English, baby! Daily Podcasts

The bestselling novel, Life of Pi, has just become a movie. Directed by Ang Lee, the movie tells the tale of a very unusual journey across the ocean, featuring a young boy named Pi and a tiger. The tiger was created using special effects. Sometimes turning books into movies is successful, and sometimes the result falls short. It may or may not be better than the book, but this movie will definitely be beautiful and exciting. Hear Marni and Greta’s thoughts in this movie English lesson. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Oh, the body and the brain. Sometimes the two work together in perfect harmony. Other times, it feels as if they’re at war. And sometimes, we’re actually rooting for one side to win out over the other. We use the word “matter” to refer to the physical stuff, to the body. And we can refer to the brain as the “mind.” If you have a stutter, you might tell yourself “mind over matter” when you need to speak in public. Or if you often get panicked on airplanes, you might try to use your brain to calm yourself, and say “mind over matter.”There’s a storm brewing at the office, and Marni’s nervous because her baby is due at any moment. In this English lesson video, we learn the meaning of the English idiom “mind over matter,” and find out what advice celebrity Greta Vanderlake has for Marni. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Most of the acts that fill arenas these days are either pop, like Justin Bieber, or classic rock like the Rolling Stones. The Killers, who formed in Las Vegas and had their first hit in 2004, are a rare contemporary rock band that can fill these giant venues with fans. The Killers’ brand of dance rock made them stars, but on their latest album, Battle Born, they’re trying something new. The album is full of power ballads. Many of the songs are slow and emotional but still loud and perfect for an arena. Mason is a huge fan of The Killers. Listen to him discuss one of his favorite bands with Jeff as you learn music English in this English lesson. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Between the theater, videos and DVDs, and online services like Netflix, there are so many movies out there. How can you decide which are worth checking out? Sure, there’s advertising, but sometimes the trailer or commercial sets up false expectations.So is it best to just rely on reviews? Or on word of mouth? Or do even recommendations from friends have their pitfalls? In today’s English lesson about movie English, hear what Jason and Mason think. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

When you stop holding on to something, you let go. It’s easy to let go of things with your hands. You just open your hand and let whatever you were holding fall. But letting go of emotional memories or experiences is harder. You can’t force your mind or heart to change quickly. It takes time to let go of bad things that happen to you and go back to living life the way you did before. Years ago, Amanda broke Mason’s heart. Now they are back together. In this English lesson video, Mason finds a very special way to show Amanda the true meaning of the English phrasal verb “let go.” -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

It seems as if some people are just naturally at home on stage. Whether they’re acting in a play or performing a concert, these people are great at being the center of attention. Then there are the people who suffer from stage fright. They might enjoy acting or performing, but they’re also terrified about being in front of an audience. Their stage fright might be so bad that they need to take anxiety medications or do yoga before they go on stage. Learn performance English and find out if Sara or Vanessa has stage fright in this English lesson. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Have you ever been studying for a test in a library and suddenly found yourself asking, “What’s that noise?” It turns out the person at the desk next to you is blasting music through her headphones. It’s driving you crazy. You ask her to turn down the music. She says, “But I can only study with music on!”People can have very different study habits. Some of us need complete silence, while others need noise. Some of us get distracted if there are other people around, while others can’t focus when they’re alone. Get the room just how you like it to study English and learn about Jason and Vanessa’s study habits in this English lesson. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

“We got our foot in the door at the last second. I feel sorry for young guys right now that love rock ‘n’ roll.” - Killers vocalist Brandon Flowers on the decline of rock radio. (Zoom In UK) -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

If you go out to bars, you’ve probably been in this situation. You wait in line, trying to catch the bartender’s attention. Finally, it’s your turn, and you’ve got a choice to make. What are you going to drink? Sure, there’s beer and wine, but sometimes you want something more sophisticated, like a cocktail. First, you have decide what kind of alcohol you want. Will it be whiskey, vodka, gin, rum, or tequila? Do you want any mixers? Do you want your drink on the rocks or straight up? The choices can be so overwhelming that sometimes you just say to the bartender, “Make me your specialty.” Learn party English and hear Amy and Dale discuss cocktails in this drinking English lesson. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Keeping a secret often isn’t fun. Once you finally tell someone your secret, you feel refreshed and renewed. It feels good to come clean. When you come clean, you share information you were hiding before. This might mean confessing that you have done something wrong, or explaining why you have been acting weird. Marni is pregnant, but hasn’t told her co-workers who the father is yet. In this English lesson video, we learn the meaning of the English idiom “come clean,” and discover that Marni isn’t the only one with a secret to tell. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Recently, world-famous cyclist Lance Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles, and banned from the sport of cycling for life. What did he do that was so terrible? He is accused of using steroids, a type of drug that makes athletes perform better than they possibly could without them.Armstrong isn’t the first major sports figure to be connected with steroids in recent years, but he’s certainly one of the most high profile. If so many people use these drugs, is it fair that Armstrong has been treated so harshly? What can be done to stop athletes from doping? Learn English sports vocabulary and hear Marni and Jeff discuss these issues in this sports English lesson. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

There are some things that can just ruin your day. If your car breaks down or someone spills coffee on you on your way to work, your day is pretty much ruined. But if someone comes along and fixes your car or lends you a spare shirt, then things are OK again. That’s called saving the day. Any time someone unexpectedly helps you or fixes a big problem, you can say they saved the day, even if technically they saved the hour, the year or even your life. Marni and Devan’s company is in financial trouble. But Amanda thinks she can save the day. Learn the idiom “save the day” and find out if Amanda is successful in this English lesson video. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Buying a car is stressful. First of all, it’s expensive. Then there are all the technical details about how a car works. Finally, there are many decisions to make: used or new? Four door or two door? The list is endless. The best thing you can do before buying a car is to talk to your friends who have done it before. That way you can hear about their experiences, and avoid going home with a lemon. Listen to Mason get advice from Jason in this English lesson. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

For thousands of years, people have kept cats as pets. A cat is usually very independent and requires less attention than a dog. Cats can be cuddly and sweet, but they can also meow, hiss and behave badly.Sara’s cat has been very bad lately. She decided it was time to take a very big step. Find out what it is and hear Sara and Vanessa discuss their cats. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

“My family unanimously hated the look…There was a united front....They said, ‘What kind of work would make you look like that?’”- Actor Ben Affleck on the beard he grew for his new movie, Argo. (US Weekly) -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com