Épisodes

  • I Can't Keep Doing This (Intermediate)

    I Can't Keep Doing This (Intermediate)
    May 4 2026
    Get episodes without adverts at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Support⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Your support is appreciated! Enough is enough. Something has to change. I’m sorry everyone, but I can’t do episodes every fortnight anymore. Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Cant for the full transcript. New Vocabulary Binge – to do a lot of one thing in one go, e.g. to binge a TV show A leap of faith – a big, scary decision in your life – comment and let me know what leap of faith you’ve been putting off in your life! Watching paint dry – an expression we use to refer to a very boring activity On the back burner – when you keep putting off an important project because it’s not urgent ‘That sucks’ – a colloquial way of saying something is bad Fortnight – two weeks, or fourteen days (UK English) To kick in – to start taking effect, e.g. when a medicine kicks in Anodyne – boring, uninspired, unoriginal Anecdote – a small story from everyday life A preview – when you get to see/hear part of something before it’s released Video about North Korean pop culture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0T-pPPUAppk 00:00 Intro 01:24 New Vocabulary 07:37 How tastes have changed 10:45 Me vs. the other English learning podcasts 14:04 Bored of my own style 16:34 I need more time 18:19 Big plans 19:42 Story preview! 24:27 Vocabulary Recap 25:29 Tell me about your leap of faith! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    28 min
  • Cambodia is Hard to Talk About (Conversation)

    Cambodia is Hard to Talk About (Conversation)
    Apr 6 2026
    Get episodes without adverts at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Support⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Your support is appreciated! I discuss my friend visiting me from the UK, and an emotional holiday in Cambodia. I touch on the heartbreaking topic of the genocide, but also something more fun: eating a giant spider! Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Cambodia⁠⁠⁠ for the full transcript. 00:00 Intro 01:07 A visitor 03:16 Two big empires 05:59 Visa-free travel 07:01 Force-fed in a teahouse 08:23 My new spirit animal 11:36 My most important job 13:55 Cambodia 18:00 Yummy spider! 20:13 The challenge of talking about this 25:31 Summer plans 27:01 Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    30 min
  • Herding Mountains to Make a Forest (Pre-Intermediate)

    Herding Mountains to Make a Forest (Pre-Intermediate)
    Mar 23 2026
    Get episodes without adverts at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Support⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Your support is appreciated! The Stone Forest in Yunnan is a beautiful karst mountain range. But how did it come to be? Learn all about the Sani people and the magical origins of this Chinese nature site in today's episode. Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Mountains⁠⁠ for the full transcript. Level: Pre-Intermediate. Genre: Myths & Legends. Vocabulary: Herd, Bucket, Spirit, Order, Whip, Unfurl, Dam, Rooster, Freeze. Setting: China. Word Count: 681. Author: Chinese Myths. 00:00 Intro 00:52 The Sani people 01:39 My full circle momoent 04:12 Leaving Chinese 06:19 Coming back to Chinese 08:57 Busy busy! 11:14 Stumbling across the origin story 13:30 Vocabulary 17:34 Herding Mountains to Make a Forest 23:31 Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    27 min
  • Doing Stand-Up Comedy in Chinese (Conversation)

    Doing Stand-Up Comedy in Chinese (Conversation)
    Mar 9 2026
    Get episodes without adverts at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Support⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Your support is appreciated! Comedy is hard enough, but doing it in Chinese? Oh, Ariel, you do love a challenge! Hear all about my performance adventures and upcoming travel in this laughs-packed episode. Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Comedy⁠⁠ for the full transcript. 00:00 Intro 01:18 Batching episodes 03:09 Discovering pine cones 05:14 The nightmare of tones 08:33 Trying comedy in Chinese 11:37 This is your host! 13:45 London vs. China 15:48 I've arrived 17:56 Upcoming holidays 19:33 Wicked 2 22:31 Let's gallop! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    25 min
  • The Animals' Peace Party (Pre-Intermediate)

    The Animals' Peace Party (Pre-Intermediate)
    Feb 23 2026
    Get episodes without adverts at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Support⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Your support is appreciated! The cows and horses have argued with the pigs for too long. It's time to have a peace party and finally settle things. But one very talkative pig has a different view... Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Peace⁠ for the full transcript. Level: Pre-Intermediate. Genre: Myths & Legends. Vocabulary: Hoarse, Filthy, Greedy, Settle a dispute, Master (leader), Amongst, Farmhand, Favour (verb), Wisdom, Squeal. Setting: China. Word Count: 1044. Author: Mary Hayes David, Chow Leung. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    21 min
  • All the Housemates I've Ever Had (Conversation)

    All the Housemates I've Ever Had (Conversation)
    Feb 9 2026
    Get episodes without adverts at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Support⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Your support is appreciated! Living with people isn't easy, and I've had it really hard. The Illuminati, the silent treatment, and deadly narcissists - I've seen it all. If you live alone, this episode will fill you with relief, and if you have housemates, it'll make you think 'Maybe they aren't so bad after all!' Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Housemates⁠ for the full transcript. Cover art image of dirty dishes by Johan Hansson CC BY 2.0 00:00 Preview 00:39 Intro 03:48 The ethics of this episode 05:50 Living in Bristol 13:46 Moving in with a 'friend' 20:16 Choosing my next housemate 22:36 A brief interlude 23:21 Moving to London 27:27 Down to Eltham 32:20 Finally, up to Walthamstow 38:40 The confrontation 48:58 The actual building 52:11 Would I do it again? 55:07 Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    59 min
  • How the Moon Became Beautiful (Beginner)

    How the Moon Became Beautiful (Beginner)
    Jan 26 2026
    Get episodes without adverts at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Support⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Your support is appreciated! The moon is beautiful, but it wasn't always that way. True love was needed, as well as breaking a mother's heart... Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Moon for the full transcript. Level: Beginner. Genre: Myths & Legends. Vocabulary: Astronomy, Poem, Pick (flower), Sharp, Gentle, Ridiculous. Setting: China. Word Count: 843. Author: Ariel Goodbody. 00:00 Intro 01:11 Vocabulary 04:53 How the Moon Became Beautiful 12:58 Transcription problems 16:10 Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    18 min
  • Christmas in Japan (Conversation)

    Christmas in Japan (Conversation)
    Jan 12 2026
    Hear all about my time in the bars of Osaka and Fukuoka at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Support⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Your support is appreciated! Christmas in Japan isn't like Christmas in the UK. For one thing, it includes humiliation. It also includes very strange food. And don't forget the hot springs! Vocabulary: Elephant in the room, Onsen, Thatched house, Bullet train, Purikura, Chazuke Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Japan for the full transcript. 00:00 Preview 00:31 Intro 01:34 The elephant in the room 03:23 New Year's resolutions 07:03 A spicy train journey 12:25 The hotel tricked me! 14:19 A smooth flight 15:57 The little things 18:32 Public behaviour 20:38 The wonderful resort 23:26 My first onsen experience 27:41 Let's go to the murder village! 34:13 The panda has left the building 36:14 Meeting the locals 39:15 Pew pew trains 40:51 Bright lights, big city 42:25 Ariel, you tease! 43:58 Welcome to the New World 46:54 The magical disappearing hangover 49:09 Onwards to Fukuoka! 50:51 Embarrassing ourselves at the Pretty Club 52:54 Crooning like robots 53:59 Exploring Fukuoka 57:23 But what about Christmas? 59:34 Culture shock-ish 01:02:35 Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 h et 8 min