This ESL podcast talks about friends loaning money to each other. 

Dialog:

A:  Hey, would you mind loaning me a couple bucks?

B:  Ya sure.  No problem.  How much do you need?

A:  50 would be great!

B:  Ok here.  So now I guess you owe me 100 right?

A:  From what?

B:  I spotted you 50 bucks a couple weeks ago.  Remember?  You needed it to chip in for your share of the rent.

A:  I remember that but I figured we were even after I bought the new flat screen. 

B:  I told you I wasn’t pitching in for that.  I don’t even watch TV. 

A:  Well, what do you call what you were doing last night?

B:  What are you talking about?

A:  Was it just me, or did I see you curled up on the couch last night watching some stupid chick flick on HBO?

B:  I think it was just you.  (ha ha)

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This ESL podcast is the second part of the dialog about getting tickets to the tennis match in Shanghai.

Dialog:

A: How did it go last night?

B: It was an emotional roller coaster. At first we were excited to go because we thought we’d get in no problem. Then when we got there we found out the tickets were selling for a lot more than we’d planned, which almost made us leave. We finally made a deal with someone to get cheap seats, but after waiting around and freezing our butts off for 25 minutes, that deal fell through for some stupid reason that I still haven’t figured out.

A: So did you guys end up leaving?

B: We were going to. After the deal fell through we started walking back to the car and heard a voice shout out, “Who wants free box seats?” We were obviously skeptical of that so we just kept walking. All of a sudden, a guy ran up to us, handed us the tickets, and said, “Go enjoy the game guys, my girlfriend got food poisoning all of a sudden and I need to take her to the hospital”. Before we even had a chance to thank him, he was gone. His tickets were amazing too. Box seats!

B: That’s unbelievable!

A: I know, the only annoying thing was that the match ended up being really short. Federer absolutely smoked Roddick in straight sets.

B: That’s still awesome though!

A: I know, it was quite the night.

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This ESL podcast is about a guy who is refusing to go to a concert because he is still upset with his friend for something he did in the past.

Dialog:

A:  Great news!  U2 is coming to town in a couple months.  Tickets go on sale next week.   I say we all pony up and get some good seats.

B:  I’m not much of a concert guy so I really can’t see myself “ponying up”.

A:  What do you mean, “you’re not a concert guy”.  That’s a pretty lame excuse.

B:  To each his own I guess.  I can’t remember you ponying up when we all went to watch the NBA game last year.

A:  You’re not still bitter about that are you?  I wanted to go but I was sick.

B:  You had a sore throat and a little sniffle. 

A:  Wow.  You are still bitter.  I can’t believe you are still holding a holding a grudge.  Ok.  How about this?  I’ll pay for the concert tickets this time if you promise never to mention the NBA thing again. 

B:  Deal.

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This ESL podcast is about a bet between two friends.  One guy quit smoking.  Can he keep off his cigarettes?

Dialog:

A:  What are you doing with that cigarette?  I thought you quit cold turkey.

B:  I did quit.  I just have the odd one when I’m out drinking with my friends.  I never buy them anymore.

A:  How long have you been doing this?

B:  I didn’t have any at all for 2 months.  This past week I started smoking just on weekends when I’m out.  It’s no big deal. 

A:  I don’t buy it at all.  You know how addictive smoking is.  It’s easier to have none at all then it is to try to limit yourself to a few.  It’s a really slippery slope.

B:  You sound like my mother.  Let’s make a bet.  I bet you 200 bucks that I don’t have a cigarette outside of a bar for the next six months.

 A:  You’re on. But, how will I know whether or not you are cheating.

B:  We’ll have to use the honor system.

A:  Fine.  This is a real bet then.  200 bucks.  6 months.  No cheating and no backing out.

B:  No problem.  This is going to be the easiest 200 bucks I’ve ever made. 

A:  Hey, I hope you win. 

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This ESL podcast is about a hilarious cartoon called "The Simpsons".

Dialog:

The Simpsons is a revolutionary animated sitcom, which has won several awards and become a major part of mainstream television in North America.  It is intended to portray the typical working class American family.  The show exaggerates and jokes about many of the stereotypes in America, which often offends people.  Marge, the stereotypical housewife and mother, is married to her overweight husband Homer who works as an inspector for a nuclear power plant.  He hates his job but only does so to support his wife and three kids.  He’s always looking for shortcuts to get ahead in life and is gullible enough to get involved with get-rich-quick schemes.  Homer and his son Bart, a mischievous kid, have drawn criticism for being poor role models.  Several parents have decided to not allow their children to watch the show.  Despite that, millions of people love The Simpsons and tune in every week.

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This ESL podcast is about a guy who is really excited to find out that a supermodel wants to contact him.  Is he going overboard?  Does he have a chance?

