Hearing, Part 3: My Top 5 Favorite Podcasts

Use your headphones, don't let them get moldy like mine!
(Although mine are moldy because of the climate, not neglect)

Hello! It's Friday, so you know what that means: party! But when you get a chance to look at this blog again on Sunday evening, I wanted to share my suggestions for my Top 5 Favorite Podcasts. All the podcasts in this list are produced in the USA and are therefore fairly advanced, but you may like them and learn something even if you're not a native speaker. 

You can find all of these podcasts for free through iTunes (that's what I do), or you can go to each podcast's webpage for more information about getting the episodes. So, here's my list!

5. On The Media - This is a weekly NPR (National Public Radio) program that investigates news stories and how they are reported. We have a TV in my house, but we don't have an antenna or cable, so we don't get any channels. Listening to programs like this help me keep at least partially connected to reality. 

4. Stuff You Should Know - I talked about this podcast a while back, and you can read my comments here. The main idea: I still like and recommend this podcast.

3. This American Life - Same as number 4; I mentioned this on the blog here, and I still think it's a great weekly podcast that you should check out.

2. Freakonomics - I've still never read the book with the same title, but I've become a big fan of this podcast, which comes out at least once a week. It's motto is "the hidden side of everything," and it does have quite a variety of topics. It does talk about numbers and statistics, but it still makes economics seem interesting.

1. The Complete Guide To Everything - This is still one of my favorite weekly podcasts, if not my absolute favorite. It's hosted by Tim and Tom, two guys who live in Brooklyn. They mainly just talk about (or around) a new topic every week. It's very funny, and I like their humor. Have a listen if you've not already.

So, that's it for today. Have a great weekend or if you are indeed reading this on Sunday evening like I suspect, then have a nice week!

English Music

It's Saturday morning, a time that I rarely write blog posts, but I wanted to mention something that's on the radio right now. There's a program called "London Underground" on 99.5 FM (here in Costa Rica), but it's also available for free live streaming by clicking here. It's playing music from England and the presenter introduces the songs in English, so it's a good way to practice your English while listening to good music. It's also on every Saturday at 10 am, so if you miss it today, you can check it out another week. You can also go to the program's Facebook page or Radio 2's Facebook page for more information. 

Have a good Satuday and a good weekend filled with good music!

Regular and Irregular Verbs

Hello! Instead of a normal "Mistake Monday" post today, I wanted to continue the song activity from last Friday. If you remember, we looked at Bryan Adams' song "Summer of '69" and tried to find as many verbs as possible. Today we'll put the verbs into two categories: regular verbs and irregular verbs. But first, what are regular and irregular verbs?

To understand the difference between a regular and an irregular verb in English, you need to compare the verb's present tense with its past tense:

Regular Verbs 

To form the past tense of a regular verb, you simply add "-ed" to the end of the verb (or in some instances "-ied" or just "-d"). For example, the verb cook in the present becomes cooked in the past. Similarly, watch becomes watched, play --> played, change --> changed and try --> tried. Regular verbs are generally easy for most students to learn. Here is a BIG list of regular verbs, along with their Spanish equivalents.

Irregular Verbs

Irregular verbs change from the present to the past form. Normally it's a small change in spelling, but it can also be a change in pronunciation or even a word that looks very different. For example, the past of sit is sat. When changing to the past tense, the verb write becomes wrote, eat --> ate, see --> saw, and drink --> drank. Some words change drastically (I am --> I was, but You are --> You were; and I go changes to I went), but others don't change at all (cut is the same in the past and the present).

Irregular verbs are obviously more difficult to learn, since the changes are unpredictable. Additionally, some of the most common verbs in English are irregular verbs. Unfortunately, they are difficult, but very necessary to learn and practice. Here is a list of irregular verbs, and here is a page with exercises to practice irregular verbs.

If you started to think that English past tense verbs were difficult, just look at this chart for a reminder that it's not that bad! And it doesn't even include the pretérito imperfecto forms, like corría, corrías, corría, corríamos, etc... (Image)

So, when you see a verb in English, how do you know if it is regular or irregular? Unfortunately, the answer is basically this: You don't know. That is, you need to basically practice and memorize the regular verbs, and when you recognize that a verb is irregular, you also need to memorize the past form of that verb. That sounds difficult, but don't worry; with some practice, you'll be OK!

Well, let's practice now!

