Boxcar English
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Description
Boxcar English is a podcast for English learners.
It's one of the best and most pleasant ways to learn English.
A warm voice with a limited vocabulary range speaks slowly enough for you to understand. The series are designed for different levels of English learners. The podcast focuses on stories that are interesting, funny, sometimes beautiful, sometimes strange, so the listener engages with the meaning, rather than the surface level of the language. The "For beginners" podcast focus on basic phrases and vocabulary.
The philosophy of the podcast is to provide the good, positive energy needed for learning a new language, with much of the content for free or low cost, and for all of it to be made by a human, and not impersonal AI-based creation. It's based on the language-learning theory of "Comprehensible and Compelling input," which says that you should listen and read to a lot of materials that are 1) Easy to understand (you know 95% of the vocabulary), and 2) Interesting to listen to.
Boxcar English is designed to be fun, welcoming, & refreshing to different levels of learners.
At Boxcar English, there's always room for you!
It's one of the best and most pleasant ways to learn English.
A warm voice with a limited vocabulary range speaks slowly enough for you to understand. The series are designed for different levels of English learners. The podcast focuses on stories that are interesting, funny, sometimes beautiful, sometimes strange, so the listener engages with the meaning, rather than the surface level of the language. The "For beginners" podcast focus on basic phrases and vocabulary.
The philosophy of the podcast is to provide the good, positive energy needed for learning a new language, with much of the content for free or low cost, and for all of it to be made by a human, and not impersonal AI-based creation. It's based on the language-learning theory of "Comprehensible and Compelling input," which says that you should listen and read to a lot of materials that are 1) Easy to understand (you know 95% of the vocabulary), and 2) Interesting to listen to.
Boxcar English is designed to be fun, welcoming, & refreshing to different levels of learners.
At Boxcar English, there's always room for you!
44 Episodes
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I was feeling tired, so I slept longer than usual. I had a strange dream. Then I had to pee. Then I realized that I was sick… When I’m sick, I really miss being healthy. When I’m healthy, I don’t appreciate it enough. Please support the podcast at patreon.com/boxcarenglishpodcast Check out our website at boxcarenglish.com Karl also makes music. Check out bigkitty.bandcamp.com…
Here is the story of my Thanksgiving — for you. This year, I spent Thanksgiving with my grandmother at her retirement home. It was a funny, sweet, everyday type of moment. It was so beautiful. Please support the podcast at patreon.com/boxcarenglishpodcast. You can ask me, Karl, all the questions you want there, in the chat. And you get all the transcripts — and in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I’m going to post this one on my website. Then you can read along as you listen. It’s such a helpful way to learn a language. Click here to read the transcript […]
On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, school ends at 12 noon, and that gives an interesting feeling to the day. On this day, I felt like I did when I was a kid, and as I was cleaning up, I found a green magic marker. It made me really want to draw with markers like that… I’ll let you find out the rest by listening along… If it helps you to read along to the words, you can do that. I make a transcript for every episode and you can get those by supporting the podcast on Patreon for as little […]
Have you ever gotten a surprise call? I got one when I was at work telling me my Grandmother was in the hospital. I had to ask my boss to leave work to see her. She understood, and let me go. This is the story of what happened that day. It was almost like a dream, but there I was, in reality. Please visit boxcarenglish.com for more podcasts and lessons, and support the podcast at patreon.com/boxcarenglishpodcast for more human-centered, AI-free, gentle, supportive, and effective English-learning entertainment! Write to me at karl@boxcarenglish.com – I’d love to read some of your letters […]
There’s an election, and the voting happened at the school where I work. This is about how I went to vote and what happened that day and the day after. Please check out our page at patreon.com/boxcarenglishpodcast And do leave us a review on the podcasting service you use. Send me an email at karl@boxcarenglish.com
I found some sunglasses on a sunny day… and they made me think. Go to Patreon.com/boxcarenglishpodcast to support us. And Boxcarenglish.com for more!
