In this episode, we talk about what it’s like to live without our phones.
No buzzing notifications, no flashing screen, no modern day apps to help us.
I talk about what could happen when maps, music, and messages disappear, and you’re left with the slower world that existed before.
This episode isn’t about rejecting technology, but about noticing what happens when it’s gone.
If you’ve ever felt a bit addicted to your phone, this one’s for you.

✨ EPISODE TRANSCRIPT ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/posts/could-you-spend-143208351

🧠 Today We Learn:
Vocabulary: Technology, Digital Habits, Reflection & Feelings
Grammar: Passive voice, Modal verbs for speculation or advice

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“Beginner English with James” for the same story at a lower level.

This episode starts with a drive into the mountains: Autumn light, gold leaves, and cool November air smelling of trees and rain. It was lovely.
But the car I was driving had other ideas.
Somewhere between the mountain bends and motorways, I was fighting the machine! The car kept deciding what was “safe” and what wasn’t.
This one’s about control. About how technology that’s meant to help can end up taking over.
If you’ve ever felt nostalgia for something simple, or argued with your own modern car, this episode is for you..

✨ EPISODE TRANSCRIPT ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/posts/old-cars-are-new-142897684

🧠 Today We Learn:
Vocabulary: Car Parts & Features, Driving Actions, Nature & Sensory Language
Grammar: Non-defining relative clauses, Comparatives and superlatives, Passive voice

🐣 Too difficult? Search:
“Beginner English with James” for the same story at a lower level.

Have you ever dreamed in another language?
In this episode, I tell the story of the first time it happened to me.
It was a cold night in Spain, a few months after I moved there, when I still knew only a few words but had a lot of curiosity.
It’s a story about being tired, living fully in another language, and the moment when that language starts to feel natural instead of foreign.
We talk about learning, belonging, and the small signs that show your progress even when you’re fast asleep.

✨ EPISODE TRANSCRIPT ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/posts/my-first-dream-142169025

🧠 Today We Learn:
Vocabulary: Living abroad, Home life, Language learning
Grammar: Past perfect (earlier past events), Non-defining relative clauses, Linking devices (for narrative flow), Discourse markers & stance adverbs (for natural spoken style)

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The air is changing, and you can feel it!
In this episode, I talk about the cold days arriving, the shorter light, and the quiet streets that come with winter.
But I also ask: what if we stopped fighting the season and learned to enjoy it?
This is a calm story about slowing down, finding small joys, and learning to live with the cold, not against it.

✨ EPISODE TRANSCRIPT ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/posts/winter-is-coming-141737764

🧠 Today We Learn:
Vocabulary: Nature & Seasons, Cold & Warmth, & Comfort
Grammar: Reduced Relative Clauses, Comparatives and Superlatives, Present Continuous for Developing Trends or Ongoing States

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In this episode, I go to one of Spain’s biggest theme parks for my birthday.
Between the screams, the speed, and the silence before each drop, I start to wonder how these machines really work.
Why don’t they fall off the track? Why do they feel so scary but stay so safe?
It’s a story about design, fear, trust, and how we find excitement in things that could never actually hurt us.

✨ EPISODE TRANSCRIPT ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/posts/140895765

🧠 Today We Learn:
Vocabulary: Theme Parks & Rollercoasters, Engineering & Mechanics, Sensations & Emotions
Grammar: Passive Voice, Causatives (to have / get something done), Adverbial Clauses of Contrast

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In this episode, I take you back to a cold winter day in London.
One small show-off stunt, a sheet of frost, and a fall that changed more than I expected.
It’s a story about pride, pain, and what it really feels like when a bone breaks.

✨ EPISODE TRANSCRIPT ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/posts/140372624

🧠 Today We Learn:
Vocabulary: Injuries & Pain, Medical & Healing
Grammar: Question Tags at the end of a sentence to check or confirm something, Past Perfect to talk about something that happened before another past action, Modals of Deduction using modal verbs (must, might, can’t) to say how sure we are about something.

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In this episode, we walk through the countryside of Great Britain.
Green hills, quiet woods, and wide fields full of life.
I talk about the animals you see every day, the hidden ones you only notice at night, and the insects that are always around us.
This episode is a gentle trip into nature, showing how even ordinary places are full of surprises.

