This is an all ears English podcast, Episode 15 twenty six Banga, you go for a drive in English with Lindsay and Michelle.

Welcome to the All Ears English podcast downloaded more than 200 million times. Are you feeling stuck with your English? We'll show you how to become fearless and fluent by focusing on connection, not perfection, with your American hosts. Lindsay McMahon, the English adventurer, and Michelle Kaplan, the New York Radio Girl coming to you from Colorado and New York City u. S a. a.

Do you dread parallel parking?

Can you take a right turn on red today? Let's hit the road and learn some key English terms to talk to someone in a car, whether it's your Lyft driver or a friend who's driving an English.

Hello, Michelle, how's it going today? We are on YouTube today, very exciting. Hello, I'm waving to everybody. How's everybody doing? How are you, Lindsey? I'm doing great. I'm doing great. It's the end of the day. I'm ready to be finished up. But first, we have a couple of episodes to record, so let's get it to have a show, right?

Yes, I am excited for today. Yeah. By the way, before we get started, Michelle, what is happening in a couple of weeks? Something very exciting is happening.

Well, this is incredible. So Aubrey and Jessica are going to be hosting a Web class about how to get a promotion. Right, guys? So this is. Yes, this English here. If you want to get to the next level at work, if you want to get that promotion you've been kind of eyeing for a while, definitely you have to sign up for this Web class and you can sign up at all.

Is English dotcom promotion? I think that is such a cool topic, Lindsay.

It's going to be so good. And guys, our business English Web classes are super popular and this one will be no different. So make sure you grab your spot. It will not be recorded. And if you don't show up on time, you might miss your chance. So go to all those English dot com slash promotions. Sign up and show up on time, guys. Awesome. Michelle can't wait for that.

Yes, yes. So, so much fun. All right. Well, Lindsay, I am excited for today's episode because we have a listener question. And we also kind of this ties into an Eilts episode that may have been from the same listener. So but we're covering different stuff today. So I'm excited for this because we're going to be talking about traffic driving, things like that. So, OK, could you read the question for us? Wow.

Do I need to read the whole thing? It's kind of long. No, you don't need to read the whole thing.

How about let's start with let's start with second.

I ask a question. OK, OK, Michelle, why don't you go ahead and read it? Because I'm a OK, I'm going to do that. All right. There. This is from Massood. And he says that he asked a question about traffic, words and terms that we could use. So that was from Instagram, actually.

So and he was he is waiting for us to do this episode. So, yes, we did an episode about traffic on Eilts and we are going to tell you which one that is in just a second. But, yeah, we are going to get more into this today. So the episode is Episode eight. Ninety five, right.

So definitely listen to the Energy podcast, which is Band nine Traffic Vocabulary for Eilts, a rubberneckers, which is super cool rubberneck that one ties into, you know, driving and traffic.

So we're going to talk more about this today to answer my question.

OK, so what exactly is Massood asking? Just generally, just to make sure I'm clear, is he asking about, like, words we would use on the road or to describe traffic flows and patterns and things like that in English? Or what is it, Michelle?

Well, I don't have the Instagram question, unfortunately, but asking about traffic, words and terms.

So I think Massood, you know, Massood, if not, and we'll do another episode, but want to learn a little bit about driving in traffic. So that's what they did in the Eilts Energy podcast, episode eight ninety five. But today we're going to get kind of more into it along with masjids question to add onto it. So I'm excited. We're going to be talking about driving terms, actually. So that one was more about traffic and this one is going to be more about driving.

All right. But Lipsey, are you a good driver?

I would have to say that's a negative, Michelle. Oh, that's a funny way to say it. That's a no. Right? That's a negative. That's a negative, to be honest.

You know, I've taken a lot of long road trips, like twelve thousand mile trips like that. When I built the yeah.

Went to build the connected communicator, I drove twelve thousand miles, but between the ages of twenty two and about now I've never I've been on a car because I've been living in big cities.

Right. Like New York, Japan, Tokyo. You don't need cars in these places. So I didn't have a car so I don't have the like day to day hourly experience of being on the road. So I'm not the best driver. I got to be honest. What about you, Michelle?

Are you. But I, I, I kind of go back and forth. I first of all, I'm like very superstitious, so I would hate to say that I'm a good driver. I don't want to say that.

Knock on wood. Knock on wood. Right. But I, I think of myself as being like a kind of nervous driver.

But lately I've actually borrowing my parents car right now.

Oh. So I've been driving more and I'm like, it's kind of like building up my confidence again. That's good. Yeah. I hate to switch lanes.

I hate to merge. Oh my God.

