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**Speak English with ESLPod.com – Learn English Fast**

More than 15 million people in 189 countries have learned English from Speak English with ESLPod.com. Get one free English lesson each week, including selected lessons from the ESLPod.com archive. These daily and cultural English lessons use a proven method that is fast, effective, and fun. They are brought to you by Dr. Lucy Tse and Dr. Jeff McQuillan, former professors of applied linguistics and education. Want to improve your English even faster? Become an Unlimited English member and get more than 1,800 lessons, or subscribe directly on Apple Podcasts to get three new premium lessons each week: two Daily English lessons and one Cultural English lesson. Go to www.ESLPod.com for more information.

Latest Episodes:

Cultural English 189 - Helen Keller Jul 14, 2026

Topics

Famous Americans: Helen Keller · The Triple Crown of horse racing · Questions and Answers

Key Terms

deaf
blind
sign language
palm
Braille
magna cum laude
companion
advocate
thoroughbred
rare
derby
to sponsor
opposable thumb
due to
because of
Mc

Daily English 760 - Paycheck Deductions Jul 07, 2026

Learn how to talk about your paycheck and the money taken out of it. Bill opens his first paycheck and Carol explains the deductions.

Dialogue/Story

Bill: It's about time! I've been waiting for my first paycheck and now it's finally here. I'm ready to party this weekend! Whoa!

Carol: What's the matter?

Bill: What happened to all my money? The amount of this check is a lot less than I expected it to be.

Carol: Yeah, my first paycheck was an eye-opener for me, too. Look at the pay stub and you'll see all of the deductions. After federal income taxes, state income taxes, and FICA, you're not left with a lot of money.

Bill: You're right, but what's FICA?

Carol: Those are taxes for Social Security and Medicare. Did you sign up for a retirement plan? If you did, those retirement contributions are deducted, too.

Bill: Thank God, I didn't. But you know what? That still doesn't account for all of the deductions.

Carol: Let me take a look. Oh, it looks like your wages are being garnished.

Bill: They're garnishing my wages? What for?

Carol: Uh, do you have to pay child support or something like that?

Bill: Oh, yeah, I guess I do. I'd forgotten about that. I guess I'd better change my weekend plans.

Carol: I guess so.

Daily English 275 - A Soccer Match Jun 30, 2026

Learn how to talk about watching a soccer game in English. Shandy and Giuseppe watch from the stands as Shandy's boyfriend Fabio scores a goal and then gets hurt.

Dialogue/Story

Shandy: Oh, that player just hit my boyfriend! Did you see that? That was definitely a penalty.

Giuseppe: No, I didn't. I was watching the goalie. The referee isn't doing anything.

Shandy: I can't believe it. Why isn't the coach talking to that referee? I'm sure the other player deliberately kicked Fabio with his cleats.

Giuseppe: Hey, look! Fabio has the ball and he's taking it all the way down the field. He shoots, he scores! That's his second goal of the game. He's going to win the game for the team.

Shandy: What's he doing now? Why is he on the ground? Is he hurt?

Giuseppe: I don't know. The trainer is helping him off the field. It doesn't look serious.

Shandy: That's good, but he hates sitting on the bench. He won't want to watch the rest of the match from the sidelines.

Giuseppe: Look at the stands over there!

Shandy: What's happening? Why are they all standing up? Oh, they're starting a wave. I thought for a minute that the fans were getting into a brawl.

Giuseppe: It's coming this way.

Shandy: Okay, here we go!

Cultural English 232 - The Godfather Jun 23, 2026

Topics

American Movies: The Godfather · Elvis Presley and Graceland · Questions and Answers

Key Terms

godparent
mafia
bribery
corruption
brutal
to legitimize
stillborn
sideburns
the rest is history
mansion
recording studio
artifact
to hinder
to hamper
to impede
the hunt is on
quick and dirty tips

Daily English 18 - Seeing Old Friends Jun 16, 2026

In this free lesson, you will learn how to talk about seeing old friends again. Lucy tells a short story about a busy month of meeting people from her past. You will learn natural English expressions for making plans and staying in touch, like "swing by," "make time," "keep in touch," and "catch up."

Dialogue/Story

This has been a month for seeing old friends. I got an email a couple of weeks ago from an old friend from college. She and her family are visiting L.A. for a week. They plan to see family and to visit old friends. Since she moved away, I hadn't seen her in ages. I'm looking forward to meeting her new kids and seeing her again.

Another old friend called this week. She and I were buddies when we were young. She plans to swing by L.A. on her way to San Francisco. We've made plans to have lunch. She works in Washington D.C. and is normally very busy. I'm glad she could make time for us to get together.

When we say good-bye to our friends, we always hope to keep in touch. But, what with this and that, it's sometimes hard to do. With friends that I've fallen out of touch with, it's sometimes hard to meet again and pick up where we left off. We've both moved on to a different phase in our lives. Some of my old friends have become very successful, and are living lives in the fast lane. Other friends are having a more difficult time and are just making ends meet. But, no matter how they're doing, it's always nice to touch base again.

I'm really looking forward to seeing these old pals and catching up after all this time. We just won’t mention how much we’ve aged.

English Cafe 552 Apr 27, 2016

Topics: American Presidents – Barack Obama; Famous Songs – “Anchors Aweigh”; diffidence versus timidity versus shyness; receipt versus reception; no problem versus not at all versus no big deal

Words:
community organizer
healthcare
candidate
rising star
biracial
campaign slogan
grassroots
polarized
affordable
anchor
ashore
foam
diffidence
timidity
shyness
receipt
reception
no problem
not at all
no big deal

1,150 - Avoiding Topics in Conversation Oct 27, 2015

Let’s not talk about the topic of today’s episode right now. So, how’s your day going?

