Episódios

  • 941 - Though, Even Though, & Although - What’s The Difference?

    941 - Though, Even Though, & Although - What’s The Difference?
    Dec 1 2025
    The other day, I was thinking about the difference between though, even though, and although. Even though they all mean but, there’s a difference, though. And although you may not have learned it before… you’ll learn it today.

    Though, Even Though, & Although all - express contrast, like you say one thing, but then mention something opposite. But how we use them depends on the situation, how formal or casual we want to sound, and the rhythm of the sentence. So today, I’ll walk you through the differences between though, even though, and although... with clear, natural examples to help you speak more fluently and confidently.

    Watch video versions of the Happy English Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HappyEnglishNY/podcasts
    Build Vocabulary With My Free Vocabulary Workshop: https://learn.myhappyenglish.com/vocabulary-workshop-signup
    Exibir mais Exibir menos
    8 minutos
  • 940 - Doncha & Woncha - Speak Naturally in a Minute | Happy English

    940 - Doncha & Woncha - Speak Naturally in a Minute | Happy English
    Nov 30 2025
    Hey there! It’s Michael here - and welcome back to Speak Naturally in a Minute from Happy English. I’m here every Sunday with a quick one-point lesson to help you improve your pronunciation, rhythm, and intonation.

    And if you want to watch this lesson, just look for Happy English Podcast on YouTube.
    As we’ve said before, in everyday spoken American English, we often use reduction - that means we shorten or soften sounds when we speak.

    Today, let’s look at two really common question reductions that you hear all the time in natural spoken English: don’t you and won’t you. These are pronounced like, doncha and woncha

    When we say don’t you, the T of don’t blends with the Y of you. Don’t you becomes doncha.
    Like “Doncha wanna go?” “Doncha know him?” “Doncha like it” Doncha

    And when we say won’t you, the T of won’t blends with the Y of you. Won’t you becomes woncha.
    “Woncha join us for lunch?” “Woncha come inside?” “Woncha tell me?” Woncha

    So remember. Doncha and Woncha. These natural ways to say don’t you and won’t you in American English. They help the rhythm stay smooth and make the whole sentence easier to say.

    And if you want to sound more natural yourself, try using them in casual conversation. Hey, thanks for listening! And remember to follow and subscribe so you won’t miss the next Happy English Podcast and next Sunday’s Speak Naturally in a Minute. Until next time, keep learning and keep it cool.

    Watch video versions of the Happy English Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HappyEnglishNY/podcasts
    Build Vocabulary With My Free Vocabulary Workshop: https://learn.myhappyenglish.com/vocabulary-workshop-signup
    Exibir mais Exibir menos
    2 minutos
  • 939 - What’s Up With? - English Tips in a Minute | Happy English

    939 - What’s Up With? - English Tips in a Minute | Happy English
    Nov 29 2025
    Hey there! It’s Michael here - and welcome back to English Tips in a Minute from Happy English. I’m here every Saturday with a short, simple tip to help you speak English more naturally and confidently. And by the way, if you want to watch this lesson, just look for Happy English Podcast on YouTube.
    Today, let’s look at a really useful conversational phrase - “What’s up with…?”

    We use what’s up with…? to ask about something we don’t understand. It’s another way to say
    “What’s the situation with…?” And you can use it for people, for events, or even for weird situations.

    • Like, Maybe your coworker is acting strange. You can say: “What’s up with John today?”
    • Or if you’re confused about a rule at work, you might say: “What’s up with casual Fridays? Can we wear jeans or not?”
    • We also use it to talk about trends or new behaviors we don’t get. Like: “I don’t know what’s up with kids these days and that 6-7 thing.”
    One thing to keep in mind is tone. With a neutral tone, it sounds curious. With a strong tone, it can sound annoyed or frustrated: “Oh man, what’s up with all this traffic today?”

    What’s up with waiting? Go try this phrase in your next conversation!