Yes, that's Bryan Adams. Yes, I'm sorry. (Image)

Look at the Bryan Adams song again (you can go back to the post here, or follow the lyrics below). In the lyrics below, I'll put the verbs in bold print so you can see them more easily. Are the verbs in the present or past tense? Then, decide if each verb is regular or irregular and put them into two categories (you can use the links above for help). If the verbs are irregular, determine what the present and past form of each verb is.

For example, the first two verbs are got (the past of get) and bought (the past of buy); both of these verbs are definitely irregular. But the third verb, played (the past of play) is regular. So, do that with all the verbs. We'll check your answers on Wednesday.
(Note: there are a few grammatical constructions that are a bit difficult for this lesson, like "should have known," so for today, don't worry about them. Just focus on the past and present verbs.)

SUMMER OF '69 - BRYAN ADAMS

I got my first real six-string

Bought it at the five-and-dime

Played it 'til my fingers bled

It was the summer of ‘69

Me and some guys from school

Had a band and we tried real hard

Jimmy quit and Joey got married

Should have known we'd never get far

Oh when I look back now

That summer seemed to last forever

And if I had the choice

Yeah - I'd always want to be there

Those were the best days of my life

Ain't no use in complainin'

When you’ve got a job to do

Spent my evenings down at the drive-in

And that's when I met you yeah

Standin' on your Mama's porch

You told me that you'd wait forever

Oh and when you held my hand

I knew that it was now or never

Those were the best days of my life

Back in the summer of ‘69

Man we were killin' time

We were young and restless

We needed to unwind

I guess nothin' can last forever - forever 

And now the times are changin'

Look at everything that's come and gone

Sometimes when I play that old six-string

I think about you, wonder what went wrong

(repeat chorus)

WOW! Lots of verbs! Remember, a few of them are difficult, and a few of them (like "were killin") aren't actually in the simple present or simple past form. Again, don't worry too much, just try to determine if the verbs are regular or irregular.

We'll check your answers on Wednesday. Until then, thanks for reading, and have a nice week!

Song and Exercise: "Downtown"

Bikers in downtown Fort Collins, the city I come from. Over 140,000 people live in Fort Collins, so it's probably big enough to have an area referred to as "downtown." The downtown area in Fort Collins is normally called "Old Town" since it's the historical center of the city. (Image Credit) (More information about Fort Collins)

Hello, and welcome to Word Wednesday! Today we're going to listen to a song.

But wait, that almost sounds... fun? Well, not really fun, but not boring. Right?

Hopefully! Since we were talking about how to use words like downtown on Monday, I thought I'd put up a song called "Downtown." Petula Clark sang the song in 1965, so it's not very new. It's also not very "cool," but the lyrics are clear and I still like it. So I hope you do, too!

Below is the video, and after the video I'll include an activity that you can complete with the lyrics (you don't actually need to watch the video; it's got very little action, trust me).

Lyrics Activity:

Instructions: Fill in the missing words in the blank spaces. After the lyrics, you'll find hints for each missing word.

DOWNTOWN – PETULA CLARK

When you're (1)_______ and life is making you (2)_______
You can always go - downtown
When you've got (3)_______, all the noise and the hurry
Seems to help, I know - downtown
Just listen to the music of the traffic in the city
Linger on the (4)_______ where the neon signs are pretty
How can you (5)_______?

The lights are much brighter there
You can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares
So go downtown, things'll be great when you're
Downtown - no finer place, for sure
Downtown - everything's waiting for you

Don't (6)_______ and let your problems surround you
There are movie shows - downtown
Maybe you know some little places to go to
Where they never (7)_______- downtown
Just listen to the rhythm of a gentle bossa nova
You'll be (8)_______ with him too before the night is over
Happy again

The lights are much brighter there
You can forget all your (9)_______, forget all your (10)_______
So go downtown, where all the lights are bright
Downtown - waiting for you tonight
Downtown - you're gonna be all right now

[Instrumental break]

And you may find somebody kind to help and understand you
Someone who is just like you and needs a (11)_______ hand to
Guide them along

So maybe I'll see you there
(repeat chorus)

HINTS FOR MISSING VOCABULARY WORDS:

1. This is a word that means to be isolated physically.

2. This is a word that means to feel isolated emotionally.

3. This word describes things that cause you stress.

4. In British English, this thing is usually called a pavement.

5. This word can be the opposite of "conquer."

6. This is a (2 word) phrasal verb that means "to stay in one place."

7. A synonym for this word is "shut."

8. This is an activity that you can do in a nightclub.

9. This word rhymes with bubbles.

10. This word rhymes with stairs.

11. This word means "soft and careful."

So, I hope you were able to complete the lyrics! I'll include the answers to this activity on Friday, so if you missed any, be sure to check back then. 

