64: Love is Blind

A noisy neighbour, an awkward stand-off, an ironic compliment and a round at the bar... 4 difficult scenarios for Isi to deal with in the UK. Interactive Transcript Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership Transcript Mitch: [0:22] Hiya, welcome to the Easy English Podcast. Isi, how's it going? Isi: [0:28] It's going. Mitch: [0:29] It's going. Very good. That's a very British response. So today, I wanted to, like in the last video episode, test you on your British cultural knowledge. Isi: [0:42] Oh dear. Mitch: [0:45] So for those of you who are listening, you can also, if you'd like, watch this podcast on YouTube, on our YouTube channel. So head over there to watch us debate some British culture topics. So what I'm going to do is I'm going to propose a scenario to you and maybe give you some options, about what you could possibly do. Or you can... Isi: [1:06] You can only go wrong. Mitch: [1:08] Yeah, exactly. You can volunteer your own response if you like as well. Isi: [1:12] We'll see. That was last time already really good. Mitch: [1:15] Yeah. Yeah, because the answers are maybe not what you might expect. Isi: [1:19] Okay. Mitch: [1:20] Okay. Isi: [1:21] I'm ready. Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership

Today's episode is all about love; the reality TV show Love is Blind; how the concept works, if it is successful and how it is good for learning English. Isi also has three phrases all about love from the medieval ages and from French nobility. Lastly, Samuel asks us a question about improving their English and we announce our NEW Wednesday afternoon conversation classes. Interactive Transcript Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership Transcript Intro Mitch: [0:23] Hello welcome to Easy English episode 64? It is episode 64, just to clarify. Isi: [0:34] clarify. And I will again, cough around. People only know me with an ill voice. I saw it on our recent video about being on the island Sylt for a month. Mitch: [0:44] Yeah we've been away on a German island? There's an island in Germany? What? We made a video about it, you can watch it on YouTube. Yeah we spent four weeks, off-season on this island. It was very relaxing, but as there is not so much to do, because in the off-season, a lot of places are closed or closing early. To fill the time, we were watching some series and to cosy up in our airbnbs. We'd like to speak about one of them, which we really like. - Yep. - And one that gets a bad reputation, I think, because it fits into the category of reality TV. - And Nola just came in. - That was well synchronised, let's do it again, three two one reality three two one reality TV, Unhelpful Advice Mitch: [1:52] Before we talk about the series Love is Blind, we actually have a voice message from a listener. Isi: [2:01] Okay. Samuel: [2:02] Good morning, Easy. I'm Samuel St Fort. I want to speak English. Mitch: [2:08] Ah, thanks for sending in your message, Samuel. They want to speak English. Isi: [2:13] Yeah, I think they want to speak English. So, yeah. Mitch: [2:17] So if you're also like Samuel listening to this podcast and wanting to improve your English and you've, maybe hit a wall and you're really struggling to take your English to that next level, then why don't you try learning and improving your English with us? There are many ways you can improve your English with us at Easy English. We offer material for our YouTube videos. For example, you can get worksheets for our videos, which takes from the vocabulary used in the episode, and we give you a little quiz that you have to complete. Or, if you listen to the podcast, and this is what you'd like to improve on, your listening skills, then you can get an interactive transcript for each and every podcast we record, which helps to translate the podcast in live-time as you're listening to it on your phone, or on your laptop. You can download a interactive translator tool, which allows you to click on each and every word we are saying and then it translates it in live-time, into your language of choice. Or if you're an advanced speaker, then you can improve your English speaking, pronunciation, your vocabulary by joining our conversation classes. Now these are group conversation classes that we hold on Zoom. We now have two, every week. We have one on Tuesday evenings at 18.15 in British time and on Wednesday lunchtimes at 12:00. So maybe you want to, in your lunch break, quickly jump onto a call and meet other members and meet myself, and Isi and try to improve your English speaking skills. And we have a last minute or maybe even second offer for you if you're listening to this podcast today. Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership

Why do Brits celebrate November 5th? What time should you arrive to a party? Should you go to the pub with your boss? All these questions... and more, will be answered in this episode's British culture quiz. Interactive Transcript Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership Transcript Mitch: [0:22] Okay, so welcome to episode 63 of the Easy English Podcast. Mitch: [0:28] Today, our main topic will be testing not only Isi, but also myself, quite nervously, on a British culture quiz. But, before we go into the quiz, we have a really exciting announcement, that we've been waiting to announce for ages. We will be starting another additional, conversation call. - Pub call. - We have one already, which is on Tuesday evenings, GMT at 18:15. Our new date will be every Wednesday at 12pm GMT. So maybe you're someone who you're quite good at speaking English, or you think you are, but you don't really have a way to practice your conversational English, speaking and listening. And let's say you've got to a certain level and you've hit a wall, this is the place where you should come, to really get to that next level and level-up your English. We will meet every week, twice a week now, and we will just talk about regular topics that you'll be speaking about, when you come to England, when you're working for an English company, or working in England, when you're visiting the UK, because it's all well and good reading a book and understanding the grammar and vocabulary, but when, we British people speak, as Isi can probably testify. - Yeah. - We're using grammatical errors, we're speaking very quickly, we're lazy, we're sloppy. Mitch: [1:56] Sorry Brits. - And so, the Easy English call is the best way to really put yourself on the ground and improve your English and really feel comfortable and confident, when you're going to come to the UK, work in the UK, and be able to interact with native speakers. Isi: [2:13] And even if you don't come to the UK, but just want to get better with your English, if you live in another English-speaking country, move to another English-speaking country, or just really are interested in the English language, or need it for your job, or because you have friends, partners, from English-speaking countries, whatever your reason is, you might want to improve and level-up your English. Mitch: [2:36] So if you are interested in becoming confident and levelling up your English speaking and listening skills, then join our Conversation Membership at easyenglish.video/membership. Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership

After discussing the phrase 'mad as a hatter', Isi and Mitch discuss the British etiquette of interacting with strangers in private, in public and in pubs and restaurants. Interactive Transcript Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership Transcript Intro Mitch: [0:23] Welcome to the Easy English Podcast, episode 62. Isi: [0:28] Hello, good morning. Mitch: [0:29] Good morning. Isi: [0:30] From Germany. Mitch: [0:31] From Germany. I'm living the German dream. Isi: [0:35] Mitch is just eating a pretzel with butter. Just had coffee and a pretzel, very German. We arrived, already over the weekend. It was the first thing in the supermarket that we got. Mitch: [0:46] What is the... this has now become a small topic, but how would you rank German supermarkets? Isi: [0:55] What does that mean? Mitch: [0:56] From top to bottom, which is considered the most premium, to the most scabby. Isi: [1:00] I don't even know all the supermarkets any more. Mitch: [1:04] In England? Isi: [1:05] I would say the best is, well, the best, the most expensive is, is it Marks and Spencers? Mitch: [1:14] Yep, I'd say so, Marks and Spencers. Isi: [1:16] You know that you eat, should our listeners hear you eating? Marks and Spencers and then... Mitch: [1:23] Morrison's. Isi: [1:24] Morrison's. Is that actually, even more premium? Mitch: [1:27] No, Morrison's is a more premium supermarket. M&S, which is actually a clothing store, has like, a small sort of, supermarket section. Isi: [1:38] Yeah, M&S. Then not Morrison's, next one. And Tesco's? Mitch: [1:45] I think Tesco's and Sainsbury's are kind of locked. Isi: [1:49] Sainsbury's and Co-op is also somewhere around them, I'd say. Or is Co-op actually better than Sainsbury's? Mitch: [1:55] Co-op is actually probably better than Sainsbury's and Tesco's. Isi: [1:57] Saino's, as we call it. Mitch: [1:59] Saino's. Isi: [2:00] And then probably ASDA, which is a discounter. Mitch: [2:05] Yeah. Isi: [2:05] And then the German ones. Mitch: [2:07] Then the German ones. Isi: [2:08] Lidl and Aldi. Where Lidl is better in England and Aldi is not... or? Mitch: [2:14] I'd say that Lidl could be above ASDA. ASDA also goes by the other name of ASBOs, which stands for Antisocial Behaviour Order. Isi: [2:23] Oh, God. I think ASDA has a lot more to offer, at least. Mitch: [2:27] It's usually massive, because it's owned by Walmart. Isi: [2:29] Yeah, and they have a lot of, if you like to cook from different cuisines, they have like World's Food Isles and all that. Lidl doesn't have that. Mitch: [2:37] Okay, so we're saying Marks & Spencer's M&S, Morrison's Co-op, Sainsbury's and Tesco's, then Asda, Lidl, Aldi. Okay, shall we move on to our actual program? Isi: [2:53] I would like to, yes, can I start? Mitch: [2:56] Please. Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership

Isi and Mitch discuss the final courses of a pub menu; unhealthy halloumi sticks, slimy onion rings, French/Belgian fries vs English/Dutch chips, jacket potatoes, Mary Rose sauce, sticky toffee pudding and... spotted dick? Before all of this, let Mitch and Isi treat you to an uplifting, school assembly song... Interactive Transcript Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership Transcript Intro Isi: [0:22] Hello. Mitch: [0:23] Hiya, welcome to the Easy English Podcast episode 61. Isi: [0:28] Wow. Do we always want to say welcome? Mitch: [0:31] Well, until we reach 100, I always consider that people are still stumbling onto us. Isi: [0:37] God, and everyone now, 39 more episodes. I would like to know if there's a Monday morning song that you can sing for us? It's Monday morning, we have a coffee, our second actually, and I want you to sing a typical song, that you would sing to kids going to school like, yay! Monday morning! Mitch: [0:54] hat's exact... I wasn't thinking exactly that, but I was thinking... the first thing I thought was this one song; morning has broken... very sad. And then I thought what's actually more uplifting and upbeat? And I thought what are the songs we sang at school assembly? Did you have an assembly before school started Isi: [1:16] No, not every day, with special occasions, yes. I think I only did it in primary school, those assemblies. But do you sing a song, then? I don't think so, no. And your song was quite depressive I have to say. Mitch: [1:27] Yeah yeah, but we we didn't sing that song at school assembly, that's why I thought, what did we sing at school assembly? Because it was always a way to get the kids up and running, early in the morning, because I mean early in the morning, we started at nine. (That's holidays.) And so, the only songs can really remember us singing, are... before I get into the one I was thinking of, we had this bizarre one called '20th century highway man', which was an eco-song we'd sing. And it was like about a guy, who's like, working for a big business destroying the Amazon. (Okay.) And it's like; 20th century highway man... he's the 20th century something something man. And then the chorus goes; stand and deliver, he's heading for the Amazon River. He'll steal from the forest, he'll steal from the trees, He gets what he wants and he wants what he see. (Why?) I don't know Okay, but forget that It just came in my head. Isi: [2:25] That's what you sang. In the assembly room? Mitch: [2:27] Yeah, yeah. (What?!) 20th century highwayman. It's like a Bob Dylan song. Isi: [2:33] Wait... is that to educate children about colonialism? Mitch: [2:37] I think it's more about eco... Isi: [2:39] Not that Britain was in the Amazon. Mitch: [2:42] No, the empire never quite reached that part of the world. Isi: [2:46] Would have been better to have a song about... Mitch: [2:50] About what? Bringing slaves over? Isi: [2:52] No. Well, if you want to do the make... The next generation feel the guilt thing, which is good, I think. at least do it properly, with a region that you did colonise. Colonise? Mitch: [3:09] Colonise, yeah? Isi: [3:10] Colonise. But now... well, anyway. Mitch: [3:13] Anyway, you want to wake up the kids. So the song we actually sung, which I remember, and you probably also did it, because I think... it's almost a hymn, but it's not religious or anything. And it was; If I had a hammer, I'd hammer in the morning, I'd hammer in the evening, all over this land. I'd hammer out danger, I'd hammer out a warning, I'd hammer out love between my brothers and my sisters, all over this land... la la la la, la la la la, la la la la, second verse, la la la, If I had a bell, I'd ring it in the morning, (Ding ding ding ding.) I'd ring it in the evening, (Ding ding ding ding.) all over this land, I'd ring out a danger, I'd ring out a warning, I'd ring out love between my brothers and my sisters, all... and I'm just... I'm doing like a globe, I'm doing jazz-hands while sort of doing a. .. (Yeah, Mitch is dancing.) I'm doing a jazz-hands while sort of like drawing the outline of the world, with my hands. I'd hammer out love between my brothers and my sisters, all over this land. Isi: [4:22] Okay, third one, come on. Mitch: [4:24] I don't know what that instrument is. Isi: [4:26] If I had a song. Mitch: [4:27] Oh, yeah? Isi: [4:28] I'd sing it in the morning, I'd sing it in the evening, all over this land, I don't know... how's that melody? I'd sing out danger. Mitch: [4:37] Danger, yeah. I'd sing it out of warning. Isi: [4:41] I'd sing out of... What? I'd song off out of warning. Mitch: [4:44] I'd song off out of warning. That's a tongue twister. Isi: [4:48] I'd sing out love between... Mitch: [4:50] Birds and my sisters, all... jazz-hands over this land. Isi: [4:54] Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, Ah, well that is a morning song. Mitch: [5:07] Don't you feel awake now? Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership

This week, Mitch announces the 7-day free trial of Easy English's new earner Membership, before giving you his monthly recap; he discusses the phrase 'sports washing' as Saudi Arabia get the rights to host FIFA World Cup 2034, analyses Mark Zuckerberg new 'Meta' look, reviews the Netflix produced movie 'I Came By' and re-imagines beloved zoologist Sir David Attenborough as a killer in the new sub-genre of middle class man horror. Interactive Transcript Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership Show Notes Try 7 days of our membership... free!: Easy English Learner Membership (https://www.easyenglish.video/membership) Transcript Intro Mitch: [0:24] Hi everybody, welcome to a new episode of the Easy English Podcast. For those of you who are listening, you can actually find this video on YouTube. And for those of you on YouTube, hello! This week I wanted to bring you a new episode of Mitch's Monthly Recap. And I'm going to go over through some of the things that have happened in January and maybe a bit of December. Because we've all gone a bit doolally with "where the hell am I at the moment?" So right now, I'm recording this from the French countryside, which seems like a good idea. It might start raining at some point. This seemed like a good idea to bring all of my stuff into the middle of nowhere behind this like, rustic barn. Mitch: [1:11] Before we get on to our monthly recap for the rest of the world events that interest me, We have just announced our new Learner Membership, which allows you to get a seven-day free trial of some of our membership perks. If you go to easyenglish.video/membership then you'll be able to get worksheets, vocabulary lists and transcripts for all of our YouTube episodes, for seven days on a free trial. You'll also get access into our Discord server, so you can introduce yourself and get to meet other members and myself and Isi. If you enjoy your perks after the seven free days, maybe you're thinking of upgrading to a Video Membership, Podcast Membership, or the Conversation Membership to improve your speaking and listening skills. Maybe this is part of your new year's resolution, to improve your English. If so , then choose us and we'll help you along your way Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership

Mitch and Isi talk about their favourite pub food, how pubs "fancify" their ingredients, and how everything is basically fish & chips. Interactive Transcript Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership Transcript Intro Isi: [0:23] Hello! Mitch: [0:24] Hiya! Isi: [0:24] How are you this morning? Let's start with that. Mitch: [0:27] Me or the listeners? Isi: [0:29] Well, I don't think they will answer now. Mitch: [0:32] I thought you were being like an agony aunt. Do you have agony aunts in Germany? Where you can write in your problems and then someone reads them out. Hello, how are you all? Today we have a letter from Marjorie. She says that the pigeons are banging on her window. Isi: [0:46] I would love a podcast like that. I could actually do that. I would happily write with people. (It could be a topic.) Yeah, I mean, Unhelpful Advice is basically that. Mitch: [0:57] It is actually, yeah. That's a good reminder. We have a topic called Unhelpful Advice and we haven't advertised it a lot recently. If you have a question for us about learning English, or just a random question you'd like us to answer, I'm still wanting to name someone's pet. Isi: [1:12] People love to do that on their own, you know. Mitch: [1:14] Yeah, but I'm good at it. Isi: [1:16] Okay. Mitch: [1:18] You'd like to help people with moral problems, maybe. but we'd also (Relationship advice.) relationship advice. we can tell you (Friendship advice.) friendship advice. We could tell you what house... what house? What colour to paint your bedroom. (Interior stuff.) interior design we like a bit of that. Isi: [1:35] If you have like, two/three big invitations for the weekend, we tell you where to go. Mitch: [1:39] Oh that's that's a good one. Isi: [1:41] We tell you what... what you can cook tonight. Mitch: [1:42] We can tell you... (your new favourite meal.) Yeah and that's a good segue, because today, our topic is speaking about pub grub. Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership

Happy New Year from Easy English! As a way to celebrate, Mitch quizzes Isi (...with the help of Buzzfeed) to find her New Year's resolution, play along with the link in the show notes. Later, Raz has a question about improving his speaking skills in our section of Unhelpful Advice. Interactive Transcript Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership Open the Interactive Transcript (https://play.easyenglish.fm/episodes/xe42cm9h2qde9k37xafn1) Download transcript as HTML (https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/xe42cm9h2qde9k37xafn1/easyenglishpodcast58_transcript.html?rlkey=8tpcc7jut273vp5k73kbczfvh&dl=0) Download transcript as PDF (https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/kjwecwna26xb9rssz4x7x/easyenglishpodcast58_transcript.pdf?rlkey=q26hg29ede2xqorsjuvhvucwr&dl=0) Subscribe using your private RSS feed to listen to our bonus content and find the interactive transcript right in your podcast app. Show Notes Get your New Year's Resolution: If You Don't Have A New Year's Resolution Yet, Take This Quiz To Get A Suuuuuuuper Specific One (https://youtu.be/oJcI5FzrEE0) Transcript Intro Isi: [0:23] Hello. I'm back. Mitch: [0:28] Full of energy. Isi: [0:29] I'm back. It's a new year. I'm back. Mitch: [0:32] Happy New Year! Isi: [0:33] Happy New Year! I'm back. Mitch: [0:37] You say that like you're surprised. Isi: [0:39] I'm back. Yeah, I haven't been in the podcast for. .. (Two episodes. ) I mean, I did the Aftershow. Did anyone hear it? Dear members, did you hear the Aftershow? I did the full Aftershow. I hope people listened to that. And did, also, that I did also do the Christmas icebreakers, in my isolated COVID room. Yeah, I had COVID, it took a long time it's still not completely gone. (But now?) Do you still hear my nose? And my... what do you mean now a new year? COVID doesn't care about years change. Mitch: [1:16] Yeah, exactly. Everyone's like, new year, new me. Isi: [1:19] New me... well, new me, at least, feels a bit better. Mitch: [1:22] A bit more nasally. Isi: [1:23] A bit more nasally. I think we're now coming. Yeah, it's now four weeks. Ah. Mitch: [1:30] Okay. Isi: [1:30] That was longer than expected, but, I'm on the mend. Mitch: [1:34] On the mend. Isi: [1:35] That's a good... Mitch: [1:36] I'm on the mend. Yeah, you mend the car. You mend your broken rollerblades that you broke, directly after you got it as a Christmas present from your grandmother. Isi: [1:43] And my broken body. Mitch: [1:45] And you've mended your broken body. Isi: [1:48] Yeah. Mitch: [1:48] To cheer you up, and to make you feel a bit better and to welcome you into the new year we have a new year's, themed, episode. And plus, we have some messages from fellow listeners, they could be pranks, they could be butt-calls, but we will play them. Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership

Mitch revives his version of the 12 Days of Christmas, before answering 25 icebreaker questions, all around Christmas! Find out his favourite Christmas film, candy, memory, present, beverage, flavour and more... Interactive Transcript Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership Show Notes Answer the icebreaker questions yourself: The 25 Best Christmas Icebreaker Questions (https://slideswith.com/blog/christmas-icebreaker-questions) Transcript Mitch: [0:00] Before we start this week's episode of Easy English, I just wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas and rehash an old song I wrote. On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me: Bluetooth earphones, Ikea voucher, an ill-fitted t-shirt, tenner in a card, second-hand bike, multi-pack of condoms, stationery set, Sports Direct socks, Bottle of Baileys, six pack of Carling, two spa days And a Blu-Ray of Die Hard II. Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership

This week, Mitch talks about loosing a tooth & more car troubles. In Topic of the Week, Mitch talks about the UK's fear of bad weather and Trump's competitive handshake with Macron... with added Trump impression. In Mitch's Movie Club he reviews the ridiculous new Michael Bay movie and generic soundtrack and gives his take on the new Alien movie. Interactive Transcript Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership Show Notes Become a Conversation Member: Improve YOUR Enlgish with our membership (https://www.patreon.com/easyenglishvideos) Transcript Intro Mitch: [0:23] Hello everybody, welcome to the Easy English Podcast. Today we're flying solo, again. Isi is ill. Yeah, she doesn't feel so good, but the worst thing is her voice. It sounds like she's suddenly decided to start smoking 50 cigarettes a day. So I'm gonna fly solo. Yeah, we've both actually been in the wars, a little bit. Which isn't literal, don't worry. But it just means you've been sort of, fighting disease, I guess that's what it means, you versus germs. I haven't had a disease or anything, I actually had my tooth pulled out. When was that? Almost a week ago, I actually was supposed to have my tooth pulled on Monday, last Monday, we were driving to the dentist, and then, the car broke down, in the middle of the road, on the... in the third lane. Like, not just in the middle of the road, but in the middle of the lane, in the middle of the road. We were just sort of, stranded in the middle, calling our insurance to come pick us up, because we didn't really know what to do. As we were calling our insurance, the police turned up, at the side of the road and were like; "hey, you can't be here". Mitch: [1:49] And I said; "yeah, no sh*t. Help us!" And so they pushed us to the side of the road and I missed my appointment. I luckily, had an appointment on Tuesday and my tooth was pulled. Oh, is there anything worse than five people staring into your mouth. Someone reaching into your mouth and you have no idea what they're doing, you can only sort of, hear horrific noises. My appointment was late in the day, so... and they were kind of, I think, getting in the mood for going... going out. I don't know, maybe not, do dentists always play music? I don't know. Anyway, if you thought it couldn't be more horrific than having people reaching inside your mouth with tools you would use on your car, which is kind of ironic, just to make matters even worse, whilst he was pulling my tooth out, he was listening to Robbie Williams and whistling to it, at the same time. Mitch: [2:58] It was the song Angels. "And through it all, she offers me protection..." and at the same time, he was... I don't know, there was all kinds of noises happening inside my mouth and I had my eyes closed, because I just didn't want to see what instruments were going in, but I could just hear. And sometimes that's worse, because you're thinking what what kind of tool makes that noise!? And every so often you'd hear this like, crack... I'd hear this cracking noise, whilst whistling to angels, he'd say; "don't be concerned". "Don't be concerned". Mitch: [3:41] "Don't be concerned". But you know, we keep calm, we carry on, that's the motto of this story. I'm very British. Let's talk about things that have happened over the past month as a Topic of the Week. Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership