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English Speaking Course. Speak English Slang & Idioms. ESL. (Udemy.com)

Learn to speak English. Language training for American English speaking. Idioms, slang, accent reduction, pronunciation.

4.5
1,997 reviews

Created by: Steve McDonald

Last updated October 2021

Our take

Based on the ratings of 1,997 students, a sample of their written reviews and the syllabus, as the course stood in October 2021. No course pays to be reviewed.

This is a narrow, focused course: under 5 hours across 37 lectures, walking through American slang and idioms roughly A to Z, from "couch potato" to "when hell freezes over." Steve McDonald built it for intermediate and advanced English students who read fine but freeze up when Americans talk fast and mash words together. He says beginners can follow along too, mostly for listening practice, since the pace and structure stay simple throughout.

Reviewers, many writing in accented English themselves, consistently say the pronunciation and slang explanations click for them, and several mention it helped them actually understand Americans talking, not just textbook English. McDonald's calm, unhurried delivery gets called out too. The complaints are smaller: one reviewer flagged display errors in the course materials, another had video trouble that blocked a certificate, and one wished for a document listing all the words afterward, noting a few letters of the alphabet get skipped.

At under 5 hours, it is a quick add-on rather than a full curriculum, and it has not been substantially updated since 2021, though slang like "epic" or "sup" ages slowly. With a 4.5 rating from nearly 2,000 reviews, it does what it promises: a focused shot of real spoken English, not a grammar course. Worth it if slang comprehension is your specific gap, skip it if you need broader language instruction.

Best forIntermediate to advanced ESL learners who can read English but miss slang in real conversation.
Skip it ifYou already handle casual American speech and want grammar or writing practice instead.

Pros

  • Covers real slang and idioms Americans use daily, not textbook phrases
  • Instructor's slow, clear delivery gets called out by reviewers
  • Short at under 5 hours, easy to finish in a few sittings
  • 4.5 rating across nearly 2,000 reviews

Cons

  • Only 4.9 hours and 37 lectures, thin for a full language course
  • Not updated since late 2021
  • One reviewer hit video and certificate issues
This is a excellent course! Many of us learned english via academics, written english. It's nice but it does not let you blend in. This course teaches you the informal american english which is great!
Akram Henry, a student

Listed as All Levels, but it's really built for intermediate to advanced learners who already read English.

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What you will learn

  • After taking this course, you'll understand many of the most common slang and idioms of spoken American English.
  • You'll know how many American English words and phrases are pronounced by native English speakers in the USA.

Course content

3 sections · 37 lectures · 4.9 hours of video 2 articles

  1. 1Introduction and Welcome 2 free previews2 lectures · 8 min
  2. 2A to Z American English Slang and Idioms 6 free previews32 lectures · 4.7 hours
  3. 3Conclusion 1 free preview3 lectures · 4 min

Who it is for

The instructor says it suits

  • Anyone who wants to better understand English spoken and written by Americans.
  • Anyone who needs to practice listening to spoken American English.
  • Anyone who wants to learn lots of slang and idioms, taught through real examples.

What you need before you start

  • Basic English language skills are very helpful, but not required. You can still learn just by listening.

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Course Description

Welcome to the American English Slang, Idioms and Pronunciation Course. 

Americans can be really hard to understand. 

  • We talk fast. 
  • We use a lot of slang. 
  • We smash several words together making new words.
  • We only pronounce parts of many of the words we use.

This course is designed to teach you the most common slang and idioms that American English speakers use every day. It is also designed to help you to pronounce words without an accent or to reduce your native accent.

The course uses everyday example conversations that are just like what Americans say to each other at work, at school and at home.

This course is perfect for intermediate and advanced English students who are struggling to recognize American accents or to understand Americans when they speak in slang...and Americans use a LOT of slang, don't we?

This course can also benefit a beginning student. You probably won't understand a lot of the words and sentences that I'm using, but you'll learn important sounds and pronunciation and you'll get a lot of practice listening to American English. Listening and practice are the two most important things you need to do to learn English faster.

