Hola!Soy Valen, soy colombiana y hablante nativa de español. Con este podcast quiero acompañarte a mejorar tu español! Mi propósito es ayudarte, ya sea que estes en nivel básico, intermedio o avanzado

Valen en Español

I interview my friend Sofie and she shares some tips for learning strategies and improving your accent. I'll post the second half of our conversation next week.

In the second half of the episode, I explain the following phrases:

- to level with (someone)
- to chalk (something) up to (something) 
- to brush up on (something) 
- can't (do something) for the life of me

Brentoni's English Podcast

011 - English Advice from a Pro (Part One)

Following this year’s Super Bowl hosted by the city of New Orleans, my mom and I talk about our memories of traveling there, touching on a number of aspects of the city’s identity, especially food and music. We also discuss how the city has recovered from multiple natural disasters over the past few decades.

If you want to learn more about a historic (and delicious) American city and find out which dishes it’s most famous for, be sure to listen!

Full episode transcript⁠ here: https://american-idiom.com/f/what-to-eat-in-new-orleans

***For English learners! – Detailed vocabulary lesson begins at 18:27***
---
Episode Outline:
1:20 – Introducing This Week's Topic
2:02 – New Orleans in a Nutshell
5:21 – Creole Food vs. Cajun Food
7:44 – The French Quarter
11:17 – Hurricanes
15:30 – The Resilience of New Orleans
---
Vocabulary and examples (Starts at 18:27)
18:38 – to stand out
19:50 – champing at the bit
21:40 – to bring (something) to its knees

010 Exploring New Orleans

In this episode, I continue my conversation with Bryce about playing guitar.

Bryce shares a story about the moment when he felt most like a rockstar.

If you've ever been curious about what it takes to play guitar and you want to learn some relevant vocabulary, this episode may be for you!

This is just Part Two of our conversation. Part One can be found at 008 WHY DOES EVERYONE LEARN THE SAME FIRST SONG ON GUITAR?

FULL TRANSCRIPT AVAILABLE ⁠HERE⁠: https://american-idiom.com/f/009-my-brothers-rockstar-moment

***For English learners! – Detailed vocabulary lesson begins at 23:34***

Episode Outline:

Bryce's most memorable guitar performance (Starts at 1:20)
Adapting complex songs as a solo guitarist (Starts at 4:32)
Funny story - Always rehearse before performing! (Starts at 8:38)
Playing tabs vs. sheet music (Starts at 10:05)
How to continue progressing as a guitarist (14:45)
Final advice for new guitarists (22:54)


Vocabulary and examples (Starts at 23:34)

get your foot in the door (used at 4:46 and explained at 23:38)
hit a wall (used at 14:49 and explained at 26:07)
reach a plateau (used at 14:49 and explained at 26:07)
be stuck in a rut (used at 20:51 and explained at 26:07)
put all your eggs in one basket (used at 21:32 and explained at 29:45)

009 How to Improve Your Guitar Skills

I introduce my brother, Bryce, and we discuss our experiences learning to play guitar as teenagers.
We share some advice for beginners and also talk about our memories.

If you've ever been curious about what it takes to start playing guitar and you want to learn some relevant vocabulary, this episode may be for you!

This is just Part One of our conversation. I'll be posting Part Two next week.

***For English learners! – Detailed vocabulary lesson begins at 23:14***

***Full episode transcript available ⁠here: https://american-idiom.com/f/008-why-does-everyone-learn-the-same-first-song-on-guitar⁠***

Episode Outline:

Bryce introduces himself (Starts at 1:20)
How Bryce started playing guitar (Starts at 1:58)
Taste in music (Starts at 3:12)
The first songs we learned (Starts at 3:39)
Our recommendations for a good 'first song' (Starts at 6:46)
Playing electric guitar vs. acoustic guitar (Starts at 10:00)
How to avoid annoying your neighbors (Starts at 12:50)
What it's like playing in a rock band (Starts at 13:38)
Our memories of being in a band together (Starts at 14:56)
The most difficult part of playing in a band (Starts at 16:25)
Our connection to Greta Van Fleet (Starts at 20:41)

Vocabulary and examples (Starts at 23:14)

get away with something (used at 5:11 and explained at 23:20)
take one for the team (used at 14:20 and explained at 25:18)
be on the same page (used at 18:18 and explained at 27:27)

008 Why Does Everyone Learn the Same First Song on Guitar?

My mom and I finish the quiz about American dialects we started last week to discover whether we speak the same way as other people from our region.
During our conversation, we also discuss regional vocabulary and accents from distinct sociocultural regions across the United States, including the South, the West Coast, New England, Texas, the Midwest and more.
You'll certainly learn a bit more about regional American cultures as well!
This is only the second half of the quiz. Please listen to episode 006 Exploring American Dialects (Part One) for the first half!
And if you'd like to try the quiz yourself, it's available at the following link if you scroll to the bottom and click on 'How Y'all, Youse and You Guys Talk': https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/22/learning/what-does-your-accent-say-about-who-you-are.html
***For English learners! – Detailed vocabulary lesson begins at 23:27***
***Full episode transcript available ⁠here: https://american-idiom.com/f/007-exploring-american-dialects-part-two⁠***

Episode Outline:

Question 14 (Frosting vs. Icing) - (Starts at 1:20)
Question 15 (Service Road, etc.) - (Starts at 3:57)
Question 16 (Devil's Night, etc.) - (Starts at 4:43)
Question 17 (Rubbernecking, etc.) - (Starts at 6:00)
Question 18 (Blow-Off, Easy-A, etc.) - (Starts at 7:45)
Question 19 (Dinner vs. Supper) - (Starts at 9:08)
Question 20 (Drinking Fountain vs. Water Fountain) - (Starts at 10:49)
Question 21 (Highway vs. Expressway) - (Starts at 12:14)
Question 22 (Firefly vs. Lightning Bug) - (Starts at 15:00)
Question 23 (Pronunciation of 'Aunt') - (Starts at 16:44)
Question 24 (Party Barn, etc.) - (Starts at 19:15)
Question 25 (Cot vs. Caught) - (Starts at 21:40)

Vocabulary and examples (Starts at 23:27)

by the way (used at 3:23 explained at 23:40)
the cherry on top (used at 3:31 and 3:47 explained at 26:01)
sure enough (used at 5:16 and 13:00 explained at 27:57)
you're kidding! (used at 5:42 explained at 29:58)
to wrap up (used at 23:12 explained at 32:33)