Learn English with Bob the Canadian

Latest Episodes:

Learn These Gloomy English Words for a Dreary Day! ☁️🌧️🌨️ Feb 17, 2026

Show notes

In this English lesson I'll help you learn vocabulary that describes those days when the sun isn't shining. You’ll learn words and phrases like overcast, drab, dreary, gloomy, blah, glum, and miserable so you can describe the forecast and your feelings with confidence.

In this English class you’ll hear clear explanations, simple examples, and natural sentences so you can use these words in everyday conversation. Whether you're talking about the weather, your mood, you’ll sound more fluent and expressive.

I hope you enjoy this English lesson about a dreary day!

Let's Learn English! Topic: Buying and Selling! 💷🛍️💳 Feb 15, 2026

Show notes

In this English lesson, I will help you learn some verbs we use to talk about buying and selling. These verbs are perfect to use when talking about shopping, business purchases, and online orders.

In this English lesson, you will learn these verbs: to buy, to sell, to purchase, to pay, to charge, to spend, to afford, to order, to refund, to return, to make an offer, to accept an offer, to negotiate, to discount, to resell, to trade, to invoice, and more!

By the end of this free English class, you will be able to talk about prices, payments, orders, and simple business situations with more confidence and accuracy. I hope you enjoy this English lesson about buying and selling.

Learn the English Phrases "to shoot for" and "Oh, shoot!" Feb 11, 2026

Show notes

Read along to practice your English and to learn the English phrases "to shoot for" and "Oh, shoot!"

TRANSCRIPT:

In this English lesson, I wanted to help you learn the English phrase to shoot for. When you shoot for something, it means you're planning to do that. If you were to ask me, Bob, how many videos, how many English lessons are you going to put out on this channel? I'm going to shoot for one per week.

I'm going to try and put out one video per week. I know in the past, I was putting out two per week, but I feel like as I relaunch this channel, I think I'm going to shoot for one English lesson per week. And I will probably shoot for putting that English lesson out on Wednesdays.

So it's Tuesday right now, if you haven't figured it out. So when you shoot for something, it means you plan on doing that. The other phrase I wanted to teach you today is the phrase oh, shoot. And this is just a really nice way of saying a different word so that you don't say that word, which is kind of a curse word or swear word.

When you say oh, shoot, it's an exclamation that you make when something goes wrong. If I dropped this paper, I'd be like, oh, shoot. But if I wanted to say something a little bit more crude, if, I wanted to use a swear word, I would use the word that starts with the same two letters and ends with the same letter, but instead of two O's, it has an I in the middle.

And I think you know what I'm talking about. It's not a super, like, bad swear word, but it is a swear word. So. So when you say oh, shoot, it simply means, something just went wrong. So to review, when you shoot for something, it means you are aiming for that, you are trying to accomplish that.

And when you say oh, shoot, it's the same as saying oh, sh. Maybe I'll just switch and go to a comment from a previous video instead of actually saying that word. Let me get the comment out. This comment is from Judit or Aerosmith77.

It was a really good start with two videos. Do I remember well, your videos were cut for 4 minutes and 8 seconds. This video lasted 4 minutes and 18 seconds. Is it planned this way also? Thank you for the video and my response. I used to stop at exactly four minutes, but now I tend to go over a bit if I go too long the transcript doesn't fit in the description box below the video.

There is a 5,000 character limit, so I shoot for four minutes. So thanks, Judit. Thanks, Aerosmith77 for that comment. So, yes, if I talk for too long or if I talk too fast, then, the transcript doesn't fit in the description below the video.

So I usually try to aim for about four minutes, because that's kind of like the sweet spot. I guess I say about 5,000 letters or that many words. Hard to kind of explain this. I say about 5,000 letters in about four minutes.

This is getting boring. I should show you something exciting. Let me switch quickly and say, here is a camper van, or more of a camper. I guess it's a little big to be called a camper van. I'm not sure what this is doing in my local town.

It is not camping season. I also think there's a dog inside, so I'm not going to go close to that at all. If you remember, a few years ago, I had a bad experience with two dogs running out, and, they were pretty vicious. Not from a camper, but, while I was walking down the road.

But, I'm not sure what that's doing out and about. Oh, like, I got 30 seconds left. I have to be careful here. I... I'm not sure what that's doing out and about in February, but, as you can see, I have no winter hat and no gloves because I think it might actually be one degree now, I thought earlier it was minus two or minus one, but, man, it feels a lot warmer than that.

So, anyways, thanks for watching this short English lesson, and I'll have another one ready for you, in a week. Bye.

Over 35 People Corrected My English… But Were They Right? Feb 10, 2026

Show notes

In this English lesson I will help you learn about regional differences in the English language. What might seem like a mistake in one place, might actually be fine in another.

