English Podcasts

As an English learner do you think AI a great tool or just cheating and laziness ? It can be both, but how?

20, April, 2026 Episode 213: Veronique travelling in Australia In 1999, Véronique embarked on her first Australian adventure, discovering the vibrant cities, the rugged Outback, and the stunning coastal wonders. Listen as she recounts the awe-inspiring moments and cultural exchanges that left a lasting impression on her. Bienvenue! Join us on a captivating journey as we unravel the incredible travel tales of Véronique, a spirited French woman who explored the diverse landscapes of Australia in 1999 and 2005. In this podcast episode, Véronique shares her unique perspective, cultural encounters, and unforgettable experiences Down Under. Notes Throughout the podcast, Véronique reflects on the changes she observed in Australia over the years, offering a fascinating blend of nostalgia and newfound discoveries. Her encounters with the locals, wildlife, and the natural beauty of the Land Down Under create a tapestry of memories that will transport you to another place and time. Recap & Takeaways Whether you're an avid traveler, a Francophile, or simply curious about Australia's allure, this podcast is sure to inspire and entertain. Tune in to hear Véronique's enchanting narratives, laced with the sheer joy of exploration. Stay Tuned For Our Latest Episodes Subscribe to our Facebook group and page, our Youtube channel and to our Instagram to get all the latest podcasts, quizzes and blog posts. Start Listening Today! View Episodes Contact Us [email protected] FollowFollowFollowFollow

Bucket Lists Sue and Chris talk about a Bucket lists. Before listening, do you know what bucket lists are? While listening. 1. Does Sue want to swim with dolphins? 2. Where does Chris want to go for his bucket list? 3. Where does Sue say she thinks the Northern Lights are? Listen to the podcast and try the following : First relax, sit down, close your eyes then listen to the podcast all the way through. Note down some ideas of what you expect the Podcast will be about. If needed have a look on the Internet for the keyword, 'Bucket Lists' to prepare yourself for the listening. Here is a link HERE and HERE to start you off. Listen to JUST Sue, ignoring Chris and try to work out globally what her questions and comments are. (you won't understand everything, so there is no point trying at this point.) Listen to just Chris as above. Now go back and listen to Sue - take a sheet of paper, draw a line down the middle, on the left of the paper, write any ideas that you have of what Sue was talking about. Now do the same for Chris. Now listen to the podcast all the way through THEN write down any more ideas that you have about the podcast. Leave the podcast for a day or two, then come back and listen. Do you understand any more than from the first session of listening you did? How do you rate the difficulty level for you? (Too difficult at the moment / A challenge / I understand enough). When will you return to this podcast to check your listening progress? Remember : You won't understand everything you hear. There is a lot of regular work to do to tune your ear into Real English - you need to work on listening regularly. NEVER write notes at the same time that you are listening. ALWAYS - try to set yourself realistic objectives. REMEMBER - this is just a part of your learning and you need to be able to connect this work with your other work. This is REAL English - we don't believe that slow, over-articulated speech prepares learners for the real world - you may be able to understand an audio extract that is spoken slowly, but what good is that if you don't understand real people in real situations. At english-podcasts.com we want to help you to be ready for the real world - it will be difficult at first, but later you will feel the benefit - it is just pure, common sense.

Food Hell, what's the worst thing you've ever eaten? Why don't you like it ? Is it the taste, the texture, the smell or just the idea of it? Listen to our choices, do you think they are cultural or universal choices? This podcast is a great way to build vocabulary to express likes and dislikes about food.

Have you heard of "non-verbal communication"? This is what we refer to in every language as body language, eye contact, nodding, moving your body to say you agree or disagree with the speaker. Have you found that digital meetings have changed the dynamics of the "traditional" face to face meetings and lessons? Take a listen to this podcast in which Chris and Sue discuss their experiences and give tips on how to adapt our body language to suit the new way of communicating.

Listen to Bastien talk about his bucket list with Chris. Listen to more bucket list podcasts by searching the term 'bucket list' in the search bar.

