LanguaTalk

Plain English

Improve your English and learn about the world at the same time. Plain English brings you short, modern stories about culture, science, travel, business, and everyday life, all told in clear, natural English designed for learners. You’ll grow your vocabulary, improve your listening skills, and build your confidence one episode at a time. Like the show? Sign up free at PlainEnglish.com and get a personalized learning path.

Expression: Look forward to

17 mins; April 30, 2025

Big news: The Expressions are back!

3 mins; April 30, 2025

Le Creuset turns 100

18 mins; April 28, 2025

Updates: Daniel Kahneman, new euro, Rust movie

16 mins; April 24, 2025

Updates: Astronauts home; running records fall; no more Bitcoin in El Salvador

16 mins; April 21, 2025

Crumbl cookies are dessert for the social media era

11 mins; April 17, 2025

Trump's tariff chaos rattles world economies

16 mins; April 14, 2025

Should you use a top sheet?

16 mins; April 10, 2025

Microsoft hangs up on Skype

14 mins; April 07, 2025

Co-living is like coworking at home

15 mins; April 03, 2025

Why do tariffs exist?

16 mins; March 31, 2025

Denmark to stop delivering mail after 400 years

15 mins; March 27, 2025

The ethics of self-driving cars

19 mins; March 24, 2025

The self-driving future is running late

20 mins; March 20, 2025

James Bond’s future is now in Amazon’s hands

18 mins; March 17, 2025

The decline of the stick-shift in North America

15 mins; March 13, 2025

LA battles mudslides after devastating wildfires

14 mins; March 10, 2025

The fires that wiped through Los Angeles

14 mins; March 06, 2025

The remote-work battle rages on

16 mins; March 03, 2025

These contractions break the rules

13 mins; February 27, 2025

The secret to a perfectly boiled egg

13 mins; February 24, 2025

How to survive extreme cold temperatures

14 mins; February 20, 2025

English words borrowed from French

16 mins; February 17, 2025

Notre Dame reopens after six years of restoration

13 mins; February 13, 2025

'SNL' celebrates 50 years of late-night comedy

14 mins; February 10, 2025

Latin phrases that are part of English

18 mins; February 06, 2025

The slow decline of neon signs

14 mins; February 03, 2025

Britain debates: Should assisted dying be legal?

16 mins; January 30, 2025

Why all-night parties are fading worldwide

12 mins; January 27, 2025

The tradition of Girl Scout cookies in the U.S.

12 mins; January 23, 2025

Jimmy Carter was America's best ex-president

14 mins; January 20, 2025

Big questions on Australia's new social media law

16 mins; January 16, 2025

New Australia law: no kids under 16 on social media

13 mins; January 13, 2025

Why, exactly, is processed food bad for you?

16 mins; January 09, 2025

Three big stories to watch in 2025

15 mins; January 06, 2025

What is the purpose of giving gifts?

22 mins; December 19, 2024

What's the most popular type of book? (Hint: 😘)

25 mins; December 16, 2024

‘Long Island’ is a worthy sequel to ‘Brooklyn’

21 mins; December 12, 2024

Should donors get paid for plasma?

27 mins; December 09, 2024

Three self-help books that really help

22 mins; December 05, 2024

Searching for life on one of Jupiter's moons

17 mins; December 02, 2024

The best side dishes for American Thanksgiving

19 mins; November 28, 2024

He's back: How Trump returned to power in 2024

27 mins; November 25, 2024

Got camel milk? Now, more people do (Cut back on)

23 mins; November 21, 2024

Greenland bets on responsible tourism (Fall from grace)

22 mins; November 18, 2024

Lost Mozart composition found in German archives (Every now and then)

14 mins; November 14, 2024

The return of the backflip in figure skating (Give away)

19 mins; November 11, 2024

Haggis: Scotland's most famous recipe (Out of reach)

19 mins; November 07, 2024

Scientists map a fly's entire brain (On a roll)

20 mins; November 04, 2024

What Election Day is like in the U.S. (Pull off)

25 mins; November 01, 2024

Dengue in Italy, M-pox vaccines, and Netflix’s new 'Monsters' (Sooner or later)

23 mins; October 28, 2024

Build more homes? Now, some say ‘yes’ in my backyard (Out of touch)

