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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.

The translator at the center of a sports betting scandal (Caught up in)

26 mins; May 09, 2024

How zoo animals behaved during the eclipse (Quiet down)

21 mins; May 06, 2024

Paris's Olympic dream: swimming in the Seine (Run through)

19 mins; May 02, 2024

Chef José Andrés and the Israel-Hamas conflict (Throw yourself into)

20 mins; April 29, 2024

Stephen King has been terrifying fans for 50 years (Come together)

26 mins; April 25, 2024

Massive bridge falls after collision with ship (Fire up)

22 mins; April 22, 2024

The growing popularity of Turkish television (Open to)

20 mins; April 18, 2024

Cracks are showing in America's real-estate racket (In the best possible light)

21 mins; April 15, 2024

Will new dry 'tiles' be the future of laundry detergent? (Morph into)

22 mins; April 11, 2024

Gabriel García Márquez sons publish last book against author's wishes (Cloud your judgment)

26 mins; April 08, 2024

Podcasting turns 20 years old (Come to mind)

23 mins; April 04, 2024

Like it or not, it's Biden vs. Trump again (Pass the torch)

23 mins; April 01, 2024

Four questions about weight-loss drugs (Press up against)

21 mins; March 28, 2024

The perils of going off weight-loss drugs (Slow down)

20 mins; March 25, 2024

How our lives are different after the pandemic (Stick with)

21 mins; March 21, 2024

COVID predictions that never came true (Come true)

23 mins; March 18, 2024

Meet me at the 'zombie mall' (Put off)

20 mins; March 14, 2024

The rise and slow fall of the indoor mall (Wander around)

20 mins; March 11, 2024

The fate of the penny in 7 currencies (More trouble than it's worth)

21 mins; March 07, 2024

‘Nearshoring’ in Mexico and eastern Europe (Carve out)

21 mins; March 04, 2024

The winners and losers of Leap Years (Fall on)

19 mins; February 29, 2024

AM radio goes missing in electric cars (Have something going)

24 mins; February 26, 2024

British Post Office scandal: a 'miscarriage of justice' (Drop off)

20 mins; February 22, 2024

Correcting bias in academic research (Give in)

22 mins; February 19, 2024

The dark side of 'publish or perish' (Cross a line)

23 mins; February 15, 2024

More problems for Boeing's 737-MAX (Turn around)

18 mins; February 12, 2024

Should London's pedicabs be regulated? (Draw the line)

20 mins; February 08, 2024

Ecuador is living a drug-fueled nightmare (Fill a vacuum)

20 mins; February 05, 2024

The new six-figure job: prompt engineer (Scratch the surface)

21 mins; February 01, 2024

Meet the new neighbor: he's a grizzly bear (Pass down)

19 mins; January 29, 2024

Ikea is heading to the city center (Pick out)

18 mins; January 25, 2024

The southern accent is fading away (Fade away)

21 mins; January 22, 2024

'Golden Bachelor' shows a new kind of reality: dating over 60 (Angle for)

21 mins; January 18, 2024

The backlash against too much tipping (Once in a while)

22 mins; January 15, 2024

Theft at the British Museum (Go missing)

20 mins; January 11, 2024

New York gets serious about its trash (Get rid of)

20 mins; January 08, 2024

McDonald's is making changes to its burgers (Fall behind)

20 mins; January 04, 2024

The hard work after a snowstorm (Buy in bulk)

22 mins; January 01, 2024

Six ways to fail (Root cause)

21 mins; December 21, 2023

Drought in Panama complicates canal traffic (In place)

20 mins; December 18, 2023

Iceland braces for a volcanic eruption (Up close)

22 mins; December 14, 2023

Battle for sunken treasure off Colombia's coast (Destined for)

21 mins; December 11, 2023

The new attraction in Las Vegas is a giant ball (Get going)

19 mins; December 07, 2023

Can’t sleep 8 hours? There’s still hope (Catch up)

21 mins; December 04, 2023

SBF: Villain or a careless founder in over his head? | Learn English expression 'in tatters'

23 mins; November 30, 2023

The sad story of Sam Bankman-Fried | Learn English phrasal verb 'pay off'

23 mins; November 27, 2023

Celine Dion is keeping New Zealanders up all night | Learn English expression 'rig together'

22 mins; November 23, 2023

Why are movies getting longer? | Learn English expression 'upper hand'

22 mins; November 20, 2023

The Twinkie refuses to die | Learn English expression 'try your hand at'

21 mins; November 16, 2023

Super-shoes help propel runners to marathon records | Learn English phrasal verb 'lace up'

22 mins; November 13, 2023

American football is smitten with Taylor Swift | Learn English expression 'lean into'

22 mins; November 09, 2023

Biden's uphill battle for re-election | Learn English expression 'play into someone's hands'

21 mins; November 06, 2023

Fernando Botero, Colombia’s artist of over-sized subjects | Learn English expression 'call attention to'

22 mins; November 02, 2023

The Great Paris Bedbug Battle of 2023 | Learn English phrasal verb 'creep out'

20 mins; October 30, 2023

Surge pricing comes to the pub | Learn English phrasal verb 'cut short'

