Episodes
ANZAC Day is the most solemn and one of the most special days in the Australian and New Zealand calendar. And that's why I bring you this special episode. Our guest this week is carrying on the tradition of the ANZACs. But it's not someone you'd expect. I met Ronnie whilst playing cricket in Darwin. His brother, Rocky, is a gun cricketer, and asked if he could bring his brother down to play as well. And so, the story of how a group of cricketers became mates with a pair of Bangladeshis...
Published 04/24/24
Published 04/24/24
I came across this week's guest because she could do a grouse Australian accent. Which was unusual because it's not often a seppo can actually do an Australian accent correctly. After finding out a bit more about Paula, I realised why she had this talent - she is an accent coach for actors and voice actors in video games and animations, specialising in training US based actors in these roles. She is also a polyglot, which gives us lots of material to talk about when it comes to language...
Published 04/15/24
After a long day of work, or if you are just feeling lazy, and you can't be f*d cooking dinner, you may head down to the shops to pick up one of these - a bachelor's handbag. The bachelor's handbag is a very recent addition to Australian slang, and was one of the most popular contenders for Australian word of the year in 2022. For a while I had noticed that our guest Emilia Terzon, was an afficionado and connoisseur of the bachy handbag. So I invited her on to the show to talk about her...
Published 03/25/24
One of the most common jobs people first get when they come to Australia is as a cleaner - or a job that involves cleaning. You may be asked to make things look schmick. In this episode, we talk with Sophia, who began her career as a cleaner when she came to Australia - and has now gone onto bigger and better things. We talk about expressions related to all things dirty and clean, and of course, schmick. If you are looking for work tips, vocabulary to help you in your job, or some help if...
Published 03/11/24
Welcome back to the Australians Teach English Podcast for 2024. We're feeling a little bit cocky, which is funny, because that's the name of this episode. You might have noticed that the mascot is a white bird - he's actually a cockie or cocky. So, I thought it was about time to do an episode on cockies. And who better to talk about cockies than the true cockie lady herself, Suzy from @thealmondcafe ? Over the years, Suzy's balcony has become the second home to a flock of cockies, and we...
Published 02/19/24
On this week's episode, we talk to a top sheila. Actually, she plays the role of many sheilas. You might know her as "themommyroves" on social media. Rovie is making a name for herself, publishing funny videos about her life in Australia, funny slang and situations that might sound strange for new immigrants to Australia. We talk to her about why she started doing these videos, what she has learned whilst doing them and what you can take away from her experiences. We talk about different...
Published 10/30/23
In most episodes, we have a bit of a chinwag. But in this episode, it is the guest's specialty. Michellle is a proud first generation latina who excels at organising events for, and promoting the latin community. In this episode, we have a chinwag about her experiences growing up in Australia as first gen, and the challenges she has faced as being from "neither here nor there". We also look at a process, or grammar rule, called ablaut reduplication, of which chinwag is an example, as are...
Published 10/16/23
I met Liah whilst spilling my guts in meme form about my life as a paraplegic. At the time, she was an intern on a spinal ward, and wanted to know what the experience was like, in order to gain a better perspective. Since then we have become good friends and the idea for this episode started. Liah has been able to spill her guts, and does so in this episode, about her life growing up in Australia as the daughter of a vietnamese "boat person". This episode is about those struggles and the...
Published 10/02/23
The Australian "no" is one of the first words that people notice as sounding different in Australian English. Demonstrating the Australian accent and the way we say, "no" has gone viral several times on social media. So, I decided to get the authority on Australian accents and voice coaching for the Australian accent, Amy Hume. Amy Hume works with performers, actors and others to improve the use of their voice and develop a range of pronunciation. This includes developing awareness of...
Published 09/18/23
The story of Harold Holt is one of the weirdest pieces of Australian history. He was Prime Minister of Australia at the time he went missing in the ocean, creating a crisis in Australian politics. To talk about this weird history are the team from Weird Crap in Australia Podcast, Holly and Matthew Soal. We talk about the history of Harold Holt, and how through rhyming slang, he has become enshrined in Australian English. We talk more broadly about rhyming slang in Australia and how we use...
Published 09/04/23
Camila Inostrozo, better known as CamienAustralia, is an exceptionally funny, intelligent and vibrant young lady. She's extremely good value. She has a knack for being able to explain complex and difficult concepts about living in Australia, in an honest, simple and clear way to the Latin community in Australia. As such, she has developed a loyal following on social media. Whereas others share endless photos of the glamorous lifestyle in Australia - white sandy beaches and famous landmarks...
Published 08/21/23
In this episode, we talk to Daniela Castro about her life as a journo. Starting her career in Venezuela as a journalist was fraught with danger - as it often is in many parts of the world. She then began to look for options to pursue her career and other life options. It was almost by chance that she came to Australia and was able to apply for a protection visa - and despite her reluctance, became a refugee in Australia. Daniela explains how using her philosophy as a journo has helped her...