Thanks for reading, and have a great day!


[Update, May 4, 2012]
Here are the missing words for this activity:
1. alone
2. lonely
3. worries
4. sidewalk
5. lose
6. hang around
7. close
8. dancing
9. troubles
10. cares
11. gentle


If you have any questions or comments about this activity, please leave a comment below. Thanks!

Fun Friday: Two Ideas

Today I wanted to share two interesting things you can do to have a good time while practicing English:

1. Play Scramble

(Image from game's iTunes page)

If you have an iPhone or an iPod Touch, this is a fun little game that you can play with friends (or even with me... look up my name or send me an email if you want to start a game with me). It's very similar to a game called Boggle, where have two minutes to find words by connecting letters. I've been playing it with some friends, and it's pretty fun (and a little addictive). You can find it on iOS/iTunes here, and a similar game on Android phones here.

2. Check out Costa Rica Outsider

I recently started this website about Costa Rica. It's not a tourism website, but it does talk about strange and interesting aspects of Costa Rican life. Since many of Sitzman ABC's readers either live in Costa Rica or have visited (or would like to visit), the site may be interesting for you. I've written about local customs, the president's visit, Easter week, and even Juan Santamaría. If you have any comments or suggestions for posts, or if you'd even like to write a guest post yourself, please tell me. You can find the site by clicking here, or you can also follow or "like" it on Facebook or Twitter if you prefer.

So, that should keep you busy for the rest of the weekend! Have a good one, and thanks for reading!

Free Online German Class

Berlin, Germany... Pretty much exactly like Berlín de San Ramón, right?

The other day I posted quite a few links that my German students can check out (click here for that post). I was also chatting online with Sharon, and she pointed out a great, free online German class. It's got explanations in Spanish, so it could be a great resource for my students here in Costa Rica. It has some videos and some sound, too (you may have to wait a few seconds after clicking, just so you know). In any case, check out the course here. If you have any comments, please feel free to share them. Thanks, and Viel Glück!

Two Recommended Websites For General English Practice

As I mentioned a while ago, I often have my students complete practice logs. It's a good way to encourage them to practice, and it's also a good way for me to find new language-learning resources that I can pass on to other students. 

This week my student Henry included two good websites in his practice log, and I wanted to mention them here. 

The first is apparently called Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab (although the URL is simply "esl-lab.com," which seems much easier). As the name indicates, it's got a lot of listening exercises with audio, partial scripts, quizzes, and vocabulary highlights. It's even got cultural tips in some of the sections, so the site is pretty great. The topics are very diverse, from pizza delivery to how to behave in a Japanese public bath. There seem to be between 200 and 300 different pages with different topics, and they're conveniently arranged according to difficulty. Check it out!

The second link my student visited was engvid.com. It's also got a self-explanatory name, as it's mainly focused on videos. If you scroll down on the home page, you'll see different topics like business English, grammar, pronunciation, and even my favorite, idioms. The grammar section alone has 105 videos, so there's plenty of material to keep you busy for a while! Check it out, and enjoy!

Thanks for reading, and if you have any additional suggestions for online practice, please leave a comment. Have a great day!

Recommended Podcast: This American Life

A while ago I did a blog post about Podcasts (click here to see it), but I wanted to highlight a few of them in a bit more detail. Today I'll talk about one and in the next few weeks I'll try to mention a few others I've enjoyed and recommend for language learners.

One of the most popular podcasts in The United States is This American Life. Since it's for native speakers, it's not necessarily made for English learners, but it still can be a great resource if you're trying to learn English. 

The program comes out once a week, and each episode is an hour long. Every week they focus on a different topic and talk about normal people who have experience with the topic. For example, a few weeks ago the show talked about some people who thought they had discovered the original recipe for Coca-Cola. 

One of the best things about this podcast is that it often comes with a transcript of the whole episode (Here's one from a recent episode about people in a drug-prevention program). For an English learner, these transcripts can be an incredible resource if you read along while listening to the podcast. However, doing that could also become tiring, so it might be best to break it into smaller parts.

This American Life's website is very extensive and has past episodes in its archive, but if you go through there, you can generally only listen to old episodes for free by using streaming audio. But if you get the show through itunes, it's free and you can keep older episodes for as long as you want. So that's the way I do it.

That's it for today. I'll try to highlight more recommended podcasts in the future. If you've listened to This American Life and have comments about it, or if you want to recommend other podcasts you enjoy, then please feel free to leave a comment. Thanks for reading, and have a great day! 

Language-Learning Site of the Week: VOA Learning English

In a previous post related to podcasts I mentioned that one of my favorite online resources was the BBC Learning English site. I still highly recommend that site, since it's almost like a little world of English-learning resources. However, just this week a student recommended the VOA Learning English site to me, and it seems like a good site if you're looking for additional English resources, without necessarily having to deal with the British accent that comes with the BBC's site (that may sound like I'm joking or being catty, but that has actually been one of the most common complaints or comments I've heard from my students who've checked out the BBC site).

VOA stands for "Voice of America," and although it's based out of the United States, it's meant for audiences in other countries. Their Learning English site has a lot of current news, cultural reports, and other information relevant to English learners. I'm still checking it out myself, but I'll post anything interesting I find on the site to Sitzman ABC's Twitter feed.

In the meantime, if you have any comments or other suggestions related to the VOA site or any other sites that you've come across, I'd be happy to hear your thoughts. Either comment in the section below, or contact us through email.

Thanks for reading, and have a great day!

VOA Logo Image Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:VOA_Logo.jpg

German Corner: "The Dumb Fish Song"

So far, I've mainly stuck to talking about English on this blog, but I've been meaning to add more content about other languages, as well. I actually studied German and struggled for nearly a decade to learn it, so often it's actually more interesting for me to talk or think about the German language than it is for me to write about English.

On the rare occasions that people ask about German, they often ask, "Is it hard?" 

Short answer: Yes. 

Long answer: Yes, it is.

German pronunciation is easier than English, since it's phonetic and English isn't, but that's about it. The main killer of students who are trying to learn German is grammar. I remembered I'd heard the following song about 10 years ago, and believe it or not, it's actually a song specifically written to illustrate German adjective endings. You can feel free to watch the video, although only the song is original; the video was made by some junior-high schoolers as an extra-credit project, apparently, and the video quality seems to verify that fact:

Now, if you don't understand German, then it'll likely seem like a bunch of gibberish. If you do speak German, it'll probably still sound like a bunch of gibberish, because it basically is. I guess that's what you get when you write a song based on grammar. For example, the first line* is:

"Eins, zwei, drei / der gute Mann / ein guter Mann / der gute Mann / ein guter Mann / schlag den guten Mann nicht / schlag einen guten Mann nicht / schlag den guten Mann nicht... gib dem guten Mann einen Fisch / gib einem guten Mann einen Fisch"

That means:

"One, two, three / the good man / a good man / the good man / a good man / don't hit the good man / don't hit a good man / don't hit the good man... give the good man a fish / give a good man a fish"

Look at the English, and compare it to the German version. If you notice, there's a lot going on here. In the German, the definite article the appears to be either der, den, or dem, and the indefinite article a comes out as ein, einen, or einem. And it's true! The words "the" and "a" really can have that many variations (or a few more, if you count plurals and genitive/possessive words). And what about "good"? That comes out as gute, guter, and guten. The reason for these linguistic shenanigans? In German, articles and adjectives change depending on whether the noun they're referring to is the subject, object, or direct object of a sentence.

And the worst part of it is this: "Mann" (meaning "man," pretty obviously) is a masculine noun... and German has three genders: masculine, "neuter," and feminine. Plus, you also have to change the articles, the adjectives, and the nouns themselves when you make them plural. And in fact, that's what progressively happens in the following three verses of the song.

English does have quite a few similarities to German due to the two languages' partially-shared history and development, but luckily for today's English learners --and much to the frustration of today's German learners-- English didn't retain a lot of this grammatical complication, while German did.

So, whenever you're having difficulties learning a language, it's sometimes nice to realize that it could always be worse. And if you're struggling with German, remember this: at least it's not Finnish!

Thanks for reading, and have a great day!