But, you know, I'm I'm feeling better than I used to, so it's kind of fun when you get into it. I do like driving more than I remembered. But before that, like. Yeah, like you there would be like ten years or something where I just don't drive at all because like I was starting to walk.

I mean, I love. I love the city live, I love taking the train walking blocks and blocks and blocks, it's the lifestyle I want. But, you know, as we get a little older, maybe we can't necessarily have that quite as much. But, you know, they say that the worst drivers in the country come from Jersey. Michelle.

They do say that. I do say that Jersey or Boston, because they're awful in Boston as well.

OK, well, yeah. I mean, one thing that I hate doing is driving in Manhattan, and it's happened like once. I usually have Dan do it. But like, I think there was one time where somehow we ended up having to go through Manhattan and I felt like, oh my gosh, say a prayer for me. You know, that that's just some crazy driving there. That is some crazy stuff.

Yes. I love it. I love it. Well, that's why we need these terms. Our listeners. Guys, if you're living in the US and you might be, then you need to know these terms and use them to communicate and connect with whoever your passenger is.

OK, and I love the first story we're going to get here. I do, too. And guys, we put this on YouTube. I wanted to do this one on YouTube because we can gesture and write. Right. So definitely a good one for you, too. Yeah, exactly. So, Lindsay, what is the first one? OK, I have things to say about this, but the term is U-turn. OK, a U-turn. Michelle, why is it a U-turn?

Literally because you're like you're turning from one and you're turning in the shape of a you. Right.

And that people also call it a youwe. Exactly. Do you know what they say in Boston when they tell you to take a U-turn? You know that terminal, OK, there's a bang. You ain't never heard that.

So native and natural in Boston with the great Boston accent, which I'm not going to do it justice by saying it, but it's great. So, bang, are you in Boston and anywhere else in the country, you take you turn right. Would you say take make a U-turn?

That's the better one. Yeah, right. Yeah.

So this is when you're on one side of the road on you need to turn around. So maybe that intersection you need to turn the other way.

Right. Traffic light. Traffic light. Yeah. I feel like it's usually, I mean it can be used any time but a lot of times you have to make a U-turn when you've made a mistake. Yeah. Like I need to go back to back.

Oh no. I missed that turn. Oh it's OK. You can make a up here, right. Yeah.

I love it. So good guys that that is so natural and native. So start using that. You're going to really impress whoever's in the car and it's just fun to speak naturally like this.

So go ahead and use that one. And what's the next one, Michelle?

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OK, so this one now we're getting into Jersey, so this is a handle and it's funny because I had already come up with this episode and just over the weekend we were driving. And I'm very confused about the jug handle because it is either Notley's it's like a I'm not going to explain it well, because I don't quite understand it, but it might be just a Jersey thing, but I looked it up and I think there are other places as well.

But this is basically it looks like a jug handle. Right. And I think about like, if you instead of turning left or making a U-turn, they it's a special, like, cut out curved road. So you don't actually it takes you to a safe intersection. Wow. Weird.

I have no look, I might know what you mean. Like a special carved out lane. Kind of. Right, right.

Right. But I, I was just having the conversation about this this weekend and I'm still a little bit confused, but I did want to share with you because it's kind of a good one to know also kind of a regional thing.

But I did look it up and I think there are other places that use that as well. And New Jersey, Lindsey, did you know New Jersey doesn't have its residents get their own gas, somebody else pumps. I know. I know.

That's annoying. But you have to pay the extra fee, right, to have them pump it or. No. Do you not have to pay the extra fees?

I don't believe I. You know what? I drive a car now, but I'm never the one getting gas, so I'm not sure if there's an extra fee. But I used to think this was hilarious. Like, why? And now, yeah, honestly, especially in the pandemic, it's kind of nice because you do it on an app. You don't even need to get out of your car. So what do you do when you go to other states?

What do you do when you go to, like, I don't know, Rhode Island or New York State? And you're like, oh, no, I have to get out, put my gas. Is it annoying or do you? Yeah, I think it is kind of well, because I grew up, you know, not I grew up pumping my own gas. I knew. Right? Yeah. Yeah. I thought it was ridiculous. And now, yeah, I have kind of gotten used to when I'm driving in New Jersey right now to New York, I've kind of gotten used to it.

So yeah, I do. Oh you guys. I guess in a way, yes I know. Well in the getting gas department. I love that. I love that. All right.

What's the next term that our listeners need to know, Michelle?

What is the next one is roundabout about. So yeah, this is a circle, right. Lindsay? What is a roundabout. Yeah, it's so instead of putting in a light and I'm actually seeing around here, they're replacing a lot of lights with roundabouts, like turning them into roundabouts. So instead of having everyone stop at that for four lane intersection. Right. They just make it a circle. And so everyone keeps flowing. It's just the problem is a lot of people don't know how to do roundabouts.