Published 08/06/23
The expression, "Kangaroo Court", sounds like it should be an Australian expression. But is it? We put it on trial to investigate the origins of this expression. And who better to do this with, than Kevin Stroud, host of The History of English Podcast - mandatory listening for anyone interested in knowing the origins of the English language. A former attorney, now linguistics and history enthusiast, his journey and English learning approach is a fascinating one. We look at the reasons why...
Published 07/23/23
The Top End is a popular destination for everyone at this time of year. And with the demand for workers, it also attracts a lot of Working Holiday visa holders. But those looking to move to the top end at this time of year, are often disappointed to find that they can't find employment. One person who has done things right is my guest Maria. As soon as she arrived in Australia, Maria was prepared to live and work in remote and regional areas of Australia. She has identified where she wants...
Published 07/09/23
In this episode, we talk to one of my mate's girlfriends (or fiance) who is now preggers, or up the duff. In Australian English there are some not so nice ways of saying pregnant. But, luckily Emilia is a good sport and friend. So, we can talk about these themes. Speaking of which, it's an opportune time to talk about false friends as well. And funnily enough, being pregnant seems to be false friend in various languages. We talk about some other examples of false friends and how to...
Published 06/25/23
This episode is all about Australian food, and in particular, breakfast foods. And what better person to talk about this subject than a masterchef? In this episode we talk to Keyma Vasquez, who managed to reach the very final stages of Masterchef in 2022. Apart from that, her personal journey and her journey with food is fascinating in itself. We discuss how her experience in the Masterchef kitchen was like learning a language, and how being a contestant on Masterchef was a lot like moving...
Published 06/12/23
It's the 100th episode of the Australians Teach English podcast, and what better way to celebrate than with a shower beer? In this episode, we are joined by Abraham and Flo from Cachai Australia to help celebrate this milestone. We talk about how cultural oddities like drinking beer in the shower can help us to understand a culture and to integrate oneself. We discuss how the philosophy behind their podcast is similar to this one and why it is important to take on cultural components and...
Published 05/29/23
For access to all exclusive content, and to have input on the creative process go to: patreon.com/AustraliansTeachEnglish Taking the piss is a national Australian pastime. It speaks to the natural informality of Australian English. We do it to ourselves, and anyone with or displaying any authority, This has both advantages and disadvantages for learners of Australian English, and Australians looking to learn other languages. In this episode, we talk to Reka, a resident of Japan and...
Published 05/16/23
This week we're launching our Patreon. So why don't you go and have a stickybeak over there? You'll find ad free and exclusive content and have a say in what you want from the show. We want you to be a stickybeak when it comes to us. Find our Patreon here: patreon.com/AustraliansTeachEnglish Or, you can access transcripts for our shows, here: https://australiansteachenglish.com/subscription-plan/ In this episode, we talk about this classic Australian expression - to be overly...
Published 03/13/23
In this episode, we talk to Reka, an Australian teacher in Japan who is a chip off the old block. She is the daughter of Hungarian parents and is now a world traveller in her own right - a real chip off the old block. In her journeys, she recalls relearning her heritage language, a generation out of step and the challenges that it brought. She shares her experiences learning a new character language and tips and tricks for doing so. We also talk about visualisation and how this can help...
Published 03/06/23
G'day youse guys out there in listener land. English is an unusual language in many ways. And one of those features is the fact that English doesn't use a second person plural in its formal language. That means there is no plural for "you". However, Australians have found an ingenious solution to this in informal settings and spoken language, hence the word for this week - youse. Youse is an informal pronoun and we talk about pronouns in general and controversies related to this topic...
Published 02/27/23
Have you considered, or are you considering migrating to Australia? Are you looking for residence or Australian citizenship? Perhaps you want to become a dinky di aussie. Then this episode is for you. I get a lot of requests about the best way to go about pursuing residency and citizenship in Australia, but I can't offer any advice apart from very generic advice. So, I thought it would be beneficial to talk to a dinky di aussie who does know what they are talking about. We talk to Nicolas...
Published 02/20/23
In this episode we explain a classic Australian expression about being thirsty. For much of my time in hospital I was not allowed to drink and unable to talk, so how was it that we can still communicate with fundamental components of language missing? We discuss plosives and how they are made, and why they can pose some challenges. We explore why non-verbal communication is so important and how we might actually use this in our daily lives without realising. And of course, we speak about...
Published 02/13/23
Legends can be animals, fictional characters, famous people, or even your friends. Join us this week in the Australians Teach English podcast and explore with us some urban legends and more! In this episode we talk to Katherine and Irma, from Colombia and Mexico about some of the stereotypes and misconceptions that can arise from this. We compare it to the stories of Australia, and how reality can differ from legend. Katherine and Irma have projects that relate to story telling based on...
Published 02/06/23