Unexpected English!

Louis

Looking for some short, sweet, real life English to improve your listening skills or just have fun? Never too long, never boring, and always something worthwhile for the curious listener or English learner! Transcript included too! Check out the past episodes for more fun!

2 Listeners

All episodes

Best episodes

Seasons

Top 10 Unexpected English! Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Unexpected English! episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Unexpected English! for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Unexpected English! episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

The Chicken Mom! [American English Listening]

Unexpected English!

06/07/22 • 5 min

[EP87] Hi everybody, and welcome to Episode 87 of Unexpected English, the podcast where you can listen to some real American English in just five minutes, and maybe have some fun while you do it. At least I hope it's fun. Let's find out! Remember, there is a transcription in the show notes if you need any help understanding what was said, because these are interviews with real people. That's why it's real American English. Okay? All right, let's go! ***** So I was walking down the street in my neighborhood, looking around, and I happen to look... and I spotted what appeared to be, like a chicken condominium. I'm gonna say I'm gonna call it a chicken condominium because it's two stories tall. And it says... fluffy butt, what? Yes. My kids thought that was cute. Yeah. Okay, so I'm talking to the lady who owns the chicken condominium. Yes. It used to be a little child's play house in our backyard, but... You got rid of the kids and decided... Yeah, exactly.They just didn't play with it anymore. So we decided to make other use of it. And why did you decide to go with chickens? You know, that was, honestly, that was my husband's idea. When the pandemic first started, he had a little extra time on his hands and thought that it would be cool, especially since the city recently approved having backyard chickens in San Diego Yeah, because we're in the city, you know? What's up with having... I mean, this isn't... this isn't you know, you can't have... Maybe you CAN have goats, I don't know. I don't know about that either. But you can have chickens! Yes, you can now. And there's a real advantage. Why don't you tell us what that is? Um, well, you know, recently there was a supply shortage of eggs at the store. But uhOh yeah, eggs are high now! Eggs are still higher in price. Yeah. And so now we can just walk right out to the backyard and pluck them out of the chickens nests and have some fresh eggs! They're, they're free range. They're not caged chickens. Yeah, I see they've got a whole little playground back there. Yeah, yeah, it's huge area that they get to roam and look for bugs and whatnot. And how many chickens do you have? Five, plus a little rooster. Okay, so there you go, people. We've got five chickens. And one little rooster here, right in the middle of San Diego. And they they each produce one egg every day. So we can have five eggs a day if we wanted to. Oh, that's what they, they like...they drop an egg every day. Yep, pretty much and then, that's that's only for the first five years of their life. So after that, we're just going to be keeping them as pets. Oh after that, they get to retire, huh? Yeah, basically. So do they all have names? They do. Could you tell us the name? Sure. A lot of them are based on colors. So we have an Orange and a Gray and a Red and a Peach. And then there's Minnie and Baldy. Baldy's the one that has... uh, she's lacking feathers on her neck. Okay, so basically you went with the identification names, not the.. Okay. All right. Well, anything else we should know? If I decide okay, I'm gonna, I'm gonna get myself some chickens and do this. What do I need to know? Well, they need a chicken coop, so a place to, kind of, be protected from predators and the elements. Ah chicken run is good to for that same reason and they can... um, on rainy days, for example, they'll go in there and that's where they do their dirt baths and they eat. Okay, so it rains so they go in and watch TV and take a dirt bath. Yeah, that's how they keep themselves clean. It's kind of fun to watch. Really. I mean, they dig, they dig a little hole in the ground and then they lay down in it and kind of fluff their feathers around and get dirt all over. And then they shake it off. Alright, well, okay, that sounds, that sounds interesting too, you learn so many things that you never knew before. Yeah, I do a lot of the work. OK, well, thank you very much for you time! ---> Please follow on Spotify and share with friends!

1 Listener

1 Comment

Hot Dogs at Barrio Dog in San Diego! [American English Listening]

Unexpected English!