✨ EPISODE TRANSCRIPT, FLASHCARDS, & PATREON EXTRAS: https://www.patreon.com/posts/139652857

🧠 Today We Learn:
Vocabulary:Nature & Environment, Wild Animals & Features
Grammar: First Conditional to talk about something possible in the future and its result, Quantifiers for Variety like "plenty of", "most", "a few", "some", Linking Words for Narrative Flow like "although", "meanwhile", "as soon as".

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In this episode, I talk about tattoos - how they look, how they feel, and why people get them.
I share the story of my first tattoo, what it was like to sit for hours in pain, and the ways tattoos heal on the skin.
It’s also about memory and self-expression - the marks we carry and the stories we keep with us.

✨ Get this episode’s transcript: https://www.patreon.com/posts/138721327

🧠 Today We Learn:
Vocabulary: Body & Pain, Feelings, Memory, & Attitude, Art, Expression, & Stories, Phrasal Verbs
Grammar: Comparatives with Far / Much / A Lot, Relative Clauses with Which / Who / Where, Second Conditionals to describe imaginary or unlikely situations in the present or future.

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In this episode, I take you on a flight that didn’t go as planned.
It starts as a simple trip to Riga with a friend, cheap tickets and excitement in the air.
But in the middle of the journey, something unexpected happens, and suddenly the plane feels very different.
This story is about surprise, fear, and courage, and how travel can bring moments we never forget.

✨ Get this episode’s transcript: https://www.patreon.com/posts/138130818

🧠 Today We Learn:
Vocabulary: Travel & Journeys, Actions & Movements
Grammar: Past Perfect for Sequencing to show that one past event happened before another past event, Relative Clauses with Prepositions at the End to give more information about a noun, Emphatic “Do” for Emphasis to add emphasis, especially in the present simple or past simple.

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In this episode, we look at the weight of a bad day.
I talk about why we blame ourselves, how even the strongest people struggle, and the small, simple things that can help us through.
This is a gentle reflection on sadness, self-kindness, and the fresh chance that tomorrow always brings.

✨ Get this episode’s transcript: https://www.patreon.com/posts/its-ok-to-have-137403297

🧠 Today We Learn:
Vocabulary: Emotions & Mood, Problems & Difficult Situations, Expressing & Sharing Feelings, Energy & Effort
Grammar: Causative With 'Have' / 'Get' to show that someone makes another person do something or arranges for something to be done, Comparative Structures Beyond '-er/more', Wish / If only (Present Regrets) to talk about regrets or things we want to be different in the present.

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In this episode, we’re surrounded by smells.
Some of them open the door to old memories, while others are just good in the moment.
I talk about a cold morning with frost on the grass, the chemical bite of a swimming pool, the warm smell of a busy café, and the fresh, green air after rain.
It’s a slow walk through scents that have stayed with me, some for years, some for no reason at all.
If you’ve ever stopped in your tracks because of a smell, this one’s for you.

✨ Get this episode’s transcript: https://www.patreon.com/posts/my-favourite-17-136764083

🧠 Today We Learn:
Vocabulary: Smells & Sensory Language, Nature & Weather
Grammar: Reduced Relative Clauses to make the sentence shorter & more natural, As…as… Comparisons to describe and compare appearance, quality, amount, or other characteristics, Past Perfect for Sequencing to make the order of events clear even if you tell them in a different order.

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In this episode, we’re back home on a Sunday afternoon.
You can smell roast potatoes in the air, hear gravy bubbling on the stove, see steam on the windows. Someone’s shouting for more Yorkshire puddings from the other room.
I talk about my memories of the British Sunday roast - a meal that’s part of our national story.
This episode is all about tradition, comfort, and how this meal changed over time, from big feasts in castles to factory families to vegan gravy in a French bar on a rainy day.
If you’ve ever missed the taste of a meal from home, this one’s for you!

