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

Your First Week in a New Country | Easy English Podcast | Everyday English Academy

Landing in a new country is exciting, and it is also confusing, so this slow English conversation is all about surviving your first week abroad. Sarah and Mike talk about arrivals halls with no phone signal, jet lag at the lunch table, and the paperwork you have to do before anything feels normal. If you are moving, studying or travelling somewhere new, this daily English conversation gives you the words to describe those first strange days.

Have you ever stood under a row of airport signs and had no idea which arrow was yours? In this relaxed English podcast you will practise saying a place feels disorientating, describing jet lag and how slowly you adjust, talking about registering at a government office and jumping through hoops for a phone contract, and using friendly phrases like get your bearings, Take your time and Baby steps when everything is new.

This episode is perfect for B1 English learners who want to build everyday vocabulary for travel, moving abroad and asking for help, so they can talk about their own first days in a new place with more confidence.

💡 Tip: Next time you leave an airport, say "let me figure out where I am" aloud.

⏱️ Chapters

0:00 Introduction

1:56 Talk About Your First Week Abroad in English

6:43 Talking About Paperwork and Difficult Situations

12:37 Speaking Practice

13:08 Describing Food, Gestures and Settling In

18:45 Vocabulary Review & Next Episode

📚 Vocabulary in this episode

• disorientating: confusing, so you don't know where you are

• wide-eyed: surprised, with big open eyes

• jet lag: the tired feeling after a long flight

• brutal: very hard or unpleasant

• adjust: slowly get used to something new

• sneaky: tricky and hard to notice

• register: put your name on an official list

• figure out: understand something after thinking about it

• out of your depth: in a situation that is too hard for you

• strategy: a plan for reaching a goal

• sightseeing: visiting interesting places as a visitor

• gesture: a hand or head movement that shows meaning

• stable: steady and not changing

• fascinating: very interesting, hard to stop watching

• paperwork: the official forms you must fill in

• portion: the amount of food for one person

🎯 In this episode, you can practise:

• Arriving In A New Country

• Getting Your Bearings

• Talking About Jet Lag

• Asking For Directions At The Airport

• Paperwork And Registering Abroad

• Feeling Out Of Your Depth

• Settling Into A New City

• 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.

Put your feet up, listen along at your own pace, and let these words settle in one small step at a time.

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

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

#TravelEnglish #MovingAbroad #JetLag #EnglishVocabulary #CultureShock #SlowEnglish #LearnEnglish #EnglishListening #EnglishPodcast #ESL #EverydayEnglishAcademy

How to Talk to Anyone, Anywhere | 20 Minutes of Real English Listening Practice (B1, B2) | Everyday English Academy

Small talk with strangers is one of the hardest parts of everyday English, and most textbooks skip it. Sarah and Mike sit down for a slow, relaxed conversation about how to start a chat with anyone, anywhere, from a bus stop to a quiet office kitchen at six in the morning, and how to leave that chat politely without feeling awkward. If you have ever said hello to a colleague and then had no idea what to say next, this English podcast episode is for you.

What do you actually say after "hello"? In twenty minutes of natural, easy-to-follow English, you will practise how to break the ice with a comment about the weather or a broken coffee machine, ask open-ended questions instead of interrogating someone, find common ground with an acquaintance you barely know, notice when a person is too busy to talk, and end a conversation kindly with lines like "I'll let you go" or "Anyway, I'd better get going".

This episode is perfect for B1-B2 English learners who want to feel calmer and more confident making small talk with strangers and colleagues, using polite, natural English in real daily situations.

💡 Tip: Practise your exit line, "Anyway, I'd better get going", out loud five times today.

