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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.

Illegal fireworks displays lighting up the US | Learn the English expression ‘in a bind’

22 mins; July 06, 2020

The era of private space travel is upon us | Learn the English expression ‘dry spell’

21 mins; July 02, 2020

Thousands of crew members are stranded at sea | Learn the English expression ‘grind to a halt’

20 mins; June 29, 2020

Edward Hopper’s isolationist paintings resonating in social distancing era | Learn the expression ‘on the outskirts’

21 mins; June 25, 2020

China proposes controversial Hong Kong security law | Learn the English expression ‘stacked against’

26 mins; June 22, 2020

Will university campuses be empty this fall? | Learn the English expression ‘holding pattern’

13 mins; June 18, 2020

Police responding to protesters’ demands for reform | Learn the English expression ‘set in motion’

24 mins; June 15, 2020

George Floyd’s death sparks protests across the world | Learn the phrasal verb ‘call for’

18 mins; June 11, 2020

Pro sports will return, but fans won’t be there | Learn the phrasal verb ‘drown out’

20 mins; June 08, 2020

Funerals in the age of COVID-19 | Learn the English expression ‘all walks of life’

24 mins; June 04, 2020

Summer of the RV | Learn the phrasal verb ‘stock up’

21 mins; June 01, 2020

Rare wild horse species thriving in radioactive Chernobyl | Learn the English expression 'fend for yourself'

23 mins; May 28, 2020

Pandemic unleashing a wave of loneliness | Learn the English expression ‘set in’

21 mins; May 25, 2020

South Korean pop culture is having a moment | Learn the English expression ‘spring into action’

24 mins; May 21, 2020

Who are the world’s hottest new celebrities? Scientists | Learn the English expression ‘rise to the occasion’

24 mins; May 18, 2020

Reopening the world: first steps | Learn the phrasal verb ‘die out’

22 mins; May 14, 2020

Where in the world was Kim Jong-un? | Learn the phrasal verb ‘pore over’

20 mins; May 11, 2020

Netflix is winning quarantine | Learn the phrasal verb "pull back on"

22 mins; May 08, 2020

Why Zoom video calls are so exhausting | Learn the phrasal verb “come through”

22 mins; May 04, 2020

The post-pandemic workplace | Learn the English expression “big picture”

21 mins; April 30, 2020

How to stop procrastinating and start doing | Learn the English expression “on your plate”

21 mins; April 27, 2020

Why do we procrastinate? | Learn the English expression "buckle down"

19 mins; April 23, 2020

Wuhan lockdown restrictions lifted | Learn the English expression "pent up"

20 mins; April 20, 2020

Updates on Notre-Dame, Mt. Everest, NYC Subway and more | Learn the English expression "under way"

24 mins; April 16, 2020

Tokyo's Olympic ambitions are frozen in time | Learn the phrasal verb “call off”

23 mins; April 13, 2020

What’s the COVID-19 end game? | Learn the English phrase “stuck with”

19 mins; April 09, 2020

Developing world on the brink of coronavirus impact | Learn the English expression “by and large”

21 mins; April 06, 2020

Guyana is bracing for an oil boom | Learn the English phrase “on par with”

27 mins; April 02, 2020

How to stay sane in quarantine | Learn the English expression “for the time being”

23 mins; March 30, 2020

Coronavirus pandemic halts entertainment industry | Learn the phrasal verb "come into contact"

23 mins; March 26, 2020

Italy starts life under lockdown to slow coronavirus | Learn the English phrase “out and about”

21 mins; March 23, 2020

Pablo Escobar’s former hippo herd is threatening Colombia | Learn the English phrase “to give rise to"

22 mins; March 19, 2020

America’s former vice president is back from the dead | Learn the phrasal verb 'write off'

23 mins; March 16, 2020

Swarms of locusts endanger East Africa's food supply | Learn the English phrase 'know-how'

21 mins; March 12, 2020

Should governments allow safe-injection sites for drug users? | Learn the English phrase 'grapple with'

22 mins; March 09, 2020

Scientists discover a new ‘ghost’ ancestor from human DNA | Learn the English phrase 'for the most part'

20 mins; March 05, 2020

Global economy starts to feel coronavirus effects | Learn the English phrase 'silver lining'

23 mins; March 02, 2020

Inside the direct-to-consumer revolution | Learn the phrasal verb 'try on'

19 mins; February 27, 2020

More than just hipsters, Brooklyn is a city unto itself | Learn how to use, 'you can tell'

20 mins; February 24, 2020

Cable rupture slows internet in Africa | Learn the English phrase 'slow to a crawl'

19 mins; February 20, 2020

Revealed: most effective way to guard against coronavirus | Learn phrasal verb 'guard against'

18 mins; February 17, 2020

Americans snooze through Trump's impeachment | Learn the English phrase 'take over'

22 mins; February 13, 2020

Sports world mourns Kobe Bryant | Learn the English phrase 'eligible for'

21 mins; February 10, 2020

Human body temperatures are dropping | Learn the English phrase 'average out'

21 mins; February 06, 2020

Coronavirus researchers racing to develop vaccine | Learn the English phrase 'to put something in perspective'

23 mins; February 03, 2020

Domino’s Pizza to open 850 stores in Italy | Learn the English phrase 'win over'

20 mins; January 30, 2020

Prince Harry and Meghan step down from royal duties | Learn the English phrase 'work something out'

20 mins; January 27, 2020

First things first: Japan debates a name change | Learn the English phrase 'bend to'

20 mins; January 23, 2020

Quest to care for animals in Australia | Learn the English phrase 'in the face of'

22 mins; January 20, 2020

Father of preventative medicine is still working at age 100 | Learn the English phrase 'play a part'