🧠 Today We Learn:
Vocabulary: Food & Cooking, Sensory Description & Texture, Phrasal Verbs & Idioms, History & Culture
Grammar: Causatives (make someone do something, let someone do something) to show that one person causes another person to do something (or allows them to), So + adjective + that to shows a strong result caused by a quality and adds emotional or dramatic emphasis, Zero and First Conditionals (including some no-“if” versions) to talk about general truths (zero) or real future possibilities (first).

✨ Get this episode’s transcript: https://www.patreon.com/posts/136038150

📲 Follow me, Get transcripts, Book a class with me: https://linktr.ee/jamesbradleyenglish

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In this episode, we’re exploring the simple British cup of tea.
From ancient leaves in far lands to the mugs in every British kitchen, I explore how tea made its way to England.
We’ll talk about trade and empire, and what it really means to put the kettle on to make tea.
This one’s about comfort, habit, and heritage, and how a simple drink became a national ritual.
If you’ve ever wondered how to make a real British cup of tea, this is the place to start!

🧠 Today We Learn:
Vocabulary: Tea & Kitchen, Food & Drink, Home & Everyday Life, Action Verbs
Grammar: First Conditional to talk about real future possibilities and their results, Modals for Advice and Necessity to give recommendations or say what’s important or required, Contrast with Although, However, But, Nevertheless to show two different ideas or opinions.

✨ Get this episode’s transcript: https://www.patreon.com/posts/135320912

📲 Follow me, Get transcripts, Book a class with me: https://linktr.ee/jamesbradleyenglish

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In this episode, I buy a bike - not a shiny new one, but a strange little folding thing I found online.
I talk about why I stopped using rental bikes, what happened when I met the seller, and how I learned to ride something that felt… awkward at first.
There are bumpy roads, tight train doors, and moments where the chain falls off, but somehow, it still works.
This episode is about second-hand things, slow bikes, and learning to enjoy what isn’t perfect.
Linguistically, you’ll hear natural expressions for city life, bike parts, everyday actions, and how we talk about fixing and figuring things out.
If you’ve ever used something a bit broken and made it work anyway, this one’s for you.

🧠 Today We Learn:
Vocabulary: Bike Parts & Mechanics, Money & Buying, Condition & Quality
Grammar: Past simple vs present perfect (to show if something is finished or still relevant now), Too / not enough (to express limits and problems), Modal verbs (advice, deduction, obligation, possibility, etc.) (to show opinion, rules, and uncertainty).

✨ Get this episode’s transcript: https://www.patreon.com/posts/134435865

📲 Follow me, Get transcripts, Book a class with me: https://linktr.ee/jamesbradleyenglish

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In this episode, I talk about driving, but not the usual kind.The steering wheel’s on the other side.
The roundabouts go the wrong way.
And I’m in a new country, trying not to crash my car.
This story is about what it’s like to drive abroad for the first time, how strange it feels at first, but also how quickly your brain gets used to it.
You’ll hear useful words and phrases about driving, cars, and feeling nervous, plus grammar like “used to,” comparatives, and how to say something is so easy or so scary.
If you’ve ever done something new that felt strange at first, this one’s for you.

🧠 Today We Learn:
Vocabulary: Driving & Vehicles, British Slang & Informal Speech.
Grammar: Used to / Be used to, Comparatives / Superlatives, So / Such (for emphasis).

✨ Get this episode’s transcript: https://www.patreon.com/posts/133332785

📲 Follow me, Get transcripts, Book a class with me: https://linktr.ee/jamesbradleyenglish

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In this episode, I wake up in the early hours of a summer morning.The kind of heat that makes it impossible to sleep.
As I move through my flat, trying to cool down with ice water and small drafts of freezer air, the outside world pushes in: far-off shouting, buzzing mosquitoes, and the soft hum of traffic that never really stops.
I talk about strange dreams, itchy arms, and what it feels like to be uncomfortable in your own body when the air won’t cool.
There’s a quiet reflection on the seasons too; which one I like best, and why summer sometimes feels like the hardest one of all.
If you’ve ever been kept awake by heat, noise, or thoughts that won’t let you rest, this episode will feel familiar.

