

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In this episode, I mix a serious topic with some fun where I talk about my reverse culture shock returning to the UK after one year while trying to answer the question why so many people are deciding to leave the UK and move elsewhere in the world.

Despite being British, seeing my own country from the outside gave me some interesting realisations, so I share a lot of them in today's episode. 

This episode might have you thinking about the future and how our countries will look in a few years, but also questioning the habits and culture of your own country.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast340

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Inspired by a viral video of a Chinese boy doing his English homework, I thought I'd make an episode where I list 10 common mistakes that language learners make and what you should avoid.

To be clear, I'm sure that boy will master English one day, and my comments were more of a criticism of language education in schools. The video simply reminded me of some of the mistakes I've made along the way.

With that in mind, while I share my 10 habits to avoid, I also give examples when I've done these things in my own life. So let's learn together and see if we can learn more efficiently.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast339

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Today we have a conversation between Anna Connelly and me on the topic of overcoming shyness. 

This was originally an episode we record on Anna's podcast, Confident Business English, where Anna was mostly interviewing me about my experiences with feeling shy and my tips for the audience. Listening back to this one, I actually felt quite inspired, and I really hope that by re-sharing this today, you'll feel the same too.

We talk about my story with shyness and how it affected me growing up, my rock bottom moment on my first solo-trip abroad, and the steps I took to start building confidence, which also helped me in my language learning.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast338

________________________________________

Don't forget to check out Anna's work on the links below.

Website: https://confidentbusinessenglish.com

Apple Podcasts | Spotify

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I've been teaching English online for almost 10 years now, and over that time I've picked up quite a lot of patterns and similarities between all my students. 

In this episode, I share 11 life lessons and other interesting things that I've learnt from my students, my lessons, and running an online teaching business. 

This is actually a previously-recorded episode from the Level Up English Private podcast feed. It's the second episode I ever recorded, but since it has never been released publicly before, I hope it's new for you.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast337

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Have you ever wondered what it's like to cycle through Bangkok?

That's exactly what I'm doing in today's episode. I'm taking the podcast to the streets and I'm riding my bicycle across the city while avoiding stray dogs, and sharing my views on life in Bangkok.

I mostly talk about the things I like and dislike about living here, and some ways in which the UK might be better. I hope you enjoy it!

This was a somewhat experimental episode. Much of the audio had to be cut because of the wind, and all of it had to be edited to make my voice clearer. So sorry about any strange parts in the audio. If you like the idea of these outdoor episodes, let me know and I'll invest in better microphones for next time.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast336

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In this episode, we'll be talking about relationship slang. In the modern day of internet and social media, slang is used all the time when it comes to dating, finding a partner, and flirting.

I share a handful of slang phrases that have been around for a while, and are likely not going to disappear any time soon. With each one, I give examples, share my opinion, and invite you to do the same.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast335

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Rob from the Business English Podcast joins me for a fun discussion about jobs, work, business, and entrepreneurship.

We share some cultural experiences both in the UK and abroad, the pros and cons of working for yourself, dream jobs, public speaking confidence, switching off after work, and much more. We also discuss a lot of fantastic and useful English expressions that you can use both in and out of the workplace.

Don't forget - Rob and I also recorded an episode on his podcast about polite ways to say 'no' in English. Perhaps after this one, you could check that out too.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast334

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This is a fun episode where we look at some famous advertising slogans from different companies and analyse why they work so well, but also take from interesting English lessons from each one. 

We'll be learning things like alteration, oxymorons, and also some very smart wordplay that makes use of words that have multiple meanings.

I'll also be sharing lots of phrases and terms that are used when advertising or talking about a product or service.

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How do you feel about Mondays? If you're like most people, it's probably your least favourite day of the week.

Many of us hate waking up and realising it's Monday, and that means we have to get up early and go to work. 

