Advanced Past Tenses

Advanced Past Tenses

29, September, 2026

Episode 227: Master the Past Tenses (Advanced level)

In this podcast, you can test your understanding of the Past Simple, the Past Continuous, the Past Perfect, the Past Perfect Continuous and Modals.

Advanced use of past tenses

by English Podcasts | Podcasts in English

Welcome back to English-Podcasts In this episode we talk about using past tenses and modals to accurately express ideas in the past.

Notes

Past tenses are essential in English because they allow us to clearly communicate events and experiences that have already occurred, providing context and sequencing to narratives. By distinguishing actions that happened at specific times, ongoing events in the past, or completed actions, past tenses enable speakers and writers to tell stories, share history, and describe prior conditions or states. For instance, the simple past tense lets us mention a particular event (“She traveled to Italy last year”), while the past continuous emphasizes an action in progress at a past time (“She was traveling when she heard the news”). Similarly, the past perfect helps establish an order of events by indicating actions that were completed before another past moment (“She had finished her work before the meeting began”). Together, these variations create clarity and depth in descriptions, ensuring listeners or readers understand not just what happened, but also how events relate to each other in time.

Listen to the podcast we all this will become clearer and you can test your knowledge with a quiz.

Recap & Takeaways

This podcast dives deep into advanced uses of the past in English, focusing on the past perfect tense and modals in the past. Through engaging discussions and practical examples, designed for advanced learners, you’ll learn how to express regret, speculate about past events, and analyze hypothetical situations with precision and confidence. Perfect for those looking to refine their fluency and elevate their storytelling and professional communication skills.

In the podcast we ask 10 final questions to check your knowledge of past tenses, click on this link to see the answers to the quiz questions.Answers for Quiz Questions

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Travel Bet: Drive vs Fly

Travel Bet: Drive vs Fly

29, September, 2026

Episode 218: The Travel Bet

In this podcast, we talk trains, planes and cars. We embark on a journey from Toulouse to Paris to see who arrives first. You’ll hear a lot of numbers, prices and times.

France kobu-agency-_nrSIAptXrU-unsplash

The Travel Bet

by English Podcasts previously known as The EFL PodBlog

Welcome back to English-Podcasts In this episode we take on a challenge to see who can arrive in Paris the quickest.

Notes

Have you ever wondered about the quickest way to get from A to B? In this podcast we leave Toulouse and the same time but we use different forms of transport to get to a particuler café in the centre of Paris. Who do you think gets there first?

Not only do we take into account the time spent, but also the money spent too. Of course we don’t forget about the comfort and the stress involved in travelling to.

This is a great podcast to test your numbers (prices, times, timetables etc).

How much do we spend on the different forms of transport ?

How long does each journey take ?

Recap & Takeaways

In this podcast you will hear the words “get” and “got” many times.

For example:

Did you get the metro? Did you get a ticket?

I got the train. I got a taxi.

To test your knowledge of “Get” try this quiz.

https://english-podcasts.com/the-verb-get/

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Being bilingual, all good news?

Being bilingual, all good news?

29, September, 2026

Episode 193: Does being bilingual make you more intelligent?

This podcast we take a lighthearted look at speaking more than one language; what are the advantages (pretty obvious…), but what are the drawbacks?

Does being bilingual make you more intelligent?

by English Podcasts formally known as the EFL PodBlog | Podcasts in English

Welcome back to English-Podcasts. Do you dream of speaking English? Keeping working at it and you will !! But what about those lucky people who have grown up speaking 2 languages? Listen in as Laura tell Sue about her real life experience.

Notes

Most people in the world speak more than one language, suggesting the human brain evolved to work in multiple tongues.

Around the world, more than half of people – estimates vary from 60 to 75 per cent – speak at least two languages. Many countries have more than one official national language – South Africa has 11. People are increasingly expected to speak, read and write at least one of a handful of “super” languages, such as English, Chinese, Hindi, Spanish or Arabic, as well. So to be monolingual, as many native English speakers are, is to be in the minority, and perhaps to be missing out.

Multilingualism has been shown to have many social, psychological and lifestyle advantages. Moreover, researchers are finding a swathe of health benefits from speaking more than one language, including faster stroke recovery and delayed onset of dementia.

Could it be that the human brain evolved to be multilingual – that those who speak only one language are not exploiting their full potential?

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Recap & Takeaways

This podcast is acessible for many langiage learners; it’s not complicated and there are pictures and written cues to help with comprehension.

Listen out for these words:

traumatise

benefits

toddler

average

mutlitasking

brain surgeon

juggle

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Guns in America

Guns in America

29, September, 2026

Episode 232: Guns, Gingerbread and the American Constitution

In this podcast, Sue listens in amazement to an American women explain about her daily life carrying a gun everywhere she goes, including to the shops and even to chuch.

Usa and guns

Guns, Gingerbread and the American Constitution

by English Podcasts

Welcome back to English-Podcasts In this episode we get to hear first hand from an American women, Cindy, living in South Carolina, and why she carries a gun with her in her daily life.

Notes

Gun culture is deeply entrenched in American culture and it is a right under the 2nd ammendment of the constitution, which makes it very difficult to change even in the wake of tragic mass shootings.

Data in 2023 showed that U.S. citizens own approximately 398.5 million firearms, including handguns, shotguns, and rifles. This means that civilian gun ownership averages about 1.2 firearms per person in the U.S. So it seems that, yes–there are more guns than people in America.

So why do everyday citizens feel the need to carry a gun? In this podcast Cindy explains why she owns mulitple guns and how she feels protected when carrying her gun even though she has never had to use her guns.

In this podcast, the team at english-podcasts has no intention to pass any opinion, bias or judgement on the subject, and we thank Cindy for her personal account of gun use and general attitudes.

Recap & Takeaways

As a language learner, listen out for Cindy’s southern American accent and American English vocabulary such as “purse”, “pants” and “packing”.

BEFORE LISTENING try to think about the vocabulary you are likely to hear to be abole to answer these questions:

What do the background checks consist of?
How many guns does Cindy own?
Where does she keep her gun?
Where do many women keep their gun?
How (and when) does she practice shooting?
Why does she feel the need to have a gun with her?
What is “Open” and “Conceal” carry?
What does Cindy say about bullets?
What does she say about a recent hold up in her local supermarket?
What does she say about Shoot Unseen ?
What does Cindy explain about the American constitution?

AFTER LISTENING: Now you can answer those questions ! Try to write full senetences so that you can check your grammar and syntax.

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Toulouse, the top city to visit 2025

Toulouse, the top city to visit 2025

29, September, 2026

Episode 214: Toulouse, the top city to visit in 2025

In this podcast, we present our adopted city, Toulouse, which has been nominated at the top city to visit in 2025 by the reputed travel guide series Lonely Planet.

Toulouse Susan Barke

Toulouse, the top city to visit in 2025

by English Podcasts

Welcome back to English-Podcasts In this episode we talk about one of the best cities in Australia and apparently, throughout the world as it is widely recognised as one of the best places to live in the world.

Notes

What websites are saying about Toulouse:

.Spotlight on the Ville Rose! The prestigious Lonely Planet travel guide has just crowned Toulouse as the best destination to visit in 2025. An accolade that propels the Occitan capital to the forefront of the international tourism scene and confirms its status as the jewel in the crown of south-western France. We tell you all about it.

With its picturesque alleyways, lively cafés and comforting cuisine, Toulouse has a warm, trendy atmosphere. In its rankings, the Australian travel guide praises the unique atmosphere along the sunny banks of the Garonne and the Canal du Midi. We won’t deny that Toulouse is a great place to live, eat and feel. Lonely Planet’s experts also highlight Toulouse’s rich architectural heritage, from the majestic Saint-Sernin basilica to the emblematic Place du Capitole.

The jury was also won over by Toulouse’s cultural dynamism. The city is teeming with innovative art galleries housed in converted industrial sites. Music lovers are not to be outdone, with a wide range of musical offerings, from jazz at Le Taquin to opera at the Théâtre du Capitole. The highlight of this artistic effervescence is the long-awaited reopening of the Musée des Augustins in 2025, a veritable cultural institution in Toulouse since 1795. All of which makes Toulouse a must-see destination for art and culture lovers from all over the world!

Recap & Takeaways

Listen up as we discuss 20 “must do” places and things in Toulouse.

We have lived in Toulouse for over 30 years and know the city very well. We list out our top places which range from medieval cathedrals to rooftop bars and of course, the iconic rugby stadium.

As a language learner, listen out for the adjectives we use to describe our favourite city.

How would you describe your home town ? As a language learner, take the time to describe in detail your home town.

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The 17th plague and Covid.

The 17th plague and Covid.

29, September, 2026

Episode 231: 17th Eyam and Covid, what’s the connection ?

In this podcast Sue talks about a village near her home town which experienced a “Covid like” outbreak in the 17th century. She explains this to Chris, who aks all the right questions. Listen in, you’ll be amazed.

17th century Eyam and Covid, what's the connection?

by English Podcasts

Welcome back to English-Podcasts. For language learners, you can hear how we compare the past and the present. How did people cope in the 17th with a deadly disease? How did we cope during Covid? How did you cope during Covid?

Notes

In this podcast Chris and Sue talk about a lockdown situation that took place in the 17th century in a village called Eyam which is located in north Derbyshire.

Back then the situation was very serious and the majority of the villagers lost their lives to the plague. Of course we are absolutely not living through a plague situation but some of the social distancing measures that the villagers undertook may seem familiar today.

These pictures will help you follow the story.

To expand your vocabulary even further try our fun quiz What was your Personality during Covid?.

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Language notes

What did you understand from the conversation?

Where is Eyam?

When was the outbreak of the plague?

How did it start ?

What did the villagers do?

Who encouraged them in to stay put and not leave the village?

How did the villagers get food?

How did they “sanitize” their money?

What other “social distancing measures” did they have ?

What were the symptoms of the plague?

What is the village like now ?

What numbers did you pick up ? What do they refer to?

Vocabulary check: listen out for these unfamiliar words :

fleas – cloth – boils – cysts – vicar – burials – grave digger – contagious disease – quirky – quaint – picturesque

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Subscribe to our Facebook group and page, our Youtube channel and to our Instagram to get all the latest podcasts, quizzes and blog posts.

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