Even if you don’t have the time or ability to sit down and study English, you can still learn on the go with podcasts!
Podcasts have so much to offer language learners
- Hear many different speakers talking in their real, natural fashion so you can practice hearing different types of accents and voices
- Listen while driving, commuting, exercising, or doing chores and errands
- Learn vocabulary that matters to you with specific topics
- Pause, rewind, and slow down the playback speed as needed
- Many podcasts also have transcripts you can follow along with or read at your convenience
It can be tricky to learn how to listen to a new language because it is often spoken much more casually than you’ll learn in lessons or textbooks. So, listening to a lot of real English conversations is vital for you to really be able to understand a conversation and learn how to speak conversationally yourself.
Check out these amazing podcasts to help you learn English effectively!
English Podcasts For Beginners & Adults
Since podcasts are such a great way to teach, there are naturally many different ones to choose from that are specifically meant to teach English.
Here are some of the best podcasts with British hosts for learners to practice listening to various British accents.
1. LearnEnglish Podcast
This podcast series is presented by the British Council and is meant to help learners in A2 and B1 levels.
Each episode also has a transcript and even quizzes and interactive exercises to help you learn!
On this site, you can also find resources like videos, magazines, and stories to supplement your English learning. There are also various apps available for download to help you with different aspects of learning English.
Are you looking for Spoken English online classes? Superprof has an easy solution for you!
2. The English We Speak
Presented by the BBC World Service, this podcast offers bite-sized lessons about phrases and slang words.
Obviously, the hosts have British accents, although they have slightly different accents from each other so it’s interesting to hear different regional accents!
3. Luke's ENGLISH Podcast - Learn British English with Luke Thompson
Luke’s English Podcast has won multiple awards over the years for being a favorite podcast for English learners.
The topics covered in this podcast vary greatly and offer a mixture of educational-style lectures and discussions as well as fun episodes like “Lemon Simulator” and other casual topics.
The host speaks clearly but also very naturally and has a lot of fun teaching about the ins and outs of different aspects of British English.
Best American & Canadian English Learning Podcasts
If you want to practice learning American slang and perfecting the American accent, you’ll need podcasts hosted by North Americans.
Just like in Britain, there are many different accents within North America, so it can be very interesting to hear the differences between hosts!
4. RealLife English
Interesting, entertaining, informative, and educational, this podcast is focused on teaching listeners everything they need to know to become more fluent speakers and listeners.
The episodes are meant to teach how to think like an English speaker, how to speak more naturally, break down idioms and phrases, introduce slang words (that native speakers actually use), and more.
Each episode also has a transcript and vocabulary list available.
5. Daily Easy English Expression Podcast
The host of this podcast is Coach Shane, an English language coach.
Episodes are generally 5 to 12 minutes long and teach about a phrase, expression, or the difference between similar words. You’re bound to learn a lot of vernacular and native ways of speaking with this podcast!
6. All Ears English Podcast
With New Yorker and Bostonian hosts Lindsay and Michelle, you’ll learn a ton about expressions, pronunciation, idioms, making small talk, and more!
Guest host Jessica also makes appearances at times to offer tips about IELTS, TOEFL, ad TOEIC.
Additionally, you’ll learn about American culture, how to do things in America like applying to University, and other daily life information that will be especially helpful if you plan on ever visiting or staying in America.
7. Learn English with Bob the Canadian
Bob the Canadian has a friendly voice and teaches about different topics each episode, and also hosts a listener Question & Answer segment at the end of each episode.
Learn the Canadian accent and dialect from this approachable and informational podcast!
Best Entertainment Podcasts for Learning English
Sometimes you want to learn, but you also want to have fun and focus less on lessons.
Cue: entertainment podcasts!
You can listen to a podcast about any topic at all that you’re interested in and still learn about English at the same time. All you require are speakers who are clear enough for you to understand at your current level.
While many non-educational podcasts might be too difficult for English learners to understand because they are meant for fluent or native-speaking audiences, there are many people who speak clearly and at a slower pace naturally. So, if you seek out podcasts and find that you can’t understand a word, don’t give up! You just need to find someone whose voice meets your listening needs.
8. BBC Learning English Drama
Also from the BBC World Service, this entertaining podcast tells stories in an audio-drama format.
There are different characters and sound effects, and the story is acted out superbly. The actors speak clearly so even if you do struggle with listening to English, you will be able to understand much of what they say!
This podcast teaches British English.
9. 5 Minute Convo
If you have excellent listening skills and are prepared to learn more about regional accents, this is a great podcast for you.