*This Turkish site has a kind of half-baked version of the lyrics (For example, it doesn't capitalize nouns, as is necessary in German), but I only direct you there for quick reference. For a better alternative, I suggest checking out Brad Yoder's website. I just realized two days ago that he wrote the song, and in a strange twist of fate, I actually met him in Pittsburgh in 2001. He's a good guy and deserves your patronage. Plus, he looks quite a bit like me, and he might even be my long-lost, evil-twin brother (or vice versa)!

Open Your Brain!

I recently read a book called The Art of Non-Conformity by Chris Guillebeau (click here for a short review I wrote). I liked the book, and I wanted to mention an idea that the author talked about. One of his pieces of advice for improving understanding of the world is to read a new Wikipedia article every day. He says:

"Set your home page to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Randompage. Over the next year, every time you open your browser, you'll see a different, random Wikipedia page. Read it. Cost: $0."

Actually, that sounds like a great idea to me if you want to learn English! This trick works with other languages, too, but the address would be slightly different. For example, you can try a random article in these languages:

Danish

German

French

Spanish

Swedish

You can apparently do this with any other language that uses Wikipedia, if you know where to click; another option is to simply open Wikipedia and type [alt-x] to get a random article.

Finally, if you're learning English, did you know that there's a "simple" version of Wikipedia? You can find it here. It has shorter, more basic versions of articles. If you want a random, simple article, click here.

So, have fun exploring a bit! If you find anything interesting, tell us in the comments. Thanks for reading, and have a great day!

Practice Logs

This is NOT a practice log; it's just a normal log.
But I suppose you could practice on it if you needed to.

A few years ago I got really interested in Swedish language and culture. I met some Swedish people, visited Sweden a few times, and even took some Swedish classes at the university. In one of those classes my Swedish teacher introduced me to the Practice Log, and I noticed that it it really helped me improve my language skills. So, I took her idea and I still try to use it in my classes today, whether I'm a teacher or a student.

But what is a log? Well, the picture above shows one type of log (the kind made from tree trunks), but that's not the kind of log we're talking about today. A "log" can also be a type of journal or diary. In my Swedish class, we used a Practice Log to record the time we practiced Swedish activities, whether it was listening to music, reading news articles on the internet, or watching Swedish movies. In my classes today, I have my students do the same thing but instead of Swedish, I ask them to record the time they spend practicing any type of English activity. 

Notice I said any type of English activity: that's important, at least for me. I tell my students that they can do anything they want to practice --play video games, chat online, watch TV, whatever!-- as long as it's in English. I make sure to emphasize that the only requirement is that the activity be interesting for them. (Check out this earlier post with a list of 26 suggestions of interesting ways to practice a foreign language.)

In my classes, I usually have my students provide me with a few basic pieces of information, including the amount of time they spent practicing a language, what activity they did, and any new vocabulary they might have picked up. I've gotten good feedback because it's a non-stressful way to encourage  students to practice. 

Here is an example of a practice log:

The amount of practice time can obviously vary. Some people say that for every hour in a classroom, you need one (or even two) hours of out-of-class practice to advance in a foreign language. I generally have my students practice and report at least three hours per week, but of course the more you practice, the quicker you'll learn the language.

So, that's my tip for today. If you have done practice logs --either as a student or a teacher-- I'd love to hear your comments. Thanks for reading, and have a great day!

Free Kindle Resources - And You Don't Actually Need The Kindle Reader!

The Simple Dollar just had a post about free resources for Kindle. Remember, a Kindle reader is the little grey machine that you can buy to read e-books, but you don't actually need the physical machine to use the Kindle program. Instead, you can just download the free program for your computer, phone, or other device. Click here for more information and the download link.

In any case, the resources listed on The Simple Dollar are all quite good, so take a look!

Update 21-Feb-2011: My friend Brad told me about this link, which can help you create your own ebooks from pdf, doc, or Word files. Thanks, Brad!

Two Useful English Links

Good afternoon, everyone!

I want to share two more English-language links with you. The first one is called "China 232." Despite the name, it's actually a site with English-learning podcasts. The site has two areas: "normal" and "VIP." The VIP part costs money and has more resources, but free normal section is also quite good. The site is done by two Canadian brothers living in China, and their English is very clear. Typically, they pick a topic, present a short dialogue, and explain some of the important vocabulary in the dialogue. Their latest topic was Facebook, actually.

My coworker Lidio showed me another site a few days ago. It's called "Qwiki," and it's a sort of interactive Wikipedia with videos, pictures, and spoken text. The voice you hear definitely sounds robotic, but it's still interesting to check out, and a good place to start if you're looking for information or just curious about new things. Here's an article about Niagara Falls to get you started. Check it out!

