Easy Stories in English

The podcast that will take your English from OK to Good and from Good to Great!

In the conversation, I say that Istanbul is the capital of Turkey. This is wrong! Actually, Ankara is the capital. I am sorry for forgetting 😅

Transcript

Welcome to Easy Stories in English, the podcast that will take your English from OK to Good, and from Good to Great.

I am Ariel Goodbody, your host for this show. Today’s story is for beginners. The name of the story is Towards the City. You can find a transcript of the episode at EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/City. That’s EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/City. This contains the full story, as well as my conversation before it.

Today the order of the episode will be a bit different. Normally, I talk a bit first and then we have the story, but now, for beginner stories, the story will be first and then after the story I will talk about who wrote it and about my life.

Basically, someone told me that in the earlier beginner episodes, the conversation is sometimes too difficult. It’s actually really hard to talk about some topics with very simple language, so to make sure that you can understand and that you don’t get bored, I will put the conversation at the end. So if you find the conversation hard to understand, you can just stop listening after the story.

This will only be for the beginner level, and I will see how it goes. Let me know what you think. Go and leave a comment at EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/City. Maybe you think this new order is better for all the episodes. Please let me know what you think.

OK, I’ll just explain some words that are in today’s story.

Towards means in the direction of. So maybe you are walking and you see a building far away, and you walk towards it. When you get there, you have walked to it.

Land is the thing below you. So when you walk outside, you are walking on the land. You are not on the sea or in the air. Plants and trees grow on the land. Land can also mean country. For example, England is a land.

Respect is when you think someone is really good. For example, teachers usually want children to respect them. They want the children to be good in class and look up to the teachers. Parents also want respect from their children. You might respect someone because they are very talented, or because they are a good person, or just because they are very strong.

Someone who is blind cannot see. Some people are blind from birth, and never see the world. Some people become blind because of an accident or disease. Some people are partially blind, and some people are fully blind. Blind people usually wear black glasses to show that they are blind, and some use sticks to walk around. You can also be colourblind, which is when you can’t see certain colours.

When you are confused, you are trying to understand something difficult but you cannot. You feel very stupid, and you don’t know why. Maybe you are confused because someone is speaking English very fast to you, or maybe you are confused because you are studying a hard subject, like physics.

A strait is a thin piece of water between two large pieces of water. So you basically have two lakes, and a thin bit of water connecting them, and that is the strait.

A thief, and the plural is thieves, is a person who steals. They might steal bread, money or computers. Aladdin is a famous thief from fairy tales.

Drunk means you have drunk alcohol, like beer or wine, and you feel strange. Actually, most people like getting drunk. In the UK, beer and cider, which is made with apples, are popular types of alcohol to get drunk. British people, mostly, like getting drunk very much. Personally, I drink very rarely, because I don’t like how you feel afterwards.

Hungover is how you feel after you get very drunk. So the day after you drink a lot of alcohol, you have a hangover; you are hungover. Basically, you are still a bit drunk, and you can have a headache, dry mouth, a stomach ache and so on. There are many ways people try to “cure” a hangover, for example by eating greasy food. But really, you just have to go through feeling horrible for a day or two.

Hopeless means you have lost all hope. You might feel hopeless because you failed an exam, or because a family member died. Hopeless can also mean you are really bad at doing something. For example, I am hopeless at sports.

If you enjoy the podcast and want more, you can support us on Patreon. For just $2 a month you can get exercises with each episode, and for $5 you get an extra story every month. You can support us at Patreon.com/EasyStoriesInEnglish. That’s Patreon.com/EasyStoriesInEnglish.

A big thank-you to our new patron Jean Santos. Thank you so much, Jean. Your support really means a lot to us.

OK, so listen and enjoy!

Towards the City

Once upon a time, in Ancient Greece, there was a man called Byzas. Byzas was the son of Nisos, the King of Megara, a city in Greece.

‘My son,’ said King Nisos one day. ‘It is time for you to go out and make your way in the world. Find your own land and build a city there.’

‘I will make you happy, father,’ said Byzas.

So Byzas went out with his men and looked for land. But wherever they looked, there were problems. In the first place, there were thieves, men who stole from travellers. In the next place, there was bad weather: baking sun and ice-cold rain; that meant they could not plant food. In the third place, there were monsters that ate children alive.

‘I need help!’ said Byzas. ‘We have travelled for months and months, and we have found no place to build a city.’

So Byzas travelled to Delphi. There, there was the Oracle of Apollo. The Oracle of Apollo was a woman who spoke with the god Apollo and saw the future. She gave advice to men from all over Greece, and her advice was always good. But if you did not follow her advice well, or if you did not respect the gods, you could end up worse than before. Still, Byzas had to go, because he had no other ideas.