18 mins; January 16, 2020

Former Renault-Nissan CEO escapes Japan | Learn the English phrase 'take a hit'

20 mins; January 13, 2020

Premium economy: more ‘economy’ than ‘premium’ | Learn the English phrase 'to come in handy'

21 mins; January 09, 2020

Is a supernova on the horizon? | Learn English expression 'ebb and flow'

22 mins; January 06, 2020

So long, Big Bird: Puppeteer Caroll Spinney dies | Learn phrasal verb 'cut back on'

19 mins; January 02, 2020

Cookie announcements: the most annoying thing on the internet | Learn phrasal verb 'show up'

22 mins; December 30, 2019

Landing on autopilot | Learn English phrase 'prone to'

18 mins; December 26, 2019

UK elections: how the parties fared | Learn English phrase 'for good measure'

18 mins; December 23, 2019

Boris wins big in vote dominated by Brexit | Learn English phrase 'wind at your back'

18 mins; December 19, 2019

Tom Hanks plays American icon Mr. Rogers perfectly | Learn English phrase 'get down to business'

20 mins; December 16, 2019

London attacker stymied by brave bystanders | Learn English phrasal verb 'hold off'

18 mins; December 12, 2019

Court finds Picasso's handyman had stolen artwork | Learn phrasal verb 'zero in on'

22 mins; December 09, 2019

30-year anniversary of Berlin Wall's fall | Learn English phrase 'take something for granted'

23 mins; December 05, 2019

The rise of alcohol-free cocktails and beer | Learn English phrasal verb 'pop up'

21 mins; December 02, 2019

Corrected: NFL recovered from controversy in time for 100th birthday | Learn English phrase 'turn a corner'

21 mins; November 28, 2019

Inside the world's most intense haunted house | Learn English phrasal verb 'to get yourself into'

25 mins; November 25, 2019

How delivery-only kitchens aid experimentation | Learn English phrasal verb 'keep up with'

20 mins; November 21, 2019

'Ghost kitchens' and the insatiable demand for delivery | Learn English phrasal verb 'whip up'

21 mins; November 18, 2019

How streaming is changing pop music | Learn English phrase 'stick around'

22 mins; November 14, 2019

Soccer fans in for a culture shock at Qatar World Cup | Learn English phrasal verb 'look on'

22 mins; November 11, 2019

NYC to shutter infamous Rikers Island jail | Learn English expression 'uphill battle'

20 mins; November 07, 2019

TikTok reaches 1 billion downloads | Learn phrasal verb 'serve up'

22 mins; November 04, 2019

WeWork's stunning near-collapse | Learn English phrase 'fall from grace'

23 mins; October 31, 2019

Biopics breathe new life into music legends | Learn English phrase 'pass off as'

25 mins; October 28, 2019

Midnight marathon at sweltering athletics championships | Learn English phrase 'come under fire'

26 mins; October 24, 2019

Differences between living in Canada and the US | Learn English phrase 'every now and then'

23 mins; October 21, 2019

Trading stocks is now free* in the US | Learn English phrase 'follow suit'

26 mins; October 17, 2019

Porsche challenges Tesla with its all-electric Taycan | Learn English phrase 'live up to'

25 mins; October 14, 2019

New spray aims to extend avocados' shelf life | Learn English phrase 'to go bad'

22 mins; October 10, 2019

Is there a future for traditional travel agents? | Learn English phrasal verb 'come around'

26 mins; October 07, 2019

Collapse of British travel agency leaves travelers stranded | Learn English phrasal verb 'come through'

28 mins; October 03, 2019

Japanese workers wake up to a nap's benefits | Learn English phrasal verb 'kick in'

20 mins; September 30, 2019

'Downton Abbey' film picks up where series left off | Learn English phrasal verb 'shy away from'

21 mins; September 26, 2019

Subscriptions are coming to a movie theater near you | Learn English phrase 'in the sweet spot'

22 mins; September 23, 2019

Confronting the opioid crisis in America | Learn English phrase 'root out'

21 mins; September 19, 2019

Update episode: the latest news on 5 previous topics | Learn English phrase 'thorn in your side'

22 mins; September 16, 2019

Lung illnesses from vaping | Learn English phrasal verb 'take up'

19 mins; September 12, 2019

Greenland and influence in the Arctic | Learn English phrase "float an idea"

22 mins; September 09, 2019

The mustache is making a comeback | Learn English phrase 'all the rage'

19 mins; September 05, 2019

FAST VERSION of Episode 186 on international money transfer

14 mins; September 04, 2019

Why is sending money across borders so slow and expensive? | Learn English phrase 'on hand'

21 mins; September 02, 2019

Brazil struggling to respond to Amazon fires | Learn English phrase 'up to the task'

25 mins; August 29, 2019

New meatless burgers actually taste good | Learn English phrase 'in keeping with'

21 mins; August 26, 2019

New suicide barrier at Golden Gate Bridge | Learn English phrase 'in your prime'

22 mins; August 22, 2019

Egan Bernal is Tour de France's first winner from Latin America | Learn English phrase 'to make a push'

19 mins; August 19, 2019

Hong Kong protests intensify in 10th week | Learn English phrasal verb 'let up'

20 mins; August 15, 2019

The complicated relationship between money and happiness | Learn English phrase 'better off'

21 mins; August 12, 2019

Can happiness be measured? | Learn English phrase 'give away'

23 mins; August 08, 2019

Searching for missing girl, Vatican finds thousands of human bones | Learn English phrase 'dogged by'

23 mins; August 05, 2019

João Gilberto, master of bossa nova music, dies at 88 | Learn English phrase 'keep to yourself'

20 mins; August 01, 2019

How much vacation time do people get around the world?

26 mins; July 29, 2019

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