Happy English Podcast

Have you ever been asked a question in English and suddenly your mind just goes blank? Has that ever happened to you? Maybe someone says, “What do you think about remote work?” Or, “Where do you see yourself in five years?” And inside your head you’re thinking, “Wait… give me a second…” Well, native speakers don’t always answer immediately either. In fact, we use small phrases to buy time while we think. 

We use phrases like, “Let me think…” “That’s a good question…” “I’ve never really thought about that…” Or small words like, “Well…” and “Actually…” These little phrases help you sound fluent - even when you’re still organizing your thoughts. And that’s what today’s podcast English lesson is all about.

Happy English Podcast – Speak English Naturally I’m Michael from Happy English, and I help people speak English more naturally, confidently, and clearly.

🎥 Watch video versions of the Happy English Podcast on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@HappyEnglishNY/podcasts

📘 Build your vocabulary with my free Vocabulary Workshop:
https://learn.myhappyenglish.com/vocabulary-workshop-signup

🌐 Learn more about my English lessons and courses:
https://www.myhappyenglish.com

Episode 1000 of the Happy English Podcast drops on February 28, and I’d really love to include you in it. If you’ve been listening for a while and this podcast has helped you in any way, please send me a short message — about 20 to 40 seconds. Just tell me your first name, where you’re listening from, how long you’ve been listening, and how the podcast has helped you.

You can record it on your phone in a quiet room and email the audio file to me at [email protected]. If you’d rather write a message instead, that’s totally fine too. Some of your messages will be featured in Episode 1000. Please send them by February 27. I can’t wait to hear from you.

People often say that Americans speak very directly. Have you ever heard that? Have you ever thought that? Well in some cases it’s true, but quite often in every English conversation, we tend to soften our language in order to sound less direct. And that’s what today’s podcast English lesson is all about.

Have you ever noticed that native English speakers don’t always speak in extremes? We often use phrases to soften our language like,  “I’m kind of tired.” “It’s a bit cold outside.” Or when someone asks, “Are you hungry?” we don’t always say, “No.” We say, “Not really.” Native speakers soften things all the time.  So today, we’re going to look at five very common softening phrases: kind of, sort of, a bit, a little, and not really. These small phrases can completely change your tone and make your English sound more natural, more polite, and more conversational.

Happy English Podcast – Speak English Naturally I’m Michael from Happy English, and I help people speak English more naturally, confidently, and clearly.

🎥 Watch video versions of the Happy English Podcast on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@HappyEnglishNY/podcasts

📘 Build your vocabulary with my free Vocabulary Workshop:
https://learn.myhappyenglish.com/vocabulary-workshop-signup

🌐 Learn more about my English lessons and courses:
https://www.myhappyenglish.com

Hey there! It’s Michael here — and welcome back to Speak Naturally in a Minute from Happy English. I’m here every Sunday with a quick one-point lesson to help you improve your pronunciation, rhythm, and intonation.

Today, let’s talk about something that confuses a lot of learners. Why do “your” like, your pen and “you’re” like you are nice sound exactly the same in American English? The reason is, in natural speech, both words usually reduce to “yer.”

So instead of saying:  “your phone”   Americans say:  “yer phone.” And instead of:   “you’re late”       We say:  “yer late.”

Listen to these examples:
“Is that your car?” → “Is that yer car?”
 “You’re early today.” → “Yer early today.”
 “Your idea is great.” → “Yer idea is great.”

This is part of American rhythm — small words often get weaker, and the important words get the stress.

Try using this pronunciation in your English conversations this week. Let me know in the comments how that goes. And remember to follow and subscribe so you won’t miss the next Happy English Podcast and next week’s Speak Naturally in a Minute.

Hey, thanks for listening!  Until next time, keep learning and keep it cool.

Happy English Podcast – Speak English Naturally I’m Michael from Happy English, and I help people speak English more naturally, confidently, and clearly.

🎥 Watch video versions of the Happy English Podcast on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@HappyEnglishNY/podcasts

📘 Build your vocabulary with my free Vocabulary Workshop:
https://learn.myhappyenglish.com/vocabulary-workshop-signup

🌐 Learn more about my English lessons and courses:
https://www.myhappyenglish.com

Hey there! It’s Michael here — and welcome back to English Tips in a Minute from Happy English. I’m here every Saturday with a short, simple tip to help you speak English more naturally and confidently.

Before we get to today’s English point, I need your help.  Episode 1000 of the Happy English Podcast drops on February 28, and I’d really love to include you in it.

If you’ve been listening for a while and this podcast has helped you in any way, please send me a short message — about 20 to 40 seconds. Just tell me your first name, where you’re listening from, how long you’ve been listening, and how the podcast has helped you.

You can record it on your phone in a quiet room and email the audio file to me at [email protected] . If you’d rather write a message instead, that’s totally fine too.
Some of your messages will be featured in Episode 1000. Please send them by February 27. I can’t wait to hear from you.

Today, let’s look at another really natural conversational phrase — “that figures.” We use that figures when something happens that we expected, especially when it’s typical or slightly annoying. It often has a little bit of sarcasm in it.
Like if the train is late. You might say:  “The train’s late again? That figures.”
Or maybe your friend always forgets things.  “Jack forgot his wallet? That figures.”

So that figures basically means, “Yep… I’m not surprised.” Usually in a slightly frustrated or sarcastic way. Just remember, your tone matters. If you say it lightly, it sounds funny. If you say it strongly, it can sound more annoyed. So next time something predictable happens, try saying “that figures.” It’s short, natural, and very conversational.

Lemme know in the comments if you’ve ever said “that figures,” and remember to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss the next Happy English Podcast and next week’s English Tips in a Minute. Hey, thanks for listening — and until next time, keep learning and keep it cool.

Happy English Podcast – Speak English Naturally I’m Michael from Happy English, and I help people speak English more naturally, confidently, and clearly.

🎥 Watch video versions of the Happy English Podcast on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@HappyEnglishNY/podcasts

📘 Build your vocabulary with my free Vocabulary Workshop:
https://learn.myhappyenglish.com/vocabulary-workshop-signup

🌐 Learn more about my English lessons and courses:
https://www.myhappyenglish.com

Hey there! It’s Michael here, and welcome back to Phrasal Verbs in a Minute from Happy English. I’m here every Friday with a quick one-point lesson to help you learn a new phrasal verb and sound more natural when you speak.

Today’s phrasal verb is turn in. Turn in means to go to bed to sleep.
During the week, I usually turn in at around 10:30.
Jen is a night owl, so she doesn't usually turn in until 1 or 2a,
I was exhausted last night so I turned in at nine!

So how about you? What time do you usually turn in? What time did you turn in last night?

Let me know in the comments, and remember to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss the next Happy English Podcast and next week’s Phrasal Verbs in a Minute. Hey, thanks for listening - and until next time, keep learning and keep it cool.

Happy English Podcast – Speak English Naturally I’m Michael from Happy English, and I help people speak English more naturally, confidently, and clearly.

🎥 Watch video versions of the Happy English Podcast on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@HappyEnglishNY/podcasts

📘 Build your vocabulary with my free Vocabulary Workshop:
https://learn.myhappyenglish.com/vocabulary-workshop-signup

🌐 Learn more about my English lessons and courses:
https://www.myhappyenglish.com