So, good luck with these links. If you have comments, questions, or other good links you want to suggest, please tell us!

Common Error: Confusing "say," "tell," and "speak"

Let's call today "Mistake Monday" and talk about another Common Error!

We've already talked about the eyes (see, watch, look) and earlier today we discussed what we do with our ears (hear and listen). Now let's take a look at words associated with our mouths, namely "say," "tell," and "speak." I notice that my students have trouble with these words, so let's see how we can use them correctly:

Common Error: Confusing "say," "tell," and "speak"
DON’T say this:	Please say me your name. I said him that I couldn't meet for dinner. What did you just tell?
WHY?	-When you use the word “tell,” you usually indicate who is told. There is usually a “personal object”: “Tell me what you’re thinking.” There are a few expressions that can work without the personal object, like “tell the truth,” “tell a lie,” “tell the time,” and “tell the difference,” but you can also add a personal object to all of these, if you want. -The word “say” has almost the same meaning as “tell,” but with “say,” we usually don’t indicate who is told. The word “say” usually comes before a clause, as in: “You didn’t say that you were hungry.” OR “Kiersten said, ‘Hello!’” -“Speak” means to talk formally, and it often uses the words “to” or “with” if a personal object is indicated: “I spoke to John about his bad behavior.” OR “Could you please speak with him to clear up this matter?” Also, speak can indicate language ability: “I don’t speak Japanese.”
INSTEAD, SAY THIS:	-“Could you tell me your name, please?” -“What did you just say?” OR “What did you just tell Mary?” -“I told him that I couldn’t meet him for dinner.” -"What would you say if I told you I was a vampire?" -“She told John that he should stop telling lies about her."

I hope this explanation helps you out! If you have any questions or comments, be sure to write me a message in the comments area. Thanks for reading, and good luck!

Common Error: Confusing "Listen" and "Hear"

We recently talked about see, look, and watch, so today let's move from our eyes to our ears and focus on another common error that language learners make:

Common Error: Confusing "listen" and "hear"
DON’T say this:	I'm sorry, but I wasn't hearing to you. Hear! I think I listen a car coming! Did you listen that noise just now?
WHY?	Much like the difference between "watch," "see," and "look," the difference between "listen" and "hear" has a lot to do with intention: -You naturally hear things; "to hear" is to perceive sounds that reach your ears by using your sense of hearing. You normally don't plan to hear: it's spontaneous. -To hear of/about something means to have knowledge related to that thing. -If you listen, you carefully or continuously hear something. You have to pay attention to listen to something. If you have an object that follows the word "listen," be sure to add the word "to." -Additionally, "listen" can be used as an interjection, but "hear" generally can't.
INSTEAD, SAY THIS:	-"Listen to this music. It'll change your life." -"Sorry, but I didn't hear what you said. I wasn't listening." -"Have you heard about Pete? He got fired for always coming to work late!"

That's it for today. If you have any questions or comments, please tell me!
Thanks for reading!

Podcasts

Podcasts are one of the best listening tools available for language learners. If you've not heard of a "podcast" before, it's basically a sound file that you can listen to on your computer or any device that can play a sound file (like an ipod or a cell phone). Podcasts are convenient because they are often short and focus on one aspect of language, and they can normally give you exposure to authentic language, including vocabulary and different accents.

You can listen to or watch podcasts directly on a program's internet page, or you can manage them through itunes, like I do (it seems easier to me that way). Still, if you prefer to go to the pages, I'll provide a link to each of the podcasts below.

There are many, many podcasts out there, so if you have any additional suggestions to add to the list below, I'd love to hear them. I'll list a few language-learning podcasts below that I like to recommend to my students, as well as some that I enjoy listening to in my free time.

--Podcasts to Learn English--

BBC Learning English

In my opinion, the BBC Learning English site is one of the best overall resources for learning English. The site is produced by the British Broadcasting Corporation and is updated very frequently. There are many pages on the site to check out, but they also have a wealth of downloadable resources like podcasts, pdf files, and even videos. The whole site is like a little city full of English fun so if you're serious about practicing your English skills outside of class, be sure to check out this site.

