Best English Learning Podcasts To Subscribe To

What are the benefits of listening to English podcasts ?

Each recording has a transcript and interactive exercises to help you understand and use the language therefore it is likely that you will improve your listening comprehension and develop your vocabulary. 

Listening to English speaking podcasts is a great way to boost your language learning skills. English language learners and teachers who are proficient can then choose a podcast according to their likes.

Most of the time, these podcasts cover everyday situations, topical conversations and allow you to Learn advanced vocabulary and improve your listening, reading skills.

Here are a couple of the most inspiring and informational podcasts that can help you learn something new :

Beginner Level

• British Council Learn English. Created by the world’s leading educational organization it is an excellent place to start.
• Voice of America Learning English. This podcast is actually a library of other VOA podcast series. There’s also a daily 30-minute news program that covers news stories with limited vocabulary and shorter sentences read at a slower pace. The pace of these episodes is good for those at a lower level.
• All Ears English. All Ears English is going to appeal to probably every learner.
• Culips With over 200 episodes available on mobile podcast apps, you will find over 600 episodes on the website that make up seven different series, all with a different focus. You will be able to learn things like idioms, slang, pronunciation tips, practical English, or just listen to interesting stories told by native speakers. The episodes are all available to listen to for free, but paying for a membership gives users bonuses like access to study guides for instance.

• Dramas for English language learners from BBC World Service.

Intermediate Level

Breaking News English

Like many English language podcasts, this one uses news stories to expose listeners to English in a context. What’s interesting about this one is that most of the episodes are available at a variety of different levels.

All of the episodes can be played at five different speeds, depending on the listener’s abilities. The website even includes some free practice activities and quizzes.

Advanced Level

The English We Speak

This podcast series put on by the BBC is an especially appealing option for learners that are looking for quick and easy podcast episodes. Each episode is only two to three minutes long and focuses on a particular phrase. The emphasis is often on a piece of English slang, which is the type of education you won’t often get in a textbook. These lessons are in British English.

These lessons are useful for speakers at an intermediate level or higher. It also has the potential to help dramatically with listening comprehension.

Business English POD

This English podcasts mostly teaches business English.

In addition to lessons on specific language points such as expressing opinions or English used for discussing a problem, there are business skill lessons that teach things like how to prepare for an interview.

Each lesson comes with a summary and some questions to answer while you listen.