📖 What is Muse English?
Muse English is a free English learning app with daily lessons across all 6 CEFR levels (A1 Beginner to C2 Proficient). Every day brings new vocabulary, a real podcast conversation, shadowing practice, grammar and quizzes — all at museenglishapp.com.
📚 Vocabulary
10 new words Learn new words with real examples and audio.
Podcast: Cities & Daily Life
Listen to today’s conversation.
📝 Podcast Transcript
Welcome back to Word Kitchen, everyone. I am Maya, and this is my friend Lena.
Hi there. Maya, I have been thinking about city life all week, and I have so much to tell you.
Oh, perfect topic for today. City life it is. Tell me, what has been going on in your neighborhood?
Well, you know my neighborhood has been changing a lot lately. Last month a new cafe opened on our street, and now the whole neighborhood feels different, in a good way.
I love that. A good neighborhood really changes how you feel about a city. When I moved to my neighborhood three years ago, I did not know anyone, but the neighborhood welcomed me right away.
Exactly. The people make the neighborhood. Actually, that reminds me of something funny. A new resident moved into the apartment next to mine, and on his very first day he knocked on my door with a box of cookies.
That is the sweetest thing. Every resident should do that. You know, as a long-time resident of this area, I can tell you that our street has the friendliest residents in the whole city.
I believe that. And speaking of the street, have you noticed the new skyscraper going up near the park?
Oh my God, yes. That skyscraper is getting taller every week. I walk past that skyscraper on my way to work, and I keep thinking, how do they build a skyscraper that high?
I have no idea, but I want to visit the top of that skyscraper when it opens. Imagine the view from the top of a skyscraper like that. You could see the whole city.
Definitely. You know what I love about tall cities though? Even with a giant skyscraper on every corner, life still happens down here, on the sidewalk.
That is so true. The sidewalk is where the city really lives. I was walking down the sidewalk this morning, and I saw a street musician playing guitar right on the sidewalk.
I love that. I take a long walk on the sidewalk every evening after dinner. The sidewalk near the river is my favorite place to think.
And it is so much safer when the sidewalk is wide and clean. Our neighborhood association actually asked the city to repair the sidewalk near the school, and they finally did it last week.
That is great news. Now tell me, do you ever think about moving out of the city? A lot of my friends are moving to a suburb.
Funny you ask. My sister just moved to a suburb last spring. She says life in a suburb is quieter, but she misses the city energy.
I have thought about it too. A suburb with a garden sounds lovely, but I think I would get bored in a suburb after a month. I need the noise and the people.
Same here. But my sister says her suburb has a lovely park, and every suburb near us has a train station now, so she is only twenty minutes from downtown.
Twenty minutes is not bad at all. And you know what every good suburb has? A central square with a fountain.
Yes. A beautiful fountain. The fountain in her town square is famous. At night the fountain lights up with different colors, and people sit around the fountain to talk.
That sounds magical. We have a fountain in the park downtown too, but our fountain has been broken for a year. Every time I pass that fountain, I feel sad.
They should fix that fountain. A working fountain makes any public space feel special. I took my niece to see a fountain last weekend, and she could not stop laughing at the water.
Kids love a fountain. Okay, so tell me about your trip across town yesterday. Did you take the new bridge?
I did. That new bridge is beautiful. The old bridge was always crowded, but this new bridge has wide lanes for cars and a separate path for walkers.
I have not crossed that bridge yet. Is the bridge open to bikes too?
Yes, the bridge is open to everyone. I walked across the bridge at sunset, and the view of the river from the bridge was amazing.
I will definitely walk across that bridge this weekend. Speaking of walking, I have a story about a crosswalk.
A crosswalk story? This should be good.
Yesterday I was waiting at a crosswalk, and the light turned green, but a cyclist crossed right through the crosswalk without stopping. I was so surprised.
That is dangerous. Every driver and cyclist should stop at a crosswalk. In my neighborhood they painted a new crosswalk near the school, bright yellow lines, so the crosswalk is impossible to miss.
That is smart. A clear crosswalk saves lives. I always wait for the green man at the crosswalk, even when the street looks empty.
Good habit. Now, change of topic. Guess where I had dinner last night.
Where?
On a rooftop. My friend has access to a rooftop in the city center, and we watched the sunset from that rooftop.
A rooftop dinner? That is the dream. I have never eaten on a rooftop. Every summer I say I want to visit a rooftop restaurant, and I never do.
You have to try it. From the rooftop you can see the whole skyline. We brought pizza up to the rooftop, and honestly it was the best evening of my month.
I am jealous. Okay, next summer, rooftop dinner, you and me. It is a plan.
Deal. But let me complain about one thing first. Getting to that rooftop took me an hour because of a terrible traffic jam.
Ugh, a traffic jam. The worst. I was stuck in a traffic jam on Tuesday too, and I missed the start of my favorite class.
A traffic jam can ruin your whole evening. My brother says the traffic jam on the highway is worse every year. Last Friday the traffic jam added forty minutes to his drive.
That is why I love walking. No traffic jam on the sidewalk, right?
Exactly. No traffic jam, no stress. Just you, the sidewalk, and the city.
You know, Lena, this whole conversation made me realize something. A city is really just a collection of small things. A friendly neighborhood, a kind resident, a shiny skyscraper, a busy sidewalk.
A quiet suburb, a sparkling fountain, a strong bridge, a safe crosswalk, a windy rooftop.
And even a traffic jam, because that is part of city life too.
It is. Every resident of this city has a story about a traffic jam.
And every neighborhood has that one perfect sidewalk for an evening walk.
And every suburb dreams of having its own fountain and bridge.
Maya and Lena, signing off from the city. If you live near a skyscraper, look up today. If you pass a crosswalk, use it. And if you ever get invited to a rooftop, say yes.
Say yes to the rooftop, say no to the traffic jam, and enjoy your city. See you next time on Word Kitchen.
🎙 Try Shadowing free sample
Listen and repeat along with the studio audio. Full shadowing practice with pronunciation scoring is in the app.
The City I Love
Every morning I walk through my neighborhood and say hello to everyone I meet.
My neighborhood has small shops, quiet streets, and friendly people.
Train your speaking
Shadow every sentence with studio audio and get your pronunciation scored — only in the Muse English app.
📝Grammar: Second conditional, choosing between conditionals
We use the **second conditional** to talk about imaginary or unreal situations in the present or future. The form is simple: **if + past simple, would / wouldn't + infinitive**. For example: If I lived in that suburb, I would walk to work. With I, he, she, or it, we can use **was or were**: If the skyscraper were taller, we could see the sea. **Were** sounds more formal and correct. We often say **If I were you** to give advice: If I were you, I'd take the bridge, not the tunnel. Choosing: the **first conditional** is for real, probable plans (If it rains, I'll take a taxi). The **second c
Master this grammar in the app
Get clear explanations, more examples and interactive exercises.
Keep learning every day
New lessons, podcasts and quizzes daily — free in the Muse English app.