PodcastsEducationLearn English with Bob the Canadian

Learn English with Bob the Canadian

Bob the Canadian
Learn English with Bob the Canadian
Latest episode

614 episodes

  • Learn English with Bob the Canadian

    Learn the English Phrases "pales in comparison" and "doesn't hold a candle to"

    2026-03-04 | 4 mins.
    In this English lesson I wanted to help you learn the English phrase pales in comparison. So when you're talking about two things and one thing is significantly bigger or better or different in a way than something else, we say that it pales in comparison.
    Here would be a good example. Today is a beautiful day, but it pales in comparison to the day we had a few days ago when it was 15 degrees Celsius. So this day isn't as good as the other day. You might also use this to talk about a sports team.
    You might say, this year's team is good, but it pales in comparison to the team from 10 years ago that won the championship. The other phrase I wanted to teach you today is doesn't hold a candle to. And this is also a very similar phrase to do a comparison.
    If you're talking about two things and you say one thing doesn't hold a candle to the other thing, it means the first thing isn't as good as the second thing. So when people talk about sports again, they might say, you know what? Your team is good, but it doesn't hold a candle to my team, basically meaning my team is better.
    So to review, if something pales in comparison, it's not as good as something else, or it's not as big, or it can even be something bad. Like that storm pales in comparison to the one we had five years ago. So. So it can also be a negative thing and then doesn't hold a candle to is very similar.
    When you compare two things, it means the one thing is certainly more significant or bigger or different or worse than the other. But hey, let's look at a comment from a previous video. This comment is from Mohd Ags. Thanks for the short lesson, Bob the Canadian.
    There's been a lot of talk about banning the Canadian curling team from the Olympics because they touched the stone and people were like, that'll teach them not to cheat. Oh, nice use of the phrase. But not only did they get away with it, they even won the gold medal. P.S. phrases for the future pales in comparison and doesn't hold a candle to.
    Thanks for the suggestions. My response, I was a bit embarrassed about that. Not only did we double touch, we also claimed that we didn't and it was on video. Oh, well, I'm not sure it really makes a difference anyways. Maybe they should just allow double touching. Thanks for the phrases.
    Yeah, thanks Mohd for that. Thanks for the phrases and thanks for the comment. So, yeah, should they just allow double touching? Should that be what they do? I'm not sure if that would be the best solution. I don't know a lot about curling. You might be wondering, though, why am I here today? So this is the gas station.
    You might be able to guess why I'm here today. It's because I want to talk about gas prices. So gas prices are about to go through the roof. We're at $1.37.9 cents. I hope you can see that on the video.
    Because of things that are happening in the Middle East, it looks like gas prices are about to go through the roof. That's a good phrase. But that price pales in comparison to what we were paying over a year and a half ago or two years ago. We used to have an extra tax on it, so I think it was closer to a dollar fifty.
    And then I wanted to show you this bus, because someone in the last video. I forget who it was. It might have been Unsal commented on how it was cool to see the bus. The yellow bus like they normally just see in the movies. Might have been Vitor. Actually, sometimes I get people confused.
    I probably shouldn't say names when I'm remembering what people have left in comments, but, yes, that is what most school buses in North America look like. I would say 80, 90% of them probably look like that. I know in some US States, they might look a little bit different, but certainly in my part of Canada, that's what a school bus looks like.
    And that's what a gas station looks like. So, anyways, thanks for watching. You guys are awesome. Got a little bit of a loud truck going by there.
  • Learn English with Bob the Canadian

    Let's Learn English! Topic: Describing People! 🧩👑🏈

    2026-03-01 | 27 mins.
    In this English lesson I will help you learn words and phrases that can be used to describe people in English. These aren't easy words like short and tall, but rather more advance words we use to describe someone's personality and behaviour in English. Once you know these words, you'll be able to describe friends, family members, and colleagues with ease.
    In this English lesson you'll learn words and phrases like: absentminded, awkward, clumsy, cruel, arrogant, jealous, adorable, generous, warm, impatient, aggressive, polite, calm, vulgar, lovable, violent, funny, lazy, honest, dishonest, loyal, and many more!
    I hope you enjoy this free English class about describing people! Have a great day!
  • Learn English with Bob the Canadian

    Learn the English Phrases "to learn something the hard way" and "That'll teach 'em!"