The final installment of grandpa’s visit to Haytown. An ending, but a new beginning as well. Thanks for listening! Let me know how your English is coming. Check out the website for more: boxcarenglish.com Join our Patreon to chat with me and get transcripts: patreon.com/boxcarenglishpodcast
The weekend is here! I take my Grandpa to a Chinese restaurant to celebrate. Visit boxcarenglish.com for more podcasts and lessons Support the podcast at patreon.com/boxcarenglishpodcast
1This story is about my Grandpa visiting my house. My grandpa has a lot of dogs and cats, and he brought them all to my house — including a tiny kitten! Sometimes English learners get confused by the words “fun” and “funny.” This episode can help you out. Read this: “I noticed that Shelby was acting funny. That’s my dog. Shelby is her name. She was acting funny. I mean, she wasn’t acting normally.” This type of language is easiest to learn through stories like the ones you hear in Boxcar English. I hope it’s useful to you! Please find […]
A drive in the country. Let’s take a look at three of the natural, American-style phrasings used in this episode: 1–“It sounded like they hadn’t had a chance to speak in a long time” You can say “it sounds like” in the same way as “it looks like” or “it appears”! “to have a chance” – to have an opportunity “to speak” in this case means the birds haven’t had a chance to speak to each other! 2. “We drove off” — we drove off? That means we started driving, and sounds like the drive will go a long way! […]
I could not find my username. I could not find my password. And, I admit it, I cried. Support the podcast at patreon.com/boxcarenglishpodcast and get some bonus stuff! Find more and take lessons with me at boxcarenglish.com
This episode is about how our lives are full of magic. I saw a star in the hole in the clouds, and it seemed to want to say: “Hey Karl, don’t forget that your life is full of magic.” I want to hear from you: what’s an experience you’ve had of the magic of life? Join me at Patreon.com/boxcarenglishpodcast, and help build a community of people who want to improve their English in a human, creative, community-forward way. You can see more at boxcarenglish.com.
I had a dream about eating some very delicious blue fruit. It was so inspiring. I felt good all day. And I took my dog on a walk in the woods. We saw a dead deer. That’s the type of story you get on Boxcar English, ones that show thinking and feeling in the English language. No AI is used in the creation of this podcast — it’s a human production! Visit boxcarenglish.com to learn how to take lessons with me. Support the podcast at patreon.com/boxcarenglishpodcast
Karl talks to a friend about prisons. And something unexpected happens. Who is responsible? No one knows. This episode includes some adult themes, so be aware of that if you feel any sensitivity to those things. Take lessons with me at boxcarenglish.com. And support the podcast at patreon.com/boxcarenglishpodcast. Thanks for listening!
It’s no fun to have car problems. Karl wants to leave work, but his car won’t start. It’s cold outside, and there’s nobody around to help. Then, a possum comes through the parking lot… Go to boxcarenglish.com for more episodes and lessons. Support the podcast at patreon.com/boxcarenglishpodcast
If you haven’t listened to Grocery Store (Part 1) I recommend you do before listening to this episode! More essential vocabulary-in-use in this video! Do you know a lot of words but have trouble putting them together so they sound natural? That’s exactly what this podcast is meant to help with. I mean, every episode of it, not just “Grocery Store (Part 2)!” If you want lessons to help you use these podcasts to the best of your ability, go to boxcarenglish.com and click on “LESSONS!” If you want the transcripts — for as little as the price of a […]
Karl skips lunch and is very hungry after work. But, having no food, he has to go to the grocery store! What do you think he will cook? Visit boxcarenglish.com for more podcasts and to take lessons with the creator of this podcast!
It’s finally warm enough for Karl to go out wearing only a T-shirt. He takes Shelby out to the park where he sees some kids playing baseball. And he remembers what he felt like as a kid, and how it’s different than he feels now, in a good way. Visit boxcarenglish.com to listen to more podcasts. Support the podcast at patreon.com/boxcarenglishpodcasts
After a long day of hard work, it’s nice to be able to sit for a minute and relax. It really feels just right. It really — hits the spot. Take English lessons using creative writing techniques with me at BoxcarEnglish.com And support the podcast at patreon.com/boxcarenglishpodcast.
This is a dreamlike story. But it is not a dream… Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference between life and dreams. Please visit the Boxcar English website: boxcarenglish.com And support the podcast on Patreon to receive all our transcripts: patreon.com/boxcarenglishpodcast
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