Hear You Go

Doppelgängers and Danger | English Listening Practice

I've been mulling over, pondering over, thinking about three different topics and how I could possibly bring them together in one English listening podcast episode.
This is my attempt to do so.
Today, you'll hear about the concept of a doppelgänger, a look-alike of sorts, followed by a short exploration of extreme sports and the motivations that drive athletes to do these dangerous sports. To conclude, we'll learn about one of these athletes, the ocean marathon swimmer, Diana Nyad.
How are all three of these connected? Well, you'll just have to listen to find out!
What does all this have to do with learning English? 
Discipline! Courage! We could all use more of it.
Keep in mind that there's also a connection to E32 of Hear You Go: A conversation with Fernanda.
Thanks for listening!
Catherine
P.S. Thanks, as always, to Amos the Transparent, for the theme music to Hear You Go.
P.P.S Follow me on Instagram and get my newsletter to keep in touch with me.
 

”If I can do it, they can do it", with Fernanda English Teacher | Intermediate English Conversations

Are you ready to be inspired in your English learning? 
My guest on today's intermediate English conversation is a clleague I greatly admire. Fernanda, a non-native English language teacher based in Brazil, joins me in a conversation where we learn about what drew her to English, and then what propelled her on the path to helping people attain advanced C2 proficiency. It's an amazing story, and you'll hear us talk about the role of discipline, the importance of consistency, and when to ask for help or to take a break. 
 
And just as my previous guest Bistra asks learners to notice and ask "why", so does Fernanda. Curiosity and motivation are part and parcel of this English practice that can lead to greater English proficiency. 
 
Remember that conversations on Hear You Go are longer than regular episodes, so relax, settle in, and take your time listening. 
There is a lot to digest here:
good ideas and suggestions for learning English
lots of advanced English vocabulary
a wealth of English idioms, collocations, and phrasal verbs
pronunciation to notice, and of course, lots of messy, imperfect, ungrammatical and totally normal fast, spoken English
To learn more about what Fernanda does:
Find her here on Instagram.
Her webpage: Fernanda English Teacher.
I'm currently her student!!!
It's true. I'm studying advanced English grammar in a way I've never done before, which is actually not that unusual for someone who's first language is English. We didn't learn grammar like this in school! I wholeheartedly recommend this advanced English course to you. It's been transformative for me, truly.
 
You can find me on Instagram. 
You can also find out all about me and my courses at English with Catherine.
And once again, I'm ever grateful to Amos the Transparent for the theme music. 
Happy Listening! Catherine 
 

Why Do People Like Scary Movies? | English Listening Practice

We're gonna need a bigger boat. - Jaws.
Here's Johnny! - The Shining.
Be afraid. Be very afraid. - The Fly.
 
Do you like watching horror movies? 
 
I don't really like them, but I know that millions of people do, so I thought Halloween would be a good opportunity to look at the genre as you practice your English listening.
 
In today's episode, you'll learn about:
the English vocabulary we use when talking about horror movies (and the way they make us feel!)
the reasons why people like them and the reported benefits of watching these types of movies & TV shows, or reading horror books
the most popular and enduring horror movies of all time - be afraid! 
Horror is a genre we see in movies, TV shows, video games, and books, and Halloween is often the occasion when fans rewatch their favourite scary movie, or perhaps dress up as their favourite character.
Are you a fan? Do you have a favourite scary movie?
I hope you enjoy the episode and that you learn a new thing or two.
For your listening practice, I challenge you to listen for the most common sound in English, the schwa /ə/. Make a list of words you hear that have this reduced sound. It's not easy, but I'm sure you can notice a couple, and maybe even a few.
 
If you'd like to dig deeper into the sounds of spoken English, work with me! Find out how here. 
Thanks for listening,
Catherine 
 
P.S. The Harvard Business Review article: The Psychology Behind Why We Love (or Hate) Horror.
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I'm always over on Instagram, and you can also learn more about me and my work at English With Catherine.
As always, special thanks to Amos the Transparent for the theme music. 
 

When Giving Thanks is Complicated | English Listening Practice

Autumn in North America is a time when Canada and the USA celebrate Thanksgiving. It's complicated. 
 
On the one hand, it's important to celebrate the harvest, but on the other hand, there's a dark and cruel history to confront. 
 