07/03/22 • 4 min

[EP 88] Unexpected English is the suprising podcast where you can have a fun listening experience in under five minutes! Transcription below to help you! Intro: Hey everybody, it's Fourth of July weekend here as I'm recording this. And that means everybody's off waving their American flags and eating hot dogs and doing whatever else they do while they're ignoring the fall of our democracy. Who cares, right? It's not important. The only important thing on the Fourth of July is hamburgers and hot dogs! So, are you ready? This is episode 88 of Unexpected English, and it just might have something to do with hot dogs. Okay, so let's go! So here I am in beautiful San Diego, more specifically in Barrio Logan on Logan Ave, and I was walking down the street and I saw a place called Barrio Dog. And so that name, Barrio Dog, that kind of hit me. So I thought I would go in and ask the owner to explain a little bit about this place. Well, thank you for stopping in. My name is Pablo Rios. I'm one of the owners here at Barrio Dog. Barrio dog is a celebration of the art, history and culture that comes from this neighborhood, the low-rider culture. So what we've done is, we've combined a classic comfort food like hotdogs, and given you an environment to come and enjoy the neighborhood, the lowrider culture. So it's a it's a neighborhood place with a cultural feel to it. And you serve mainly dogs! Yeah, we're a hot dog restaurant. All of our hot dogs are 100% Angus beef. We make all of our own bread fresh daily, what we're known for when we started this place with this with, a hot dog called El Cholito, it's a Tijuana style. Tijuana style hot dog, which would...what would Tijuana style be f for people who don't know. It's a dog that has the works so a Tijuana style dog has grilled onions,it has cheese, sour cream, salsa verde, diced tomato, red onion, jalapeño, crunchy garlic... Oh ok, is that enough yet people, is that enough, does that sound good enough yet? That is a fully loaded dog, plus I see there's five or six or seven other kinds? Well, we got, we got a half, we got at least twelve different hotdogs you can always try. We have flavors from all over the world. So we don't just celebrate the flavor from Mexico. We have German style. Japanese style. Cuban style. Wow, that's interesting. So what are a couple of the most popular uhh flavors? Do I say flavors? Or style, style, dogs! The Tijuana style is really popular. We also have a chili cheese dog called El Vaquero. We make our chili in-house. Another really popular one is called El Bombero, if you're into spicy hot dogs. It's got seven different chili peppers. Oh, you know, I would say that sounds good, but it sounds better than good. It sounds like I'm ready to have some of that... and I see you've got some good beers on tap too. Yeah, what we're doing here is we're showcasing sixteen of San Diego and Mexico's finest craft beers. So we have flavors as simple as a pilsner all the way to guava cider. So come on by! All right, you heard it here first people! Next time you're in San Diego, head on down to Barrio Logan head on down to Logan Ave, and hit up Barrio Dogs for a real experience. Thanks a lot for your time. Thank you. ***** That was the episode, thanks for listening! Please follow on Spotify, leave a good review, tell your friends, and have a great summer! Why not listen to the other wild episodes too!

1 Listener

1 Comment

The Salt Cave [American English Listening]

Unexpected English!

04/19/22 • 4 min

[EP85] Unexpected English brings you surprising audio with a transcription to help you practice your English listening in less than five minutes. This time, we visit a salt cave for some haloterapy. Come join us!

