Plain English
Jeff at Plain English
Improve your English and learn about the world at the same time. Plain English brings you short, modern stories about culture, science, travel, business, and everyday life, all told in clear, natural English designed for learners.
You’ll grow your vocabulary, improve your listening skills, and build your confidence one episode at a time.
Like the show? Sign up free at PlainEnglish.com and get a personalized learning path.
You’ll grow your vocabulary, improve your listening skills, and build your confidence one episode at a time.
Like the show? Sign up free at PlainEnglish.com and get a personalized learning path.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Nov 23, 2023 • 22min
Celine Dion is keeping New Zealanders up all night | Learn English expression 'rig together'
" A subculture of Pasifika people in New Zealand has a strange tradition: playing music through megaphones and loudspeakers. They try to play music as loud and as clearly as possible. And because their speakers don't produce bass, they play songs from artists like Celine Dion. Not everyone in this town is happy about it. -- At Plain English, we make English lessons for the modern world. -- Today’s full English lesson, including a free transcript, can be found at: https://plainenglish.com/627 -- Learning English should be fun! That’s why our lessons are about current events and trending topics you care about: business, travel, technology, health, science, politics, the environment, and so much more. Our free English lessons always include English expressions and phrasal verbs, too. -- Learn even more English at PlainEnglish.com, where we have fast and slow audio, translations, videos, online English courses, and a supportive community of English learners like you. Sign up free at PlainEnglish.com/Join -- Aprende inglés gratis en línea con nuestro curso de inglés. Se habla a una velocidad lenta para que todos entiendan. ¡Aprende ingles con nosotros ahora! | Aprenda Inglês online grátis com o Plain English, a uma velocidade menor, para que todos possam entender. Contact: E-mail jeff@plainenglish.com | WhatsApp +1 312 967 8757 | Facebook PlainEnglishPod | Instagram PlainEnglishPod | Twitter @PlainEnglishPod "Mentioned in this episode:Ready to improve your listening?Ready to listen fast? Improve your listening with the fast version of this and every episode. The full-speed version is a fresh recording and it sounds just like someone speaking to a native speaker (with no AI or computer manipulation!) You can even listen on a podcast app
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Nov 20, 2023 • 23min
Why are movies getting longer? | Learn English expression 'upper hand'
The podcast explores the rising trend of longer movies despite audience preference for shorter films. It discusses the influence of power dynamics in Hollywood and the impact of streaming platforms. The experience of watching long movies and the benefits of using the Run P app are also explored. The chapter focuses on the relationship between directors and producers and their negotiation process. Moreover, it delves into the increasing power of directors in making long artistic movies and discusses the recent labor strike by auto workers. Exciting Black Friday special offer announcement concludes the podcast.
Nov 16, 2023 • 21min
The Twinkie refuses to die | Learn English expression 'try your hand at'
" The Twinkie is a submarine-shaped yellow cake with a vanilla filling. Invented in 1930, it became one of America's favorite indulgences. After losing money for years, its parent company shut down and stopped making Twinkies. But then, a group of investors revived the classic cake--and now the Twinkie is stronger than ever. -- At Plain English, we make English lessons for the modern world. -- Today’s full English lesson, including a free transcript, can be found at: https://plainenglish.com/625 -- Learning English should be fun! That’s why our lessons are about current events and trending topics you care about: business, travel, technology, health, science, politics, the environment, and so much more. Our free English lessons always include English expressions and phrasal verbs, too. -- Learn even more English at PlainEnglish.com, where we have fast and slow audio, translations, videos, online English courses, and a supportive community of English learners like you. Sign up free at PlainEnglish.com/Join -- Aprende inglés gratis en línea con nuestro curso de inglés. Se habla a una velocidad lenta para que todos entiendan. ¡Aprende ingles con nosotros ahora! | Aprenda Inglês online grátis com o Plain English, a uma velocidade menor, para que todos possam entender. Contact: E-mail jeff@plainenglish.com | WhatsApp +1 312 967 8757 | Facebook PlainEnglishPod | Instagram PlainEnglishPod | Twitter @PlainEnglishPod "Mentioned in this episode:Ready to improve your listening?Ready to listen fast? Improve your listening with the fast version of this and every episode. The full-speed version is a fresh recording and it sounds just like someone speaking to a native speaker (with no AI or computer manipulation!) You can even listen on a podcast app