Slow dialog: 1:25
Explanations: 4:00
Fast dialog: 18:29

Lila: Why aren’t you dating? I have so many friends who would love to go out with you.

George: Let’s change the subject. Talking about my love life isn’t very interesting.

Lila: But really, you’re not getting any younger and…

George: Moving on! Have you seen any good movies lately?

Lila: Listen, all of your friends are settling down and you don’t want to go through life alone and lonely…

George: That reminds me, didn’t you say that you were going to get another dog so that Rover isn’t lonely when you’re not home?

Lila: Forget about my dog. You remember Rachel, don’t you? She just broke up with her boyfriend and she’d be perfect for you.

George: Speaking of Rachel, how is her mother? Wasn’t she in the hospital?

Lila: If Rachel isn’t your type, how about Amina? She has great legs and I know you’re a leg man.

George: And now for something completely different…How is your diet coming along? Have you lost any weight yet?

Lila: I don’t really want to talk about my weight.

George: But I think you’re having trouble shedding those pounds, right? I have lots of suggestions on what you can do.

Lila: Anyway, as I said before, I don’t really want to talk about my diet…

George: You need to cut out sweets if you want to lose weight. Are you eating too many sweets?

Lila: That’s none of your business!

George: My sentiments exactly!

Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

English Cafe #517 Aug 26, 2015

Topics: Movies – Die Hard; American Authors – Emma Lazarus; in front of versus ahead of versus before; as if versus as though versus as for; to take stock

Words:
to be separated
to give (something) another try
to freshen up
hostage
safe
cowboy
to be descend from
to be well received
to dedicate
to persecute
to huddle
to yearn
in front of
ahead of
before
as if
as though
as for
to take stock

600 - Talking About Sight Jul 19, 2010

If you can’t read this, then put on your glasses and listen to this episode on having bad eyes.

Slow dialogue: 1:07
Explanations: 2:45
Fast dialogue: 15:19

Sue: This medication I’m taking is messing with my vision. Everything is blurry.

Hamed: That’s a good reason for you to stay home from work today.

Sue: I can’t. I have to give a presentation this afternoon and I can’t flake out on my coworkers.

Hamed: What good are you to them if you’re blind as a bat?

Sue: Everybody else will have crystal clear vision, so all I have to do is to put in an appearance. Things may not be as sharp as I’d like them to be, but I can still make out people and objects – as long as they’re really big.

Hamed: I don’t think your coworkers are going to want you to blindside them today with your strange behavior. You’re going to do more harm than good.

Sue: I can see well enough. I only see double if I move my head like this. Whoa…

Hamed: At this point, I don’t care if you have X-ray vision. That medication is affecting more than your vision. It’s impairing your better judgment!

Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

190 - Taking a Phone Message Aug 14, 2006

Learn how to take and leave phone messages in this podcast.

Slow dialog: 0:57
Explanations: 3:42
Fast dialog: 21:10

I was looking forward to a quiet evening at home. As soon as I walked in the door, though, the phone rang.

Paolo: Hello.

Evelyn: Hi, could I speak to Tony?

Paolo: He’s not here right now. Can I take a message?

Evelyn: Do you know when he’ll be back?

Paolo: No, I don’t.

Evelyn: Okay. I’ll call back later. Thanks.
……
Ten minutes later, the phone rang again.

Paolo: Hello.

Pam: Hi, is Tony there?

Paolo: No, he’s out.

Pam: Could I leave a message?

Paolo: Sure. Give me a second to get something to write with…Okay, I’m ready.

Pam: Could you tell him that Pam called and ask him to call me back as soon as he can.

Paolo: Does he have your number?

Pam: He should, but I’d better give it to you. It’s 279-555-6347.

Paolo: Okay, I’ll tell him.

Pam: Thanks.
…..

As soon as I put down the receiver, the phone rang again. I couldn’t believe it.

Paolo: Hello.

Susan: Hi, is this Tony?

Paolo: No, I’m his roommate, Paolo. Tony’s not here right now.

Susan: I need to get a hold of him. Do you have his cell number?

Paolo: Uh, yeah, I do, but I’m not sure he wants me to give it out.

Susan: Oh, I’m sure he’d want me to have it.

Paolo: I tell you what. Why don’t I take your number and have him call you back?

Susan: I really need to get a hold of him right away.

Paolo: I’ll give him your message as soon as he gets home.

Susan: Fine. This is Susan and my number is 742-555-3655. Please make sure he gets it. It’s important. Bye.

Paolo: Bye.

As soon as she hung up, I took the phone off the hook for the rest of the night. I’d had enough of being Tony’s answering service for one night!

Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

124 - Asking for Clarification in a Business Meeting Jan 27, 2006

Learn how to ask for clarification in English in this podcast.

Slow dialog: 0:54
Explanations: 2:29
Fast dialog: 12:46

I was negotiating a contract with a new business partner, and we had a meeting to clarify the terms.

Bill: If I understand the terms correctly, the length of the contract would be one year with a one-year option. Is that correct?

Ms. Samuels: Do you mean the contract for equipment rental or the one for training?

Bill: I was under the impression that both contracts had the same terms.

Ms. Samuels: Yes and no. Let me see if I can clarify that. The terms are the same except that the contract for training has a clause that allows for the cancellation after the first six months.

Bill: Could you elaborate on that?

Ms. Samuels: Sure. What I mean is that either side could cancel the training contract after the six months as long as it’s in writing.

Bill: Let me see if I have that right. This contract is for six months of training, but if it isn’t cancelled, continues for another six months. Is that right?

Ms. Samuels: Yes, that’s right.

Bill: Okay, that’s clear enough. Let’s move on to the other terms . . .

Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

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