Grammar brush up: Short answers. Test yourself. How quickly can to answer?

Have you ever heard of the term, "Vanlife?" or rather the hashtag #Vanlife ? It is a growing trend where people convert vans to a fully contained living area that enables them to travel and work virtually anywhere in the world whilst pursuing their dream of travel, discovery and adventure. Listen to Chris telling Sue about a project that he has to buy and convert a van for a future tour that will include every European capital city, whilst working at distance, making cinematic travel videos, podcasts and a blog alongside the discovery of grassroots ecological projects throughout Europe that seek to protect the environment.

Ahead of the Climate crisis meeting with world leaders, COP26 in Glasgow in October 2021, Chris talks to Renu, who lives in India, about how India is going green. Air pollution in India is a serious health issue, of the 30 most polluted cities in the world, 21 were in India in 2019, but are things getting better? The Indian government has pledged to eliminate all single use plastics by 2022 - they have one year to go - but just how are they doing? India generates 25,940 tonnes of plastic waste every day - that sounds a lot, right? But, just what does that figure mean? It is the weight of 9,000 Asian elephants - every day! 88 Boeing 747 jets - every day! Of this 10,746 tonnes is uncollected plastic waste and 66% of this waste is generated by 60 cities and 50% of this waste comes from 5 cities :Kolkata, Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi. This all sounds alarming, and it is, but India is the 15th biggest polluter in the world

Are electric bikes considered as cheating ? Do they bring back the pleasure of cycling ? Listen to what Chris says about his experience.

Listen to Chris and Renu talking about Renu's project, empowering women in India. Renu was born in UK and practiced as a UK Lawyer for 10 years. She qualified with an MSc in Ayurveda in 2006 from London and has been an Ayurveda Practitioner and Teacher since then. Renu offers Ayurveda wellness consultations and classes online. Renu is a writer, blogger and podcaster covering both Ayurveda, Yoga, Wellness and other areas of social interest. She is the founder and visionary of a sustainability and womens empowerment initiative ‘Stree’ in Rishikesh at the foothills of the Himalayas. Stree has a store in Rishikesh which holds ethically made products from garments to bags to home use products To receive Ayurveda Consultations and Classes or to purchase Stree products please vist www.streewellness.com

Did you know that Shakespeare coined* over 1000 words, many of which we still use today and some of them we use everyday! But WHY did he invent so many words ? This is a good question. He didn't it simply to fit in with the rhythm of his text, he needed words with the right number of syllables to fit in with the meter rhythm of the line. Indeed many of the words that Shakespeare coined came from adding suffixes and prefixes such as -ful, -able - fied. For example, laugh and able, un and dress, care and less. So if you find English adjectives confusing you know who to blame ! Sometimes he put 2 words together, for example bed and room. Thank you Shakespeare for that one! Plus, birth and place, farm and house. In this podcast, Sue asks Chris to explain 10 Shakespearian inventions and then he "turns the tables" on her... you can thank Shakespeare for that one too !!! Listen out for these words and expressions: It's Greek to me To be tongue tied fair play / foul play A fool's paradise A hard day's night A green eyed monster Laughable An eyesore What the Dickens ! To puke to coin means to invent a new word or expression

