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Description
Learn real, advanced British English with Oliver & César.
English and Beyond is a weekly podcast for upper-intermediate to advanced English learners who want to improve fluency, listening skills, and vocabulary through natural, idiomatic English.
Each episode explores thoughtful, unconventional topics using authentic British English and a range of global accents - no textbook language.
Includes:
• Free transcript
• Quizlet flashcards for key vocabulary
Hosted by experienced teachers Oliver & César (Spanish Language Coach).
🎧 Subscribe now on your favourite podcast platform and visit www.morethanalanguage.com for transcripts and more!
75 Episodes
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Is it rude to ghost someone, or is silence sometimes the kindest answer? In this episode of English and Beyond, Oliver and César explore the modern phenomenon of ghosting - when someone suddenly stops replying in dating, friendships or even professional situations. This episode is designed for advanced English learners who want to improve their English listening skills through natural conversation. As they discuss why people ghost, whether honesty is always better, and why rejection can somet...
In this advanced English conversation, César and Oliver reflect on how birthdays change as we get older - from childhood parties and British birthday traditions to adult expectations, gifts and family gatherings. The discussion explores ageing, social pressure and cultural differences in a natural, unscripted dialogue designed for advanced learners. Improve your listening with real British English, authentic storytelling and reflective conversation. 📖 Want to improve your English even more? ...
1Does ambition make us more successful - or just more disconnected from the people around us? In this advanced English conversation, César and Oliver explore the role of ambition in modern life, from hustle culture and big-city pressure to discipline, happiness and personal relationships. Through a natural, unscripted discussion, they question whether constantly striving for more can affect how we see success, friendship and even ourselves. This episode is designed for advanced English learner...
Why does everyone have a podcast now? In this episode, we discuss the podcast boom, why most podcasts don’t last, and what podcasting says about modern culture - through natural, unscripted advanced English. Ideal for advanced English learners who want to improve listening comprehension, learn real expressions, and get used to native-level conversation without simplified language. 📖 Want to improve your English even more? Read the full transcript & vocabulary flashcards → www.morethana...
What do we really owe our families - and where do we draw the line? In this advanced-level English podcast episode, we explore family conflict, obligation, loyalty and boundaries. Using clear, natural British English, we discuss cultural differences, falling out with relatives, and when family expectations become a burden. Ideal for advanced learners who want thoughtful content and real-world vocabulary. 📖 Want to improve your English even more? Read the full transcript & vocabulary fl...
Are social networks and their new best friend, artificial intelligence, destroying our attention spans? In this episode, we examine how AI-generated content, endless scrolling, and algorithm-driven platforms are changing the way we focus, learn, and consume information online. We discuss fake influencers, their low-effort “educational” content, and why depth, effort, and long-form thinking are becoming harder - and hopefully more valuable - in the age of AI. 📖 Want to improve your English eve...
In this advanced English listening episode, we talk about the reality of moving back in with your parents as adults. You’ll hear natural, unscripted English, real opinions, and everyday vocabulary about family life, shared spaces, awkward moments, and cultural differences. Ideal for advanced learners who want real English, not textbook English. 📖 Want to improve your English even more? Read the full transcript & vocabulary flashcards → www.morethanalanguage.com Follow us on Instagram...
Why do so many resolutions quickly fail - even when we feel so motivated at the start of the year? In this episode, we reflect on failed resolutions, accountability, and the uncomfortable idea that some goals don’t stick because they were never truly our goals. From language learning to fitness and productivity, we explore how honesty matters more than discipline. 📖 Want to improve your English even more? Read the full transcript & vocabulary flashcards → www.morethanalanguage.com Fo...
At the start of the year, I had a fairly clear idea of what the next twelve months would look like...that didn’t happen. In this episode, I talk about how the year actually ended up - the practical changes, the shifts in routine, and how you can end a year in a completely different place without any single dramatic moment causing it. It’s not a recap, and it’s not a lesson. Just a look at how plans drift, circumstances change, and how that only becomes obvious when the year is already over. 📖...
Let's improve your English listening skills while discussing a very relevant topic: why do we just 'click' so much better with some people more than others? In this episode, Oliver and César talk about the strange mechanics of adult friendship: why it’s so hard to make genuine friends through work or hobbies, why life constantly interrupts the friendships we do build, and why occasionally we meet people who feel familiar from the very first conversation. 📖 Want to improve your English e...