Here are just some of the words and phrases that you'll learn:

A - All Over the Map, A-game, Ants in Your Pants

B - Blow It, The Blues, Beat, Bail, Bail Out

C - Cool, Couch Potato, Cougar, Cold Shoulder, Canned

D - Dude, Dunno, Down to Earth, Dibs, Drive Me Up the Wall

E - Epic, Easy as Pie, Elbow Grease

F - For Real, Flirting, Fail

H - Hang Out, Hangry, Hitting on Someone

L - Lose Your Head, Lose Your Cool, Lose Your Nerve, Lose Your Mind, Lose Touch with Reality

N - Nerd, Nuts, Nuke

P - Piece of Cake, Pig, Pig Out, Pain in the Neck

S - Sup, Sweet, Screw Up, Screw Around

V - Vibes, Vamoose, Veg, Veg Out

W - Waddaya, Whatcha, Wicked, Wheels, When Pigs Fly, When Hell Freezes Over

If you're ready to expand your vocabulary and learn how to better understand American English speakers, join us today and let's get started with American English Slang and Idioms.

We'll see you in the course!
Read More All Levels All Levels product length iconTime: 4.9h

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Instructor Details

Steve McDonald

Learning is easier with the right tools and instruction. In every one of my courses I take you step-by-step through the tools and knowledge you need to accomplish your goals. 

My talent is taking complex subjects (like Excel, Access and Photoshop) and making them simple to learn. I wasn't always good at technology. There was a time when I didn't even know how to correctly turn a computer on and off. But over the past 20 years I've dedicated myself to mastering technology. Now I'm proud to call myself a self-taught tech geek. 

I'm a geek who still speaks the language of normal human beings. I don't use a lot of jargon and fancy words that the average person doesn't understand.

I understand how frustrating it can be when the instructor goes too fast or leaves out critical steps in the learning process. That's why I make sure to clearly demonstrate each step for you visually, so you can follow along starting from the very beginning and going along until you've reached mastery.

I am here to guide you on your way to success. You can contact me at any step of the way for assistance. Let me know when you're struggling with a concept and I'll get right back to you to keep you moving in the right direction.

I'm always happy to help.  I believe in you, and I'm here to support you in your learning process.

Read More

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Reviews

4.5

1,997 ratings on Udemy

Select a bar to show only those reviews.Select the bar again to show every rating.

Write a review

By Akram Henry on 6/8/2025

This is a excellent course! Many of us learned english via academics, written english. It's nice but it does not let you blend in. This course teaches you the informal american english which is great!

By Anonymized User on 4/3/2025

Melhor professeor que já conheci até hoje. Calmo, e produz suas aulas da forma que tem que ser, pausadamente para que todos possam entender. Cumpre seu propósito de ensinar o falar inglês. Parabéns e continue assim.

By Adnaloy Nunez on 6/25/2023

There're many errors in the displays, I think this should be corrected considering that this course is for all levels students. :)

By Ekaterina Dorosh on 2/10/2023

Yo! This course was wicked (in a good mean). Words explanation is a piece of cake. I enjoyed watching every lesson. Author, you are on fire. It would be cool to get some kind of document with a list of words and examples from this course after completing the course. And where are the x-y-z words? :) The selection of words and phrases in the course is great

By Francisco Banales Avila on 4/25/2020

The audio was good, but video was awful. I could not get my certificate and I reviewed the last minutes of every section two times.

By Waldo Ariel Genova on 5/31/2019

Excellent teacher I liked to follow the course, his explanations were simple and enjoyable. He is very didactic and knows how to teach

By Zoia Prokofeva on 5/14/2019

Thank you Steve! The course was very helpful. I learned many new words and expressions that will help me better understand native speakers. Good luck!

By Bahadir Sezgun on 12/11/2018

I eager to learn new things that is the course that I go through the target of mine. When you watch a movie then you will understand how beneficial a course it is. Thank you

By Kavita Rajawat on 9/10/2018

yeah, well, the course is awesome because it covers all from the basic to advanced.explaination is very precise and easy to understand and I m glad to complete this course, really good job!!!

By Sanae El Arroufi on 8/16/2018

J'ai bien compris ce cours ça ma permets d'élargie mes connaissances et mon vocabulaire en Anglais, Et je remercie le formateur de ce cours, il était parfait.

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Overall Score : 90 / 100

English Speaking Course. Speak English Slang & Idioms. ESL.
Visit course on Udemy Write a review
  • Video Duration: icon 4.9h
  • Price: $64.99
  • Provider: icon Udemy
  • Updated: icon October 2021
  • Level: All Levels All Levels
  • Language: icon English
  • Certificate: icon Yes
  • Lectures:37 in 3 sections
  • Students:26,900
  • Subtitles:3 languages
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