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Nov 13, 2023 • 23min
Super-shoes help propel runners to marathon records | Learn English phrasal verb 'lace up'
" Kelvin Kiptum and Tigst Assefa, respectively, set records for the men’s and women’s marathon this year. But Nike and adidas are also winners. The runners were wearing a new generation of their shoes, aimed at helping marathoners go faster. -- At Plain English, we make English lessons for the modern world. -- Today’s full English lesson, including a free transcript, can be found at: https://plainenglish.com/624 -- Learning English should be fun! That’s why our lessons are about current events and trending topics you care about: business, travel, technology, health, science, politics, the environment, and so much more. Our free English lessons always include English expressions and phrasal verbs, too. -- Learn even more English at PlainEnglish.com, where we have fast and slow audio, translations, videos, online English courses, and a supportive community of English learners like you. Sign up free at PlainEnglish.com/Join -- Aprende inglés gratis en línea con nuestro curso de inglés. Se habla a una velocidad lenta para que todos entiendan. ¡Aprende ingles con nosotros ahora! | Aprenda Inglês online grátis com o Plain English, a uma velocidade menor, para que todos possam entender. Contact: E-mail jeff@plainenglish.com | WhatsApp +1 312 967 8757 | Facebook PlainEnglishPod | Instagram PlainEnglishPod | Twitter @PlainEnglishPod "Mentioned in this episode:Ready to improve your listening?Ready to listen fast? Improve your listening with the fast version of this and every episode. The full-speed version is a fresh recording and it sounds just like someone speaking to a native speaker (with no AI or computer manipulation!) You can even listen on a podcast app
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Nov 9, 2023 • 22min
American football is smitten with Taylor Swift | Learn English expression 'lean into'
" Just when you thought nothing could make American football more popular, Taylor Swift comes onto the scene. She is reportedly dating a football star, Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs. The union brings together separate worlds of fandom, as Swifties tune in to football games for the first time. -- At Plain English, we make English lessons for the modern world. -- Today’s full English lesson, including a free transcript, can be found at: https://plainenglish.com/623 -- Learning English should be fun! That’s why our lessons are about current events and trending topics you care about: business, travel, technology, health, science, politics, the environment, and so much more. Our free English lessons always include English expressions and phrasal verbs, too. -- Learn even more English at PlainEnglish.com, where we have fast and slow audio, translations, videos, online English courses, and a supportive community of English learners like you. Sign up free at PlainEnglish.com/Join -- Aprende inglés gratis en línea con nuestro curso de inglés. Se habla a una velocidad lenta para que todos entiendan. ¡Aprende ingles con nosotros ahora! | Aprenda Inglês online grátis com o Plain English, a uma velocidade menor, para que todos possam entender. Contact: E-mail jeff@plainenglish.com | WhatsApp +1 312 967 8757 | Facebook PlainEnglishPod | Instagram PlainEnglishPod | Twitter @PlainEnglishPod "Mentioned in this episode:Ready to improve your listening?Ready to listen fast? Improve your listening with the fast version of this and every episode. The full-speed version is a fresh recording and it sounds just like someone speaking to a native speaker (with no AI or computer manipulation!) You can even listen on a podcast app
Sign up for a free 14-day trial at PlainEnglish.com
Nov 6, 2023 • 21min
Biden's uphill battle for re-election | Learn English expression 'play into someone's hands'
