Hey there! This is TOP episode 293. Learn English With Alex Warren “Ordinary”
Are you tired of lacking confidence when speaking English? Does it block you from achieving your true goals? This podcast is the place for you. This is Teacher Ola Podcast. My name’s Ola Mierniczak and I empower English learners like you, to become confident speakers. The key to fluency is in your pocket. You’ll boost your vocabulary, brush up your grammar and improve your pronunciation. Enjoy your journey to fluency!
Hello hello, welcome back. Thank you for choosing this episode! If you love this podcast share your opinion, rate this podcast on Spotify, like it on YouTube. That will help me a lot! Also! Make sure you’ve subscribed to this podcast! So today we’re learning English with music! These are my favourite episodes and I hope you’ll like this one as well.
Yesterday, I was reading another part of The Chronicles of Narnia with my son, and one line really stuck with me. It went something like this:
“It’s like with a beggar and horse riding – the only problem is, the beggar doesn’t have a horse.”
And I thought… wow, that’s exactly what learning to speak English feels like for so many people.
The stories I hear from learners are often full of drama—almost like ancient myths. There’s a hero, there’s struggle, trials, setbacks, moments of hope…
And then—just before the grand finale—the hero gives up.
Not because they don’t want to speak English. But because they’re missing the horse.
Here’s the truth:
You’re not going to feel fluent and free,
You won’t impress yourself—or others—with your English,
You won’t enjoy your holidays fully,
You won’t feel amazing in meetings, lead calls confidently, or talk to your in-laws in the UK, you won’t ask for directions, understand your tour guide, or help your kids with their English homework. You won’t share your ideas at work, stand up for yourself, or chat about life in Poland with your friends abroad. You won’t stop using Google Translate, or handle a client crisis, or even order food at that cool little restaurant…
…unless you practice speaking.
Speaking is the horse.
And without the horse—well, you know how that story ends. So let’s not end the story like that.
Let’s make sure you have the horse. That’s exactly what my upcoming free webinar is about. It’s called:
“Still not speaking English? Discover 9 reasons why—and how to fix them.”
Join me on May 25th and 26th at 8PM It’s a 2-day webinar. It’s completely free and you wanna be there! Save your spot at: www.teacherola.com/webinar
I’ll also send you a handy Workbook when you sign up. Webinar Workbook will help you truly absorb and remember what we cover. www.teacherola.com/webinar
Ok! Time for the episode! I picked 8 lines from the song ‘Ordinary’, let’s get to it!
One. “The holy water’s watered down”
Something once sacred or powerful has lost its strength or purity. It’s metaphorical, but “watered down” is a very useful phrase in casual speech when describing anything that feels weak or less intense (e.g. ideas, drinks, stories, music). Notice the pronunciation. Especially the difference between standard American and standard British: /ˈwɔː.təd daʊn/ (British) or /ˈwɑː.tɚd daʊn/ (American). Listen to these two sentences:
This coffee is watered down, did you add too much milk?
His speech was watered down to avoid offending anyone.
Two. “This town’s lost its faith”
The town no longer believes—in religion, community, or something meaningful. “Lost faith” is a common collocation. Be careful not to use “loose” (double ‘o’, /s/ sound/ instead of “lose” /one ‘o’, /z/ sound). Examples:
I’ve lost faith in the system.
She never lost faith in her dreams.
Three. “Our colors will fade eventually”
Over time, our passion, vibrance, or identity might weaken. “Fade” and “eventually” are both excellent and useful vocabulary elements. Watch out for false friend here. ‘Eventually’ doesn’t mean ‘ewentualnie’ but ‘in the end’, ‘finally’, ‘sooner or later’. So now the question is how to say ‘ewentualnie’ in English. Use: possibly, possibly. Isten to these two examples:
These jeans will fade eventually.
The pain will fade eventually, I promise.
Four. “So if our time is runnin’ out”
We’re running out of time—life is short. Very common structure. Time is running out. Our time is limited. Listen:
Hurry up, our time’s running out!
I feel like my patience is running out today.
Five: “We’ll make the mundane our masterpiece”
We’ll turn something boring into something beautiful. “To make something a masterpiece” is poetic, but “mundane” is very useful when talking about boring tasks. /mʌnˈdeɪn/ (put stress on second syllable). /mʌnˈdeɪn/. Listen:
Let’s make this mundane task more fun!
She turned a mundane routine into something special.
Six. “The angels up in the clouds are jealous, knowin’ we found something so out of the ordinary”
Even angels envy our extraordinary connection. “Out of the ordinary” is very practical and common. Extraordinary, in other words ‘out of the ordinary’.
That dish was out of the ordinary!
Her kindness is really out of the ordinary.
Seven. “Shatter me with your touch”
Your touch affects me so deeply, it breaks me—in a beautiful way.
It’s poetic and emotional—not common in everyday speech, but the verb “shatter” is quite useful. Shatter means to suddenly break into tiny pieces. Listen:
That news really shattered me.
I was shattered when I heard about him.
Eight. “Breathe and take my breath away”
Super useful, but let’s unpack it carefully! A common mistake here is confusing “breathe” and “breath” (spelling, pronunciation, and meaning!). Please focus:
To breathe (verb) – /briːð/ – “Just breathe.” Do the action. Breathe.
Breath (noun) – /brɛθ/ – “Take a deep breath.”
For instance:
Take a deep breath and try again.
I forget to breathe when I’m nervous.
Time for your practice! Listen to the same sentences but this time – repeat them out loud:
This coffee is watered down, did you add too much milk?
She never lost faith in her dreams.
These jeans will fade eventually.
The pain will fade eventually, I promise.
Hurry up, our time’s running out!
Let’s make this mundane task more fun!
That dish was out of the ordinary!
That news really shattered me.
Take a deep breath and try again.
I forget to breathe when I’m nervous.
Thanks for spending your time with me today—now let’s turn what you’ve learned into action. Head over to teacherola.com/293 to grab your worksheet. It’s short, it’s practical, and it’ll help those new phrases stick for good.
And if you’re tired of learning about English but not really speaking it—go to teacherola.com/webinar. I’ve prepared something to help you break that cycle. No fluff—just 9 real reasons you’re still stuck, and 9 real solutions. Grab your copy of Webinar Workbook and join me on 25 and 26 of May, 8 pm.
If this episode gave you a boost, pass it on to someone else learning English—they might need it too! And if you’ve got a second, leaving a quick review, rating, or even just liking the episode makes a huge difference. Thanks so much!
That’s all for today. Thanks again for listening! I’ll see you in the next episode. I’ll see you at the Webinar! teacherola.com/webinar . I believe in you—you’ve got this! Stay fearless, take care, and say it out loud! I’m your teacher, Teacher Ola, and you’ve been listening to Teacher Ola Podcast. Bye for now!