It's a universal feeling, so in this episode, I'll be sharing some common Monday expressions that you can use to express your sad feelings, but always more positive ones too. I'll also be sharing some of my ideas on steps we can all take to improve our Mondays.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast332

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In this episode, we'll be talking about making decisions and the idea of being an indecisive person. I'm sure, like me, this is something that you have also struggled with at least some point in the past, and whether we're talking about life-changing decisions, or simple everyday choices, getting better at deciding on what to do will improve our lives.

The main areas I cover today are why we have a hard time making decisions, and also some tips and tricks on how to get better. And of course, as always, I'll be sharing useful English phrases and words throughout.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast331

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I feel passionate about the topic of priorities because understanding how they work can have a big and positive impact on your life. 

Once you decide on what your priorities in life are, every choice you make becomes so much easier. You'll stress less other trivial, small decisions, and you'll start seeing faster progress in your English learning, and any other skills you're working on.

I hope you also feel inspired after listening to this episode. Let's get started.

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Jesús Flórez is originally from Colombia but now resides in the USA, and despite not being a native English speaker, has built up his English to an impressive level of fluency. Jesús focuses a lot on accent since he has put a lot of work into getting a natural American accent. 

In the episode today, we discuss a lot about acquiring an English accent and how much effort you should put into that, whether accent is important, and a bit of a comparison between UK and US expressions.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast329

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This is an episode I've been planning for a long time and I'm quite excited to share. We'll be looking at the origins of 8 different English words and the deep stories behind them. 

Each word originally comes from another language or culture, and it was brought into English through fascinating stories that we'll explore in this episode. These are just a few examples of the countless words that have been adopted into English in a similar way.

For each word, I'll ask a question to the audience to answer too, which gives you a chance to practice and hear my own views.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast328

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In this episode, I'll be going through pairs of confusing quantifiers (and similar pairs), such as So or Such, Many or Much, Fewer or Less? 

Some of these are even a struggle for native speakers, so if you can master these, you'll be in a good position with your English and sound much more natural. 

For each word, I will give a question for you to answer yourself and I'll do my best to answer them in the episode too.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast327

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I recently reailsed that my own screen time is too high and may be causing a lot of health issues and other problems in my life. With that realisation, I decided to make some changes to fix this problem, and it got me thinking: How many other people are facing a similar issue?

In this episode, I share the dangers of screen time and how you know if you're using phones and computers too much. I also talk about some methods of reducing screen time, while sharing lots of useful phrases to talk about doing something too much.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast326

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Gideon from the popular YouTube channel LetThemTalkTV joins us this week for a casual chat about various topics covered on his channel.

Gideon is an English teacher, YouTuber, and founder of LetThemTalk. His YouTube channel, LetThemTalkTV, started in 2012, has amassed over 600,000 subscribers and millions of views, providing valuable lessons on grammar, pronunciation, and the history of the English language.

In this episode, we cover the interesting origins of some words, American and British dialects and tips for learners, parts of English that we dislike, and why it's unnatural to say "Chips and fish".

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast325

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With my experience of learning multiple languages at the same time, I revisit my thoughts and advice on this popular question.

What are the best ways to approach learning two languages? How do you best manage your time? 

I do my best to answer these questions in today's episode while sharing some different examples and methods that suit different people.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast324

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Do you look at the past through rose-tinted glasses? Do you feel a sense of nostalgia when looking into the past?

In this episode, I explore the meaning and use behind this common expression with examples from my own life and a little bit at the end on the deeper meaning behind this phrase.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast323

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Small Talk is something many of us struggle with, and it's a really important part of socialising and using language.

In this episode, I share some of my own awkward experiences with small talk, and then go through time tips on how we can all get better at it to improve our conversations and relationships.

I then share a few phrases that English learners can use to sound more natural when making Small Talk.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast322

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Abigail Fulbrook (weareenglishteachers.com) joins me for a fascinating chat about a few different topics, including moving to Japan from the UK, what we miss about the UK, learning using AI teachers, other uses of AI, and much more!

