American English Podcast
The American English Podcast teaches the language and culture of the United States. Through common expressions, pronunciation tips and interesting cultural snippets or stories, I hope to keep this fun, useful and interesting! All bonus material can be accessed at http://americanenglishpodcast.com/
Episodes
September 26, 2025 • 36 mins
Can you believe it? We’ve made it to Episode 200! 🥳
In this milestone episode, I look back on everything we’ve done together in Season 4 (Episodes 151–200). From expressions that made you laugh to cultural stories that made you think, this season has been packed with lessons designed to improve your English and your connection to American culture.
Tune in to hear the your favorite episodes this season, stats and what's coming ne...
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September 18, 2025 • 30 mins
In this Five Minute English feature, we dive into one of America’s most beloved seasons: fall (also known as autumn). From pumpkin spice and cozy sweaters to apple orchards and football games, fall in the U.S. isn’t just a season—it’s a whole feeling.
You’ll learn:
Which is more common: fall or autumn?
The sounds, sights, tastes, and smells that define the season.
Cultural traditions like pumpkin patches, apple pic...
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September 11, 2025 • 31 mins
Ever get confused between “apply to” and “apply for”? Or wonder whether to say “argue about” or “argue over”? In today’s episode, we break down these common English combinations with quick, simple explanations and memorable examples. You’ll also learn the difference between “belong to” and “belong in.” By the end, you’ll feel more confident choosing the right phrase in everyday conversations.
👉 Perfect for English learners who wa...
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September 4, 2025 • 35 mins
What happens when you’re attacked by a grizzly bear, left for dead, and forced to crawl nearly 200 miles to survive? That’s the true story, or perhaps just the legend, of Hugh Glass, a 19th-century frontiersman whose incredible survival story inspired books and Hollywood films like The Revenant.
In this episode, you’ll:
Hear the dramatic survival story of Hugh Glass.
Learn and review 10+ irregular past tense verbs in co...
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August 28, 2025 • 28 mins
Have you ever succeeded when no one thought you could? That’s what it means to do something against all odds. In today’s episode, Shana begins with a bear story from her front yard in Asheville (yes, one even climbed into her car!), then moves into a lighthearted pun about “bare feet.”
From there, you’ll dive deep into the expression against all odds. You’ll learn its meaning, history, and how to use it naturally in daily conversa...
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August 21, 2025 • 25 mins
Think you’ve mastered English prepositions? Think again. In this episode, I sit down with my husband Lucas (an advanced English speaker) to tackle 5 prepositions even fluent speakers still get wrong.
We’ll cover:✅ Invest ____✅ Be interested ____✅ Participate ____ / Take part ____✅ Spend money ____✅ Depend ____ / Rely ____
And a few more that came UP naturally in conversation. Can you find them?
You’ll hear real-life examples, fu...
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August 14, 2025 • 30 mins
In today's episode, you’ll hear the incredible story of a man named Larry Walters, or "Lawn Chair" Larry, who bought over 40 weather balloons, attached them to a lawn chair in his backyard and flew 16,000 feet up in the air.
The story is weird and funny, and it gives way to a larger discussion about “Cluster Ballooning.” I’ll explain challenging words and phrases as I go along!*****Premium Content: This episode is part of By pu...
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August 7, 2025 • 39 mins
In this wild episode, we dive deep into the Burmese python invasion in Florida’s Everglades, which is one of the most unexpected and dramatic ecological crises in U.S. history.
It all started with exotic pet owners, relaxed laws in the '80s and '90s, and one catastrophic storm: Hurricane Andrew. From there, things spiraled. Thousands of snakes were released, some intentionally, others by accident, and they found paradise in the Ev...
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July 31, 2025 • 21 mins
Ever heard someone say, “Don’t have a hissy fit”? In this episode, we break down this funny, very Southern expression that describes a dramatic overreaction (think tantrum, or an overreaction). You’ll hear real-life examples—from picky eaters at restaurants to Wi‑Fi meltdowns—and find out how “hissy fit” made its way into American English.
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July 24, 2025 • 33 mins
Yesterday at the library with my girls, a lightbulb went off in my head 💡—fables aren’t just great for kids... they’re perfect for English learners too!