Dialog:

A: You’ll never guess who added me on Facebook.

B: Who?

A: Megan Smith. 

B: As in the multi-millionaire super model?

A: Yup.

B: How do you know her?

A: She used to live 3 doors down from us when we were kids.  She left home to model when she was 14 and has been on the road ever since.  I’m surprised she still remembers. 

B: If that’s the case its not that surprising she remembers.  I’m sure she’s just trying to connect with everyone from her past.  A lot of people do that.

 A: I’m the only one I know of who she’s added.  Anyway, she’s coming back for our 10-year high school reunion.  I know she’s single too.  I’m thinking of making a move.

B:  I can’t believe my ears.  You’re just going to end up making a fool of yourself.  She could get anyone she wants.  Besides, you don’t want to get mixed up with a celebrity.  I’m sure all the fame has gone to her head and she would be a nightmare to deal with. 

A:  Whatever man.  I saw her on Letterman.  She seemed really cool.  She even said that she’s looking for a “normal” guy.  She’s had bad luck dating movie stars and just wants to settle down with someone out of the limelight. 

 B:  You’re unbelievable.  You haven’t seen her in over 10 years and you’re imagining settling down with her.

 A:  I’m just saying I’m looking forward to the reunion that’s all. 

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This ESL podcast is about a wedding that might not happen.  What went wrong?

Dialog:

A:  I’m hoping the wedding will be fun on Saturday. 

B:  The wedding is a no-go.  Shirley apparently called the whole thing off last night.

A:  What happened?

B:  No one really knows.  Her decision seemed to come right out of the blue.  Scott thinks she might just be having cold feet.

A:  I hope her girlfriends will be able to talk her out of this.   I just forked out a lot of dough for my tux.  I wouldn’t mind meeting an available bride’s maid either.

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This ESL podcast is another podcast about losing weight.  Here we discuss which kinds of foods to avoid and how to lose weight in a healthy way.

Dialog:

There are several different strategies and methods to lose weight, but here are some of the most common ideas.  It’s important to control your total caloric intake.  Calories are the energy found in food and this energy will be stored as fat if the body doesn’t use them up.  You should try to keep the amount of saturated fats to a minimum and also not eat so many simple carbohydrates.  You should exercise regularly and do both strength training exercises as well as cardio-vascular exercise.  A Big Mac at Macdonald’s has 492 calories and would take you almost an hour of moderate bike riding to burn that.  If you have a daily caloric deficit of 500 calories, it would take you about 13 days to lose a kilogram of body fat.

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This ESL podcast is part 2 of the podcast series of describing people.  There are a lot of useful adjectives in this one as well as some funny stories about us.

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This ESL podcast is about what to look for when buying a new computer.  As always, there is a lot of very useful vocab which can be used in daily life.

Dialog:

A:  What’s going on? 

B:  I’ve had it with my old computer.  It’s a total piece of junk.  I’m getting a new one.

A:  Are you getting a Mac or staying with the PC?

B:  I know a lot of people swear by the Mac, but I’m so used to a PC that I think I’ll just stick with it. 

A:  I like the Mac because it crashes a lot less and has a lot less viruses. 

B:  I don’t blame you.  I can definitely see how it would be better.  I just can’t be bothered to learn how to use one.  I also know there’s less software for the Mac.

A:  I hear you.  What specs are you getting?

B:  I want a huge hard drive for all my downloads.  I need to get a big monitor to watch movies on.

A:  What about RAM and processor?

B:  My needs aren’t too great for those.  I don’t use too many applications simultaneously.  I pretty much just do word processing and surf the net.

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This ESL podcast is about two friends making plans on the telephone.  A lot of great slang in this one.

Dialog:

A:  AB, what’s going on?

B:  Not much, just taking it easy today.  Work’s been killing me lately.

A:  What do you say we head downtown and grab a coffee at the Starbucks near plaza 66.

B:  I’ve had way too much caffeine lately.  I wouldn’t mind grabbing something to eat though.  Would you be up for that?

A:  It’s a nice day today, so we could get something at Element Fresh near the Portman.  They’ve got a patio so we could sit outside. 

B:  Sure, do you want to workout after?

A:  I’ve already gone.  Wasn’t great though.  6 out of 10 at best.

B:  Just come with and do some cardio.  I think you could afford to shed a few more pounds. 

A:  We’ll see.  Let’s meet at Element at 2.

B:  K, later.

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This ESL podcast is about a guy wanting to cancel his plans for a birthday party but feels he can't because a girl put a guilt trip on him.  Lot's of good stuff here.

Dialog:

A:  So are you almost ready to go?

B:  You’re not going to believe this but I’m not going to be able to make it.  I just remembered that I have to go to Jill’s birthday.  It’s her 30th so it’s a bit of a milestone for her.  I promised her a month ago.  I can’t back out now.

