Plain English
The best podcast for learning English if you like current events and trending topics. Improve your English listening, learn new words, and build your confidence with the #1 English-learning podcast focused on current events and trending topics. Improve your English listening: Plain English episodes go a little slower than native speed so you can understand every word and improve your English listening little by little. Your host is Jeff. He's a native English speaker from the United States and he's committed to helping you improve your English skills with real-life stories—not textbook exercises. ==> Want more? If you like listening to our episodes and want to do more with us, then join us at https://plainenglish.com/join/ (PlainEnglish.com), where you can take quizzes, do interactive exercises, watch step-by-step video lessons, get expert feedback on your writing, practice speaking in English on live Zoom calls…and much more! 👉 Visit https://plainenglish.com/join/ (PlainEnglish.com/join) to start for free
Episodes
Today's story: A company called what3words has divided the world into 57 trillion squares, each three meters by three meters, and labeled each square with a unique three-word combination. This makes it easier to specify precise locations—even in parks, rural areas, or places without formal addresses. This can help when meeting friends or giving directions. But governments, businesses, and emergency services are starting to use the ...
Today's story: In many parts of the world, buildings don't have formal, complete addresses that can be identified on a map. Locals often use landmarks to explain where they live. But these improvised systems come with inefficiencies and real-world consequences. It's hard for residents to get deliveries, access emergency services, or find brick-and-mortar businesses.
Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/787
Full lesson...
Leaving a five-star review has become customary for any experience that is excellent, good, average, or even acceptable, and anything below five-stars means terrible in the world of online reviews. As consumers, this system isn’t helpful in identifying the true high performers, and it makes it difficult for people or businesses to stand out from the crowd.
Full lesson: https://plainenglish.com/lessons/five-star-reviews
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Archive episode: Today, we're opening up the Plain English archives to revisit the only episode we've ever done about...a haircut.
The mullet hairstyle is known for looking like business in the front, party in the back, and have typically been worn by men from rural, lower income areas of Australia. However, in recent years, the hairstyle has outgrown its unsophisticated reputation. The hairstyle is now popular among city-dwellers a...
Today's story: The gut microbiome is home to trillions of bacteria and microorganisms that help us digest food, regulate our immune systems, and even influence our mental health. Social media is full of (expensive) hacks to improve gut health, but scientists say the path to good gut health is simpler.
Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/786
Full lesson: https://plainenglish.com/786
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Today's story: Nate Bargatze rose to fame by rejecting edgy or controversial comedy in favor of clean, relatable humor. His everyman style and family-friendly jokes have made him one of America’s most successful comedians, with sold-out tours, Netflix specials, major media appearances, and Hollywood ambitions.
Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/785
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Upgrade all your skills in English: Plain English is the best curr...
Today's story: The classic advice that breakfast is the "most important meal of the day" may be overstated. But eating a morning meal can bring important benefits to your nutrition, metabolism, and even cognitive functions. Before you write off breakfast, think about ways you can make the first meal of the day work for you.
Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/784
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Today's story: As students use ChatGPT to write essays, solve problems, and complete assignments, teachers are left with difficult choices. Should they try to catch cheaters? Ban devices? Or embrace AI and teach students how to use it responsibly? Many teachers are also using AI themselves, to create materials, grade fairly, and save time—but not everyone is happy.
Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/783
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Today's story: In just a few short years, ChatGPT has transformed what it means to be in school. Students can use AI to for help in their homework, or to do their assignments from start to finish. Educators worry that widespread cheating means that students today are not getting the problem-solving skills they'll need in the real world. "College is just how well I can use ChatGPT," one student admitted.
Transcript & Exercises: h...
Today's story: High-protein foods and supplements have gone mainstream, moving beyond gyms and into everyday grocery carts. From cottage cheese to high-protein soda, food makers are cashing in on the trend. But not all sources are created equal, and nutrition experts urge caution with processed, protein-enhanced foods.
Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/781
Full lesson: https://plainenglish.com/781
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Today's story: Book and movie titles often change dramatically in translation, and the reasons go beyond simple language differences. Local publishers and distributors choose titles based on cultural context, marketing strategy, and artistic goals—resulting in everything from literal translations to poetic rewrites and puzzling name changes.
Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/780
Full lesson: https://plainenglish.co...
Today's story: A biotech company in Texas has created three wolf pups using DNA from extinct dire wolves and modern gray wolves. While the company claims this is the first-ever de-extinction, many scientists say the result is not a true dire wolf, but a synthetic animal that only resembles the original species.
Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/779
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Today's story: Many major airports around the world have chapels or prayer rooms—some interfaith, some religion-specific—offering travelers and employees a quiet place for reflection, prayer, or emotional support. These spaces, first created mainly for airport staff, now serve religious and non-religious visitors alike, helping people find peace in stressful moments.
Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/778
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Today's story: The four-part Netflix series “Adolescence” tells the story of a teenage boy accused of murder. The story is gripping and powerful. But for viewers, the tension is enhanced by the way the series was made. Each episode was filmed in a single take, using just one camera. The creative team overcame enormous technical challenges to deliver a raw, immersive experience.
Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/77...
Great news -- the expressions are back!
"Essential English Expressions" is a brand-new podcast from Plain English. All 14 episodes from Season 1 are available now for you to stream. Click this link to subscribe on your favorite player: https://essential-english.captivate.fm/listen
In the meantime, enjoy this sample episode!
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There are two ways to use the phrasal verb "figure out."
Number 1: "figure out" means to find the solution to a...
Today's story: Warren Buffett, one of the most successful investors in history, announced his retirement at age 94 during his company's 2025 annual meeting. Buffett transformed Berkshire Hathaway, a failing textile business, into a holding company, where he pursued his disciplined value investing strategy. Over a sixty-year career, he consistently beat the market performance by a wide margin and amassed one of the world's largest p...
Today's story: Mark Carney, former head of the central banks of Canada and the UK, led Canada's struggling Liberal party to an improbable, come-from-behind victory in the 2025 elections. He focused his campaign on protecting Canada’s interests, after Donald Trump imposed tariffs and threatened to make Canada the 51st American state.
Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/775
Full lesson: https://plainenglish.com/775
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Great news -- the expressions are back!
"Essential English Expressions" is a brand-new podcast from Plain English. All 14 episodes from Season 1 are available now for you to stream. Click this link to subscribe on your favorite player: https://essential-english.captivate.fm/listen
In the meantime, enjoy this sample episode!
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The English expression "make sure" means to confirm that things are as they should be, or that people have don...
Today's story: The Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, one of three major schools of Buddhism. Though he leads only a fraction of the world’s Buddhists, his influence is global due to his role as a symbol of Tibet’s struggle for religious freedom. Now the Dalai Lama is 89, and confronting the fact that he will be the first in over 600 years to die outside Tibet.
Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.co...
Today's story: LinkedIn has evolved from a resume and networking site into a platform where users share personal stories, professional lessons, and insights. Changes to the algorithm, a shift in user behavior during the pandemic, and a more civil atmosphere have turned LinkedIn into a space for authentic content and unexpected influence.
Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/773
Full lesson: https://plainenglish.com/77...
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