‘Oh, great Oracle of Apollo! I have come all the way from Megara to speak to you. My father, King Nisos, has told me to go out and build a city. But wherever I go, there are thieves, bad weather and monsters. Please tell me, where should I go to build my city?’

The Oracle closed her eyes and said nothing for several minutes. Byzas worried that he had said something wrong. But finally, she opened her eyes and spoke.

‘I have asked Apollo what to do. The message is clear: you will build your city on the land opposite to the Land of the Blind.’

Byzas left Delphi confused. He did not understand the Oracle’s message. ‘The Land of the Blind’? What did it mean? He asked his men, and they gave him many ideas. One said that it might mean window blinds, a kind of curtain. But that was too easy. Another said that it might mean a foreign land. But why would Apollo want Byzas to build his city in a foreign land?

For months, Byzas and his men travelled around, looking for the Land of the Blind. Everywhere they went, they asked people about it, but nobody knew where it could be.

One day, they came to the Bosporus, a strait. They took their ship to Chalcedon, a city on one side of the strait, and rested there. It was a horrible place. The streets were dirty and full of thieves and drunk people. That night, Byzas drank and drank and drank. He felt hopeless, because he had no idea where the Land of the Blind was. He could not go home to his father empty-handed, and he did not know what to do.

The next day, feeling hungover and sad, he walked up a big hill on the side of the city. From the top of the hill, he could look out over all the houses and across the strait to the other side.

Byzas gasped. ‘How can it be?’

On the other side of the strait, opposite Chalcedon, was a magical land. The land was green, with many beautiful flowers and trees holding beautiful fruit. Wild sheep, pigs, cows and horses walked around, fat and healthy. There were rivers and lakes with beautiful clear water.

‘How can these people live in Chalcedon, when such a magical land sits opposite them? They must be blind!’

Suddenly, Byzas remembered the words of the Oracle of Apollo: You will build your city on the land opposite to the Land of the Blind.

Byzas started laughing. ‘I’ve found it! I’ve finally found it!’

He ran down the hill and shouted to his men, ‘Get on the ship! We’re crossing the strait.’

The men, confused, did what he said. When they arrived at the magical land they laughed and cheered.

There, Byzas built the city of Byzantium. It was a place of riches and magic. Over the years, the city grew in size and importance. Today, it is called Istanbul, which means towards the city, because men from all around the world come there still.

THE END

So today’s story was written and sent in by a listener. The person who wrote the story is Ferhat Uzuner. So, thank you so much again, Ferhat. I really liked this story.

And remember, if you have a story and you want to put the story on the podcast, you can email me. Send me your story at . I would love to read it.

Actually, I already have a few stories from listeners, so it might take some time before I can put your story on the podcast. You might have to wait a few months before your story goes on the podcast. Just so you know.

So today’s story is from Ancient Greece. Greece is a country in Europe and Greece is a very famous country because, throughout history, Greece has given us many things. We have from Greece democracy, philosophy and lots of beautiful art. All of these things started in Ancient Greece.

Ancient Greece is also famous for the Greek gods. So the Greeks had many gods. The main god was Zeus. There is actually another story in the podcast from Ancient Greece. The story is called Arachne, the Spider Woman. You can listen to it at EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/SpiderWoman. I really love that story. Actually, all of the stories from Ancient Greece are really interesting, so definitely go and listen to that episode if you have not listened to it before.

Of course, today, Istanbul is not in Greece, it is the capital city of Turkey. The old names of the city Byzantium and Constantinople. Istanbul is now a very big city. It actually has a population of 15 million. When I learned that so many people live in Istanbul, I was really surprised, because almost twice as many people live in Istanbul than in London, and London is such a big city. So Istanbul is really, really big. I have never gone to Istanbul, but I really want to and this story has helped me learn a bit about the history of the city.

Anyway, I also want to talk about the live stream. So on Saturday there was another live stream for Easy Stories in English. It was our second live stream, and it was really fun. I had a lot of fun. On the live stream, I talked about a videogame I am playing called Animal Crossing, and I showed some pictures from my game, and we wrote a really beautiful story together about a man who dreams of an island in a raindrop. I really recommend going and watching the stream on YouTube. Even if you didn’t come on Saturday, you can watch the replay, the video version, on YouTube.

I have decided to make the streams regular because it is really fun and I think, right now, we need something relaxing. So the streams will be every Saturday at 13:00 British Summer Time and the streams are on my YouTube channel, on the Easy Stories in English YouTube channel. I will put a link in the transcript of this episode to the YouTube channel at EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/City.

