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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.

Can a 'smart gun' prevent accidental deaths? | Learn English phrasal verb 'hold up'

24 mins; May 18, 2023

Jerry Springer was king of trash TV | Learn English expression 'push the boundaries'

23 mins; May 15, 2023

'Phantom of the Opera' closes on Broadway after 35 years | Learn English expression 'set the stage'

23 mins; May 11, 2023

Pickleball: the newest outdoor craze | Learn English expression 'backed by'

22 mins; May 08, 2023

New Orleans: music, parties, and lots of good food | Learn English phrasal verb 'wind through'

24 mins; May 04, 2023

India is now the world's biggest country by population | Learn English phrase 'headed in'

21 mins; May 01, 2023

Chick-fil-A, popular fast-food chain, to expand internationally | Learn expression 'stay in your lane'

24 mins; April 27, 2023

What to know about Trump's indictment | Learn English phrasal verb 'drag on'

25 mins; April 24, 2023

Updates on Chile, hippos, TikTok and more | Learn English expression 'with a straight face'

24 mins; April 20, 2023

The ozone layer is repairing itself | Learn phrasal verb 'thin out'

22 mins; April 17, 2023

Mass of seaweed heading for Caribbean beaches | Learn English phrase 'wash up'

20 mins; April 13, 2023

Banking confidence shaken after series of failures | Learn English expression 'herd mentality'

23 mins; April 10, 2023

Activated charcoal: What is it? | Learn English phrasal verb 'come across'

21 mins; April 06, 2023

The robot therapist will see you now | Learn English phrase 'cracks in the system'

24 mins; April 03, 2023

The puzzle of office-to-apartment conversions | Learn English expression 'get wind of'

23 mins; March 30, 2023

New York misses its commuters | Learn English phrase 'inflection point'

21 mins; March 27, 2023

How drugs get their names | Learn English expression 'plenty of'

26 mins; March 23, 2023

New treatments seek to control obesity | Learn English phrase 'to spare'

22 mins; March 20, 2023

Mario mania as Super Nintendo World opens at Universal Studios | Learn English phrasal verb 'team up'

22 mins; March 16, 2023

Turkey asks why earthquake caused so much damage | Learn English expression 'bear the blame'

26 mins; March 13, 2023

'Titanic' movie 25 years later | Learn English phrasal verb 'root for'

22 mins; March 09, 2023

Spy balloons: Real danger or just hot air? | Learn English expression 'blown off course'

21 mins; March 06, 2023

Fentanyl and drug overdose deaths | Learn phrasal verb 'mix in'

21 mins; March 02, 2023

Missing: radioactive capsule the size of a pea

20 mins; February 27, 2023

Netflix password rules: how much pain & how much gain? | Learn English phrasal verb 'grow up'

26 mins; February 23, 2023

Netflix falls out of love with password sharing | Learn phrasal verb 'come up'

27 mins; February 20, 2023

What a layoff is like (for both parties) | Learn English phrasal verb 'bulk up'

20 mins; February 16, 2023

Legacy of Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand's prime minister | Learn English expression 'overstay your welcome'

25 mins; February 13, 2023

Gas vs. electric stoves: Which is better? | Plus, learn the phrasal verb 'win out'

28 mins; February 09, 2023

Alec Baldwin and the 'Rust' shooting | Learn English phrase 'meet the definition'

24 mins; February 06, 2023

When cemeteries run out of space | Learn a new way to use 'short'

28 mins; February 02, 2023

What happened at FTX | Learn English phrasal verb 'pay up'

27 mins; January 30, 2023

22 mins; January 26, 2023

Past banking crises hold lessons for crypto | Learn English phrase 'sour on'

26 mins; January 23, 2023

Dublin: Guinness, whiskey, music, literature, and more | Learn English phrasal verb 'plan ahead'

25 mins; January 19, 2023

New drug reduces progression of Alzheimer's | Learn English phrase 'show promise'

22 mins; January 16, 2023

Qatar: pros and cons of first Middle East host | Plus, learn English expression 'at the last minute'

20 mins; January 12, 2023

Four stories from the 2022 World Cup | Learn English phrase 'grow closer'

19 mins; January 09, 2023

Stories to watch in 2023 | Learn English phrase 'intent on'

23 mins; January 05, 2023

Why is New Year's Day on January 1? | Learn English phrase 'seek to'

20 mins; January 02, 2023

'Peanuts' showed the world through children's eyes | Learn English term 'comic relief'

19 mins; December 29, 2022

4 classic Christmas movies | Learn English phrasal verb 'fend off'

15 mins; December 26, 2022

The cool way to get around is on a snowmobile | Learn English expression 'familiar with'

16 mins; December 22, 2022

Trust us: buy your next mattress online | Learn English expression 'fine-tune'

22 mins; December 19, 2022

Venezuelan elite victims of luxury-home scam | Learn English expression 'in the dark'

21 mins; December 15, 2022

How the super-rich protect their assets in U.S. real estate | Learn phrasal verb 'cook up'

20 mins; December 12, 2022

Ukraine's 'second army' of rail workers | Learn English expression 'work around the clock'

20 mins; December 08, 2022

New York says to job posters: Show them the money | Learn English expression 'push the envelope'

24 mins; December 05, 2022

What is the 'pig butchering' scam? | Learn English expression 'show your true colors'

20 mins; December 01, 2022

Ethics of making (and watching) true crime | Learn English expression 'go about your business'

24 mins; November 28, 2022

Netflix's newest hit: a true crime series about a serial killer | Learn English expression 'take liberties'

