English-learning podcast with free transcripts
Improve your listening and expand your vocabulary with this slower-speed podcast just for English learners
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How you learn with Plain English Podcast
Stories about current events and trending topics
Learning English should be fun, so we tell stories about what’s happening in the world to keep you engaged
Read more: Why learn English with current events?
English expressions you can use right away
Easy-to-understand explanations of English phrasal verbs and expressions to help you sound like a native speaker
Check it out: Full library of expressions
Transcripts help you learn faster
Learn faster and remember more new words by reading the free transcripts as you listen
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Listen to a sample
Every episode has two parts. Listen to these clips to see what they are like:
Story: Do you need 10,000 steps?
Listen to the audio and read the transcript below.
In the early 1960s, a Japanese clock maker created an early pedometer, hoping to capitalize on the country’s interest in fitness ahead of the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo. They called the pedometer the 10,000-step meter.
It doesn’t sound that great in English, but the Japanese character for “ten thousand” looks like a walking man—a nice coincidence in Japanese. And so the standard for 10,000 steps was born—not on the basis of any scientific study, but because of a coincidence.
Link: Listen to the full story
Expression: ‘Capitalize on’
Listen to the audio and read the transcript below.
“Capitalize on” means to take advantage of a situation or an opportunity. You use “capitalize on” when there’s an opportunity to gain some type of advantage, and you then take that opportunity.
You form this by saying, “capitalize on” plus a thing, a thing or a situation that you will take advantage of. “Capitalize on interest in fitness,” so “interest in fitness” is the thing or situation that the company took advantage of.
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I adore your podcast. Your choice of topics, your soothing voice, and your engaging delivery style all make it a standout learning experience.
SylvieFrance
Three reasons to listen
Here’s why Plain English is the best English-learning podcast
Right speed
Understand more of what you hear with slower-speed audio
Great topics
Fun, relevant topics help you think in English
Always useful
You’ll know exactly how to express your best ideas in English
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