Episode 61: Listener Questions

[00:00:00] Welcome to English, please, the podcast where we explore interesting topics in under ten minutes in clear, intermediate English. I’m your host, Christopher. I live in New York City, and I’ve always been passionate about languages and how we learn them. Whether you’re listening on your way to work, or while cooking dinner at home, this show is designed to help you with your English listening and comprehension skills.

Thanks so much for being here! Before we get started, I want to say a genuine thank you to everyone who has bought the English Listening Accelerator. Your support means more to me than I can say. And to everyone here listening, thank you for that, too!

Also, a quick note: [00:01:00] if you want extra practice after you listen, you can subscribe to the free English, please newsletter at comullen.com/newsletter. Sign up and you’ll receive a free sample lesson by email, plus English practice tips and activities with each new episode.

Today, we’re doing something a little different. I have received some wonderful questions from listeners, and I want to answer three of them in this episode.

So, let’s get started!

Question one comes from a listener in Germany.

She writes, “Christopher, why do Americans smile at strangers on the street? Here in Germany, if someone smiles at you and you don’t know them, it feels strange and even suspicious. Why do Americans do this?”

This is such a great question, and I completely [00:02:00] understand the confusion. In many countries, a smile is something personal. You smile at people you know. Smiling at a stranger can feel rude, or even like you’re crossing a line.

In the United States, smiling at a stranger is usually just a small social signal. It means, “I see you. I’m friendly. I’m not a threat.” It’s not an invitation to have a conversation. It’s more like a very brief signal, a social handshake, you might say.

Part of this comes from how Americans think about public space. In the US, people tend to believe that public spaces like sidewalks, elevators, or waiting rooms should feel comfortable and pleasant. A quick smile helps create that feeling. It costs nothing, and it makes the [00:03:00] environment a little warmer.

Of course, this isn’t universal. In New York City, for example, people smile at strangers much less than they do in smaller cities or in the American South, where friendliness with strangers is a cultural tradition. So even within the US, it can vary quite a bit.

Question two comes from a listener in Russia.

He writes, “I have been studying English for many years. I understand grammar very well, but when I watch American TV shows or listen to native English speakers talk to each other, I still miss so many words and sentences. I feel very frustrated. What am I doing wrong?”

First, you’re not doing anything wrong. What you’re experiencing is one of the most common frustrations [00:04:00] for intermediate English learners, and it has a very specific cause. The English you learned in school and the English in most textbooks is written English. It’s clear, it’s structured, and it follows the rules. But spoken English is different. Native speakers connect words together, drop sounds, use short forms that you won’t find in any textbook. They speak in rhythm and patterns that take time to learn separately from grammar.

So the gap you feel is not a grammar gap. It’s a listening gap. And the good news is that this gap closes with the right kind of practice, which means listening to real, natural English and training your ear to what’s actually being said. You can do this with podcasts, with television shows, and even with music.

And this is also why I created the English Listening [00:05:00] Accelerator. It’s a workbook with audio and ten lessons, and each one focuses on a specific part of natural spoken English, the kind you hear in real conversations, not in textbooks. You can try a free sample lesson at comullen.com/listen. And the full workbook is only seven dollars. If this gap between textbook English and real English is something you feel, this was made for you.

Question three comes from a listener in Austria.

She writes, “Christopher, what is the most surprising thing about living in New York City?”

I love this question because I still think about it after all of the years I’ve lived here. The most surprising thing to me is how quiet New York can be. Everyone imagines New York as loud and overwhelming, and it can be! But there are moments, [00:06:00] especially early in the morning or very late at night, when the city becomes almost still. You walk down a side street, and there’s almost no one there. The light is soft, and for a moment, the city feels like it belongs only to you.

The other thing that surprises people, and it surprised me too, is how friendly it can feel in small ways. You have the same coffee every morning, and the person behind the counter knows your order. You nod to the same people in the elevator every day, and you see the same people on the street. New York has a reputation for being cold, but in the small routines of daily life, it can feel like a village inside a big city.

So those are our three questions for today. If you want help hearing more of that natural everyday English—the kind we talked about in the second question—the [00:07:00] English Listening Accelerator is waiting for you at comullen.com/listen.

Again, I’m Christopher, and I want to invite you to join me in future episodes of English, please to hear about a variety of topics, all focused on helping you with your English. Subscribe now wherever you listen to podcasts, and let’s continue this adventure together in clear, understandable English.

Sincere thanks, as always, for your support.

See you soon!