19 mins; November 24, 2022

Another populist falls: Lula ousts Bolsonaro in Brazil | Learn English phrase 'on a technicality'

25 mins; November 21, 2022

World Cup starts Monday | Learn English phrase 'risk it'

17 mins; November 17, 2022

Elon Musk owns Twitter after long ordeal | Learn English expression 'stand to' gain or lose

27 mins; November 14, 2022

Americans can't agree on what to call these 5 things | Learn what it means to 'change your ways'

23 mins; November 10, 2022

Updates on BTS, monkeypox, and more | Learn English expression 'distance yourself'

22 mins; November 07, 2022

American states fight each other over immigration | Learn English expression 'find your way'

17 mins; November 03, 2022

BBC turns 100 this month | Learn what it means for people to 'band together'

22 mins; October 31, 2022

Asteroid crash: a test run to save humanity | Learn English phrasal verb 'set off'

19 mins; October 27, 2022

Europe braces for two cold winters | Learn phrasal verb 'run on'

24 mins; October 24, 2022

Cheating allegations in top-level chess | Learn what it means to 'stop short of' something

24 mins; October 20, 2022

How chess has evolved over centuries | Learn English phrase 'tailor made'

21 mins; October 17, 2022

Would you eat a purple tomato? | Learn the English expression to have ‘an edge’

18 mins; October 13, 2022

The illusion of ESG investing | Learn the expression ‘welcome with open arms’

22 mins; October 10, 2022

ESG funds and investing in good | Learn the English expression ‘nagging doubt’

23 mins; October 06, 2022

Are AI-generated images art? | Learn the phrasal verb ‘sift through’

20 mins; October 03, 2022

The unlikely path to Queen | Learn the English metaphor ‘open the door’

23 mins; September 29, 2022

Queen Elizabeth II’s long rule comes to an end | Learn the English expression ‘pay respects’

18 mins; September 26, 2022

The resurgence of the mullet | Learn the phrasal verb ‘catch on’

20 mins; September 22, 2022

Chilean voters reject rewritten constitution | Learn the phrasal verb ‘boil over’

20 mins; September 19, 2022

#QuietQuitting: Is this a good idea? | Learn the English expression 'above and beyond'

17 mins; September 15, 2022

Ben & Jerry's takes its parent company to court | Learn the English expression 'take exception to'

20 mins; September 12, 2022

Part 1: the rise of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream | Learn the phrasal verb ‘come in’

23 mins; September 08, 2022

Lesson 500: Jeff and JR's favorite places in Chicago

18 mins; September 05, 2022

Destination Chicago: the capital of the Midwest | Learn the English expression ‘wiped out’

25 mins; September 01, 2022

Electric vehicles will soon be required to make more noise | Learn the English expression ‘walk by’

24 mins; August 29, 2022

What it’s like to stare at a painting for a full hour | Learn the phrasal verb ‘run out’

22 mins; August 25, 2022

Remembering Vin Scully, the voice of baseball | Learn the English phrasal verb ‘treat someone to’

18 mins; August 22, 2022

How did monkeypox become a public health crisis? | Learn the English expression ‘clamor for’

22 mins; August 18, 2022

Will healthcare be the next industry Amazon revolutionizes? | Learn the English expression ‘time will tell’

24 mins; August 15, 2022

Webb telescope’s long journey to launch | Learn the English expression ‘a crack at’

23 mins; August 11, 2022

Asian carp or copi? An ugly fish gets a tasty rebrand | Learn the English expression ‘overrun with’

24 mins; August 08, 2022

James Webb telescope is like a time machine | Learn the phrasal verb ‘turn over’

24 mins; August 04, 2022

The Elon Musk v. Twitter saga | Learn the phrasal verb ‘side with’

23 mins; August 01, 2022

Boris Johnson era is coming to an end | Learn the phrasal verb ‘go after’

26 mins; July 28, 2022

21 teenagers died at a South African nightclub, and nobody knows why | Learn the English expression ‘pass out’

24 mins; July 25, 2022

California kids will be snoozing their alarm clocks this year | Learn the phrasal verb ‘stay up'

21 mins; July 21, 2022

Planning for your digital death | Learn the English expression ‘up to date’

24 mins; July 18, 2022

What happens when you (online) die | Learn the English expression ‘in progress’

24 mins; July 14, 2022

K-pop band BTS is taking a break | Learn the English expression ‘loom over’

22 mins; July 11, 2022

Should you bring your ‘whole self’ to work? | Learn the English expression ‘on the surface’

19 mins; July 07, 2022

A controversial new tour is dividing the golf world | Learn the phrasal verb ‘pass up’

24 mins; July 04, 2022

The benefits of keeping a journal | Learn the expression ‘get off on the right foot’

21 mins; June 30, 2022

A Wimbledon without rankings points | Learn the phrasal verb ‘hand out’

20 mins; June 27, 2022

Just how big is the world’s largest plant? | Learn the phrasal verb ‘look into’

20 mins; June 23, 2022

A royal party for 70 years as Queen | Learn the English expression ‘look down on’

20 mins; June 20, 2022

Unlock the hidden features of Google Maps | Learn the English expression ‘brand-new’

21 mins; June 16, 2022

The American UFO craze | Learn the English expression ‘raise the stakes’

25 mins; June 13, 2022

What’s the best hard seltzer? | Learn the English expression ‘take the plunge’

23 mins; June 09, 2022

Hard seltzer industry isn’t fizzling out anytime soon | Learn the English expression ‘fit the bill’

22 mins; June 06, 2022

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