In today's English Listening episode, you'll hear about:
the history of Thanksgiving and how it's a little different between Canada and the US
why it's necessary to revisit this history in light of the lived experiences of the First Nations, and 
the benefits of gratitude and giving thanks
There are only a handful of countries in the world that officially celebrate a "Thanksgiving". I wonder why others don't.
 
Join me to learn a little more about this fall celebration and why it requires some reflection. 
Practice your English writing by make some notes on this episode.
Practice your English reading by getting the transcript in my weekly newsletter. 
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Thanks for listening! 
To learn more about the history of Canada's indigenous people, please explore the free online course offered by the University of Alberta. Click on this link to learn more.
 
I'm always over on Instagram, and you can also learn more about me and my work at English With Catherine.
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As always, special thanks to Amos the Transparent for the theme music. 
 
 

Coffee: Drink Up Before It Disappears | English Listening Practice

Jackie Chan once said that "coffee is a language in itself". Hmm...
Do you speak coffee?
Well, if coffee is a language, what English words would you use to describe coffee?
For me, it's easy: hot, black and strong. No milk. No sugar. Unless it's a cappuccino, and then I want whole milk frothed to perfection, with a dash of cinnamon.
 
Ah coffee, I DO love you. 
 
Every October 1st is International Coffee Day, and so in homage to this little bean that makes so many of us happy, let me offer this episode to you.
I know it helps you to speak English better because every advanced English teacher I follow on Instagram drinks lots of coffee :) 
In today's English listening episode, you'll hear about:
the benefits of drinking coffee
the threat that the climate crisis poses for coffee and coffee growers, and
some recommendations to help make sure that all of us who love a cup of coffee can continue to enjoy it for many more years
Since coffee helps us learn English, lol, we really should make sure we safeguard this special bean.
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Thanks for listening! There are links below to resources I mentioned in the episode.
I'm always over on Instagram, and you can also learn more about me and my work at English With Catherine.
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Links referenced in the episode:
Podcast Without: Coffee https://open.spotify.com/episode/5j8vO4JgSn7W8JFmuvsrp9?si=TrLpWy9YSL2H5nM6gFlT7g
Video about a new coffee plant: https://youtu.be/rOeLz9pXoXI
Ethical Coffee Company: https://www.ethicalbean.com/
As always, special thanks to Amos the Transparent for the theme music. 
 

The How & Why of Noticing Language with English with Bistra | Intermediate English Conversations

What do you notice when you listen to an English podcast or when you read a book in English?
Do you actively notice language, and what do you do once you notice something?
 
In this episode, I talk with my friend and colleague, Bistra of English with Bistra, about the importance of noticing if we want to become an advanced English speaker and writer.
We'll define some terms, then explain how people notice or can notice, and finally, what to do next so that you remember what it is that's caught your attention.
 
Plus, you'll hear Bistra quiz me a couple of times, and learn about why The Beatles were so important in Bistra's language development in English. Music is a great way to practice your English listening skills. 
 
This episode will help both English language students and English language teachers learn how to notice better, and grow your English.
 
Be curious! You'll hear Bistra share this quote: "If you don’t want to learn, no one can make you, but if you want to learn, no one can stop you.”
Don't let anything stop you!
 
You can find Bistra on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/english_with_bistra/
You can also learn about her courses on her webpage:
https://www.englishwithbistra.net/
To register for her webinar on noticing, on September 26th, click on the link.
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Never miss my news! Sign up for my newsletter here.
Follow me on Instagram.
And as always, special thanks to Amos the Transparent for the theme music.
 

Taking some time to really listen | English Listening Practice

Hello lovely listeners!
In a world where everything seems to happen quickly, we often measure our progress by how many "things" we do. We're busy, busy, busy.
 
What if we slowed down and measured our progress by how deeply we understood what we read and listened to instead?
 
In Episode 27 of Hear You Go, I'd like to encourage you to take some time listening to English podcasts, Hear You Go specifically and all the other ones that you love. I'll share a 5-step process that will ask you to slow down, listen a few times, and listen for more than just the main ideas or new vocabulary.
 
Think of the podcast like a puzzle that you build or solve, piece by piece. And at the end, you have a beautiful, full picture, and a better understanding of how the pieces fit together. 
 