And if you want to know when the stream is happening, you can join the email newsletter. Go to EasyStoriesInEnglish.com and type your details into the box. If you join the email newsletter, I will email you with useful advice on how to learn languages, and I will email you an hour before the Saturday streams starts, so that you can come along as well.

So, thank you for listening today. If you enjoyed the story, please consider supporting us on Patreon. Go to Patreon.com/EasyStoriesInEnglish. That’s Patreon.com/EasyStoriesInEnglish. For just a few dollars a month you can get extra episodes, exercises, and much more. Thank you for listening, and until next week. Bye!

Comments

39 responses to “Towards the City”

  1. Pınar Asal avatar
    Pınar Asal

    Hello, I want to say something about this story. Istanbul is not the capital of the Turkey. Ankara is the capital city of Turkey.
    Thanks for the stories
    Loved it.

    Hello from Izmir ( 3rd biggest city of the Turkey)

    1. Ariel Goodbody avatar
      Ariel Goodbody

      Thanks for the comment, Pınar! Oh gosh, I can’t believe I made such a stupid mistake… I’m sure many people will correct me!

      1. loida md avatar
        loida md

        Sir Ariel, I would like to use this story in my teaching but how could I cite the real author and the authenticity of the story. Is this fiction, too?

        1. Ariel Goodbody avatar
          Ariel Goodbody

          Thanks for the comment, Loida. You are welcome to use this story in your class. Yes, I think this can definitely be considered fiction! Just cite Ferhat Uzuner and Easy Stories in English 🙂

          1. Adem Yaşar avatar
            Adem Yaşar

            Thank you very much for beautiful short story. Now, learning English language.

            1. Ariel Goodbody avatar
              Ariel Goodbody

              You’re very welcome, Adem 🙂

  2. Ahmed avatar

    Thank you four beautiful story

    1. Ariel Goodbody avatar
      Ariel Goodbody

      You’re very welcome, Ahmed 🙂

  3. Jassi avatar

    Hlo sir I like our way to tell stories,explaining difficult words before starting story.really I like it and daily listen your podcast. But I want to speak english.so plz tell me how can I improve,how to practice,what should it schedule. Help me and make podcast from where i can actively participate during video.thank u sir

    1. Ariel Goodbody avatar
      Ariel Goodbody

      Thanks for the comment, Jassi. That’s a great question! I answer questions about learning strategies on the weekend live stream. The next one will on Saturday 10th at 13:00 British Summer Time (GMT+1). You can set a reminder here. If you can’t come but still want me to answer your question, you can email it to me at . I would prefer to answer your question on the stream so that other people can benefit from it as well 🙂

      If you want more personal advice, you can always book a class with me on italki.

  4. Ursula Daepp avatar
    Ursula Daepp

    Isn‘t Ankara the capital city of Turkey? 🙂

    1. Ariel Goodbody avatar
      Ariel Goodbody

      Yes! I am stupid… Thanks for the comment! 🙂

  5. Milena avatar
    Milena

    Hi Ariel! You don’t even know how much happiness you give me. I love listening to you! You teach me every day for a minimum 2 hours. I really like your podcast!
    Okay so I’m beginner and really your conversation pre-story is very important to me… I can get to know the words that I can use in everyday life. so please continiue (even more)!

    Big hug!!!!❤ 🙂
    Milena

    1. Ariel Goodbody avatar
      Ariel Goodbody

      Wow, Milena, thanks for the lovely comment! I’m glad you’re enjoying the podcast so much 🙂 And don’t worry, the conversation will always be there!

  6. Hüseyin T. avatar
    Hüseyin T.

    Hi, Greetings from Turkey.
    I found your podcast randomly in the Spotify. ı think your works very useful for learners like me. I like your story telling style.
    Thanks for your afford.
    You said “Of course, today, Istanbul is not in Greece, it is the capital city of Turkey.” in the story. but I want to correct you. Istanbul isn’t the capital city of Turkey . of couse , Istanbul is the biggest city of Turkey. but ıt isn’t the capital.

    1. Ariel Goodbody avatar
      Ariel Goodbody

      Thanks for the comment, Hüseyin! Yes, it is a very embarrassing mistake to make… Thanks for pointing it out! I’m glad you’re enjoying the podcast 🙂

      1. Jarmi avatar

        Ariel, I thank you so much for your helping to me learn, read and listen English. I like read your writing and listen you. It is very well understanding and interesting for me. English is a little more complicated for speaking and listening, because the writing is another then speaking… to me it makes problems. But I learn, learn. I learn myself and now you help me very much. I also love you humour… when I see your video on You Tube I smile very much. I live in Czech republik.
        I thank you and I send my nice salute to England*

        1. Ariel Goodbody avatar
          Ariel Goodbody

          Thanks for the lovely comment, Jarmi! I’m so glad the podcast is helping you, and I hope you’re doing well 🙂

  7. Anastasiya avatar
    Anastasiya

    Hi! Thank you!) but one moment, Istanbul isn’t capital Turkey, capital – Ankara

    1. Ariel Goodbody avatar
      Ariel Goodbody

      Thanks for the comment, Anastasiya! Yes, others have pointed it out. Oops!