Ayurveda the science of life is an medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. Ayurveda is heavily practiced in India and Nepal, where around 80% of the population report using it. Ayurveda therapies have varied and evolved over more than two millennia. Therapies include medicines, special diets, meditation, yoga, massage, laxatives, enemas, and medical oils. Medicines are typically based on complex herbal compounds, minerals, and metal substances (perhaps under the influence of early Indian alchemy or rasa shastra). Ancient Ayurveda texts also taught surgical techniques, including rhinoplasty, kidney stone extractions, sutures, and the extraction of foreign objects. The main classical Ayurveda texts begin with accounts of the transmission of medical knowledge from the gods to sages, and then to human physicians. In Sushruta Samhita (Sushruta's Compendium), Sushruta wrote that Dhanvantari, Hindu god of Ayurveda, incarnated himself as a king of Varanasi and taught medicine to a group of physicians, including Sushruta. Ayurveda has been adapted for Western consumption, notably by Baba Hari Dass in the 1970s and Maharishi Ayurveda in the 1980s. Some scholars assert that Ayurveda originated in prehistoric times, and that some of the concepts of Ayurveda have existed from the time of the Indus Valley Civilization or even earlier. Ayurveda developed significantly during the Vedic period and later some of the non-Vedic systems such as Buddhism and Jainism also developed medical concepts and practices that appear in the classical Ayurveda texts. In Ayurveda texts, Doṣa balance is emphasized, and suppressing natural urges is considered unhealthy and claimed to lead to illness. Ayurveda treatises describe three elemental doṣas viz. vāta, pitta and kapha, and state that balance (Skt. sāmyatva) of the doṣas results in health, while imbalance (viṣamatva) results in disease. Ayurveda treatises divide medicine into eight canonical components. Ayurveda practitioners had developed various medicinal preparations and surgical procedures from at least the beginning of the common era. Listen to Renu, an Ayurveda practioner in north India talk about Ayurveda.

Dave, a West Ham supporter, gives his opinion about England's performance in the Euros 2020 and the harsh criticism that the players received, and also Victoria who runs an equality blog, Feminists of Reading.

Listen to this interview of Renu, an Indian living in North India about North Indian Food. Do you like spicy food or is it too hot for you? Do you know what millet is? What do you think an Indian person living in India would eat as their ideal food?

Life as an expat in France and India

Do you know what yoga is all about? Yoga is an ancient and complex practice, rooted in Indian philosophy, which began as a spiritual practice but has become popular as a way of promoting physical and mental wellbeing. Yoga typically emphasizes physical postures (asanas), breathing techniques (pranayama), and meditation (dyana). There are many different yoga styles, ranging from gentle practices to physically demanding ones. Listen to this in-depth discussion with Renu an Ayuverda specialist based in Rishikesh in northern India on the basic tenets of Yoga.

Rishikesh has been a part of the legendary "Kedarkhand" - Legends state that Lord Rama did penance here for killing Ravana, the asura king of Lanka; and Lakshmana, his younger brother, crossed the river Ganges, using two jute ropes at the point where the present 'Lakshman Jhula' stands today. Dehra Dun said about Rishikesh, " A village or town beautifully situated on the right bank of the Ganges, on a high cliff overlooking the river. The place is developing very rapidly, especially since the construction of the new bridge over the Song river, the realignment of the pilgrim road from Raiwala to Rishikesh." The Ganges, one of the most sacred rivers to Hindus, flows through Rishikesh. Here the river leaves the Shivalik Hills in the Himalayas and flows into the plains of northern India. Several temples, ancient and new, are along the banks of the Ganges in Rishikesh. Shatrughna Mandir, Bharat Mandir (Lord Vishnu's avatar), Lakshman Mandir are the ancient temples established by Adi Shankaracharya. Shatrughna Temple is near Ram Jhula and Lakshman Mandir is situated near Lakshman Jhula. The historical records mention that some pilgrims used to stay at Rishikesh as a resting place before moving onwards to the higher mountains for the pilgrimage while a larger number used to visit Rishikesh as the original destination and visited various sites between Rishikesh and Lakshman Jhula before returning. However, Rishikesh has in recent decades shifted from a pilgrim to a tourist town. The International Yoga Festival introduced in 2000 has brought a new influx of tourists. Local markets have evolved from commercialising goods such as "local and religious handicrafts" to a more service-oriented tourist industry with "provision stores, cafes, hotels and yoga and meditation" as well as rafting Listen to Chris talking to Renu, who has lived in Rishikesh for a number of years, about the town, the region and things of interest, but also of being an expat in India. In later podcasts we will be looking at being an expat in India and France, ayuverda and lots of information about India.