    2026-02-25 | 4 mins.
    Read along to practice your English and to learn the English phrases TO LEARN SOMETHING THE HARD WAY and THAT'LL TEACH'EM!
    TRANSCRIPT:
    In this English lesson, I wanted to help you learn the English phrase to learn something the hard way. This is a phrase... It's kind of a funny phrase because it means someone has learned something in a very difficult way. I should just give you an example so you know what I'm talking about.
    If you have the stove on and you accidentally touch the burner, you've learned something the hard way. You've learned that you shouldn't touch the burner on the stove when it's hot. When a small child first sees a candle and they all... they put their finger close to the flame and suddenly pull their finger away, they have, they've learned something the hard way.
    There are many things like this. When people first walk on ice, when people move to Canada and they first walk on ice and they slip and fall, they've learned the hard way that ice is slippery. I shouldn't laugh, but it happens sometimes.
    People just aren't aware of how slippery it is. The other phrase I wanted to teach you today is a little meaner. And it's the phrase that'll teach 'em, which is short for that will teach them or that will teach you or that will teach him or her. It simply means you see someone fall on the ice and in your mind you think that'll teach them, that'll teach them not to walk so quickly on the ice next time.
    Again, not a very nice thing to say. Kind of mean and kind of rude. But it's when you see someone do something where you would use the phrase to learn something the hard way. And then you say if you're really mean and rude, or you think if you're less mean and rude, that'll teach them.
    So to review to learn something the hard way, if you hit your thumb with a hammer, you have learned the hard way that a hammer is very hard and it will hurt you. And that if you put your thumb in a dumb spot and hit your thumb with a hammer and someone sees you, they might say, that'll teach them.
    But hey, let's look at a comment from a previous video. This comment is from Tacagero, and the comment is, Incredibly clean sidewalks. I see no snow at all. Very beautiful. Spring is around the corner, I guess. And my response, we try to keep things tidy, but as things warm up, the mud will come.
    Well, we've actually, thanks, Tacagero, for that comment. We've actually gone kind, of the other way here, in Ontario, Canada. Right now, as you can see, there's snow again. It's a little bit... I think it's starting to melt a little bit.
    That might also just be from the road salt. But, let me check if the snow is packy. Yeah, it's packy snow. So if you wanted, you could build a snowman today. That means it's probably one degree and the snow is starting to melt a little bit.
    And that makes it packy. It makes it what we call packing snow. And you can make a snowman. Maybe I should do that when I get home today. But, what were we talking about? Super clean sidewalks. Even when there is snow, the sidewalks are kept very clean.
    And I'm not sure if you can see there's actually salt. That little crystal there that I'm moving around with my foot is actually a salt crystal. And we put salt on the sidewalks, to make sure they don't freeze and get slippery.
    And so people who recently moved to this snowy climate don't fall. And have people say, that'll teach them, or so they don't have to learn something the hard way. I also wanted to show you this. As things start to melt, we have quite a bit of water flow in the local creek.
    Sometimes this creek dries right up, but today, as you can see, it's running quite well and it will go even higher as we get more and more snow melt in the area. Anyways, thanks for watching this short English lesson. I'll see you next week with another one.
    Bye.
  • Learn English with Bob the Canadian

    Two of the Nicest English Phrases You Need to Know

    2026-02-24 | 3 mins.
    In this English lesson, I’ll help you learn two of the nicest phrases you can use in everyday English conversations. These simple phrases help you sound friendly, polite, and natural when you finish talking with someone you know well. Whether you meet an old friend at the grocery store, run into a coworker in town, or catch up with family you haven’t seen in a while, these expressions will help you leave a great impression.
    You’ll learn how to use phrases like “it was nice seeing you.” “It was great to see you." and “It was nice talking with you.” along with when and why native English speakers use them.
    I hope this lesson helps you take another step forward in your English learning journey. Thanks for watching, and I’ll see you in the next English lesson!
  • Learn English with Bob the Canadian

    Let's Learn English! Topic: Science! 🥼🔬🧪

    2026-02-22 | 22 mins.
    I'm not a Science expert, but I know enough to be able to teach an English lesson about it. Join me for an in depth look at the words and phrases we use when talking about Science in English!
    In this English lesson you'll learn words and phrases like: experiment, microscope, test tube, lab coat, telescope, magnifying glass, petri dish, goggles, bunsen burner, and many more!
    I hope you enjoy this free English class about Science!

More Education podcasts

About Learn English with Bob the Canadian

If you want to learn English you've come to the right place. I'm Bob the Canadian and I make videos on Youtube (Just search for "Bob the Canadian" on Youtube!) as well as podcasts right here to help you learn English. Each week I teach a lesson and I host a question and answer session about the English language. During these sessions I will my best to answer as many questions as I can that you have about the English language!
Podcast website

Listen to Learn English with Bob the Canadian, The Rich Roll Podcast and many other podcasts from around the world with the radio.net app

Get the free radio.net app

  • Stations and podcasts to bookmark
  • Stream via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth
  • Supports Carplay & Android Auto
  • Many other app features

Learn English with Bob the Canadian: Podcasts in Family

Social
v8.7.2 | © 2007-2026 radio.de GmbH
Generated: 3/4/2026 - 7:46:04 PM