Happy English Podcast

Let’s go to the beach? Yeah, sounds like a plan. Do you ever notice that when someone makes a suggestion in English, native speakers often answer with very short phrases?  Things like:
 “Sounds good.”
 “That works.”
 “No problem.”
 “Sounds like a plan.”

These responses are everywhere in spoken English — at work, with friends, on the phone, and in text messages.

Today, let’s look at these very common response phrases native speakers use to respond to ideas, plans, and requests — and how each one sounds just a little different.

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:
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📘 Build your vocabulary with my free Vocabulary Workshop:
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🌐 Learn more about my English lessons and courses:
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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 look at a pair of words that sound very similar, but mean very different things:  wonder and wander.

First, wonder. The vowel sound here is a short, relaxed uh sound - also known as the schwa. 
The one in wonder is like the number one. One wonder. It’s a short vowel sound. One wonder 
 “I wonder what time it is.”  “I wonder if she’s coming.”  One wonder - same short sound.

Next is wander, wander. The vowel sound here is longer AH sound, like want. I want to Wander. 
Your mouth opens more and the sound lasts longer - I want to Wander. 
 “We like to wander around the city.”  “He wandered into the wrong room.” I want to Wander. 

So listen to the difference:  wonder -  wander /  wonder -  wander /  wonder -  wander 
The vowel sounds are different lengths: wonder, short. Wander, long. Remember, pronunciation is half listening and half doing, so practice every day!

Hey, thanks for listening! And remember to follow and subscribe so you won’t miss the next Happy English Podcast and next Sunday’s Speak Naturally in a Minute.  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 week with a short, simple tip to help you speak English more naturally and confidently. 

Today, let’s look at a really useful conversational phrase - “that reminds me.” We use that reminds me when something in the conversation makes us remember something else. It’s a natural way to change the topic or add new information without sounding abrupt.
Like, if your friend says, “I finally finished that book I was reading.” you can say,  “Oh! That reminds me, I still have a book I need to return to the library.”
Or, your roommate says,  “I’m thinking of making pasta for dinner tonight” you can say,  “Oh, that reminds me, we’re out of olive oil.”

“That reminds me” is like saying, “Your comment just made me think of something related.” It’s a very natural way to shift topics in English. Try using it in your English conversations this week.

Lemme know in the comments how it goes, 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

Is it find or find out? A lot of English learners have this question.

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.

So yeah, find or find out? Find means to locate a thing.
I just moved here last year and I'm still trying to find a good pizza shop.
I found my wallet. It fell behind my desk.

Find out means discover information. 
I found out that my grandfather was a pastry chef.
Janna found out her boss is gonna quit the company.

So remember, you find a thing, but you find out information.

How about you? What are you trying to find? What have you found out recently? 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

Do you ever feel a little uncomfortable giving advice in English? Maybe you want to help someone - but you don’t want to sound pushy, bossy, or rude. So you’re not sure what to say. The good news is, native speakers rarely give advice in a very direct way. Instead of saying things like, “You should do this,” we usually soften our advice and make it sound more friendly and conversational. 

So today, let’s look at some very common, very natural ways native speakers give advice in everyday English.

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