--Podcasts to Learn Other Languages--

BBC Foreign Languages

While you're looking at the BBC, be sure to check out its site for other foreign languages. This site is great because it has news, audio, video, and even language courses for various other languages like German, Spanish, Chinese, and quite a few others. They have dedicated sites for larger languages, but also basic phrases for 36 different languages! You could spend weeks or even months browsing the pages there and becoming smarter!

German Language: Deutsche Welle

Deutsche Welle is sort of like the German equivalent of the BBC. It has a lot of news, culture, and entertainment shows that it broadcasts around the world. Also like the BBC, it has language learning resources. So, if you're tired of studying English, try German! Then you'll wish you had stayed with English!

Deutsche Welle - Langsam Gesprochene Nachrichten

I've spent a good chunk of my life learning German, and it's nice to listen to the language to keep it fresh in my head. If you don't have much German experience, though, their program Langsam Gesprochene Nachrichten ("Slowly Read News") could be a good place to start. As its name implies, it's a news program, but the presenters speak nice and slowly.

Deutsche Welle - Fokus Amerika

This is an almost-daily news program that focuses on stories and issues related to North and South America. It's about 10 minutes per show, and I find it to be pretty interesting, especially as something to listen to while in the car. There are also similar shows for other world regions like Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Germany.

Deutsche Welle - Deutsche im Alltag - Alltagsdeutsch

This is definitely geared to people who have interest in the German language. Each 10-minute episode focuses on a specific topic (something "Colors," or "The Cologne Dialect") and interviews people about the topic. Then they dissect the language to find idioms and interesting phrases, and also discuss etymology. I like it, but if you're not a nerd, you might not dig it.

Swedish Language: Sveriges Radio

Sveriges Radio - Klartext

This is sort of like a Swedish version of a news show for language learners. It's definitely not as slow as the German show from Deutsche Welle, but it's definitely clear ("Klartext," as you can probably guess, is Swedish for "clear text"). I really enjoy listening to this daily, 10-minute program when I'm driving in the car or walking around. It's also a good "confidence-booster," which is great when you're learning a language!

Sveriges Radio - SRI Radio Sweden

OK, this is actually in English, but that's OK. It's still a generally good news show, with an obvious focus on issues related to Sweden. It's normally around 30 minutes; often, I only listen around 5 or 6 minutes, when they talk about the weather. Then I exclaim something like, "Wow! Today in Stockholm, the sun rose at 8:45 AM and set at 2:45 PM! Crazy!"

--Fun/Entertaining Podcasts--

Radiolab

Radiolab? Isn't that the British lounge-pop group that sounds vaguely French? No, that's Stereolab. Radiolab, on the other hand, is an excellent podcast about science in everyday life. Its regular episodes are around an hour long, and its "shorts" are about 15 minutes. Both are excellent, educational, and highly entertaining. They're also good for language learners because the spoken English is very clear. This is probably my favorite podcast.

This American Life

If you life in the USA, you've likely heard (or at least heard of) this radio show. It claims to be the most popular weekly podcast in the U.S.
In each hour-long show, they focus on a specific theme and present three or four short stories related to that theme. It's supposedly about "normal" people, but because of the way it's presented and the high production values, it's quite entertaining. Check it out!


I've also just started checking out a couple of podcasts my brother Paul recommended to me. They seem good so far, although they're not really about learning English (but one's about Spanish):

(Update, 1/24/2011: I've checked them out now. The Coffee Break Spanish is indeed quite good for beginning to intermediate learners, and I liked it quite a bit. The other two were quite entertaining, but I should say that both --but especially the SModcast-- were pretty vulgar. SModcast was especially explicit in parts. In any case, neither of those seem very ideal for language learning, but if you're a native speaker who's into pop culture, you may enjoy them.)

The Complete Guide to Everything
SModcast
Coffee Break Spanish

If you have any luck or problems with any of these podcasts, I'd like to hear from you. Also, if you have other recommended podcasts, especially for language learning, then please comment. Thanks for reading!

(Image Credits: I took the picture of the headphones. All other images from the respective podcasts' sites, except for the black and white SR logo, which is from Wikipedia.)

Excellent Link for TOEIC Practice

 

(Picture from TOETAL website)

TOEIC Practice

I got this link from my friend Lucy. The site is named "TOETAL," and it seems to be pretty good. For my students who are going to be taking the TOEIC soon, or for anyone else who's interested in the test, it's a great resource. The exercises on the site are very similar to the actual TOEIC's format.

I'll try to provide some more TOEIC links soon. Until then, happy studying!