7 Conversations Every English Learner Should Be Able to Have | B1, B2 Podcast | Everyday English Academy

Some conversations come back again and again, no matter where you live or travel. Sarah and Mike slow things down and walk through seven of them, from small talk at a party to telling a waiter that the wrong dish arrived, so you have real words ready when the moment comes. If you have ever gone quiet because a stranger asked you a simple question, this English podcast is for you.

What do you say when someone asks how you like their city and your mind goes blank? Over these seven scenes you'll practise starting small talk with a stranger at a party, introducing yourself at a work event, asking someone to repeat more slowly, saying sorry when something came up and you have to move a dinner, ordering food your way ("chicken, with the salad dressing on the side"), and disagreeing kindly with "I see what you mean, but" and "You have a point". You'll also hear how to explain the same idea again more simply, using "in other words", when the first try doesn't work.

This episode is perfect for B1 English learners who want to handle everyday situations with more confidence, from party small talk to polite complaints, using natural spoken phrases instead of textbook sentences.

💡 Tip: When you miss a word, say "Sorry, could you say that more slowly?

⏱️ Chapters

0:00 Introduction

0:31 Talk About Everyday Conversations in English

2:39 Making Small Talk with Follow-Up Questions

5:35 Saying You Did Not Understand

8:11 Making, Changing and Refusing Plans

10:42 Explaining a Problem and Asking for a Refund

15:18 Talking About Work and Disagreeing Politely

20:05 Vocabulary Review & Next Episode

📚 Vocabulary in this episode

• froze: suddenly could not speak or move

• awkward: uncomfortable and a little embarrassing

• faulty: broken, not working correctly

• refund: money given back to you

• mix-up: a small confusion between two things

• vague: not clear or exact

• distinction: a clear difference between two things

• blame: say who did something wrong

• soften: make words sound kinder

• picky: hard to please, very choosy

• aggressive: angry and too strong

• in charge of: leading it, the boss of it

• deal with: handle a job or a problem

• background: your past studies and jobs

• complaint: when someone says something is wrong

🎯 In this episode, you can practise:

• Small Talk At A Party

• Introducing Yourself At Work Events

• Asking Someone To Repeat Slowly

• Cancelling Plans Politely

• Ordering Food In A Restaurant

• Complaining About A Wrong Dish

• Polite Disagreement In English

• English speaking practice

• Daily English conversation

• B1 English vocabulary

Everyday English Academy is where Sarah and Mike talk slowly and clearly about ordinary life, so English learners can build listening, speaking, vocabulary and confidence one real conversation at a time.

Get comfortable, listen at your own speed, and say the phrases out loud with us as they come up.

Try replaying a scene and answering in Sarah's place, that is where the words start to stick. 🔔 Subscribe to Everyday English Academy for a new slow English conversation every week.

#SmallTalk #EnglishConversation #PoliteEnglish #EnglishVocabulary #SpeakingPractice #B1English #LearnEnglish #EnglishListening #EnglishPodcast #ESL #EverydayEnglishAcademy

Getting lost in a new city is normal, and asking for directions in English is a skill you can practise today. Sarah and Mike sit down for a slow, easy English conversation about stopping a stranger politely, understanding the answer, and finding the place you are looking for. If you travel, walk to work in a new area, or help visitors in your own town, this daily English conversation gives you the words you really need on the street.

Have you ever asked someone for directions and then walked away with no idea what they said? In this friendly English podcast you will practise starting with "Excuse me, sorry to bother you", saying "Sorry, I'm not from here" so people slow down, following simple instructions like "Go straight ahead" and "two blocks to the junction", using landmarks such as a green pharmacy sign or a bright green door, understanding words like opposite, crossing and fork in the road, and asking "Could you say it a bit slower, please?" when the answer comes too fast.

This episode is perfect for A2 English learners who want to build real-life speaking confidence, everyday street vocabulary and polite ways to ask a stranger for help when they are lost.

💡 Tip: Before you leave home today, say your route out loud in English using landmarks.

