10 podcasts to improve your English

When learning a language, one thing is particularly important in addition to speaking: listening. Even if you don't always understand everything at first, your subconscious is learning. Podcasts are perfect for this! You can incorporate them into your everyday life, for example, while cooking, before sleeping or in the gym! If you don't know which podcasts you should listen to to learn English, here are a few suggestions:

1. The Daily

This podcast is perfect for you if you always want to be up to date. The Daily is a news podcast from the New York Times. Journalist Michael Barbaro covers a current topic in about 20 minutes, five times a week. It's not just about the news in the USA; global events are often discussed on the podcast.

2. Luke’s English Podcast

Luke is probably one of the coolest English teachers in London, as he does stand-up comedy and his own podcast. In his podcast, he has a lot of fun teaching you important English skills such as pronunciation, topic-specific vocabulary, colloquial expressions and sometimes just funny stories. You should definitely check out Luke's podcast if you want to combine entertainment and learning.

3. Love and Radio

This podcast is usually in the form of an interview where you hear exciting stories from people talking about their lives or a certain topic. They don't try to teach you anything, but you can form your own opinion. Interesting personalities come to light who often seem quite different at first glance.

4. No Such Thing As A Fish

The name may not make sense, but the content of this podcast does. Each week, different hosts present their favourite facts they've dug up over the week. So if you want to educate yourself in the "useless knowledge" category, this podcast is for you. By the way, the name came from episode 3: Here, a biologist talked about how there is no such thing as a fish because all marine animals are so different. Since then, every episode starts with "No such thing as...".

5. 6 Minute English

Each episode lasts 6 minutes and teaches you 6 minutes of English. It discusses everyday situations and provides useful vocabulary for various situations in daily life. You only need to devote 6 minutes to expanding your vocabulary and general knowledge.

6. Crime Junkie

If you enjoy true crime, you should pay close attention right now. Ashley Flowers, the host, speaks once a week about crimes she discovered during the week and can't get out of her mind. She narrates in an exciting manner that is always easy to follow. It covers everything from missing people to mysterious murders to serial killers.

7. The Bugle

Anyone in need of a good laugh should listen to this podcast! The comedians John Oliver and Andy Zaltzman make amusing comments on current events, whether they are important or completely irrelevant.

8. SuperSoul Conversation

Opreah Winfrey has had her own podcast for quite some time. She uses inspiring stories to discuss the meaning of life and to make her listeners think. She interviews celebrities about their lives, inspirational moments, happiness, and a variety of other topics.

9. Happy English Podcast

Listen to this English podcast to start sounding like a native speaker. It teaches you how to communicate effectively in English. It's all about colloquialisms, proper word usage, and tenses. The short episodes are ideal for filling in the gaps!

10. This American Life

The American radio station is also published as a podcast. With different topics every week, the presenters talk about emotional moments, funny stories, inspiring thoughts, and surprising twists. It's like watching a movie-only you're listening to it as a podcast.

Finally, here are some useful tips for listening to podcasts:

  • If you are a beginner, it is advisable to start with learning podcasts, such as numbers 2, 5, or 9, to get a feel for the language.
  • Native speakers can often talk very fast, which makes it more difficult to understand. You can often set the podcasts to a slower speed to make them easier to follow.
  • It would be a good idea, especially in the beginning, to concentrate on the podcasts and not do anything else. If you don't have time, it's better to listen to a podcast on the side instead of not listening at all, because your subconscious is learning along with you.
  • If you already understand a lot but still have problems with some vocabulary, stop the podcasts and look up the words. It's best to write them down so that you can look at them again later and remember them.

We hope you enjoy listening and learning English!

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