Okay, so I was walking through the mall and I saw a place called The Salt Escape. And it had some... Well, it looked like something I had never seen before. So I thought I would go in and find out a little more. So I'm talking to the... the owner? I'm talking to someone inside who I thought maybe they can tell me... Okay, I'm talking to somebody who could tell me: What is The Salt Escape?
The Salt Escape is basically a halotherapy...
Hold up... a what therapy?
It's halotherapy which is a...
Halo, halotherapy...
Halo, H-A-L-O as in breathing in salt to cure many different ailments you might have whether it's asthma, colds, sinusitis, allergies, and it also is absorbed through your skin, so it helps with psoriasis...
OK, wait wait now, so you tell us what it helps. But what's the deal? Do people go into a room full of salt? Or what is it?
OK, so we have a cave... that you... A cave, okay, we're going slow so people can follow, So I come into salt escape, And then I get put in a cave, a salt cave...
A salt cave that has 7000 pounds of Himalayan sea salt on the ground. And then there's salt lamps all around and salt on the walls. And then we also pump salt in at different intervals throughout that 45 minutes.
Like salt air, you're saying? You pump in salty air?
Um-hum, salty air, we take the salt, we put it in a generator that breaks it down into fine little crystal mist, and we pump into the cave while you're there, sitting in lounge chairs relaxing.. not lounge chairs but reclining chairs.
I'm just sitting in a room...basically I'm sitting in a room full of salt.
Salt.And breathing it and reaping all the benefits that it has to offer.
Do.. do I get naked when I do that? Noooo..Oh, and okay, so it'll go through.. We keep it kind of clean in here.
OK, so I saw the salt goes through my clothes... and...
It goes through your skin, it also, it's absorbed through your skin, but it's the breathing that really helps any respiratory issues that you have.
So yeah, so it's primarily as a respiratory...
But, but also good through the skin absorbing the skin, if you have any kind of skin issues, it helps with that as well. But it helps with anxiety and depression all kinds of wonderful things. But our, our cave is very, very relaxing. It's dark and quiet and we play meditation music so it's...
Ohhh okay don't say it, ohhh, okay, so well, that sounds beautiful! And how long is a session?
45 minutes.
So for 45 minutes, I get to sit in the salt cave... and relax... and breathe in.
Okay people, well you heard it here first, the, the mysteries and marvels of the salt cave, all are 100% organic Himalayan salt. Alright, thanks and thanks for your time.
Thank you! Come visit us!

***
Thanks for listening! If you liked it please FOLLOW on Spotify or Apple podcasts or wherever you listen. Instagram too! @UnexpectedEnglish
Seriously ... if you like the podcast, please share it, thanks!

1 Listener

1 Comment

Unexpected English! (podcast intro)

Unexpected English!

05/23/19 • 2 min

EP.01) What's Louis up to now? It's a new podcast with random audio treats to expand your listening and language skills in English. I hope you like and and I hope you subscribe for future episodes!

1 Listener

Yogurtland! or, What's your favorite flavor? [American Listening]

Unexpected English!

07/31/22 • 3 min

[EP 89] Summer finale! DELICIOUS YOGURT! Listen and follow with the transcription below to help you to improve your listening skills. INTRO: Hi everybody, and welcome to Episode 89 of Unexpected English, the podcast where you can practice your English listening in just five minutes, listening to something fun! Now, I know it's summertime, and that means it's hot. In fact. it's too hot. It's just too hot! And if you want some some, some vocabulary about hot? Go back and look for the hot episode where I give you some vocabulary. But this episode, no, this episode, we want to cool down, we're going to cool you down by taking a little visit to yogurtland where we can have some nice cool, delicious yogurt. So let's go! ~~~ Okay, so here I am at YogurtLand and I'm going to talk to the young man who's working here. Maybe he can tell us a little bit about this place called YogurtLand. How many flavors do we have? We have around 12 flavors. And what are some of the most popular flavors? The most popular are the vanilla and the chocolate ice creams, the fruit punch sorbet, which is our seasonal flavor for this month, the tarot and the plain tart. Taro, and what is that, I'd never heard of that flavor. Taro is a unique flavor. to say the least. Okay! It'd be hard to describe, And after they get the yogurt, then what's all this stuff over here? So the toppings are... you put that on top of your yogurt and we have a range from fruits to candies to cookies, peanuts, sprinkles, whipped cream, and then we have sauces over here which you can also add. What kind of sauces do we have? Salted caramel, marshmallow, chocolate shell, fudge and peanut butter Hi guys, what's your favorite flavor here? I don't know. Oh, you haven't had it yet! How about you? I think... I don't know. No, so, is this your first time here? No, but I like the French Vanilla. Okay, so there's one guy who knows what he likes, the French vanilla. Is that when you said? I like the French Vanilla too! Ah, this guy, NOW he decided. I like cheesecake. Oh cheesecake! Okay, beautiful. All right. Well, I hope you enjoy your yogurt and thanks for listening. Thank you! *** Okay, that was it. That was the final episode for the summer. I hope you enjoyed it and we'll see you... who knows when! Please follow on Spotify or wherever and tell your friends who might like the podcast!!