⏱️ Chapters

0:00 Introduction

1:03 Ask for Directions in English

2:18 Asking Strangers Politely for Help

3:30 Everyday Words for Streets and Corners

4:47 Describing Where Places Are

11:21 Speaking Practice

12:04 Vocabulary Review & Next Episode

📚 Vocabulary in this episode

• landmark: a big thing you can see and remember

• opposite: on the other side, facing something

• pedestrian: a person walking, not driving

• crossing: the safe place to walk across a road

• just around the corner: very close, only a few steps

• block: the street distance from one corner to the next

• one-way street: a street where cars go in one direction only

• backtrack: to walk back the way you came

• overshoot: to go too far past a place

• fork in the road: the place where one road becomes two

• junction: the place where two roads meet

• lane: one part of a wide road for cars

• curb: the raised edge between sidewalk and road

• adjacent: right next to something, same side

🎯 In this episode, you can practise:

• Asking For Directions In English

• Polite Ways To Stop A Stranger

• Street Landmarks And Corners

• Understanding Walking Instructions

• Asking Someone To Repeat Slowly

• City Words For Travellers

• Getting Back On Track

• English shadowing practice

• English listening practice

• A2 English vocabulary

Everyday English Academy is the channel where Sarah and Mike talk slowly about ordinary daily life, so English learners can grow their listening, speaking, vocabulary and confidence one calm conversation at a time.

Put your feet up, listen along with us, and repeat the parts that feel useful for your next walk.

Keep walking through the phrases with us, and say them out loud when you leave the house today. 🔔 Subscribe to Everyday English Academy for a new slow English conversation every week.

#AskingForDirections #EnglishForTravel #A2English #EverydayEnglish #PoliteEnglish #EnglishVocabulary #LearnEnglish #EnglishListening #EnglishPodcast #ESL #EverydayEnglishAcademy

Autumn Vibes And Rainy Day Activities | Everyday English Academy

Autumn is one of the easiest seasons to talk about in English, because there is so much to describe: the colour of the leaves, the smell of the air, the sound of rain on the window. Sarah and Mike take a slow walk through a cool bright morning, then head inside for a rainy afternoon, chatting about crunchy leaves, pumpkin harvests and how to describe rain from the lightest drizzle to a full storm. If you ever get stuck making small talk about the weather or the season, this daily English conversation gives you the words and the rhythm to join in.

How do you say it is raining when it is only a little bit, and how do you say it when the street is flooding? Listening to Sarah and Mike, you will learn the difference between sprinkle, pouring and torrential rain, describe autumn foliage and bare branches, talk about the harvest season, use cosy words like curl up and snuggle, and drop in natural phrases such as one of life's simple joys and now you're speaking my language.

This episode is perfect for B1 English learners who want to describe weather and seasons with more detail, build everyday vocabulary for autumn and rain, and speak comfortably in real conversations about how the day feels.

💡 Tip: Tonight, watch the rain from your window and say: is it sprinkling, pouring, or torrential?

⏱️ Chapters

0:00 Introduction

1:51 Talk About Autumn in English

2:41 Everyday Words for Autumn Scenery

6:58 Describing Rain with Past Continuous

12:07 Talking About Cozy Indoor Pastimes

17:33 Speaking Practice

18:05 Vocabulary Review & Next Episode

📚 Vocabulary in this episode

• mild: not too hot and not too cold

• foliage: the leaves on trees and plants

• rustle: make a soft, dry sound

• bare: with nothing on it

• sentimental: soft and emotional about happy memories

• harvest: the time when farmers collect crops

• sprinkle: rain very lightly

• torrential: extremely heavy (rain)

• detour: a longer way around something

• tentative: not certain yet; it may change

• curl up: sit in a small, cozy ball

• snuggle: get warm and close to someone

• pastime: something fun you do in free time

• hibernate: sleep all winter, like a bear

• sensitive: easily hurt or upset

🎯 In this episode, you can practise:

• Talking About Autumn Weather

• Describing Rain In English

• Sprinkle Pouring And Torrential

• Autumn Leaves Vocabulary

• Cosy Rainy Day Words

• Harvest Season Small Talk

• Feeling Sentimental In English

• English listening practice

• English speaking practice

• Daily English conversation

Everyday English Academy helps English learners improve listening, speaking, vocabulary, and confidence through slow, easy, everyday English conversations with Sarah and Mike.

Make a hot drink, sit somewhere comfortable, and let the words come to you little by little.

Listen, learn, and speak with us. Your English grows every time you use it.

🔔 Subscribe for a new slow-English episode every week.

#EnglishVocabulary #AutumnEnglish #WeatherVocabulary #SlowEnglish #RainyDay #B1English #LearnEnglish #EnglishListening #EnglishPodcast #ESL #EverydayEnglishAcademy