Hey there! It’s Michael here - and welcome back to English Tips in a Minute from Happy English. I’m here every Saturday with a short, simple tip to help you speak English more naturally and confidently. And if you want to watch this lesson, just look for Happy English Podcast on YouTube. Today, let’s look at a really natural expression you’ll hear a lot at the beginning of the year - “start off on the right foot.” We use the idiom, start off on the right foot to mean begin something in a good, positive, or successful way. - Like, when it’s the first day back at work this year, your coworker might say: “I want to start the year off on the right foot.” - Or when you decide to remodel the kitchen, you can say: “Let’s start off on the right foot and keep everything organized from the beginning.” - We also use this phrase to talk about relationships: Like, Jack started off on the right foot with his new neighbors. It’s positive, it’s friendly, and it’s perfect for January when everyone is thinking about goals, routines, and fresh starts. Start off on the right foot is a natural way to say you want to begin something well - whether it’s a new year, a new job, or even a new habit. Lemme know in the comments how you’re planning to start your year off on the right foot, and remember to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss the next Happy English Podcast and next Saturday’s English Tips in a Minute. Hey, thanks for listening - and until next time, keep learning and keep it cool. To help you stick to your English learning goals in the new year, I created a brand-new 8-week phrasal verb course to help you speak more naturally. It starts on January 8th (this Thursday): https://www.myhappyenglish.com/snpv Watch video versions of the Happy English Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HappyEnglishNY/podcasts Build Vocabulary With My Free Vocabulary Workshop: https://learn.myhappyenglish.com/vocabulary-workshop-signup

Hey there! It’s Michael here, and welcome back to Phrasal Verbs in a Minute from Happy English. I’m here every Friday with a quick one-point lesson to help you learn a new phrasal verb and sound more natural when you speak. By the way, if you want to see the video version of this lesson, just look for Happy English Podcast on YouTube. Today’s phrasal verb is perfect for the new year - kick off. When you kick off something, it means you start it in an energetic or official way. We use kick of for events, projects, meetings, and even new habits or goals. - Like, my friend Emma kicked of2026 by joining a new gym. - A lot of companies kick off events with a big team meeting. - And me? I’m kicking off the new year with a fresh batch of podcast English lessons like this one. And here’s a pronunciation tip: kick off sounds like kik-koff. The K at the end of kick links with off. That makes the sound smooth. So how about you? How are you kicking off the new year? Maybe with a new hobby, a new routine, or a new goal for learning English? Let me know in the comments, and remember to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss the next Happy English Podcast and next week’s Phrasal Verbs in a Minute.  Hey, thanks for listening - and until next time, keep learning and keep it cool. Do you want to learn more phrasal verbs? My new 8-week course Speak Naturally with Phrasal Verbs starts January 8. 2026. Join us here: https://www.myhappyenglish.com/snpv

Have you ever found yourself using “I think” a little too much when giving your opinion? Like, “I think that’s a good idea,” “I think we should try it,” “I think he’s right.” It’s a good expression - clear and direct - but maybe… a little too common? Well, the good news is, in English we’ve got a few more natural and interesting ways to share your thoughts. Today, we’re gonna look at how native speakers casually express their opinions - not just with “I think,” but with a few other really natural, common phrases. And I’ll show you how we use each of them in daily conversation. Sound good? I’d say it does.  Watch video versions of the Happy English Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HappyEnglishNY/podcasts Build Vocabulary With My Free Vocabulary Workshop: https://learn.myhappyenglish.com/vocabulary-workshop-signup

Hey there! It’s Michael here - and welcome back to Speak Naturally in a Minute from Happy English. I’m here every Sunday with a quick one-point lesson to help you improve your pronunciation, rhythm, and intonation.  And if you want to watch this lesson, just look for Happy English Podcast on YouTube. Now, in everyday spoken American English, when a word ends with an “ee” sound and the next word starts with a vowel sound, we often connect those sounds with a very small, quick Y sound. I call this the tiny Y. Like, see it. We don’t stop the sound, and in one breath we say, see-yit. It’s not see. it. It’s see-yit. Like, That movie? I’m gonna see-yit tomorrow. Did you hear the tiny y? I’m gonna see-yit tomorrow.  Here are some other examples:   She is sounds like she-yiz. She-yiz the boss. We are sounds like we-yar. We-yar happy to see you! Many apples  sounds like meni-yapples. There are meni-yapples on the table. This tiny Y keeps the flow smooth and natural. Be sure to practice these phrases yourself this week and they will become part of your English. And remember to follow and subscribe so you won’t miss the next Happy English Podcast and next Sunday’s Speak Naturally in a Minute. Hey, thanks for listening! Until next time, keep learning and keep it cool. Watch video versions of the Happy English Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HappyEnglishNY/podcasts Build Vocabulary With My Free Vocabulary Workshop: https://learn.myhappyenglish.com/vocabulary-workshop-signup

Hey there! It’s Michael here - and welcome back to English Tips in a Minute from Happy English. I’m here every Saturday with a short, simple tip to help you speak English more naturally and confidently. And if you want to watch this lesson, just look for Happy English Podcast on YouTube. Today, let’s look at a really natural phrase you’ll hear in everyday English - “to this day.” We use to this day to mean until now, usually when something began in the past and is still true today. To this day often shows strong feelings - surprise, wonder, and even admiration. - Like, I first saw Casablanca when I was in my twenties, and to this day, it’s still my favorite movie.” - Our relationship ended over 25 years ago, but to this day, I don’t know why she broke up with me. You’ll hear the phrase to this day a lot in stories, interviews, and even documentaries, because it connects the past and present in a simple, powerful way. So try using to this day in your English conversations this week.  Lemme know in the comments how it goes, and remember to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss the next Happy English Podcast and next Saturday’s English Tips in a Minute. Hey, thanks for listening - and until next time, keep learning and keep it cool. Watch video versions of the Happy English Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HappyEnglishNY/podcasts Build Vocabulary With My Free Vocabulary Workshop: https://learn.myhappyenglish.com/vocabulary-workshop-signup

Today’s phrasal verb is luck out. When you luck out, it means you have really good luck - usually by chance. Something goes much better than you expected, and you didn’t have to do anything special. It just happened. - For example, this morning I lucked out and found a parking spot right in front of the station. - And my friend Jake lucked out last week - he got the last two tickets to a concert that had been sold out for days. - And yesterday, I lucked out at the supermarket… strawberries were half price! Here’s a pronunciation tip: luck out sounds like luk-kout. The K at the end of luck connects with out. So how about you? When was the last time you lucked out? Let me know in the comments, and remember to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss the next Happy English Podcast and next week’s Phrasal Verbs in a Minute. Hey, thanks for listening. And until next time, keep learning and keep it cool. Watch video versions of the Happy English Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HappyEnglishNY/podcasts Build Vocabulary With My Free Vocabulary Workshop: https://learn.myhappyenglish.com/vocabulary-workshop-signup