Like they don't know which side of the roundabout to go in the inside, the outside. So you end up with a complete mess. Yeah, I agree.

It's always kind of like, okay, let's hope we go. Or sometimes you go around twice. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. And on the GPS it'll say like turn you know like get off at the second exit or whatever and then yeah I'm always counting, I'm like one second. Yeah.

I don't know, it's, it's a little bit tough. I just was driving it around about the other day and like sometimes you don't, I don't know, it's like all a blur, you know, you really kind of you got to focus.

You got to forget to. Why. Because there's car cars coming in, coming out, going around you to your right, to your left. It's a little more stressful than just stopping at a lane. A lot of light and waiting, but it is what it is. So I know they they have these in other countries, like I'm thinking of around the Arc de Triomphe. Right in Paris. I think there's a big, huge roundabout. I think in London they have them.

I remember some in Vietnam in in Ho Chi Minh City, some huge roundabout. So we're not the only ones with these roundabouts. Exactly.

Exactly. Exactly. And I realized we skipped one we skipped three point turn.

Oh yeah. OK, can you describe this, Michelle? It's hard to describe.

OK, so this is basically if you're running out of room, you might do this. So like you might have to turn your car around, but you don't have enough. You can just like turn it around. So you have to turn one way and then you can reverse and then you turn forward again. So it's at three point turn.

Yeah, yeah. That's hard. And then and sometimes we use this when it comes to parallel parking right now, which is the next term and parallel parking guys is when you're just parking in a place where it's not like a clear spot you are, you're fitting your car in parallel wise right parallel to the street.

Right, Michelle? This is the bane of my existence, which is maybe a good bonus that maybe will do the bane of my life. The thing you hate, right, Michelle? The thing exactly. I hate it.

And Lindsey, I don't know if you remember, like, you know, getting your driver's license on, like having to practice with the orange cones.

Yeah, of course it's everyone. Yeah. When we're sixteen guys, we go to the DMV, we take our test. Usually the day we turn sixteen in the US, we get that license. But sometimes I don't actually think I had to parallel park. I think I had to back in, but not parallel park, but yeah, it's tough, especially when you have a big car, you're in a very tight spot and a big city and the cars are passing you on the road.

It's stressful. I hate it. Like, I would avoid going somewhere if I have to parallel park. Like, that's awful. Yeah, I need to think I need to figure that out because it's kind of like, you know, going to lock me down one. No, don't get locked down by parallel Baaghi, Michelle. Don't let it happen. But I will sometimes avoid driving places if I know I'm going to have a hard time finding a parking space, I'll just walk there.

But you can't do that everywhere. Obviously, in my city. Exactly.

My dream is that one day it'll be like the Jetsons where instead of parking your car, you just fold it up and it's a suitcase, remember? Yeah, that's awesome. That's always been my dream. Like, that would be the most amazing thing ever that would help me out a lot. That would be incredible. Incredible.

So we have one more. This is like kind of. Yeah, this is a traffic term. Like a traffic rule term.

Right, Lindsay? What? Yeah. This is like an unspoken thing right on red. So in most states and yes, Colorado is included in this, when you come to a light, then you want to turn right.

Usually you can turn right after stopping. You use it as more of a stop sign that. But I always kind of ask the person next to me, is it right on red? Right. So you may hear someone say that to you if you're in the car, is it right on red or can I go right on red? That's a very common chunk right there, right, Michel? Right.

Right, right. Exactly. And this can also vary during the like depending on the time of day. So, guys, we're teaching you this, but we want you to be very, very careful with it, because sometimes there's a sign that says, I don't want to. I don't want to. Yeah. Just as we don't give legal or medical advice on this show, we do not give driving advice on this show. Exactly. Exactly.

So sometimes you don't want to go, it'll say like no write on read between, you know, three and six p.m. or something like that.

So I've never seen that before. All of that. And with the right on red, you are the one you do not have the right of way. So like you are not like Lindsay said, it's it's kind of like a stop sign. So only if there's no one else coming. Can you go. You don't go before anyone. You've got to make sure. Yeah. Right on red. But yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah sure. We got to be defensive drivers.

Right. Michel, I'll be a little defensive when it comes to driving. You going to drive like everyone is a bad driver. That's how that's what I. Yeah. Yeah. You know what category of people has the highest insurance fees like insurance rates. Can you guess.

I mean it's dude I mean they're like in their early twenties. Right. Of course. Well my seniors. Oh. Oh yeah.