    Lemme know in the comments how it goes, and remember to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss the next Happy English Podcast and next Saturday’s English Tips in a Minute. Hey, thanks for listening. And until next time, keep learning and keep it cool.

    Watch video versions of the Happy English Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HappyEnglishNY/podcasts
    Build Vocabulary With My Free Vocabulary Workshop: https://learn.myhappyenglish.com/vocabulary-workshop-signup
    Exibir mais Exibir menos
    2 minutos
  • 938 - Brush Up On - Phrasal Verbs in a Minute | Happy English

    938 - Brush Up On - Phrasal Verbs in a Minute | Happy English
    Nov 28 2025
    Hey there! It’s Michael here, and welcome back to Phrasal Verbs in a Minute from Happy English.
    I’m here every Friday with a quick one-point lesson to help you learn a new phrasal verb and sound more natural when you speak.

    By the way, if you want to see the video version of this lesson, just look for Happy English Podcast on YouTube.

    Today’s phrasal verb is brush up on. When you brush up on something, it means you review it or practice it again so you can improve. We usually use brush up on for skills, subjects, and knowledge.
    • For example, before my trip to Paris, I brushed up on my French a little.
    • And yesterday, my friend Emma brushed up on her Excel skills before her job interview.
    • If you want to brush up on your English, why not take a lesson with me!

    And here’s a pronunciation tip: brush up on sounds like bruh-shuh-pon. The SH of brush links with UP, and the P of UP links with ON bruh-shuh-pon That makes it smooth and quick.

    So how about you? What’s something you want to brush up on? Maybe English, a hobby, or a skill you haven’t used in a while? Let me know in the comments, and remember to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss the next Happy English Podcast and next week’s Phrasal Verbs in a Minute. Hey, thanks for listening. And until next time, keep learning and keep it cool.

    Watch video versions of the Happy English Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HappyEnglishNY/podcasts
    Build Vocabulary With My Free Vocabulary Workshop: https://learn.myhappyenglish.com/vocabulary-workshop-signup
    Exibir mais Exibir menos
    2 minutos
  • 937 - Phrasal Nouns For Daily English Conversation

    937 - Phrasal Nouns For Daily English Conversation
    Nov 27 2025
    Do you need a pick-me-up? I’m not being a show-off when I say that our little online get-togethers like this podcast are probably good for your English.

    Thanks for tuning in! Let me start with a quick question. Have you ever heard someone say, “We’re having a little get-together this weekend”? Or maybe, “I could really use a pick-me-up”? You might think, wait a second – isn’t get a verb? Isn’t get together a phrasal verb? Yep - but when we add a hyphen and use it as a noun, it becomes something totally different. Today, we’re going to look at these kinds of phrases that native speakers use all the time, but they don’t always show up in grammar books. These are called phrasal nouns and for today’s lesson, we’re going to see how those verbs become nouns, and how we use them in conversation.

    Watch video versions of the Happy English Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HappyEnglishNY/podcasts
    Build Vocabulary With My Free Vocabulary Workshop: https://learn.myhappyenglish.com/vocabulary-workshop-signup
    Exibir mais Exibir menos
    10 minutos
  • 936 - Get Outta Here! Casual English Phrases That Show Surprise

    936 - Get Outta Here! Casual English Phrases That Show Surprise
    Nov 24 2025
    Let me ask you something… have you ever been surprised - like, really surprised - and you just didn’t know what to say in English? Imagine, you’re talking to a friend, and they say something totally unexpected. Like, “Hey, did you hear? Lisa is moving to Australia!” And you want to respond like a native speaker - with something more natural than just “Wow” OR “Really?”

    That’s what we’re going to look at today - casual, real-life phrases that native English speakers use to show surprise. And hey - this isn’t just fun stuff. These phrases help you sound more natural and more confident when you speak. So let’s jump in!