" About a year from now, Americans will go to the polls--and they're likely to get a rematch between sitting President Joe Biden and his immediate predecessor, Donald Trump. Though Biden won last time, he faces some serious challenges in his re-election effort. -- At Plain English, we make English lessons for the modern world. -- Today’s full English lesson, including a free transcript, can be found at: https://plainenglish.com/622 -- Learning English should be fun! That’s why our lessons are about current events and trending topics you care about: business, travel, technology, health, science, politics, the environment, and so much more. Our free English lessons always include English expressions and phrasal verbs, too. -- Learn even more English at PlainEnglish.com, where we have fast and slow audio, translations, videos, online English courses, and a supportive community of English learners like you. Sign up free at PlainEnglish.com/Join -- Aprende inglés gratis en línea con nuestro curso de inglés. Se habla a una velocidad lenta para que todos entiendan. ¡Aprende ingles con nosotros ahora! | Aprenda Inglês online grátis com o Plain English, a uma velocidade menor, para que todos possam entender. Contact: E-mail jeff@plainenglish.com | WhatsApp +1 312 967 8757 | Facebook PlainEnglishPod | Instagram PlainEnglishPod | Twitter @PlainEnglishPod "Mentioned in this episode:Ready to improve your listening?Ready to listen fast? Improve your listening with the fast version of this and every episode. The full-speed version is a fresh recording and it sounds just like someone speaking to a native speaker (with no AI or computer manipulation!) You can even listen on a podcast app
Sign up for a free 14-day trial at PlainEnglish.com
Nov 2, 2023 • 22min
Fernando Botero, Colombia’s artist of over-sized subjects | Learn English expression 'call attention to'
" Fernando Botero was Colombia's most famous artist--and his whimsical, rotund figures are famous around the world. By painting everything in exaggerated dimensions, he called attention to features and expressions. ""What I paint is volume,"" he said, in a nod to Italian and Greek artistic tradition. Botero died in September at age 91. -- At Plain English, we make English lessons for the modern world. -- Today’s full English lesson, including a free transcript, can be found at: https://plainenglish.com/621 -- Learning English should be fun! That’s why our lessons are about current events and trending topics you care about: business, travel, technology, health, science, politics, the environment, and so much more. Our free English lessons always include English expressions and phrasal verbs, too. -- Learn even more English at PlainEnglish.com, where we have fast and slow audio, translations, videos, online English courses, and a supportive community of English learners like you. Sign up free at PlainEnglish.com/Join -- Aprende inglés gratis en línea con nuestro curso de inglés. Se habla a una velocidad lenta para que todos entiendan. ¡Aprende ingles con nosotros ahora! | Aprenda Inglês online grátis com o Plain English, a uma velocidade menor, para que todos possam entender. Contact: E-mail jeff@plainenglish.com | WhatsApp +1 312 967 8757 | Facebook PlainEnglishPod | Instagram PlainEnglishPod | Twitter @PlainEnglishPod "Mentioned in this episode:Ready to improve your listening?Ready to listen fast? Improve your listening with the fast version of this and every episode. The full-speed version is a fresh recording and it sounds just like someone speaking to a native speaker (with no AI or computer manipulation!) You can even listen on a podcast app
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Oct 30, 2023 • 21min
The Great Paris Bedbug Battle of 2023 | Learn English phrasal verb 'creep out'
" A bedbug infestation is spreading across Paris, even affecting the Métro, trains, hospitals and schools--according to social media. But many reported cases turn out not to be bedbugs at all. So what should a Parisian (or a traveler) think, as the Summer Olympics draw near? -- At Plain English, we make English lessons for the modern world. -- Today’s full English lesson, including a free transcript, can be found at: https://plainenglish.com/620 -- Learning English should be fun! That’s why our lessons are about current events and trending topics you care about: business, travel, technology, health, science, politics, the environment, and so much more. Our free English lessons always include English expressions and phrasal verbs, too. -- Learn even more English at PlainEnglish.com, where we have fast and slow audio, translations, videos, online English courses, and a