Episode notes
Get episodes without adverts at EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Support. Your support is appreciated! What if the witch in Hansel and Gretel was Chinese? Well, then things would be very different. In this twisted version of the classic fairy tale, the two young children run away from the house of sweets and end up somewhere far more exotic... Go to EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Hansel for the full transcript. Level: Pre-intermediate. Genre: Horror. Vocabulary: Woodcutter, Sweet tooth, Twig, Abandon, Breadcrumbs, Quitter, Betrayal, Witch, Belly, Prison bars. Setting:…
Easy Stories in English
by Ariel Goodbody, Polyglot English Teacher & Glassbox Media · English · Learning
Learning a language is hard, but Easy Stories in English makes it easy! Ariel Goodbody introduces each story, explaining difficult vocabulary and talking about their life. Thanks to their high energy and clear pronunciation, the stories are entertaining and simple to understand. Whether you’re a be
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E270 · 9 Feb 2026 · 59 min
All the Housemates I've Ever Had (Conversation)
Get episodes without adverts at EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Support. Your support is appreciated! Living with people isn't easy, and I've had it really hard. The Illuminati, the silent treatment, and deadly narcissists - I've seen it all. If you live alone, this episode will fill you with relief, and if you have housemates, it'll make you think 'Maybe they aren't so bad after all!' Go to EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Housemates for the full transcript. Cover art image of dirty dishes by Johan Hansson CC BY 2.0 00:00 Preview 00:39 Intro 03:48 The ethics of…
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E269 · 26 Jan 2026 · 18 min
How the Moon Became Beautiful (Beginner)
Get episodes without adverts at EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Support. Your support is appreciated! The moon is beautiful, but it wasn't always that way. True love was needed, as well as breaking a mother's heart... Go to EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Moon for the full transcript. Level: Beginner. Genre: Myths & Legends. Vocabulary: Astronomy, Poem, Pick (flower), Sharp, Gentle, Ridiculous. Setting: China. Word Count: 843. Author: Ariel Goodbody. 00:00 Intro 01:11 Vocabulary 04:53 How the Moon Became Beautiful 12:58 Transcription problems 16:10 Outro Learn more…
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E268 · 12 Jan 2026 · 1 hr 8 min
Christmas in Japan (Conversation)
Hear all about my time in the bars of Osaka and Fukuoka at EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Support. Your support is appreciated! Christmas in Japan isn't like Christmas in the UK. For one thing, it includes humiliation. It also includes very strange food. And don't forget the hot springs! Vocabulary: Elephant in the room, Onsen, Thatched house, Bullet train, Purikura, Chazuke Go to EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Japan for the full transcript. 00:00 Preview 00:31 Intro 01:34 The elephant in the room 03:23 New Year's resolutions 07:03 A spicy train journey 12:25 The…
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E266 · 15 Dec 2025 · 38 min
It's My Podcast and I'll Ramble If I Want To (Conversation)
Get episodes without adverts + bonus episodes at EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Support. Your support is appreciated! Have you ever eaten bone marrow? You know, the fat inside of animal bones? Have you ever wondered whether ancient humans sucked out the marrow like a tube of yoghurt? Yeah, that's the kind of stuff I've been doing recently. Have a listen. Go to EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Ramble for the full transcript. 00:00 Intro 00:48 Friday dreams vs Saturday realities 02:57 Dreaming of any colour Christmas 05:06 Whammageddon 06:42 Yummy bones 09:56 Style change!…
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E265 · 1 Dec 2025 · 22 min
The Three Goats (Rerun)
Get episodes without adverts + bonus episodes at EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Support. Your support is appreciated! Three goats live happily in a field eating grass. But one day, there's no more grass. They decide to cross a bridge to another field. But when they try to cross, a monster jumps out, and he wants to eat them! Go to EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/ThreeGoats for the full transcript. Level: Beginner. Genre: Children's. Vocabulary: Goat, Eldest, Middle child, Greedy, Flow, Silly, Drown, Narrow, One by one, Troll, Annoying. Setting: Fairytale. Word Count: 1232. Author: Fairy Tales. Learn…
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E264 · 17 Nov 2025 · 44 min
Hangzhou and the Joy of Cycling (Conversation)
Get episodes without adverts + bonus episodes at EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Support. Your support is appreciated! This episode has come out very late because of my appendicectomy. Apologies! I have recovered now and we should be back to our regular schedule soon enough. 'Above there is heaven, and below there is Hangzhou.' So it must be a pretty great city, right? I sure thought so! In today's episode, I tell you all about my visit to this ancient Chinese city, with its lovely lake, temples and food. Go to EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Hangzhou for the full…
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E275 · 4 May 2026 · 28 min
I Can't Keep Doing This (Intermediate)
Get episodes without adverts at EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Support. Your support is appreciated! Enough is enough. Something has to change. I’m sorry everyone, but I can’t do episodes every fortnight anymore. Go to EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Cant for the full transcript. New Vocabulary Binge – to do a lot of one thing in one go, e.g. to binge a TV show A leap of faith – a big, scary decision in your life – comment and let me know what leap of faith you’ve been putting off in your life! Watching paint dry – an expression we use to refer to a very…
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E274 · 6 Apr 2026 · 30 min
Cambodia is Hard to Talk About (Conversation)
Get episodes without adverts at EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Support. Your support is appreciated! I discuss my friend visiting me from the UK, and an emotional holiday in Cambodia. I touch on the heartbreaking topic of the genocide, but also something more fun: eating a giant spider! Go to EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Cambodia for the full transcript. 00:00 Intro 01:07 A visitor 03:16 Two big empires 05:59 Visa-free travel 07:01 Force-fed in a teahouse 08:23 My new spirit animal 11:36 My most important job 13:55 Cambodia 18:00 Yummy spider! 20:13 The…
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E273 · 23 Mar 2026 · 27 min
Herding Mountains to Make a Forest (Pre-Intermediate)
Get episodes without adverts at EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Support. Your support is appreciated! The Stone Forest in Yunnan is a beautiful karst mountain range. But how did it come to be? Learn all about the Sani people and the magical origins of this Chinese nature site in today's episode. Go to EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Mountains for the full transcript. Level: Pre-Intermediate. Genre: Myths & Legends. Vocabulary: Herd, Bucket, Spirit, Order, Whip, Unfurl, Dam, Rooster, Freeze. Setting: China. Word Count: 681. Author: Chinese Myths. 00:00 Intro…
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E272 · 9 Mar 2026 · 25 min
Doing Stand-Up Comedy in Chinese (Conversation)
Get episodes without adverts at EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Support. Your support is appreciated! Comedy is hard enough, but doing it in Chinese? Oh, Ariel, you do love a challenge! Hear all about my performance adventures and upcoming travel in this laughs-packed episode. Go to EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Comedy for the full transcript. 00:00 Intro 01:18 Batching episodes 03:09 Discovering pine cones 05:14 The nightmare of tones 08:33 Trying comedy in Chinese 11:37 This is your host! 13:45 London vs. China 15:48 I've arrived 17:56 Upcoming holidays…
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