In particular I talk about the verbs to bring and to take, which to native English speakers in my area can be used interchangeably in different situations.

I hope you enjoy this English lesson. Have a great day!

A Live English Lesson with Bob - Bring Your Questions! Feb 09, 2026

Show notes

In this English live lesson I'll spend about 1 hour answering all of your questions about the English language. Come and enjoy the time together in the chat with other English learners and pick up a few things! I'm sure you'll enjoy it!

In this live English class you can ask me questions about the English language, or anything else that you've been wanting to ask a native English speaker, and I'll do my best to answer them. I'm always happy to help!

This English lesson is from Saturday February 7, 2026.

Let's Learn English! Topic: Fun and Quirky English Idioms 🍰🍎🏇 Feb 08, 2026

Show notes

In this fun and practical English lesson, you’ll learn quirky, everyday idioms and expressions that native speakers use all the time in real conversations. These sayings can sound strange at first, but once you understand them, they make your English sound more natural, relaxed, and confident.

In the English class I'll help you learn phrases like: an apple a day keeps the doctor away, to hold your horses, to spill the beans, to hit the nail on the head, to bark up the wrong tree, to pull someone’s leg, to go off the rails, to be on thin ice, to throw in the towel, and many more! You’ll hear what each one means, when people use it, and how it to pronounce each one.

By the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to recognize these playful expressions when you hear them and start using them naturally in your own speaking. I hope you enjoy this English lesson about idioms!

Learn the English Phrases "in good shape" and "in bad shape" Feb 04, 2026

Show notes

Read along to practice your English and to learn the English phrases "in good shape" and "in bad shape"

In this English lesson, I wanted to help you learn the English phrase in good shape. When we say something is in good shape, it means that, well, let's say we're talking about a vehicle. That would mean it has no rust on it. The engine runs really, really well. The thing is in good shape.

The thing is, not falling apart. That would be the opposite. You can also use this to talk about people. If you say he's in good shape, it usually means he has some muscles and he's healthy. He's not overweight. He's in good shape. The other phrase I wanted to teach you today is the phrase in bad shape.

Now, if I was talking about a vehicle and I said it was in bad shape, that would mean it's probably rusty. It probably has holes in the side. When you try to start it, it might not start the first time it is in bad shape.

But when we talk about people, this means something slightly different. If you're in good shape, you're healthy and you have muscles and you're not overweight. But when you're in bad shape, it sometimes means that you're hurt. After a car accident, you might say, oh, he's in bad shape.

He has a broken arm and he has a broken leg. Then that person would be in bad shape. So it doesn't mean the opposite of healthy. It more means, like, injured. So to review, if a car is in good shape, it means that it looks really good.

The paint looks good, the engine runs very smoothly. If a person's in good shape, it means that they're healthy and muscular and go to the gym a lot. If a car or something else is in bad shape, it means it probably has rust on it and the engine doesn't run well. If a computer is in bad shape, it means it just doesn't turn on all the time.

And if a person is in bad shape, it usually is used to describe them after something like a car accident when they have, injuries. But, hey, let's look at a comment from a previous video. This comment is from Mahsa.

Hello, Bob. Oh, hello, Mr. Bob. You haven't been active on this channel in the last few months. What was the reason in my response, And I have said this a number of times, so sorry if you've heard this a million times. I broke my collarbone last summer, and it has taken a while for me to feel a hundred percent.

I also had a very busy schedule in the fall at school. Now I'm feeling much better, and my schedule is much nicer. So, thanks, Mahsa, for that, question. And, it was fun to be able to kind of let you know the reason and I'll explain in a little more detail.

I didn't just break my collarbone. I also tore a hamstring. And that seems to have caused it to take a long time for me to heal. But I have been feeling pretty good since last fall. But in the school year, there are semesters.

And last semester, or in my school year, not every school has that. I had, to teach period two and three. So I basically was at work almost like it was full time. When I normally teach part time, I either teach for most of the morning or most of the afternoon.

And so that was a little different for me. I've never had that schedule before. And it was, hard to get used to. I found I was spending more time at work than I should have been. By the way, this van, it's in good shape, sort of, but it is starting to rust a little bit.

It's our least reliable vehicle. It's not on the road right now. We take it off the road in the winter, because we don't have as many drivers. Two of my kids are at university. So yeah, my semester, last semester was really busy. Now I'm teaching in the afternoons.

So when I go to work, on a Monday, when, I go to work this Monday, I will... Oh, by the way, it's the weekend right now. I'm recording this early. I should have told you that. Not that that's that important. Anyways, I don't have to go to work until about 10 or 11 in the morning.

Anyways, that's it for this little short lesson. I'll see you next week with another short English lesson.