supportive community of English learners like you. Sign up free at PlainEnglish.com/Join -- Aprende inglés gratis en línea con nuestro curso de inglés. Se habla a una velocidad lenta para que todos entiendan. ¡Aprende ingles con nosotros ahora! | Aprenda Inglês online grátis com o Plain English, a uma velocidade menor, para que todos possam entender. Contact: E-mail jeff@plainenglish.com | WhatsApp +1 312 967 8757 | Facebook PlainEnglishPod | Instagram PlainEnglishPod | Twitter @PlainEnglishPod "Mentioned in this episode:Ready to improve your listening?Ready to listen fast? Improve your listening with the fast version of this and every episode. The full-speed version is a fresh recording and it sounds just like someone speaking to a native speaker (with no AI or computer manipulation!) You can even listen on a podcast app
Sign up for a free 14-day trial at PlainEnglish.com
Oct 26, 2023 • 23min
Surge pricing comes to the pub | Learn English phrasal verb 'cut short'
" ""Dynamic pricing"": it's when businesses constantly change the price of a product, based on the current demand. We're used to it when booking airline tickets, hotel rooms, or even Uber rides. But now an upscale chain of pubs in London will increase the price of a pint of beer by 20p, or 5%, when there's a surge of customers. Is that fair? -- At Plain English, we make English lessons for the modern world. -- Today’s full English lesson, including a free transcript, can be found at: https://plainenglish.com/619 -- Learning English should be fun! That’s why our lessons are about current events and trending topics you care about: business, travel, technology, health, science, politics, the environment, and so much more. Our free English lessons always include English expressions and phrasal verbs, too. -- Learn even more English at PlainEnglish.com, where we have fast and slow audio, translations, videos, online English courses, and a supportive community of English learners like you. Sign up free at PlainEnglish.com/Join -- Aprende inglés gratis en línea con nuestro curso de inglés. Se habla a una velocidad lenta para que todos entiendan. ¡Aprende ingles con nosotros ahora! | Aprenda Inglês online grátis com o Plain English, a uma velocidade menor, para que todos possam entender. Contact: E-mail jeff@plainenglish.com | WhatsApp +1 312 967 8757 | Facebook PlainEnglishPod | Instagram PlainEnglishPod | Twitter @PlainEnglishPod "Mentioned in this episode:Ready to improve your listening?Ready to listen fast? Improve your listening with the fast version of this and every episode. The full-speed version is a fresh recording and it sounds just like someone speaking to a native speaker (with no AI or computer manipulation!) You can even listen on a podcast app
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Oct 23, 2023 • 23min
The latest on Threads, X, Wagner, Trump and more | Learn English phrasal verb 'settle down'
" It's time to take a look back and learn the latest on several topics we've talked about in Plain English recently, including ChatGPT, Netflix, Threads, Donald Trump's legal woes, and more. -- At Plain English, we make English lessons for the modern world. -- Today’s full English lesson, including a free transcript, can be found at: https://plainenglish.com/618 -- Learning English should be fun! That’s why our lessons are about current events and trending topics you care about: business, travel, technology, health, science, politics, the environment, and so much more. Our free English lessons always include English expressions and phrasal verbs, too. -- Learn even more English at PlainEnglish.com, where we have fast and slow audio, translations, videos, online English courses, and a supportive community of English learners like you. Sign up free at PlainEnglish.com/Join -- Aprende inglés gratis en línea con nuestro curso de inglés. Se habla a una velocidad lenta para que todos entiendan. ¡Aprende ingles con nosotros ahora! | Aprenda Inglês online grátis com o Plain English, a uma velocidade menor, para que todos possam entender. Contact: E-mail jeff@plainenglish.com | WhatsApp +1 312 967 8757 | Facebook PlainEnglishPod | Instagram PlainEnglishPod | Twitter @PlainEnglishPod "Mentioned in this episode:Ready to improve your listening?Ready to listen fast? Improve your listening with the fast version of this and every episode. The full-speed version is a fresh recording and it sounds just like someone speaking to a native speaker (with no AI or computer manipulation!) You can even listen on a podcast app
Sign up for a free 14-day trial at PlainEnglish.com