I'd like you to feel better about your listening in English. I'd like you to feel more confident listening to the sounds of spoken English. Spoken language is very different from the words on the page.
 
Like any new skill, this will take some time...
 
Today, I'll walk you through the 5 main steps I recommend you use when listening to English podcasts, and if you'd like to dig deeper and explore these 5 steps with me, you can join me for The Podcast Puzzle workshop on Saturday, September 16th at 9 a.m. EST (Toronto/New York time).
 
Click here to register: The Podcast Puzzle.
 
Thank you for listening! 
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You can follow me on Instagram and see my webpage to receive my newsletter.
Thanks to Amos the Transparent for our theme music.
 
 
 

Why We Swim | Book Talk

Why do we swim?
I swim to exercise and to practice my French, lol! 
Do you practice your English speaking when you do a sport or activity?
I know why I swim, but I wanted to learn more about why so many people swim, and I did what I often do: I read a book titled "Why We Swim", by Bonnie Tsui.
I learned a lot from this book, and in today's episode, anchored in the middle of August with summer coming to a close far too soon, we'll explore a few of the reasons people swim: well-being, flow, and awe. 
You don't have to be a swimmer to connect with this English listening summer episode.
Perhaps you can reflect on what gives you well-being, puts you in a flow, and leaves you in awe. It might be swimming or something else.
Dive in and explore the topic
Listen for idioms in English connected to water and swimming
Listen carefully for messy English: for how consonants connect to vowels, which is an important feature of connected speech
Have fun and enjoy
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Hear You Go podcast returns to its regular schedule of every two weeks on September 5th, and I have lots of new stuff for you, including more intermediate English conversations.
Are you interested in learning about a 5-step strategy for listening to podcasts? 
Do you want more listening resources and a chance to meet once a month to talk about the podcast?
If you said YES to either of these questions, sign up for my newsletter and get all the news about a listening workshop on September 16th, and a new community for Hear You Go listeners that will include monthly meetings and so much more!
Thanks for listening, and stay tuned for a new episode coming to you on September 5th. 
Happy listening, Catherine xoxo 
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Special thanks, as always, to Amos the Transparent for permission to use their song, Change My Mind, as my theme music. 
 

Games - They Help You Learn | English Listening Practice

"It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye" is something adults often say to children as a warning to be careful, but in my family, we prefer to say: "It's just all fun and games... but I want to win!"
 
Do you play games? Do you enjoy playing games?
Would you believe that playing games can help us learn English, and become better people? 
Human beings have been playing games for thousands of years. In today's episode (the first of two that will be released this summer), we'll look at the history of games, then the benefits of playing games, and finally, I'll share some of the games I've been playing (and losing!) recently. But, it's just all fun and games, and that's where the joy lies in summertime.
 
Games are a universal, shared, human pastime. 
 
If you enjoy Hear You Go, subscribe and share it with your friends. Leave a review so more listeners can find the podcast. 
 
As always, thank you for listening, and stay tuned for another summer episode in mid-August. 
Sign-up for my newsletter here to get all my news about this community and my new courses too.
Follow me on Instagram for more news and language tips.
 
Thank you to Amos the Transparent for being such cool guys and allowing me to use their song in my podcast. 
 

The lessons I’ve learned this year | English Listening Practice

I'd no idea when I released Episode 1 of Hear You Go that I'd release another 23 episodes!
Thank you to each one of you who has practiced your English listening with me. 
I'm going to be taking some time off this summer and will release two summer English listening episodes instead of four, so as we come to the end of Season One (OMG!), I thought I'd share some of the lessons I've learned. 
 
You’ll hear about:
taking action and being consistent
the feedback I got
my love-hate relationship with Instagram, and
some surprising developments that I didn’t anticipate or predict would happen.
Perhaps you'll be able to relate to some of these lessons to your own English learning practices and takeaways. I hope so.
 
I'll wrap up the episode by telling you about my plans for season two. More intermediate English conversations and listening practice episodes to come! 
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You can find all episodes on my website.
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Follow me on Instagram for more pronunciation and listening tips.
For some great music, follow and listen to Amos the Transparent, the genius band that provides my theme music.
Thank you for your continued support of Hear You Go! Can you do me a favour? Please subscribe to the podcast and leave a review. It really helps to promote the podcast so that more people can listen. You can do this on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, and Apple Podcasts.
Thanks for listening!