Charm English Pod

I answer your questions about how to order a coffee, how to get better at speaking and listening to fast speech, and how to form mixed conditionals.

In this class we talk about when things going wrong can turn into opportunities!

The class includes plenty of phrases like "look on the bright side", "rejection can be redirection" and "hindsight is 20/20".

We also have a lot of practice with the connectors of concession, despite/ although/ even though.

You can check out my website at charmenglish.cl

In this episode I tell you everything you need to know to have a proper uncerstanding of the context of this US holiday. We unpack Thanksgiving: history, traditions, and perspectives often left out. I discuss the common Thanksgiving origin story that you might have been told or seen on TV. I trace the real historical origins to modern celebrations, including Friendsgiving, the turkey pardon, Black Friday’s origin, and Indigenous perspectives that challenge popular myths.
Further reading & sources• History.com — “History of Thanksgiving”https://www.history.com/articles/history-of-thanksgiving• Encyclopaedia Britannica — “Thanksgiving Day”https://www.britannica.com/topic/Thanksgiving-Day•...

Group classes at www.charmenglish.cl

In this episode, we talk about how water shapes our daily lives, from water consumption habits to global challenges like droughts and floods.. We talk about potable water and contaminated water.

Most of the class focuses on common English idioms related to water, like to be a fish out of water or "sink or swim".

Key Takeaways

A reminder that “water” is an uncountable noun in English—and why that matters

How water-related idioms enrich English communication

Essential water terminology for cleare...

Sign up for classes here: charmenglish.cl

In this episode, we dive into how to use the prepositions at, in, and on inside common English idioms. I walk you through practical examples, song references, and clear explanations so you can understand these expressions and use them confidently in real conversations. Perfect for learners who want to sound more natural and fluent.

You'll learn:

How at / in / on function inside idiomatic expressions

Idioms for timing, like in the long run and at the 11th hour

In this episode, I announce the winners of our Spooky Story Contest and read the top three horror stories written by English learners! Each story brings something special — suspense, emotion, and creativity — and we explore what makes them so engaging.In this episode I read: the runner-up “The Mystery Story" by Akko, the chilling second-place entry, "My first night by myself at home" by Joao, and the haunting winner “Always Here For You” by Almir. After each reading we break down what we liked about the stories: language choices, pacing, and ways to build fear and emotional impact.

✨ Takeaw...

charmenglish.cl

In this episode we unpack how phrasal verbs turn into compound nouns. You will hear clear examples like takeover, breakdown, check-in, follow-up, and meetup, plus easy spelling tips and simple pronunciation rules to help your English sound more natural. Whether you use English at work, in social situations, or when making decisions, these words are everywhere. Listen for practice ideas you can try right away to lock this grammar into your speaking and writing.

What you will learn• How compound nouns form from phrasal verbs• Verb versus noun use...

Sign up for a class at ⁠charmenglish.cl⁠

In this episode I break down one of the trickiest parts of English grammar: verbs that take gerunds vs infinitives. We cover common patterns, mental-process verbs (think, imagine, recall), verbs of intention (intend, plan), and verbs that accept both forms with little change in meaning. Expect real-life examples, practical chunks you can use in conversation, and teaching tips for ESL learners (B2–C1). Whether you’re preparing for interviews, improving fluency, or teaching English, this episode gives bite-sized rules and plenty of practice ideas to make gerunds and infinitives stick.<...

To watch on YouTube go to: https://youtu.be/TnxcbEHsdos

I chat with my sister Stacey about what it is really like to work in animal control. Stacey shares field stories, the kinds of calls she gets, and the choices officers make when balancing animal welfare and community needs. Along the way we focus on language that learners can use in real life. You will hear natural vocabulary and phrases, pronunciation practice of animal names, and clear explanations of animal behavior that help with safety and pet care. This is a great fast-paced conversation to learn plenty...

In this live Q&A I answer student questions about casual speaking, speaking and learning tips, verb tenses (past perfect and the past participle,) causative verbs, pronunciation difficulties, and small language nuances like the difference between “shade” and “shadow.” I give many examples, correction tips, and practice suggestions you can use right away. Suitable for B1–B2 learners who want practical speaking practice and clearer grammar use.Some takeaways:-Use adverbs at the start of sentences to sound more natural.-Phrasal verbs are essential for conversational fluency.-Use past perfect to show event order/background.-Causative verbs (make/have/get) show...

In this episode, I explore sayings and life mottos that we live by. We dig into procrastination, motivation, and how social media shapes our views of other people’s lives. Along the way I share language tips for learners, cultural expressions you can use today, and simple mindset shifts that make action easier.

What you’ll get from this episode

Life mottos that can guide you and your lifestyle

Idioms that express motivation, acceptance and resilience.

Reflections on beating procrastination and not comparing yourself to others on social media

Lang...

In this episode, I break down how to use modals of possibility like may, might, and could in real-life English conversations. We also talk about phrasal verbs and idioms that help you sound more fluent and express uncertainty naturally — phrases like turn out, end up, and up in the air.

If you’re trying to speak English with more confidence, this lesson will help you understand how to talk about odds, likelihood, and future possibilities in a clear and natural way. It’s a great mix of grammar, pronunciation, and conversation practice, so you can use what you le...

We talk about so much everyday health vocabulary, from sneezing and tissues and Kleenex, to symptoms, to phrasal verbs like pass out versus pass away.

This is a great episode for anyone wanting to work on their listening skills and useful vocabulary!

In this episode I sit down with Emily, my sister!

We talk about different varieties and dialects of English like AAVE, Scottish vs US English, and Polari. She also shares her experiences moving to Scotland and studying a Master's in teaching English. We talk about her experiences learning several languages and what's worked for her. This is a fast-paced episode with so much great info!

If you'd like to have an English class with Emily, you can sign up at www.charmenglish.cl

Dialects and varieties of...

In this episode, we take a closer look at the word “as” and all the different ways it’s used in everyday English. You’ll hear common phrases like as soon as possible, as opposed to, as for, as far as, and more. We’ll also go over how “as” works in equative comparisons (I’m as tall as him), to show reason (As it was raining, we stayed inside), and as a time marker (I was looking outside as the bird flew by).

We’ll go over plenty of examples you can use right away in conversation—like...

In this class we have so many tongue twisters and other tips and tricks for you to practice your pronunciation!

I show different vibrating sounds like S versus Z, TH, and B versus V.

We also talk about the flap T, which is when a T between two vowels sounds more like a D, and the US English R sound.

Listen and say the tongue twisters along with me!

This episode is all about spicing up your English with some kitchen and cooking vocab. We’re talking all the action words you need—slice, chop, mince, blend—so you can be more specific when telling people about foods from your country. Plus, we’ll hit the cooking methods: grill it, boil it, roast it, you name it.

Then we’ll put it all into practice, walking through how to make dishes step-by-step so you can actually use the words instead of just… knowing them.

If you’re a foodie, a home chef, or just someone who wa...

In this very special interview episode, I sit down with Will, a fellow ESL teacher and online content creator from Venezuela, living in Colombia.

We talk about his own journey learning English and eventually becoming a teacher, and he shares what worked for him.

Along the way, we also dive into the challenges of mastering English, hear about his hobbies, and even sing a little bit, as to be expected at this point on Charm English Pod, heheh ;)

Whether you’re learning English or teaching it, you’ll find plenty of inspiration and insi...

In this episode we talk about cats, your thoughts on cats, why we love or don't love them, etc.

Then we practiced using cat-related idioms, in particular ones used in the REAL WORLD (I'm an advocate of teaching students idioms that they might actually see and find useful, since there are so many of them out there, it's good to prioritize.)

And finally we had some hypothetical questions like what would you do if you were a cat. You all also taught me about cats in your cultures and...

Hello! Here are my top tips for job interviews and how to answer several common questions.

We go over how to answer "tell me about yourself" using the past, present, and future.

We practice the STAR method for sharing situations when asked behavioral questions (situation, task, action, result.)

We also talk about tough questions like what is your biggest weakness? and why should we hire you?

I hope you enjoy this episode, and please like and comment if you want more content like this :)

Join small...

In this episode, we talk about derivational forms —words that are created by adding prefixes or suffixes to a base word (also called a root). These added parts can change the meaning of the word or its grammatical category (like turning a verb into a noun or an adjective into an adverb).

For example:

From the verb teach, we get the noun teacher.

From the adjective happy, we get the noun happiness.

From the noun success, we get the adjective successful.

These are all derivational forms — words that come from...

In this episode we explore the topic of connected speech. Learning about this will help you so much with your listening, when people speak quickly!

We tend to connect words when a word ends in a consonant and the next word starts in a vowel (Put it - putit).

Also, when one word ends in a vowel and the next word starts in a vowel. In some cases we add a W or Y sound (I agree - iyagree, go out - gowout)

And when a sound is repeated like...

In this class we talk about the present perfect tense and when to use it, practically in conversations! We also compare the simple past to the present perfect and discuss when to use each one. The present perfect is used for unspecified events in the past as well as events that started in the past and continue now.

Here's a strategy that will help you learn phrasal verbs more effectively: learn phrasal verbs that have double meanings, both literal and figurative. It's usually easier for us to remember literal and concrete actions, so by connecting figuritive uses to literal ones, it can serve as a memory trick.

🎙️ Adjective Order in English: Why We Say "Big Beautiful Desk" (Not the Other Way Around!)

Okay, so here’s something kinda weird about English—when we use a bunch of adjectives before a noun, there’s actually a pretty specific order that sounds right… even if we don’t realize it! 😅

Linguists have noticed a pattern, and it goes like this:
Opinion – Size – Age – Shape – Color – Origin – Material – Purpose.
(Yeah, OSASCOMP... but don’t worry, we’ll break it down!)

🪑 So we say:

a beautiful big wooden desk

a cute little red purse

an old...

🎙️ Episode: Talking about Hypotheticals with the Second Conditional

In this lesson, I break down a powerful structure for expressing your opinions and desires: the second conditional. By the end of the episode, you’ll know exactly how and when to use “if + past tense… would + base verb” to talk about unreal, imagined, or unlikely situations.

Use it to…

📌Express wishes & dreams: “If I knew how to surf, I would move to California.”

📌Give polite advice or soften suggestions: “If I were you, I would ask for feedback.”

📌Specu...

Live class about reported speech plus a Q&A for the last 30 minutes where you asked me about conditionals, anxiety, pronunciation, and more!

Tips for reported speech:

📌you don’t have to include “that”, I do when I feel it’s needed for more clarity, maybe in writing when I have a long sentence, but in speaking it’s often omitted “she said ((that)) she enjoyed learning languages”

📌when reporting something that happened in the past, you can keep the verb that the person said in the present if it’s stil...

In this episode, we explore the power of gerunds in English—those versatile “-ing” forms that function like nouns. You’ll learn which trigger words demand a gerund, and you’ll practice high-utility chunks like I can’t stand and I’m responsible for in real-world contexts: starting and stopping actions, expressing feelings and emotions, making decisions, and tackling challenges.

📚 Further Reading & Resources

Purdue OWL – Gerunds, Participles, and Infinitiveshttps://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/mechanics/gerunds_participles_and_infinitives/index.html

Mango Languages – Gerunds in English: W...

In this class we talked about so many different phrases that you can use in a conversation! Here are some:

👉🏻Discourse markers:

So basically…

Long story short…

At the end of the day…

I mean…

Not gonna lie (NGL)...

To be fair…

That being said…

For what it’s worth

Just putting it out there…

Lowkey / Highkey

👉🏻phrases for agreeing

for sure

definitely

no doubt

one hundred p...

Adding prepositions to the end of sentences!

Collocations with AT or IN

Subject questions with prepositions

Defining relative clauses

All of these topics come up in the live class today! Give it a listen :)

We talk about easily confused words like EFFECT and AFFECT, sensible and sensitive, amongst others!

To continue from the previous week, we had a live class with phrases that contain the word DO. As usual, this is a live class that is taught through instagram on Saturdays at 10am Chile time, and students participate by writing in the chat of the live while I am talking.

Video version coming soon!

Practice your listening and learn phrases at the same time!

Here is a live class we did, with phrases that include the word MAKE. Stay tuned because after this one we had a live class with the phrase DO which I will also upload.

In this class we practiced talking about preferences by answering "would you rather" questions. There is a lot of good everyday vocab in this one!

In this live class, I TAKE you on a journey with different phrases we can use with the word TAKE! During the class, students write commends with examples, which I read out loud during the class.