That could be true. But I feel like that be discriminatory maybe. I don't know because there are just more accidents for young guys in their early 20s. Did Dad's car insurance go down as he got older as a guy? I'm just curious about this.

I'm not sure I got I got to ask him. I don't it's interesting question, but I also think that it doesn't it depend on, like, the color of your car. Isn't there something about the color of your car where your insurance is? Yes.

Yeah, that's true. And my mom used to have a red jeep. She'd get pulled over all the time. It's true. Red cars get pulled over more often. It is so true.

The cop look for those other guys. We're going to do a role play today. And in this role play, we are in the car. So, Lindsey, you are the driver today. It's terrifying. OK, let's do it. Oh, no, I missed the turn. Oh, no, Lindsay, that's OK.

OK, you can make a U-turn at the next light. OK, good. Oh wait. Here's a roundabout. Which exit should I take the third. OK, thanks. What is this. A jug handle. I hate driving in Jersey. It makes me crazy. I know. You know what?

I think you have to make a three point turn here, Lindsay.

You're at a dead end. OK, one, two, three. OK, I'll make a right at the light. You can go. You can make a right on red. Actually, the sign says you just can't after five. But you're good. All right. Here I go.

I think I have to parallel park when we get there. You'll have to help me. Michelle, I'm terrible. A parallel parking. OK, I'll get out of the car.

OK, I was a wild ride.

A pretty typical conversation, right, Michelle? Between a drive, you know, you'd be talking to the person with you about the moves you're making in your car a lot of times.

Right? For sure. For sure. Exactly. Exactly. So let's go through it. So the first one is the turn. So I said, that's OK. You can make a youwe or a U-turn or I could have said a UEE at the next light.

Or of course, guys, if you're in Boston and you're talking to a Bostonian, they might say you can bang it up there, OK?

That's right. That's right. I love it. OK, and then I said, oh, wait, here's a roundabout.

Right, OK, yes. So a thing that goes around, as we taught our listeners just now, guys, right? Yeah, exactly.

And then you said, what is this, a jug of jug handle. Jug handle. I hate driving in Jersey.

Yeah. I would never I it's so funny. This the first time I've heard that term. Maybe it is a jersey thing.

I don't know, it's maybe it's in Jersey. It's a what thing. I think it's famous in New Jersey but I think staying. OK, and then you said, I think you have to make a three point turn here, so I packed the car up, went forward, backed it up again, and then finally got out. Right. Three point turn. Exactly what I said. Oh, no, you're at a dead end, which is a good bonus.

That means there's nothing else there. You've got to turn around. That is a good bonus. And usually, like, you'll see a sign that says no outlet.

Right for the dead ends. I always wondered what that meant when I was a kid.

I thought I meant there's no perks to electric plugs.

I'm like, oh my God, that is so funny. I love this neighborhood. Does it get electricity? That's so funny.

Oh, God. The things we think when we're kids. It's unbelievable.

Yes. So. All right. And then the last one, I said you can make a right on red, right?

Yeah. And then I said, I think I'll have to parallel park. Right. And again, the bane of your existence, Michelle. So, OK, guys.

Yeah. Like Lindsay said, this is a typical conversation that you might have while you're driving with the passenger. So. Yeah, yeah, definitely. You know, listen up for those. I mean, even in movies, you can kind of watch people, you know, the car scenes don't ignore them. You know, you might be able to learn something. Yeah, for sure.

Guys, this is natural English. You want to be able to use it guys again. And that is the takeaway for today. Don't just you learn classroom lingo, learn driving lingo, learn lingo for doing different sports, being out in the world, because that's what you want to do in your life. You want to be out in the world. Gosh, we all do, especially after this pandemic.

So you're going to be using English out in the world to learn that kind of English. So exactly.

And even if you're not driving in the U.S., guys, this is really good to know because you can talk with others about it.

Right? You can understand the stories you can talk about, like the differences between driving and, you know, your country versus the US.

So helps you or movies, TV shows. So don't think this is like I you know, I'm not driving in the U.S. Forget it, guys.

This is super helpful. Important stuff here.

Oh, for sure. And the other use of it I could think of is having a conversation with a cab or a lift driver. Right. I like to do that a lot.

We get to know people. It's interesting. You learn about them, learn about the city, and you may want to use these words with them.

So really good way to start conversations.

OK, I love it. OK, Lindsay, this has been fun. And guys, remember, go to the promotion, get a promotion from this Web class. When you learn about how to do it with Jessica and Aubrey and all those English dotcom promotion.

Yeah, we'll see you guys at the live webcast. Cannot wait. OK, Michelle, good to talk to you day. Talk to you soon. Bye bye.

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