The host, Shannon, is of African descent, and it’s essential to know about American culture that many black people do have an accent known as African-American Vernacular English (AAVE). This accent can also be influenced by the other surrounding accents the person is exposed to, like the New York accent or Southern Accent, for example.
Shannon speaks with an accent and uses some vernacular or dialect that aligns with AAVE; she may also have a New York accent but I can’t find more information about her online to verify, unfortunately.
Nevertheless, if you want to practice understanding a common accent that is prevalent in many places in America, especially in cities, this is a great podcast to listen to.
10. Simple English News Daily (SEND7)
Learn about global news while you practice listening to a British English accent!
News podcasts in English are extremely helpful because you will learn about different topics each week that are relevant in real-time. You’ll be exposed to dialogues and monologues about technology, politics, diplomacy, food, entertainment, law, and more.
Each episode is about 7 minutes long so you can listen easily and even repeat the episode without committing a lot of time to practicing.
11. The Thoughtful Travel Podcast
Host Amanda Kendle is Australian, so you can practice listening to a lovely Australian accent while you hear about great travel stories!
She shares stories from other travelers as well as her own adventures. In addition, you will also hear about travel tips, learning about local cultures, experience with local languages, and lessons learned from traveling.
Practice listening to vocabulary about food, culture, transportation, planning, aspirations, and more!
How to Use Podcasts to Learn English
When you use podcasts to learn English, there are a few things you should keep in mind to avoid frustration or overwhelm.
Decide Which Type of English You’re Learning
The two main types of English in the mainstream world are British English and American English. While Brits and Americans can typically understand each other just fine (heavy regional accents excluded), it can be really hard for a learner to switch between the two accents.
Many words are the same in both places but the way they are pronounced can be very different. Sometimes, the two will have different words for the same things. For example, “biscuit” in Britain is a small, hard, flat snack that can be sweet or savory and many types are had with tea. Meanwhile, “biscuit” in America refers to a fluffy, savory bread that is had with dinner.
To avoid confusion from pronunciation and vocabulary, try sticking with your favorite accent or type of English first before exploring other accents.
(Other English-language accents include Australian, New Zealander, Irish, Scottish, and Canadian. Of course, there is also Indian English and many African and Caribbean nations to consider, but if you’re learning English, you’ll likely be seeking out British or American English to learn first.)
Determine Your Level of Learning
It’s frustrating to have to listen to podcasts that cover things you already know, so in order to avoid this annoyance, it’s a good idea to take a listening comprehension test and find podcasts that cater to that level.
You can find many free online listening tests that help you understand your current level of listening comprehension if you aren’t sure what level you are currently at. Make sure you find a test that matches the accent you want to learn or results might be skewed!
Then, you can choose podcasts that cater to your level and experiment with listening to podcasts that are a little more advanced as well.
"Do you know what a foreign accent is? It’s a sign of bravery." — Amy Chua
Active Learning
As wonderful as it would be to be able to throw a podcast on in the background and learn simply by being exposed to it, that’s not how it works.
In order to actually benefit from the podcast, you do need to be paying attention. You can obviously be doing other things that don’t require you to listen (or read) while you’re learning with podcasts, but you need to be able to dedicate brain power to learning.
Listen closely, repeat words aloud, and maybe even write down notes as your podcast plays.
If it helps you to be able to see a person speaking and understand their mouth movements and expressions, you can find many of the podcasts mentioned in this article as well as many others by searching for English podcasts for beginners on YouTube.
Consistency
As they say, “consistency is key.”
Just like with any other learning tool, in order to see progress, you will need to dedicate time regularly to practice. You likely won’t experience much improvement after just a few days of practicing. It takes time and patience.
Eventually, you’ll find that more and more words stick out easily to you, and you don’t need to focus as much to understand what someone is saying.
With more practice, you’ll be able to understand faster paces of speech and natural speech patterns.
Use Podcasts as Lessons
To get even more out of each podcast you listen to, you can give yourself a home lesson with every episode.
Let’s say you take 2 to 8 hours per episode to learn as much as you can about its contents (spread over as many days as you need).
Read the transcript while listening, highlight words you need to research in the dictionary and make note of phrases you might need to learn more about.
Try summarizing the episode in your own words to enhance your ability to think and write in English as well!
Developing your ear for English is often one of the most difficult parts of learning the language. Practice this skill easily with podcasts at your leisure!
Develop your English skills when you search for spoken English near me.
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