Vocabulary practice · Episode 77

Review the useful expressions from the episode

Study the episode’s central expressions with English definitions, nuance and examples, plus reviewed support-language versions where available.

B1–B2Everyday EnglishAbout 9 min + dynamic ads5 PDF versions available
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  1. Choose one expression. Read its definition, nuance and examples.
  2. Make it yours. Write one true sentence from your own life.
  3. Return to the episode. Listen for the expression in its original context.

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Vocabulary from the episode

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Expression 1

to navigate daily life

to successfully manage the everyday practical situations of living somewhere — shops, transport, bureaucracy, neighbours — in a new language or context

Nuance: Navigate daily life is the fundamental goal of practical English — not eloquence, but the ability to get through the day successfully. The survival kit episodes are specifically designed for this level of competence.

Once you can navigate daily life in English — shopping, banking, appointments — you have crossed the most important threshold.

She felt genuinely confident navigating daily life in English after only three months of the podcast.

Expression 2

to settle in

to become comfortable and accustomed to a new place, situation, or environment — to start feeling at home

Nuance: Settle in is warm and gradual — it describes the process, not just the result. You don't arrive and instantly feel at home; you settle in. Understanding this vocabulary helps learners describe and process the immigrant/expat experience in English.

It took her about six months to really settle in to life in London — language was part of it, but community was bigger.

Once you settle in and start making friends in English, the language improves faster than any class could manage.

Expression 3

to get used to

to gradually become familiar and comfortable with something that was previously new or strange

Nuance: Get used to is the adaptation phrase. It describes the process — not the arrival. 'I'm getting used to it' means the process is underway. 'I've got used to it' means the adaptation is complete. For language learners, getting used to a new country involves getting used to the pace, the customs, the climate, the food, the bureaucracy, and of course the language.

Getting used to a new country takes longer than most people expect — allow yourself at least a year.

She got used to the cold weather after two winters and even started enjoying the long evenings of summer.

Expression 4

to find your bearings

to figure out where you are and how things work in a new situation — to get orientated

Nuance: Find your bearings is the orientation phrase. When you arrive somewhere new — a city, a job, a social scene — finding your bearings means getting enough of a map in your head to function: knowing where things are, who to talk to, how the system works. It is used both literally (finding your way around a city) and figuratively (understanding how things work in a new job).

Give yourself time to find your bearings in a new city before making major decisions.

She spent her first two weeks just finding her bearings — learning the neighbourhood, the transport, and the local shops.

Expression 5

culture shock

the feeling of disorientation, confusion, and anxiety experienced when encountering a significantly different culture or way of life

Nuance: Culture shock is the cross-cultural adjustment concept. It is not just about food or customs — it is a deep psychological reaction to discovering that the world does not work the way you assumed. Culture shock typically follows a pattern: initial excitement (honeymoon), then difficulty (frustration), then gradual adjustment (accommodation), and finally integration. Knowing this pattern helps you cope when you are in the difficult phase.

Culture shock is not weakness — it is the normal response to a genuinely different world.

She recognised that what she was feeling was culture shock and that it would pass — which made it much easier to endure.

Expression 6

to feel homesick

to feel a longing for home — especially when you are far away from it for an extended period

Nuance: Homesick is the displacement emotion. It is not just missing people — it is missing familiarity: the sound of your language, the smell of the food, the social rules you know by heart, the physical landscape. It is particularly common in the first year abroad. Feeling homesick does not mean you made the wrong decision — it means you had something worth missing.

Feeling homesick is not a sign you should go back — it is a sign you are human.

She felt homesick every November and made a point of calling her family every evening during that month.

Expression 7

to deal with bureaucracy

to navigate official administrative systems — such as paperwork, registrations, permits, and government procedures

Nuance: Deal with bureaucracy is the admin reality phrase. Moving abroad means facing bureaucracy: registering your address, getting a national insurance or tax number, opening a bank account, dealing with visas, healthcare registration, and council tax. In English-speaking countries, bureaucratic language is formal and procedure-specific. Knowing the vocabulary — 'proof of address', 'national insurance number', 'council tax band' — is essential practical English.

Deal with bureaucracy early — administrative delays compound quickly and affect other things.

She spent her first month dealing with bureaucracy — registration, a bank account, and a GP surgery — before she could focus on anything else.

Expression 8

to build a support network

to deliberately develop a group of people you can rely on — for practical help, advice, company, and emotional support

Nuance: Build a support network is the social resilience phrase. When you live abroad, your natural support network — family, childhood friends, long-term colleagues — is usually unavailable or at a distance. Building a new one requires deliberate effort: joining groups, attending events, making repeated contact with the same people. The process is slow and sometimes uncomfortable but essential for long-term wellbeing.

Build a support network before you need it — it is much harder to ask for help when you are already struggling.

She joined three local groups in her first year and built a support network that made the next five years much easier.

Expression 9

to be out of your comfort zone

to be in a situation that is unfamiliar, challenging, or anxiety-producing — beyond the boundaries of what feels safe and easy

Nuance: Out of your comfort zone is the growth phrase. The comfort zone is the range of activities and situations where you feel confident and in control. Being outside it is uncomfortable — but research consistently shows that growth, learning, and meaningful achievement happen primarily outside the comfort zone. For language learners, every conversation in English with a stranger is a comfort zone challenge.

Being out of your comfort zone consistently is how growth happens — discomfort and development go together.

She was out of her comfort zone every day in her first year abroad but looked back on that period as the most growth she had ever experienced.

Expression 10

to integrate

to become a functioning part of a new community or society — by participating in its social, professional, and cultural life

Nuance: Integrate is the long-term settlement verb. Unlike 'settle in' (arriving and getting comfortable) or 'adapt' (adjusting to differences), integrate implies a deeper level of belonging: being genuinely part of the community, not just resident in it. Integration is different from assimilation — you do not have to abandon your previous identity to integrate.

Integration takes years — resist comparing your year one with someone else's year ten.

She considered herself truly integrated when she started helping other newly arrived neighbours navigate the same challenges she had faced.

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