The 3 English Study Habits That Actually Work (Stop Wasting Your Time) 🚀📚 Feb 03, 2026

Show notes

In this practical English lesson, you’ll learn three simple but powerful habits that can help improve how you study English. I'll talk about why repetition really works, how consistency is a great addition to repetition, and why learning English requires the ability to challenge yourself.

You’ll hear clear, real-life advice on how to use repetition the smart way, and how small daily routines can make your English improve faster and more naturally. I will also share a personal example from learning French, plus easy ideas you can use right away with videos, subtitles, and reading.

Finally, we look at the third key habit: challenging yourself. If you always stay in your comfort zone, your English stays there too. In this lesson, you’ll learn why gradually using harder material is essential for real progress and how to do it without feeling overwhelmed.

I hope you enjoyed this short, motivating lesson for serious English learners who want steady, real results! Have a great day!

Let's Learn English! Topic: Cold and Snow Weather! 🛷🥶🧣 Feb 01, 2026

Show notes

In this English lesson I'll help you learn cold and snowy English words and phrases. It's been freezing cold, wintery, and snowy here lately so this lesson topic was pretty easy to make. If you live somewhere that has cold winters, or if wintery weather is something you want to learn how to talk about in English then I think you'll enjoy this lesson.

In this English lesson I'll help you learn words and phrases like: polar vortex, to do donuts with a car, black ice, snow squall, to brave the cold, whiteout, drifting, snowdrift, snow day, snowplow, and many more!

I hope you don't get too cold as you enjoy this free English class about snowy, wintery weather! Have a warm and cozy day!

Learn the English phrases "Let's get this show on the road!" and "The show must go on!" Jan 31, 2026

Show notes

Read along to practice your English and to learn the English phrases "Let's get this show on the road!" and "The show must go on!"

Okay, let's see if I remember how to do this. Here we go. In this English lesson, I wanted to help you learn the English phrase, let's get this show on the road. This is kind of a humorous phrase we use when we are starting to do something at the beginning of a school year.

I might say to my colleagues, okay, let's get this show on the road. It basically means, let's get the school year started. I haven't posted a video on this channel for a long time, since the end of May last year. And so I thought it would be a good time to get this show on the road again.

Yeah, I think I remember how to do this. And now what do I say? I say, the other English phrase I wanted to teach you today is the show must go on. So this is another thing that we say. Usually when something is already happening and then maybe something happens to disrupt it, and then someone might say, you know, the show must go on.

And this is all related to the theater. So if you were in a play and if one of the actors was injured, someone else would play their part because the show, the show must go on. So to review, let's get this show.

This is hard to do with gloves. Let's get this show on the road simply means it's time to get something started. And when you say the show must go on, it means that, whatever it is that you are doing must continue in spite of things may be going wrong.

But hey, let's look at a comment from a previous video. This comment is from... Let me get my glove back on here. Let me do the mouth glove trick. Oh, now I can't undo the paper. I'll get better at this, by the way.

This comment is from Unsal. Hello. Mr. Bob had a sports injury a while ago, so he paused this channel. Thankfully, he's doing much better now and has started. Okay, I'm back. Apparently the first printout didn't have all the words on it, so this one does.

This comment is from Unsal and he's responding to someone called jathebest, who was asking about me, way back in May, I think six months ago. Hello. Mr. Bob had a sports injury a while ago, so he paused posting on this channel. Thankfully, he's doing much better now and has started sharing content again on his other channel called Learn English with Bob the Canadian.

He also talked about what happened there. I recommend checking it out. There's lots of helpful content. Have a great day. Bye. And then my response, which is actually from today thanks for directing people to my main channel, Unsal, and thanks for the kind words. So, yes, thank you, Unsal, for that.

And, yeah, it's been a bit of a break. Right. This channel has been on pause. I, have never really indicated whether I was going to start doing it again. I thought I might start doing it again. I had this plan where I might do one video a month.

And that never really materialized. And to be honest, I feel like I just finished a really busy semester and now I think I have time to do some videos on this channel again. I'm going to start with one per week. I know I used to do two per week. And I am going to try and do, a balance of some in town and some here at home so people get a view of what's going on.

And then, just an update, if you want to know. I am holding this camera at full length with the arm where I broke my collarbone and it feels great. So I think I am on the mend. I think things are getting a lot better. I know it's been months, but apparently when you're older like me, it does take a while, to heal.

So what should I do? I should show you a bit of the property as I talk. You can see we have some very, very deep snow piles here. And I should make sure that I don't turn you too quickly because I'm using a different camera now.

I used to use the DJI Pocket 3, but now I'm using a DJI Action 6. The reason I've switched is the Action 6 keeps everything in the background in focus.

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