1 Listener

1 Comment

The Candy Queen! [American English listening]

Unexpected English!

05/13/22 • 4 min

[EP 86] Do you have five minutes to practice English listening in a fun way? Great! In this episode we interview the Candy Queen! Trascription in the notes to help you! [Transcription] Hi everybody, and welcome to Episode 86, of Unexpected English podcast where you can practice your English listening, with a transcription to help you, in under five minutes. Now this one is really short, it's not long at all, but it's a good one. And you know we have an expression when something is not long but it's good we say it's "short, but sweet." And this one you'll find out is definitely short but sweet. Now, you just have to make me one promise. If this episode of Unexpected English makes you smile, you have to share it with somebody, okay? Just just send them the link or share it on Instagram or something. Because I know you're listening on Spotify and you could do that. And that would be great. That is if you like it, and I hope you do. So let's go! (bump) So I was walking down the street and I spotted an interesting sign that said "The Candy Pushers" and I thought, what's that? And I looked inside and sure enough, it's full of candy! So I thought I would go inside and speak to the... owner? Yeah, I'm the owner. My name is Shannon. I'm the Candy Queen of the Candy Pushers. Oh, hold it right there! We are talking to the candy queen! Okay, so relax everybody. I know it's exciting, but... I'm the Candy Queen of the Candy Pushers. My wife and I own the business, and she's the Fudge Master. And we have... And you say the fudge master, does that mean she makes the fudge? Fresh homemade fudge every week. Oh, oh, okay. I'm sorry people. Hold on. I have to get over this, because I'm a little excited -- it's fudge! Yeah, we make and rotate through 48 flavors a year. What kind of flavors of fudge exist? There's the Fudge Packer. We have Lemon Blueberry uh Cheesecake. Citrus Bliss, which is an orange and lemon essential oils mix of fudge. We have Chocolate, Chocolate Walnut, Vanilla Pralines... Oh, okay, do people get, like, addicted to this? It sounds a little addicting! Yes. 100% We have people who come in every week to buy their fudge. Because the chocolate does something to you, right? Well, it makes you happy and puts a smile on your face. Oh, there you go! So okay, people next time you're on University Avenue... University and Richmond. University and Richmond, stop by the Candy Push... If you don't like fudge, there's a whole, like, wall full of other kinds of candies too. What is... We have between twelve and thirteen hundred other bin and packaged candies Twelve and thirteen hundred, That is one thousand two hundred different kinds of candies. It's true. Well, I won't ask for the names of all those candies. I'll just say thanks a lot for your time. You're welcome and have a flavorful day! *** Thanks for listening! If you liked it please FOLLOW on Spotify or Apple podcasts or wherever you listen. Instagram too! IG: @UnexpectedEnglish Seriously ... if you like the podcast, please follow, share, and Hey! leave 5 stars on Apple Podcasts if you can!

1 Listener

1 Comment

Unexpected Cloudburst 🌧 [Learn English Listening]

Unexpected English!

