Boxcar English

Boxcar English is a podcast for English learners. It's one of the best and most pleasant ways to learn English. A gentle, slow voice, with simple language, tells stories that deal with everyday life situations in sometimes dreamlike ways, so the listener engages with the meaning, rather than idea of learning English. Listen to episode 050 for instructions on how to use the podcast! The philosophy of the podcast is to provide the good, positive energy needed for learning a new language, with much of the content for free or low cost, and for all of it to be made by a human, and not impersonal AI-based creation. It's based on the language-learning theory of "Comprehensible and Compelling input," which says that you should listen and read to a lot of materials that are 1) Easy to understand (you know 95% of the vocabulary), and 2) Interesting to listen to. Boxcar English is designed to be fun, welcoming, & refreshing to different levels of learners. At Boxcar English, there's always room for you! go to boxcarenglish.com for more information and lessons (written and via Signal) Support the podcast and get the transcripts at patreon.com/boxcarenglishpodcast

Episodes

091: Forest escape

October 23, 2026 • 12 mins

*This is the 16th episode in the story that begins with episode 076: On the Train!* Luís and I escape through the forest, and I try to find my lost dog, Shelby. Please support the podcast at patreon.com/boxcarenglishpodcast And take private lessons with me, Karl—go to boxcarenglish.com for details, or send me an email at karl@boxcarenglish.com.

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090: A Little More Possible

October 15, 2026 • 6 mins

Everything seemed a LITTLE MORE POSSIBLE because — well, you’ll have to listen to find out! This is part 15 of the story that begins with episode 076: On the Train! READ ALONG WITH THE STORY – even if you have no trouble understanding, you should read along! This will help your awareness of HOW WRITING AND SPEECH CONNECT! visit boxcarenglish.com for more episodes and to take lessons! Please share the podcast with ...

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089: No Time to Waste

October 8, 2026 • 6 mins

Part 13 of the story that began with 076: On the Train. I try to break out of jail with Luís. There was no time to waste! Please support the podcast at patreon.com/boxcarenglishpodcast And visit boxcarenglish.com Write me at karl@boxcarenglish.com

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088: Shapeless time

October 1, 2026 • 6 mins

Part 12 of the story beginning with 076: On the train. Sometimes it seems like things will never end. But then, one day, they do! In jail, every day is the same. Time seems to have no shape. We can add “-less” to communicate that—”shapeless” means “no shape.” But time does have a shape, and this was the day we would break out of jail! boxcarenglish.com patreon.com/boxcarenglishpodcast

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087: Jailbreak

September 24, 2026 • 7 mins

Part 11 of the story beginning with episode 076: On the Train Karl and Luís decide to break out of jail. Slow, easy to understand, authentic English. No AI is used in the writing or recording of this podcast! Please support us at patreon.com/boxcarenglishpodcast And take lessons at boxcarenglish.com!

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086: A Terrible Thought

September 18, 2026 • 8 mins

Episode 10 in the series that started on episode 076: On the Train Luís tells Karl how he got in jail. Karl has a terrible thought…they must escape! Please go to patreon.com/boxcarenglishpodcast and boxcarenglish.com Write me at karl@boxcarenglish.com.

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085: I'm All Ears

September 10, 2026 • 10 mins

This is the 9th part of the story begun in episode 076: On the Train. Karl tells the story of how he got into jail to Luís. Please support Boxcar English at patreon.com/boxcarenglishpodcast! And go to boxcarenglish.com Take lessons with Karl and write to him at Karl@boxcarenglish.com

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084: It's hard to say

September 4, 2026 • 7 mins

This is the 9th part of the story that begins with episode 076: On the Train. Welcome to Boxcar English, where there’s always room for you. The last time we talked, I was in jail. I had somehow travelled ten years into the future, after having ridden a train for two days. I guess the train was magic or something. Anyway, I tried to get into my own house, and found it was another man’s house. So I got arrested and put in...

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083: Making a friend

August 27, 2026 • 8 mins

This story began with episode 076: On the Train. In this episode, I (Karl) make a friend with someone I meet in jail. There are a lot of interesting phrases to learn in this episode. Please help make a community around this podcast. Chat with me, ask me questions in a chat room (much more real than a chatbot!) when you support (just $1 per month) at Patreon.com/boxcarenglishpodcast. Real, true, human-made responses! Please write me...

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082: The Greener Grass of Home

August 20, 2026 • 9 mins

Start with Episode 076: On the Train if you haven’t heard it yet! If you don’t know the common expression “the grass is greener on the other side,” you will learn what it means in this episode! Please join us at Patreon.com/boxcarenglishpodcast to get the human-transcribed text to each episode! (AI transcripts generally contain errors—not good if you’re learning a language!) AND chat with me, Kar...