  8. ahmet okkan avatar
    ahmet okkan

    hello … 🙂
    i am ahmet. i am from turkey. ty for beutiful stories… i want to say something. this podcast so beneficial. i listen every day five min. this story talks about these lands. so great. but one point is wrong. the capital of Turkey is Ankara. Istanbul is a big city. You are right. but not the capital. i hope one day you come to this city and our country. we are honored to welcome you.

    https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-is-the-capital-of-turkey.html

    1. Ariel Goodbody avatar
      Ariel Goodbody

      Thanks for the comment, Ahmet! Yes, others have pointed it out. I feel a bit stupid!

  9. Salman Akhtar avatar
    Salman Akhtar

    It’s is a real and amazing way of teach and helping to us and easiest way for us to learn faster with enough interest.. most of the people get bored when they try to learn a language by reading of unnecessary things but here the story is clear to understand because of the easy sentances have used for bigginers like us.

    1. Ariel Goodbody avatar
      Ariel Goodbody

      Thanks so much, Salman! You’re very sweet. That’s exactly what I’m trying to do 🙂

      1. Milena Gwizdała avatar
        Milena Gwizdała

        So totally im disagree with Salman Akhtar haha

  10. Milena avatar
    Milena

    Hi Ariel! You don’t even know how much happiness you give me. I love listening to you! You teach me every day around 2 hours. I really like your podcast!
    Okay so I’m beginner and really your conversation pre-story is very important to me… I can get to know the words that I can use in everyday life. so please continiue (even more)!

    Big hug!!!!❤ 🙂
    Milena

    1. Ariel Goodbody avatar
      Ariel Goodbody

      Thanks for the lovely comment, Milena! I will continue to do the conversation, but I think I’ll put it after the story, at least for now. Then we can see how it goes 🙂

  11. Ahmad avatar

    hello
    thanks a lot for this story.
    i think the story is the best Method for learn English language i hope i will learn that.
    the conversation’s that you told at first story i can’t read that because it was difficult so i only read the story .
    after a few days i read the conversation . it was interesting for me and i enjoyed
    Now i think your conversation is better to be of the the first of the story.
    i really enjoy your story.

    1. Ariel Goodbody avatar
      Ariel Goodbody

      Thanks for the comment, Ahmad! That’s very useful for me to know. I think it makes sense to have the conversation after the story, then. I don’t want people to get confused and stop listening 🙂

  12. Saleh Allahabi avatar
    Saleh Allahabi

    Hi , Thank you so much for your efforts in these Beautiful stories and I have a question here why do you collect these stories in one file so that we can download it easily to keep them with us .

    1. Ariel Goodbody avatar
      Ariel Goodbody

      Thanks for the comment, Saleh! I am definitely going to compile the stories into a book at some point 🙂

  13. Andrey avatar
    Andrey

    Hello.
    I like your podcast, thank you 🙂
    This story you spoke too slowly at times. But speaking words by letters more slowly is a good idea. I often failed understand them in ealier stories.

    1. Ariel Goodbody avatar
      Ariel Goodbody

      Thanks for the comment, Andrey. It’s hard to find a speed that’s not too slow or too fast, and it’s always going to different for everyone. But I’m glad you’re finding the podcasts useful 🙂

  14. I read it and I enjoy it
    thanks

    1. Ariel Goodbody avatar
      Ariel Goodbody

      You’re very welcome, Sobi 🙂

  15. Blossom avatar
    Blossom

    Hello Ariel,
    I would like to thank you for the podcast. I found it on Spotify and my walk to work has been fun ever since.
    Personally I enjoy your talks before the stories very much (sometimes even more than the story itself lol), and I think they make the whole thing more fun. Without them being before the stories it would be like listening to a teacher instead of a friend telling a story.
    Thank you again for all the fun you bring.

    1. Ariel Goodbody avatar
      Ariel Goodbody

      Thanks for the kind comment, Blossom! That’s very useful feedback to have 🙂

  16. It was great 🙂
    Good luck !

    1. Ariel Goodbody avatar
      Ariel Goodbody

      Thanks, Ostad!

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