06/10/19 • 3 min

EP.10) Something unexpected happened while we were driving, so I pulled out my phone and we made a lesson! ROUGH TRANSCRIPT: All right so here we are on the freeway could you tell us about the excitement that you just went through? — whoa! we just had a rain storm that was a cloudburst — wait a minute was a rainstorm or was it a cloudburst? — well it seem like it was a cloudburst because it happened very suddenly — and what exactly happened could you describe it for us? — well all at once the rain started like from one minute to the next minute and the sky was blue in many parts of the sky that was blue and we hadn't seen any dark clouds but apparently we were under a dark cloud that opened up — ahaha is that a metaphor of being under a dark cloud? — I think it, I don't know I'll have to look that one up — OK we're gonna leave you with that thought of the cloudburst and uhh being under dark cloud — why don’t you define a cloudburst? — oh I don't know we'll do that in another do that in another... oh oh ok my interviewee has more to add — a cloudburst is a short quick shower with very strong rain — shower oh from from the cloud not like taking a shower? — no. shower. rain shower — a rain shower is that like when it's raining — yes — and you call that a rain shower? — yes — So I — showers in the afternoon the weather forecast will forecast showers for the afternoon — oh the weather forecast calls for showers that's another way to say calls for rain, is that it? — that's correct — wow we're learning a lot here! but I think we've learned enough for one lesson because were almost at the two minute mark and the whole point is keep it short keep it sweet so that's the end of it! thanks and will catch you next time! link: https://linktr.ee/UnexpectedEnglish

1 Listener

Unexpected Sauna!

Unexpected English!

07/10/20 • 5 min

(EP 52) Unexpected English has an interview episode for you: we visit the House of Finland. Use the transcription below for help!

So, here we are at the House of Finland in beautiful Balboa Park. Uh, tell us what should we know about Finland? You should know that sauna is very, very important part of the Finnish culture. Every family has a sauna and it is very relaxing and very wonderful experience to go into the sauna, to get yourself totally hot and then jump into the water in the summertime. OK, wait a minute now, we have to explain the slowly, because this is for people learning English so... OH! Yeah, so, you said there’s, so... so saunas are very important. Could you tell us what a sauna is? Originally, sauna was the bath place for families, you know, because you didn't have running water, uh, in the house. You had a separate house where you heated the water, heated the rocks to throw some water on to get the steam kind of heat going on. OK, so it's a hot room with steam, right? Yes, it is. And it's very enjoyable! And I understand they do that even in the winter. Of course, in the winter especially! (laughter) Really, so tell me how that works in the winter. Uh, you have the wood cut, and you... you put the fire underneath the rocks that are heated for the heat in the sauna. And you have another place where you heat the water in the big, huge pot. And, uhm, in the winter time, you get yourself really warm in the sauna first... OK, how long will you be in the sauna? Uh, that depends how much you can take! And how hot it is, but for ten minutes at a time definitely, and then you do it several times. OK, ten minutes and then...? You go outside, and you roll yourself in that wonderful soft snow. OK... you roll yourself in the snow, and that I suppose feels really.... Invigorating! Oh there's the word, it feels invigorating! OK, so everybody who's listening: next time you're in Finland, make sure to go to a sauna, especially in the winter, so you can then go and run out and roll in the snow, right? Yes, that's that's what we do. Thank you! You’re welcome.

***
That's it! If you like the show, please support the podcast by telling your friends and sharing this link --> https://linktr.ee/unexpectedenglish Follow on Spotify, message me on Instagram so I know you are listening, and leave a good review on Apple Podcasts. I don't pay for promotions of have sponsors, so thank you for your support!

Shaving Cream: Music!

Unexpected English!

08/28/19 • 4 min

[EP 23] Final music episode of the summer! ----------------------------------------- And now, folks, the summer is is ended I think that the music should quit If any of you feel offended Stick your head in a barrel of shh....... ----------------------------------------- *** LYRICS*** I have a sad story to tell you It may hurt your feelings a bit Last night when I walked into my bathroom I stepped in a big pile of shh... Shaving cream, be nice and clean Shave everyday and you'll always look keen I think I'll break off with my girlfriend Her antics are queer I'll admit Each time I say, "Darling, I love you" She tells me that I'm full of shh... Shaving cream, be nice and clean Shave everyday and you'll always look keen Our baby fell out of the window You'd think that her head would be split But good luck was with her that morning She fell in a barrel of shh... Shaving cream, be nice and clean Shave everyday and you'll always look keen An old lady died in a bathtub She died from a terrible fit In order to fulfill her wishes She was buried in six feet of shh... Shaving cream, be nice and clean Shave everyday and you'll always look keen When I was in France with the army One day I looked into my kit I thought I would find me a sandwich But the darn thing was loaded with shh... Shaving cream, be nice and clean Shave everyday and you'll always look keen And now, folks, my story is ended I think it is time I should quit If any of you feel offended Stick your head in a barrel of shh.. SHAVING CREAM! Instagram: @UnexpectedEnglish

Unexpected Beer!