24 mins; October 24, 2024

‘Emily in Paris’ is the show France loves to hate (Keep an eye on / out)

21 mins; October 21, 2024

Why only 538 votes decide the U.S. presidency (On track)

23 mins; October 17, 2024

James Earl Jones, voice of Darth Vader, dies at 93 (Up in the air)

23 mins; October 14, 2024

How much power does a vice president really have? (On the same page)

23 mins; October 10, 2024

The U.S. election is too close to call with one month left (Hand in hand)

26 mins; October 07, 2024

Parents and school shooters: who's responsible? (Take advantage of)

24 mins; October 03, 2024

How to get a Birkin handbag (Deal with)

25 mins; September 30, 2024

Somehow, Abercrombie & Fitch is popular again (Take it easy)

23 mins; September 26, 2024

Matthew Perry and the drug that killed him (As far as I know)

23 mins; September 23, 2024

Do men need to wear ties anymore? (Close call)

23 mins; September 19, 2024

Two astronauts are stranded in space (Short run / long run)

26 mins; September 16, 2024

Why women's clothing sizes are so confusing (In touch)

23 mins; September 12, 2024

'Massacre law' in Turkey threatens street dogs (Get out of hand)

23 mins; September 09, 2024

Biden's awful debate and the rise of Kamala Harris (Down to the wire)

23 mins; September 05, 2024

Summer 2024: Three months that felt like decades (Get out of)

23 mins; September 02, 2024

Buying vs renting a home (Pay back)

22 mins; August 29, 2024

Office culture in the U.S. (Wrap up)

23 mins; August 26, 2024

Jury duty: what it's like (Check in)

21 mins; August 22, 2024

What is retirement like in the United States? (Stay put)

22 mins; August 19, 2024

Train travel in the U.S. (Up and running)

20 mins; August 15, 2024

Fast Version: A quick tour through America's national parks (One of a kind)

13 mins; August 13, 2024

A quick tour through America's national parks (One of a kind)

23 mins; August 12, 2024

Regional varieties of American pizza (Made of)

21 mins; August 08, 2024

School life outside the classroom (Try out)

20 mins; August 05, 2024

The typical American school day (Spread out)

22 mins; August 01, 2024

America's west: mountains, plains, and desert (Take cover)

22 mins; July 29, 2024

America's South is booming (Safety net)

22 mins; July 25, 2024

What it's like to live in the Midwest (Fall on hard times)

23 mins; July 22, 2024

A typical American household budget (All in)

20 mins; July 18, 2024

Typical U.S. salaries by profession (Take out)

22 mins; July 15, 2024

America's best small museums (Pop culture)

19 mins; July 11, 2024

The best big museums in America (Make a difference)

19 mins; July 08, 2024

Is west-coast living really better? (Year-round)

22 mins; July 04, 2024

East-coast living: the pros and cons (Focus on)

20 mins; July 01, 2024

Dollar stores dominate rural America (Fall out of fashion)

21 mins; June 27, 2024

Bad harvests are pushing up orange juice prices (Worthwhile)

22 mins; June 24, 2024

Lost luggage: What happens to it? (Track down)

22 mins; June 20, 2024

Flying cars: are they finally here? (Creep closer)

21 mins; June 17, 2024

Beethoven's hair provides clues to his hearing loss (Suffer from)

19 mins; June 13, 2024

Heat pumps: the green way to heat a home (Heat up)

20 mins; June 10, 2024

Mona Lisa background: mystery solved? (Stand up to scrutiny)

21 mins; June 06, 2024

Surge of dengue in Latin America (Buy up)

20 mins; June 03, 2024

Impressionism turns 150 (Fall into)

22 mins; May 30, 2024

Three big ideas from behavioral science (Stick with (someone))

26 mins; May 27, 2024

Daniel Kahneman and behavioral economics (Pass away)

21 mins; May 23, 2024

Updates on Iceland, Trump, and recent stories (Nod off)

21 mins; May 20, 2024

Quebec is squeezing Montreal's English speakers (Squeezed out)

26 mins; May 16, 2024

Canada's complicated bilingualism (In a pinch)

22 mins; May 13, 2024

Click here to see more

Plain English

Useful pages

Find a tutor

Languages