Abigail Fulbrook has been teaching English for over 15 years. She's worked in the UK, Japan and online. As well as teaching she loves crafting and eating chocolate. She lives in Japan at the moment with her husband and two daughters, and far too many crafting supplies.

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We first spoke about this in Episode 281, and now we're returning for a part 2. 

Cognitive Biases are ways our brains can trick us into certain beliefs and behaviours without realising, and in this episode, I'll cover a few of them such as the IKEA Effect, the Recency Effect, and the Negativity Bias.

They're fascinating to learn, but will also give you some insight to make you a better language learner.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast320

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In today's episode, I share an issue I've been thinking about for a while - finding the balance between speaking up and letting things go.

In other words, when things annoy us or seem unjust, should we speak up and say something? Or should we prioritise our mental health and let it go? 

I share some of my own views with this and encourage you to get in touch with yours too. I also share lots of expressions related to this topic.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast319

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This is an episode that I've been meaning to make for a while. Let's talk about 'trump' today.

In fact, there are many phrases in English that originate from cards and gambling, so this episode looks at some of the common ones and how you can use them in your daily life.

As always, I give examples from my own life to help put these phrases in a natural context for you.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast318

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There are many differences in vocabulary between British and American English. Some of these are quite well-known and easy to understand (biscuit and cookie, maybe), but others are a bit more complex.

In today's episode, I'm not simply listing these differences. I'm looking at 8 terms that are different in both British and American English, but aren't quite the same in meaning. 

Each term reveals something special about the culture of each country.

Hopefully, this episode will highlight some of the subtle cultural differences in each country, while teaching you new words and ideas.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast317

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Alastair Budge from Leonardo English joined me for a casual chat about a variety of different topics.

Alastair has his own podcast called "English Learning for Curious Minds". In it, he covers all sorts of topics from space mining to population decline, while making content that helps English learners improve.

I found this concept so interesting, so I picked a few topics at random to chat about in our conversation today. We also talk about the importance of curiosity.

Today, you'll hear about fascinating inventors, admirable people, population decline, Ozempic, the shadow side, and much more.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast316

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We've now done quite a few episodes on Phrasal Verbs, but this is an important one. 

Today, I'll be looking at the differences between separable and inseparable phrasal verbs. This is a very important part of English if you want to sound natural and fluent.

As always, I'm not just listing off words in a boring way. I'll be sharing examples of both types while talking about my recent trip to Cambodia, and I also encourage you to make your own examples.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast315

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In this episode, I'll be talking about driving culture in the UK. There are a lot of interesting laws and unwritten rules that are reflective of British culture. So whether you will be driving in the UK or not, I think this will be interesting for you.

I share some of the big differences between driving culture in the UK and in Thailand, as well as my own experience taking my driving test when I was a teenager and how it might compare to your country.

Of course, I also make sure to share loads of new vocabulary related to driving, so don't miss it!

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast314

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Let's explore the expression "The Grass is Greener on the Other Side".

In English, this is used when we view other situations as better than our own. In fact, no matter what we have, we tend to value what we don't have more.

I explore the meaning of this expression in some detail, examples from my own life, and also some common ways we all experience this along with some ideas on how to overcome the negative sides of this idea.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast313

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Today I'm doing a rare in-person discussion with Teacher Zdenek. 

Zdenek has more than 12 years of experience in various settings, primarily teaching English learners of levels B2-C2. He's taught English in the Czech Republic, UK, Ireland and most recently Vietnam.  

Zdenek has also moved to Vietnam, and that's why we were able to meet up nearby in Bangkok for a casual discussion. We speak about moving abroad, learning the local language, habit-building, teaching English, naughty tourists, and much more!

I hope you enjoy this one.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast312

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This is a big habit masterclass episode! We'll be diving into the basics of creating habits, how to keep them going without giving up on your goals, and also how to kick some bad habits that are holding you back.

I also give examples of successes and failures based on a lot of my own habit-building experiences.   