A:  Well you seem to have no problem backing out of our plans.

B:  I know.  Sorry about that.  It was really careless on my part.  I’d obviously rather hang out with you but I know I’ll never hear the end of it from Jill if I miss her B-day.

A:  She’s not even a close friend of yours.  What’s the big deal?

B:  You don’t know Jill.  She’s weird about these things.  She told me that she’d be really upset if I didn’t make it.

A:  So you’re going to let her put a guilt trip on you?  I don’t remember her at your birthday.  You are one sorry man you know that?

B:  So how do you suggest getting out of it?

A:  Make some excuse.

B:  Lie to her?

A:  A white lie.  Just do it to spare her feelings.

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This ESL podcast is a post job interview conversation.  Another great episode from China232.com.  Listen up.

Dialog:

Add:  How’d the interview go today?

And:  Great! I think I got the job.

Add:  What kind of job is it?

And:  It’s selling life insurance.  They said the top guys earn over a quarter million dollars per year in commission.

Add:  Ya, that’s how they hook you.  Did they happen to mention the industry average?  Also, how are you supposed to find business?

And:  They have a list of people and you are supposed to phone them.

Add:  Oh, cold calling?  That’s horrible.  I did that before.  It’s really easy to get discouraged.  I couldn’t handle all the rejections.  You are always interrupting people while they are at work and stuff.  They often get angry and it’s just a really difficult way to do business.

And:  I spoke with a few guys who did it and they said it was tough at first, but later on you get a lot of business from referrals so you don’t have to rely on cold calling.

Add: that’s not too bad I guess.  Do they pay you a salary as well?

And:  They do for the first 6 months and then after that its all commission based.  I’m going to try it out.  I’ve got a feeling I can be pretty persuasive.

Add:  It’s a lot harder than you think, but good luck, I don’t want to discourage you.  I’m sure it will be a good experience at the very least.

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www.china232.com  esl podcast 16 - In this conversation we hear a casual phone conversation between two people.  Learn to speak like native speakers in a casual and relaxed way while learning helpful vocabulary

Dialog:

Otis:  Hello,

Andy:  Hey what’s up?

Otis:  Not much.  I’m in the office right now but I’ve got a few minutes to kill before my boss gets back.

Andy:  Cool.  What are you up to this weekend?

Otis:  Not sure yet.  I’ve got no plans as of now but I’m definitely up for something.

Andy:  How about a round of golf Saturday afternoon and then we’ll hit the town later.

Otis:  Sounds perfect.  Oh no, that’s right, I think I have some kind of boring work function I have to go to. 

Andy:  That sucks, is there any way you can get out of it?

Otis:  I’ll try to think of something. 

Andy:  You better.  It’s going to be a great afternoon.

Otis:  I’ll see what I can do.  I’ll keep you posted.

Andy:  Alright.  Make sure you get back to me by Thursday.

Otis.  Will do.

Andy:  Ok.  Later

Otis:  Later

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This ESL podcast from china232.com is about going on holidays.  Find out some useful vocabulary and get ready to pack your bags while learning english!

Dialog:

I just booked my trip to Thailand on an online travel website and printed out my e-ticket.  I had made a decision to go there on a spur of the moment decision because my schedule had recently opened up. I had gotten in a little bit of a rut so decided a little spontaneity in my life couldn’t hurt.  Also, I was growing very weary of the cold weather and thought it would be nice to hit the beach.  I was really excited to be in the water and feel the waves again.  Hopefully my accommodations will be good.  I booked them online as well and have only seen the pictures.  The pictures look good on the website but I’ll be pretty angry if it is some sort of a scam. Oh well I guess I’ll see when I get there.  Sometimes, if you want to be spontaneous you have to role the dice.

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This ESL podcast is about something unbelievable!

Dialog:

I went to a movie with my friends the other day.  We got there early so we could get good seats and make sure we all sat together.  Just as the movie was about to start, some tall woman with huge hair sat right in front of me.  I could barely see a thing.  She was absolutely hideous and reeked of cheap perfume.  I would have changed seats but by that time the theatre was full.  I needed to come up with a plan.  There was no way I was going to sit for two hours staring at that hair.  Luckily a friend of mine had a pair of scissors in her purse.  I knew it was risky but the perfume and the whole situation was making me lose control.  I felt I did what anyone in my situation would do.  I started cutting.  Naturally, she noticed immediately, and screamed, “What the hell are you doing?”  I was caught red-handed.  I wasn’t in much of a position to deny anything considering the fact that I had the scissors in my hand.  I said, “I know this is going to sound hard to believe but it wasn’t me”.  She was so angry and confused she just got up and left.  I was able to watch the rest of the movie in peace.  It was great!  It’s too bad she missed it.  

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