Culips Everyday English Podcast

How do you get from intermediate English to sounding almost like a native speaker? Jesús Florez did it, and he’s back on the show to tell Andrew how. He explains the years he spent creating his own English immersion at home and names the four shows that finally moved him up to an advanced level. Listen in to hear his story and his advice for taking your own English to the next level.

Free Resources and Links

The interactive transcript, study guide, and quizzes for this episode are free for everyone. No membership needed.

Become a Culips member to get study materials for every episode, live speaking classes, ad-free audio, member-only perks, and more. Click here to join.

Join our Discord community to connect with other learners and get more English practice. Click here to join.

Jesús’s YouTube channel

Jesús’s Instagram

Keep an ear out for these phrases during the episode:

A long time in the making

To shift gears

Give or take

To lend itself to (something)

A cut above (the rest)

It bears repeating

Have you ever gotten a second chance at something you thought you would only get to do once? In this bonus episode, Andrew talks about the first Culips meetup in Seoul and then tells the story of trying to see one of his favorite bands play a second time. Listen along to learn some vocabulary that will help make your English more natural and improve your listening fluency.

The Study Materials for This Episode Are Free:

The interactive transcript, study guide, and quiz for this episode are free for everyone. No membership needed.

Become a Culips member to get study materials for every episode, live speaking classes, ad-free audio, member-only perks, and more.

Join our Discord community to connect with other learners and get more English practice.

Expressions

A turnout

To talk into the void

To be taken aback

A high-water mark

Now or never

Once-in-a-lifetime

To shell out

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade

Someone’s mind is made up

To go through

Have you ever looked up from your phone and realized that an hour just disappeared? In this Catch Word lesson, Andrew and Indiana teach you how to tell someone to “touch grass” and how to describe a person as “terminally online” or “chronically online.” They explain the difference in tone between these expressions, why “touch grass” can sound like a real insult, and when each one is appropriate to use.

The Best Way to Learn with This Episode:

Culips members get an interactive transcript, a helpful study guide, and ad-free audio for this episode.

Take your English to the next level by becoming a Culips member. Become a Culips member now: Click here

Members can access the ad-free version: Click here.

Join our Discord community to connect with other learners and get more English practice. Click here to join.

Keep an ear out for these phrases during the episode:

To touch grass

Terminally online / Chronically online

To be cooped up

To be wrapped up in something

A break with reality

To get the last word

Have you ever traveled to a city far from home and felt like you had already been there? The same coffee shops, the same clothing stores, even the same songs playing inside the cafes. In this Chatterbox episode, Andrew and Anna talk about hyperblanding, the idea that fashion, music, food, and design all over the world are slowly becoming the same. The word comes from a 2026 trend report, and you can read more about it here.

Listen to the full conversation to learn what hyperblanding is, decide if you agree with the idea, and build your English fluency at the same time.

The Best Way to Learn with This Episode:

Culips members get an interactive transcript, a helpful study guide, and ad-free audio for this episode.

Take your English to the next level by becoming a Culips member. Become a Culips member now: Click here

Members can access the ad-free version: Click here.

Join our Discord community to connect with other learners and get more English practice. Click here to join.

Keep an ear out for these phrases during the episode:

A myriad of

To get under someone’s skin

To regurgitate

Been there, done that

To ride the wave

Variety is the spice of life

What does a name really say about a person? In this episode, Andrew and Indiana talk about baby names and the stories behind them. They chat about how naming has changed in North America since the 1950s. You’ll also hear about old-fashioned virtue names, why so many parents today want something different, and the existence of “middle names” in the U.S. and Canada.

Culips Meetup in Seoul!

If you are in Korea, come and meet us in person at the Culips Meetup in Seoul on July 19, from 2 to 4 PM. RSVP here.

To build your fluency, try listening to the episode more than once and saying the new expressions out loud until you feel comfortable using them yourself.

The Best Way to Learn with This Episode:

Culips members get an interactive transcript, a helpful study guide, and ad-free audio for this episode.

Take your English to the next level by becoming a Culips member. Become a Culips member now: Click here

Members can access the ad-free version: Click here.

Join our Discord community to connect with other learners and get more English practice. Click here to join.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Popular baby name data (U.S. Social Security Administration)

List of Korean surnames (Wikipedia)

Keep an ear out for these phrases during the episode:

At opposite ends of the spectrum

A hat tip to (something)

A copycat

Claim to fame

To fit in

To stand out