23 mins; October 26, 2023

The latest on Threads, X, Wagner, Trump and more | Learn English phrasal verb 'settle down'

22 mins; October 23, 2023

Is a lab-grown diamond as good as the real thing? | Learn English word 'intangibles'

22 mins; October 19, 2023

Is this the largest animal ever? | Learn English expression 'come as a surprise'

20 mins; October 16, 2023

Kidfluencers: big money in a legal grey area | Learn English expression 'on the backs of'

21 mins; October 12, 2023

The kiss that shook Spanish soccer | Learn English phrasal verb 'pile on'

23 mins; October 09, 2023

Life in Mexico: One year later | Learn English phrasal verb 'on hand'

21 mins; October 05, 2023

The 7 design ideas for the new euro bills | Learn English expression 'in-depth'

23 mins; October 02, 2023

What should go on the new euro banknotes? | Learn English expression 'hard-pressed'

25 mins; September 28, 2023

Edible microchips to track authentic Italian cheese | Learn English expression 'bear resemblance to'

24 mins; September 25, 2023

Do you really need 10,000 steps? | Learn English phrasal verb 'capitalize on'

22 mins; September 21, 2023

Courts grapple with how to interpret emojis | Learn English expression 'figure that'

23 mins; September 18, 2023

Crisis averted as oil safely offloaded from FSO Safer | Learn English phrasal verb 'go back on'

24 mins; September 14, 2023

How a rusting oil tanker threatened the Red Sea | Learn expression 'accident waiting to happen'

25 mins; September 11, 2023

Employers sour on remote work | Learn English expression 'come full circle'

22 mins; September 07, 2023

Fish & chips: British comfort food | Learn English expression 'sentimental value'

18 mins; September 04, 2023

Games, rides, and food at the State Fair | Learn English expression 'come home with'

20 mins; August 31, 2023

The Minors: small towns and the quest for baseball fame | Learn English phrasal verb 'weed out'

22 mins; August 28, 2023

Flags in the English-speaking world | Learn English expression 'in use'

17 mins; August 24, 2023

'Barbie' was just the beginning | Learn English phrase 'get off the ground'

20 mins; August 21, 2023

Wine thief swipes bottles worth $600K | Learn English expression 'make off with'

23 mins; August 17, 2023

Tony Bennett bridged musical generations | Learn English idiom 'fall apart'

24 mins; August 14, 2023

Tony Bennett and the 'Great American Songbook' | Learn English phrasal verb 'give way'

23 mins; August 10, 2023

Why it's so hot this summer | Learn English phrasal verb 'cool off'

21 mins; August 07, 2023

A look at the world's largest cruise ship | Learn English expression 'set sail'

21 mins; August 03, 2023

Strong start for Meta's Threads app | Learn English expression 'Get off to a good start'

25 mins; July 31, 2023

Pat Sajak's last spin on 'Wheel of Fortune' | Learn English phrasal verb 'slip up'

20 mins; July 27, 2023

The war over live video game streaming | Learn English phrasal verb 'roll back'

25 mins; July 24, 2023

Take a year or two off your age? It's true in South Korea | Learn English expression 'imagine that'

24 mins; July 20, 2023

Russia shaken by private army mutiny | Learn English expression 'overplay your hand'

29 mins; July 17, 2023

'Titan' captain repeatedly dismissed safety warnings | Learn English expression 'buyer beware'

30 mins; July 13, 2023

Titan: another shipwreck in the North Atlantic | Learn English phrase 'off the coast'

25 mins; July 10, 2023

Comic Sans: the font we love to hate | Learn English expression 'play a role in'

21 mins; July 06, 2023

'The Morning Show': a serious drama with a star-studded cast | Learn phrasal verb 'star in'

20 mins; July 03, 2023

Fish farming moves to dry land | Learn English expression 'put to use'

23 mins; June 29, 2023

Colombian kids rescued after surviving Amazon plane crash | Learn English expression 'no trace'

22 mins; June 26, 2023

The hot new trend is an ice-cold bath | Learn English expression 'if all else fails'

23 mins; June 22, 2023

What it's like in a low-security federal prison | Learn English expression 'serve time'

23 mins; June 19, 2023

Kia and Hyundai thefts affect more than just owners | Learn English expression 'spend time'

24 mins; June 15, 2023

Why Kia and Hyundai cars keep getting stolen | Learn English expression 'cut corners'

23 mins; June 12, 2023

Streamers plan price increases, content cuts, and more | Learn English expression 'all of a sudden'

23 mins; June 08, 2023

Big-budget streamers changed our TV habits | Learn English expression 'big deal'

24 mins; June 05, 2023

Bud Light in hot water after trans influencer video | Learn phrasal verb 'blow over'

27 mins; June 01, 2023

Ed Sheeran wins copyright infringement trial | Learn English expression 'building blocks'

23 mins; May 29, 2023

ChatGPT: What to use it for | Learn English phrasal verb 'write something off'

28 mins; May 25, 2023

ChatGPT: The AI tool that answers your questions | Learn English expression 'hit home'

30 mins; May 22, 2023

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