As you can tell by the length of this episode, this is a topic I'm truly passionate about and something I've been focusing on for my whole adult life.

I really do believe that creating good habits can be one of the key things you can do to start seeing big, positive changes in life and reach your greatest goals. You can use these tips to help achieve your English learning goals,  or something else like career goals or financial goals.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast311

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The goal of this episode is to share as many useful healthcare vocabulary as I can think of.

I first begin by comparing my medical experiences in the UK and in Thailand, and then go through some of my specific medical problems and injuries in each country where I go through my symptoms and share my views.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast310

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Cleft Sentences are an area of English grammar that is used in daily conversation, but isn't often taught.

I don't know many things, but what I am knowledgable about is English! (There's an example!)

In this episode, I first explain two of these grammar patterns that you can follow, and then I go through some questions about travel, life experience, and work while answering using this grammar. And of course, I encourage you to do the same.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast309

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Ben Gill from To The Point English joins us today for a great, detailed overview of the Cambridge English exams.

Ben covers all sorts of topics and questions related to these exams on his YouTube channel (particularly B2, C1, and C2 levels). 

The exams are huge and we could talk about them for days, so in today's episode,
I try to ask Ben a couple of common questions for each paper of the exam.

We talk about tips for the listening exam, what accents to prepare for in the speaking exam, how much advanced grammar to use in your writing, and strategies for making the reading sections easier.

Exam Format:

B2 FirstC1 AdvancedC2 Proficiency

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast308

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For the past 6 months, I've been noting down the most common mistakes I see English learners make in preparation for this episode.

I go through them one by one and give examples from my own life to give you some context for each one and show you how they're used.

Some of these are simple mistakes, and others look at the subtle differences between two similar phrases.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast307

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I've been tracking my own language learning for over a year and it's amazing to see my progress and time invested over that period.

In this episode, I share with you the lessons from tracking all this data every day for one year, the benefits of doing so, and why doing something similar might be beneficial to you.

Don't forget to join the discussion by leaving a comment in the shownotes or wherever you listen to this podcast.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast306

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As an annual tradition here on the podcast, let's talk about New Year Resolutions! I'll be talking about how 2024 went for me - looking at work goals, personal goals, and bucket list goals.

I then move onto looking ahead to 2025 and plan for the year ahead. A lot can change, but I'm discussing some goals I have for the upcoming year with the goal of enjoying the year and learning more.

Head to the comments below and join in with the conversation by sharing your own reviews and goals.

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In this episode, we'll be going around the world to 5 different countries and looking at their different Christmas traditions. While doing this, I'll be sharing one expression with each one that you can use in daily conversations at any time of the year.

I also talk a little bit about the differences in my experience between Christmas in Thailand and the UK.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast304

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Today I'm joined by Emma (Adventure into English) for a conversation about group vs solo activities. Emma has been helping with the group classes at Level Up English for some time now, so it's an appropriate topic for today.

We start by discussing some Would You Rather questions for activities that can be done as a group or on your own.

We then move onto some English expressions around the topic of groups and working together. These are expressions you can use in your daily life, and I quiz Emma on using these in her replies. See if you can join in the game too!

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast303

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Mental Health is something we should all take seriously and I believe there's a lot of crossover between language learning and having a healthy mindset.

This was a request from a listener to cover this topic. Although I am of course, not a professional, I do love the topic, so I share 18 different methods that I used to improve my own mental health and bring happiness into my life. I hope you find some of them useful too.

Of course, as always, I mention loads of fantastic English words and phrases related to this topic that you can use in your daily life too.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast302

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You may know that British people are famous for using the word 'sorry' all the time.

In this episode, I talk about this habit and how much truth is behind it, but I also share the different situations in which we would say 'sorry' in the UK - and maybe more generally in the English-speaking world too.

Sorry is so much more than a word used when you make a mistake and it can have many different meanings.

There are also many different ways to apologise and say you're sorry depending on how serious the situation is, so in the second half of this episode, I cover these different phrases.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast301

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