Unexpected English!

10/22/19 • 5 min

(EP 32) We visit a local brewery! We taste the beer! What can be better? San Diego is Beer Heaven! If you like the show, please support my efforts by telling your friends and sharing this link --> https://linktr.ee/unexpectedenglish Thank you! [Transcription below]

So here we are at a local microbrewery called Ketch Brewing and I thought I would find out what's going on here. What's up with Ketch brewing? We basically are owned by a larger restaurant. We brew all the beer that served at those restaurants as well.... Hold up, hold up. So you make the beer for the restaurants? Correct, we make beer for several other restaurants in the city and we also get to experiment and put beer on sale here that you can't get other places. OK, and how many different varieties of beer do we have available right now? Available right now we have seven on tap. Usually we will have more than that, but right now this is basically split into lighter beers and darker beers and IPAs. OK, so speaking of the styles of beer, uhh, what have we got going right now? Right now we have a Kolsch. A Kolsch is a light beer it's very flavorful it's good for summertime, good for the heat over the summer, this is been a really hot summer and that's the type of beer that's very refreshing is very good to drink when you're outside with friends and summertime. Aha.. Kolsch sounds good. OK, what’s next? What's next? Up there we have a pilsner. A pilsner is another light German style beer. Pilsners are going to be very clear and very crisp; ours is no different. It is very true style is very well-brewed and it’s done with all German ingredients. OK, and then I see we've got a lager. Correct. What’s the difference between a lager and a pilsner? The real difference between lager and pilsner is lager versus ale. So lager has to do with bottom up fermentation versus top down fermentation. Ah that sounds a little technical to me .. and would I be able to taste.. I guess I should taste the difference, huh? You absolutely can taste the difference. Oh oh oh oh! OK, I think I'm gonna put that to the test and I’m gonna have to taste both of them. We’ll do that in a minute, Then I see we have two IPAs and IPAs are basically.... IPA stands for India pale ale. And an India pale ale is known for being bitter and full of flavor. People like to drink IPAs. quite frankly. because they're fun to drink. You get a lot of flavors from them and they're very strong. Very strong smelling, very strong tasting, they’re delicious overall, ours is especially fruity, so lots of pineapple, citrus, blueberry notes from our IPAs. OK, so, it seems like you guys specialize in lighter beers. I don't see any, any uhh stouts, or any... Well I wouldn’t speak so fast because we are working on a stout currently and that will come out in the winter time. I'm not sure exactly what month, maybe November or December time frame. OK, so we’ve got a stout to look forward to! All right, well thanks for your help I think we're going to just stop the podcast now so I can taste some beer! Sound good, cheers!
----
Follow @UnexpectedEnglish on Instagram! Tell your friends! Leave a 5 star review on Apple podcasts. Send me money! Or at least a hello!

Show more best episodes

FAQ

How many episodes does Unexpected English! have?

Unexpected English! currently has 91 episodes available.

What topics does Unexpected English! cover?

The podcast is about Language Learning, Podcasts and Education.

What is the most popular episode on Unexpected English!?

The episode title 'Hot Dogs at Barrio Dog in San Diego! [American English Listening]' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on Unexpected English!?

The average episode length on Unexpected English! is 5 minutes.

How often are episodes of Unexpected English! released?

Episodes of Unexpected English! are typically released every 11 days, 15 hours.

When was the first episode of Unexpected English!?

The first episode of Unexpected English! was released on May 23, 2019.

Show more FAQ

Unexpected English!

Louis

Top 10 Unexpected English! Episodes

FAQ

How many episodes does Unexpected English! have?

What topics does Unexpected English! cover?

What is the most popular episode on Unexpected English!?

What is the average episode length on Unexpected English!?

How often are episodes of Unexpected English! released?

When was the first episode of Unexpected English!?

Comments