    Watch video versions of the Happy English Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HappyEnglishNY/podcasts
    Build Vocabulary With My Free Vocabulary Workshop: https://learn.myhappyenglish.com/vocabulary-workshop-signup
    Exibir mais Exibir menos
    9 minutos
  • 935 - Didn’t → Dih-n’t → Dih-n’ - Speak Naturally in a Minute | Happy English

    935 - Didn’t → Dih-n’t → Dih-n’ - Speak Naturally in a Minute | Happy English
    Nov 23 2025
    Hey there! It’s Michael here - and welcome back to Speak Naturally in a Minute from Happy English. I’m here every Sunday with a quick one-point lesson to help you improve your pronunciation, rhythm, and intonation.

    And if you want to watch this lesson, just look for Happy English Podcast on YouTube.
    Now, in everyday spoken American English, we often use reduction - that means we shorten or soften sounds when we speak. Today’s example is the word “didn’t.”

    First, most native speakers drop the D in the middle. So instead of “didn’t,” we say “dih-n’t.” “dih-n’t.” The reason is if you pronounce the final D of did, and the next sound is N, D followed by N makes the sound stop. Did-n’t. Dropping the D makes the sound smoother: “dih-n’t.” Like, “I didn’t see your message.” becomes “I din’t see your message.” OR “She didn’t call me back.” becomes “She dih-n’t call me back.” “dih-n’t.”

    And there’s one more thing. The final T in this word also tends to get very soft… or disappears. So “dih-n’t ” becomes “dih-n.” That’s right - both the D and the T get reduced. I’m sure you hear this all the time, like, “I didn’t hear you.” becomes “I dih-n hear you.” “She didn’t call me back.” becomes “She dih-n call me back.” and “They didn’t do it.” becomes “They dih-n do it.”

    This is not slang and it’s not lazy. It’s just how real American English flows. So next time you say didn’t, try relaxing your tongue a bit: “I dih-n know.” “I dih-n get it.” That’s the rhythm of natural American speech.

    Hey, thanks for listening! And remember to follow and subscribe so you won’t miss the next Happy English Podcast and next Sunday's Speak Naturally in a Minute. Until next time, keep learning and keep it cool.

    Watch video versions of the Happy English Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HappyEnglishNY/podcasts
    Build Vocabulary With My Free Vocabulary Workshop: https://learn.myhappyenglish.com/vocabulary-workshop-signup
    Exibir mais Exibir menos
    3 minutos
  • 934 - Do Me a Favor - English Tips in a Minute | Happy English

    934 - Do Me a Favor - English Tips in a Minute | Happy English
    Nov 22 2025
    Hey there! It’s Michael here - and welcome back to English Tips in a Minute from Happy English. I’m here every Saturday with a short, simple tip to help you speak English more naturally and confidently. And by the way, if you want to watch this lesson, just look for Happy English Podcast on YouTube.

    Today, let’s look at a really common phrase you’ll hear in everyday English - “Do me a favor.”
    We use do me a favor when we want to ask someone to do something for us. It’s usually for a small, everyday request, and it sounds more friendly than directly asking someone to do something.
    • One common pattern is: Do me a favor and, plus a verb. You can say things like, “Do me a favor and close the window.” OR “Do me a favor and turn down the TV a little.”
    • We also use Do me a favor followed by a sentence. Like, “Do me a favor. Hand me that dictionary over there.” OR “Do me a favor, don’t tell anyone what we just talked about.
    • You can also use Do me a favor when you’re annoyed with someone. Like, Do me a favor and talk more quietly. OR Do me a favor. Stop smoking in this restaurant.

    Using “do me a favor” is a common, indirect way to soften your request. Even when you’re annoyed. So do me a favor and try using this phrase in one of your English conversations this week, ok?
    Lemme know in the comments how it goes, and remember to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss the next Happy English Podcast and next Saturday’s English Tips in a Minute. Hey, thanks for listening - and until next time, keep learning and keep it cool.

    Watch video versions of the Happy English Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HappyEnglishNY/podcasts
    Build Vocabulary With My Free Vocabulary Workshop: https://learn.myhappyenglish.com/vocabulary-workshop-signup
    Exibir mais Exibir menos
    2 minutos