This week on the podcast, we’re diving into one of Aesop’s most famous tales: The Goose & The Golden Egg (or The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs). 🪿✨ It’s short, memorable, and it teaches a timeless lesson about greed—a perfect jumping-off point to learn advanced adjectives like...
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July 17, 2025 • 52 mins
Brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at better help.com/AMERICANENGLISH and get on your way to being your best self.
Ever wondered what life is like in the middle of the U.S.? Tune in to this week’s episode with Bethany Anderson and discover tornado drills, taco pizza, sweet corn, Amish visits, and small towns bursting with culture. You’ll get fun expressions, new vocab, and a fresh view of Iowa you won’t find ...
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July 10, 2025 • 26 mins
This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AMERICANENGLISH and get on your way to being your best self.
In this immersive summer episode, you'll escape to the sun-drenched shores of an American beach and soak up advanced vocabulary, phrasal verbs, and collocations—all beach-themed and delivered in under 10 minutes (ish 😉).
You'll need to use your imagination for this one. You'll look bac...
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July 3, 2025 • 33 mins
This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AMERICANENGLISH and get on your way to being your best self.
In this casual Chats with Shana episode, I’m taking you along on our sweaty summer trip to Charleston, South Carolina. 🌴
You’ll hear about:
Milo’s first vacation (spoiler: he’s a sand-digging pro)
Dining outside in 95° heat… while swatting a swarm of flies
Why Folly Be...
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June 26, 2025 • 36 mins
You may be wondering: What’s the difference between a buffalo and a bison? That was the first question I had when researching this topic. And the answer is—well, a lot. Despite being from the same family (Bovidae), bison and buffalo have different hair, different horn shapes, and different temperaments. Bison are known to be a little bit moody!
So, which one lives in the United States? Technically, bison, but most native English s...
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June 19, 2025 • 19 mins
In this episode, learn the meaning, origin, and everyday use of the expression “to stand one’s ground.”
As usual, the lesson will begin with a joke (this one's a pun!). Then we'll dive into the expression. Shana will explain how to use the phrase in real-life situations, and guides you through a quick pronunciation practice.
Stay tuned for next week’s follow-up episode on bison—majestic animals that quite literally stand their ...
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June 13, 2025 • 34 mins
It helps you make your oatmeal in 90 seconds and reheat your pizza in 30. Some of you love it; others are skeptical, with concerns it might cause brain damage. What am I talking about? Microwaves, of course!
The story of how the microwave was discovered (or invented!) is weird and very funny—and it all went down in Massachusetts.
To make this story extra valuable, I've added 20 irregular verbs to it. How many did you catch?
If y...
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June 5, 2025 • 32 mins
In this episode, you'll learn how to use the common English expression “the coast is clear,” which means it’s safe to proceed because no one is watching or in the way. After breaking down the literal and figurative meanings, as well as the origin, you'll hear three vivid examples—one featuring a mama bird, a cheating girlfriend, and shoplifting teens.
The cultural spotlight of this episode is on Alcatraz, the infamous island pri...
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May 29, 2025 • 40 mins
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most popular national park in the entire United States. Every year close to 14 million people go to check out the nature, the wildlife, and to see what life was like back in the 1800s (90 structures have been preserved!).
What's really exciting about the Smokies, at least to me, is that they're the birthplace of Appalachian culture.
In today's episode, we'll begin with some geogra...
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May 21, 2025 • 26 mins
Hi everyone! Welcome back. I'm excited for another expression episode. Today we're going to be talking about a common one: "Where there's smoke, there's fire." We'll of course, dive into the meaning, I'll teach you about the origin, and we have multiple examples today so that you can hear how it's used naturally in conversation. At the very end, there will be a little pronunciation exercise just for reinforcement.
In part two of ...
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May 14, 2025 • 39 mins
Welcome back to the second part of our chat about cultural curiosities! This episode is jam-packed with our thoughts on tipping, splitting the bill on first dates (a.k.a. “going Dutch”), personal space, how to handle food in someone’s teeth, and so much more!
Hope you enjoy it!
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