Shameful! But maybe relatable? 😂 Why do two language teachers - people who literally teach languages for a living - end up quitting their own language learning lessons after just two months? In today’s episode, we talk honestly about motivation, classrooms, commuting, group dynamics, and why even experienced learners sometimes lose momentum. We discuss the reality of adult language learning, the temptation of digital tools, and the strange nostalgia that made us think traditional classes woul...
Why do so many celebrities follow the same tragic script - early success, impossible pressure, public decline, and a carefully managed collapse? And has anything really changed in the age of influencers, TikTok fame and constant online visibility? In today’s Advanced level episode of English and Beyond, Oliver and César explore the darker side of fame: the industry built on illusion, the toxic incentives behind talent management, and the strange role we, the audience, play in keeping the syst...
We all do it: promise too much, deliver too late, and thus fail to meet someone’s expectations. In this Advanced level conversation, Oliver and César explore disappointment, guilt, and the strange pressure to meet other people's standards. From over-promising at work to letting friends down, we reflect on why we care more about strangers’ opinions than our loved ones’, and what it really means to “lower the bar.” 📖 Want to improve your English even more? Read the full transcript & voca...
Almost half of UK marriages end in divorce - yet we often still treat it as a shameful or tragic failure. In this episode of English and Beyond, César and I explore why so many relationships end, talk a bit about our own (experiences with) marriage, whether staying married always means happiness, and why divorce might sometimes be an act of honesty rather than defeat. 📖 Want to improve your English even more? Read the full transcript & vocabulary flashcards → www.morethanalanguage.com ...
After a period where every small problem felt catastrophic, and he was encouraged to be more "mindful", Oliver asks how and why this radical idea about awareness became yet another lifestyle brand. In this conversation, he and César unpack how a practice meant to help us face discomfort ended up being sold as the cure for it. 📖 Want to improve your English even more? Read the full transcript & vocabulary flashcards → www.morethanalanguage.com Follow us on Instagram → @BritishEnglisha...
What does it really mean to be European? Shared values, a shared history… or just a shared habit of thinking our neighbours are doing everything wrong? In this episode, we are joined by Elisa from French Mornings with Elisa (https://www.frenchmornings.com/) to talk about the strange mix of rivalry and affection that unites the continent. We compare British, French and Spanish attitudes to each other, Erasmus memories, Brexit, national clichés, and even which country gets blamed when things go...
Most of us remember a teacher - and not always for positives reasons. Maybe they inspired us. Maybe they embarrassed us. Maybe they simply showed up every day and did their job without ever realising how much it mattered to us. In this episode of English and Beyond, Oliver and César reflect on the people who taught them and left a big impression. They share stories of teachers who left a mark, both good and bad, and explore how those small, unspoken moments in education can shape who we becom...
Are we becoming obsessed with optimisation? From Greek philosophy to Apple Watches, the idea of “the good life” has shifted from balance and virtue to data, tracking, and biohacking. In this episode of English and Beyond (Advanced), Oliver and César explore the culture of self-optimisation - from sleep divorces to clean eating, from supplements to billionaire blood transfusions. You’ll hear natural British English conversation on: Where “healthy living” becomes obsessive control;Why sleep tra...
They say you never forget your first love. And maybe that’s true - not because it was perfect, but because it carried an intensity that later relationships rarely match. Years later, a song, a name, or a face in a crowd can bring the memory back, fresh and overwhelming. In this episode, we talk about first crushes, awkward kisses, and secret teenage romances. Some stories are sweet, others bittersweet, but all of them remind us how powerful those early feelings can be - and how they stay with...
When AI can podcast, teach and even translate in real time, what’s left for us humans? In this episode of English and Beyond: Advanced English Podcast, Oliver and César discuss the promises and threats of Artificial Intelligence. From Apple’s new live-translation AirPods to AI-generated podcasts on YouTube, they ask hard and sometimes depressing questions about the future of education, creativity, and work! Will teachers and podcasters (and lawyers) become redundant? Could AI replace not only...
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This episode was so sweet.🥰