⏱️ Chapters

0:00 Introduction

0:54 Talk About Starting Conversations in English

2:41 Everyday Words for Meeting People

6:34 Asking Better Questions with How Come

11:28 Describing How People Seem to Others

15:06 Polite Phrases for Ending Conversations

17:50 Speaking Practice

21:10 Vocabulary Review & Next Episode

📚 Vocabulary in this episode

• read the room: notice how people around you feel

• come across as: seem a certain way to others

• interrogate: ask someone too many hard questions

• common ground: something two people share

• acquaintance: someone you know a little, not a friend

• stand-offish: cold and a bit unfriendly

• chime in: join a conversation with a comment

• excuse yourself: politely say you are leaving

• tongue-tied: too nervous to speak

• open-ended question: a question needing more than yes

• How come?: a casual way to ask why

🎯 In this episode, you can practise:

• Small Talk With Strangers

• Breaking The Ice In English

• Ending A Conversation Politely

• Open-Ended Questions In English

• Office Kitchen Conversations

• Bus Stop And Queue Chat

• Reading The Room 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 yourself a drink, press play, and let Sarah and Mike keep you company while you learn.

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

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

#SmallTalk #EnglishConversation #EnglishVocabulary #BreakTheIce #EnglishSpeaking #B1B2English #LearnEnglish #EnglishListening #EnglishPodcast #ESL #EverydayEnglishAcademy

Improve Your English Just by Listening | 40 Minutes of Real English (B1, B2) | Everyday English Academy

Borrowing a step stool, returning a book you have had for months, asking a neighbour for a small favour: these are the little conversations that feel surprisingly hard in English. Sarah and Mike talk slowly about wobbly kitchen chairs, overdue library books, parcels left with the people next door, and the things we all keep putting off. It is a calm daily English conversation you can follow while you cook, walk, or fold the laundry, and it helps you speak up the next time you need to knock on someone's door.

Have you ever waited so long to ask for something that asking became embarrassing? In this relaxed English podcast you will practise borrowing and returning things politely, making a soft request with "any chance I could swing by Tuesday?", explaining why something slipped your mind, using everyday words like overdue, handy, postpone and upfront, and saying thank you to a neighbour in a way that sounds natural rather than stiff.

This episode is perfect for B1 English learners who want to sound polite and relaxed when asking neighbours, friends or family for small favours, and who want everyday vocabulary for the tasks they keep postponing.

💡 Tip: Rehearse tonight's polite ask out loud: "Any chance I could swing by Tuesday?

⏱️ Chapters

0:00 Introduction

0:45 Talk About Borrowing and Lending in English

3:13 Using Borrow and Lend Correctly

6:41 Asking for Something Back Politely

14:11 Talking About Things You Keep Delaying

22:18 Asking for and Refusing Favours

28:58 Speaking Practice

37:30 Vocabulary Review & Next Episode

📚 Vocabulary in this episode

• overdue: later than it should be

• owe: have to give back or pay

• handy: useful and easy to use

• upfront: clear and honest from the start

• postpone: move something to a later time

• swing by: visit somewhere quickly

• scribble: write fast and messily

• drag on: keep going much too long

• blurt out: say something before you think

• wrench: metal tool for turning bolts

• courier: person who delivers packages

• be upfront: say the truth clearly and early

• impose: ask too much of someone

• flat out: completely busy, with no free time

🎯 In this episode, you can practise:

• Borrowing Things In English

• Polite Requests To Neighbours

• Talking About Overdue Tasks

• Asking To Swing By

• Apologising For Forgetting

• Everyday Favours And Thank Yous

• Phrasal Verbs For Putting Things Off

• 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.

Get comfortable, press play, and let Sarah and Mike keep you company for the next forty minutes.

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

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

#EnglishListening #PoliteEnglish #EverydayEnglish #PhrasalVerbs #B1English #EnglishVocabulary #NeighbourTalk #LearnEnglish #EnglishPodcast #ESL #EverydayEnglishAcademy

Talking About August in English | Easy English Podcast | Everyday English Academy

August has its own vocabulary in English, and today Sarah and Mike talk through all of it: the stifling afternoons, the summer to-do list that never got finished, and the shops that quietly close for a few weeks. They speak slowly and clearly, so you can follow a real daily English conversation about heat, holidays and that strange feeling that the summer has flown by. If you have ever wanted to answer "How's your summer going?" with more than one word, this one is for you.

Do you know how to describe really hot weather in English without saying "very hot" five times? Listening along, you'll learn the difference between stifling, balmy and lukewarm, how to say you're parched after a walk in the sun, how to talk about plans you keep putting it off, how to explain that a bakery is closed for the season, and how to tell a friend you're staying put in the city this year.