🧠 You Will Learn:
Vocabulary: Phrasal verbs, Spatial & Sensory Adjectives, Physical Actions
Grammar: Past Simple vs. Past Continuous, other Past Tenses , Relative Clauses, First Conditional

✨ Get the Transcript for this Episode:
Join my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/132125744

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In this episode, we slow down and spend a day at the beach - a place people travel from far away to enjoy the sea, the sunshine, and a bit of peace.
We move through the day step by step: getting ready in the morning, arriving at the beach, swimming in the cold sea, and drying off in the warm sun.
There’s also that quiet moment - the one that comes after the fun, when everything feels calm.
I talk about my own memories of beach trips in Britain when I was younger, and how things feel different now that I live near the sea.
There is music in the air, jellyfish in the water, and even a night-time thunderstorm, which is powerful but peaceful.
This episode uses clear storytelling, natural linking words, and simple structures like there is / there are and relative clauses.
If you’ve ever sat by the sea and felt completely relaxed – this episode is for you.

🧠 You Will Learn:
Vocabulary: Movement & Actions, Human Behaviour, Everyday Objects, Sensory Language
Grammar: Linking Words for Sequence and Contrast , There is / There are, Basic Relative Clauses

✨ Get the Transcript for this Episode:
Join my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/people-on-train-129988843

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The beginner version on Beginner’s English with James.

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The advanced version on Everyday English with James.

In this episode, I slow down and talk about something many of us experience every day - the commute.
It might seem boring at first: the same train or bus, the same journey, the same faces.
But if you look closely, it’s more than that.
I share how I sometimes watch the people around me and imagine what their lives are like - where they’re going, what they’re thinking, who they’re texting.
Even though we never speak, there’s an odd feeling of connection.
We’re all just strangers on the same journey, with our own dreams, problems, and routines.
If you’ve ever looked around on a train or bus and started to wonder who the other passengers really are… this episode is for you.

🧠 You Will Learn:
Vocabulary: Transport & Daily Routine, Sounds & Movement, Everyday Phrasal Verbs, Work & Daily Life
Grammar: Modals for possibility (might, could, may), Intensifiers (really, a bit, so)

✨ Get the Transcript and Flashcards for this Episode:
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🤯 Too difficult?
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The beginner version on Beginner’s English with James.

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The advanced version on Everyday English with James.

In today’s episode, I talk about the feeling of “bittersweet” and what it means.
I share my personal story of moving to Spain and how it felt to leave my old life behind.
I talk about the deep friendships I made, the adventures I had, and the sadness that came when people started leaving.
In the end, I remind you to enjoy the present and keep in touch with the people you care about.
If you’ve ever thought about looking back on life’s sad times and happy times, this episode is for you.

🧠 You Will Learn:
Vocabulary: Emotions & feelings, Social relationships & change, Nostalgia & memoryColloquial everyday English
Grammar: Past Perfect for Narratives - describing events that happened before another past event (“I had already seen my friends leave when I made my decision to leave myself.”)

✨ Get the Transcript and Flashcards for this Episode:
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💡 Do you love my English lessons? Support my work 😊
Buy me a cup of tea ☕ https://ko-fi.com/jamesbradleyenglish
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The advanced version on Everyday English with James.

In today’s episode, we’re talking about a true British classic dish - fish and chips.
I’ll share my thoughts on why this humble dish holds such a special place in British culture, not as fancy food, but as comfort food.
We’ll talk about the best ways to eat it, and how I feel about it personally.
This episode is all about nostalgia, tradition, and the simple joys of food.
If you’ve ever wondered what makes fish and chips so special to us Brits, this episode is for you.

🧠 You Will Learn:
Vocabulary: Food & Eating, Emotions & Memories, Expressions & Common Phrases
Grammar: Relative clauses – adding natural detail and explanation (e.g. "Fish and chips, which is a staple in the UK, is often eaten with salt and vinegar."), Past habits with 'would' and 'used to' (e.g. "We used to get fish and chips after football.")

✨ Get the Transcript and Flashcards for this Episode:
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Buy me a cup of tea ☕ https://ko-fi.com/jamesbradleyenglish
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🤯 Too difficult?
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The beginner version on Beginner’s English with James.

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The advanced version on Everyday English with James.