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081: The Spur of the Moment

August 14, 2026 • 4 mins

I come back home… and I wish my adventure had been longer… then I realize the adventure is not over. Subscribe (only $1 a month) on Patreon and get the human-generated transcript (i.e., no errors from the A.I.!) patreon.com/boxcarenglishpodcast boxcarenglish.com (beginning of transcript) So I was back home. My spur-of-the-moment adventure was over. Do you know what spurs are? They’re these sharp things that fit ...

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080: You've got to be kidding me!

August 6, 2026 • 5 mins

This episode continues the story begun in 076: On the train. Here is a sample of the transcript (for the full transcript, support us at patreon.com/boxcarenglishpodcast) ===================== [0:21] I woke up in the small concrete building and saw Shelby sitting beside me. But let me go back a second. Before I woke up, I was dreaming about birds. The birds were red and blue and the sky was blue too. It was–it was like a carto...

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079: Deer path

July 31, 2026 • 8 mins

This is the fourth part of a story that began in episode 76! (Even though I say it’s the continuation of “the last 2 episodes” in the episode – I should have said the last 3 episodes!) Support the podcast at patreon.com/boxcarenglishpodcast And take lessons with me at boxcarenglish.com! Write me at karl@boxcarenglish.com

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078: Lost track

July 23, 2026 • 7 mins

If you haven’t listened to the last two episodes, well, I jumped on a train–a freight train– and started riding. A freight train is a kind of train that people are not allowed to ride. It’s illegal to do it. It’s very dangerous… *Keep reading at patreon.com/boxcarenglishpodcast!* boxcarenglish.com patreon.com/boxcarenglishpodcast

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077: It's going to be OK

July 17, 2026 • 4 mins

Well, I felt lost. I jumped on a train. But who would feed my cat? Visit the website at boxcarenglish.com Please support us at Patreon.com/boxcarenglishpodcast ! Please write to me at karl@boxcarenglish.com

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And visit our website at boxcarenglish.com!

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076: On the Train

July 9, 2026 • 5 mins

In this episode, I make a snap decision. I’m going to take control of my life – by giving up control. please visit patreon.com/boxcarenglishpodcast to support us (just $1 a month would make a huge difference!) and get the transcripts to all episodes! and boxcarenglish.com for lessons

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075: What was I talking about?

July 2, 2026 • 7 mins

It’s our 75th episode! Thanks for being here! For this episode, I wanted to write in the present tense instead of the usual past tense! How is that possible? Listen and find out! please check out our website and Patreon page! boxcarenglish.com and patreon.com/boxcarenglishpodcast

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074: Make Sure

June 25, 2026 • 7 mins

Hello Friends! Here is the beginning of the transcript of the episode: boxcarenglish.com patreon.com/boxcarenglishpodcast – please support us! Sometimes I get confused by simple things. It often happens when I get a phone call from an unknown number. I always answer these, though I might start answering them less often, because they are usually not friends calling. Usually they’re sales people. People trying to sell som...

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073: Hard to get by

June 19, 2026 • 8 mins

Do you know the phrase “To get by” ? It’s an important one, and has (at least) two different meanings. Listen to this episode to hear and understand both of them. [beginning]There are some mountains near where I live in Haytown, with lots of trails for walking and lots of streams full of rocks and fish and beautiful waterfalls. One day, not too long ago, I drove over to the mountains with my dog, Shelby, to go for...

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072: Poor Little Pink

June 13, 2026 • 6 mins

Hello my friends. In this episode, I talk about how my cat, Pink, broke one of her legs. The title “Poor little” shows sympathy for someone who is experiencing something unpleasant: Poor little Pink! Please support us on Patreon: patreon.com/boxcarenglishpodcast boxcarenglish.com

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Boxcar English

Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;} 091: Forest escape

.css-r6mb8g{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:1;overflow:hidden;} 090: A Little More Possible

089: No Time to Waste

088: Shapeless time

087: Jailbreak

086: A Terrible Thought

085: I'm All Ears

084: It's hard to say

083: Making a friend

082: The Greener Grass of Home

081: The Spur of the Moment

080: You've got to be kidding me!

079: Deer path

078: Lost track

077: It's going to be OK

076: On the Train

075: What was I talking about?

074: Make Sure

073: Hard to get by

072: Poor Little Pink

Popular Podcasts

091: Forest escape

090: A Little More Possible