This episode is perfect for B1 English learners who want to talk about hot weather, summer plans and end-of-season feelings in natural everyday English.

💡 Tip: After the episode, describe today's heat aloud in one sentence using stifling or parched.

⏱️ Chapters
0:00 Introduction
0:24 Talk About August in English
4:37 Everyday Words for Describing Hot Weather
11:31 Talking About Unfinished Plans with Still, Yet, Already
14:17 Describing Busy and Quiet Streets
20:54 Asking About Time Off and Holidays
23:05 Speaking Practice
31:05 Vocabulary Review & Next Episode

📚 Vocabulary in this episode
• stifling: so hot it's hard to breathe
• balmy: gently warm, usually in the evening
• peak: the busiest or highest point
• parched: very thirsty, or very dry
• lukewarm: only a little warm, not hot or cold
• savor: enjoy something slowly and fully
• come to a standstill: stop completely
• stationery: pens, paper and notebooks
• wistful: quietly sad about something ending
• linger on: stay longer than you expect
• relentless: never stopping and never getting weaker
• reek: smell very bad
• cling: stick close and not let go
• stagnant: not moving at all
• tail end: the very last part

🎯 In this episode, you can practise:
• Describing Hot Weather In English
• Talking About Summer Plans
• Stifling And Parched Vocabulary
• How's Your Summer Going
• Closed For The Season
• Summer Small Talk In English
• Putting It Off And Staying Put
• 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.

Find a cool spot, press play, and let Sarah and Mike keep you company through the last of the August heat.

Listen, learn, and speak with us. Your English grows every time you use it.
🔔 Subscribe for a new slow-English episode every week.

#EasyEnglish #EnglishVocabulary #SummerEnglish #SmallTalk #B1English #WeatherVocabulary #LearnEnglish #EnglishListening #EnglishPodcast #ESL #EverydayEnglishAcademy

The Power of Small Habits in Language Learning and Life | English Learning Podcast | Everyday English Academy

Have you ever made a big study plan on a Sunday night, then dropped it by Thursday? Sarah and Mike sit down for a slow, easy English conversation about small habits: two words in a notebook, a thirty-second voice note in the car, one page of a paperback before bed. This daily English conversation is for anyone who wants to keep learning even on busy, tired days.

Why does a two-hour study plan fail while two minutes a day keeps going? Listening along, you'll practise talking about habits that go on and off, saying that you slip up or fall off the wagon without feeling bad about it, describing gradual, manageable progress in simple past and present, and using friendly phrases like get back on track, get into the habit of, and it all adds up. Sarah and Mike also talk about that little app streak going back to zero, and why one lapse is not the end.

This episode is perfect for A2-B1 English learners who want to build everyday vocabulary about habits, routines and progress, and speak honestly about their own study life in natural, relaxed English.

💡 Tip: Pick two new words tonight and say them out loud while your kettle boils tomorrow.

⏱️ Chapters

0:00 Introduction

0:18 Talk About Small Habits in English

1:55 Everyday Words for Stopping and Starting

7:47 Talking About Daily Routines with While

12:38 Describing Breaks in a Habit

14:29 Speaking Practice

17:14 Vocabulary Review & Next Episode

📚 Vocabulary in this episode

• slip up: make a small mistake

• on and off: starting and stopping, not steady

• manageable: small enough to handle

• gradual: slow, over a long time

• lapse: a short break in a habit

• relapse: going back to an old bad habit

• fall off the wagon: stop a good habit you kept

• knuckle down: start working seriously

• persistent: keeps going, never gives up

• diligent: works hard and checks every detail

• incremental: growing by small steps

• accumulate: slowly build up over time

• compound: grow on itself and get faster

🎯 In this episode, you can practise:

• Talking About Habits In English

• Study Routine Vocabulary

• Get Back On Track

• Fall Off The Wagon Meaning

• Describing Slow Progress

• Two Words A Day Method

• Everyday Phrases For Learners

• 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 warm drink, press play, and let Sarah and Mike keep you company while you learn a little today.

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

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

#EnglishVocabulary #LearningHabits #SlowEnglish #EverydayEnglish #StudyRoutine #EnglishPodcast #LearnEnglish #EnglishListening #ESL #EverydayEnglishAcademy