Listening: English-language podcasts to improve the skill. Modern English Listening Humble Beginnings, or English Listening for “First-Graders”

We recently wrote about the best websites for English listening; for those who haven’t read it yet, we recommend that you check it out: 6 Best Websites for English Listening. Today we will add another wonderful site to this list. It is also perfect for those who do listening tasks, ranging from levelelementary, including levelspre— intermediate, intermediate. There are also materials for the level upper— intermediate.

This is about British Council website, more precisely, in its section for English learners. Here is the link: http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en(Opens in a new tab or window). By the way, there is also a separate section for those who are preparing for IELTS, but more on that below.

What's good about this site? Which useful materials can you find it there? This is what we will talk about today. But first, about the language itself that the site “speaks”. Basically this is the British version of English, plus some audio material, where the speakers are “non-local people”, that is, regional accents (from Far East before South America and Australia). But classic British English clearly dominates on the site. Therefore, those who need exactly this kind of “English” - pay special attention;)

Most audio clips have texts. This allows you to use the materials as you please: with or without text, or alternating between different options. In addition, many audio clips have special tasks. They check your understanding of the text and help you remember words and phrases.

Now – about the sections of the site.

Large section – Listen& Watch– just what you need for listening lessons. The materials there are very diverse:

Elementary Podcasts– audio materials specifically for the elementary level. The program has existed since April 2008, and a new audio clip is added every month. You can listen online and complete exercises and tasks directly on the website, or download the audio in mp3 format. There you can also watch or download the script (text) for the audio clip (use the “Instructions & downloads” link just below the player window.
Big City Small World- “soap opera” in audio format. The style of speech is conversational, several easy-to-remember characters, each episode is approximately 5-8 minutes. There are tasks and text for each episode.
Word on the Street – everyday English in different everyday situations. The difference from the two previous programs: there is not only audio, but also video (usually 3-4 minutes each). The characters move through different areas of London and other English cities. There is text not for all videos, but for most. Plus tasks.
Magazine – articles on a variety of topics read by speakers. Themes range from Halloween and rainforests to social problems. The duration of the sound is on average from 3 to 7 minutes. The language is literary (magazine, book), the type of audio clip is most often a monologue. Suitable for listening levels from approximately intermediate and higher.
Stories& Poems– a very useful section. English poetry (for example, Kipling's poems) sounds quite unusual for beginners: different rhythms and intonations are very well felt, this is an excellent exercise. Well, you will also have fun, of course.
Talk about- monologues of the most different people on a variety of topics. There is a lot of English here with regional accents (people from China, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, etc.). There is no need to be afraid of “picking up” incorrect or “inauthentic” pronunciation. Firstly, you will listen to different materials, and not just this section, so you don’t have to worry about pronunciation. Secondly, listening skills develop well if you often listen to a wide variety of English speech: the ear will quickly learn to distinguish accents and grasp the generalities. Thirdly, it is interesting and useful to listen to how your “colleagues” speak English, who are also learning this language, just like you.
Overcooked, How to…, UK Culture– the remaining sections of this large section. We will not describe them in detail, be sure to look there yourself.

Another rather large section is Business & Work– excellent materials, very useful for developing listening skills. The main difference from the section Listen& Watch is that the topics here are mainly related to work, career, professions, business communication, etc. The vocabulary here is more varied and “adult”. For level Upper— Intermediate it will be just right, you can try it on Intermediate if you have a good one lexicon(I remind you that we mean listening levels, not your grammar-reading-speech levels, these are not the same thing - see. FAQ). The section contains headings:

Professionals Podcasts– everything that is written above about the section itself fully applies to the section. Speech - monologues or dialogues, the level of complexity is suitable for listening levels Intermediate, Upper— intermediate.
You’ re hired- business English. Topic: hiring, selection of candidates for the company. The videos are short (audio+video), there are scripts and tasks.
Business Magazine– there are no materials for listening, only texts (articles on careers, professional growth and so on.). They differ from ordinary non-adapted articles in magazines and websites in that they have a slightly more “strict” vocabulary, and, well, special tasks, Certainly.

Let’s quickly go through other sections of the site for English learners.

Useful section Grammar & Vocabulary– not so much for listening, but for Grammar and your Vocabulary 😉

Chapter Fun & Games- yes, there is such a thing. It contains useful information for students English games, jokes and other entertainment.

Chapter IELTS – the name speaks for itself. The section is relatively new, but there is not much material there yet. But new ones are gradually being added, so if you are going to take this exam, take a look there too, just in case. Now the section already contains clearly useful materials about the features of listening forms on IELTS.

I think this short “excursion” is enough to get your bearings general outline. Along the way, you will probably come across other interesting materials on the British Council website (for example, there is a special section for children, a section for English teachers, etc.)

One reader of the Lingualeo blog suggested a cool idea - to write an article with interesting audio recordings in English for beginners. We immediately included this in the plan.

The reason for such haste: we believe that it is important to devote time to developing listening skills and regularly practice understanding English speech. But they also wrote that you need to use audio of your level, where ≈ 80% of the vocabulary is clear.

That's why we've put together simple podcasts and conversations to give beginners some training material.

Audio: English for beginners listen online for free

Our article includes 10 audio files for English levels from beginner to pre-intermediate. After listening to recordings of simple dialogues from typical life situations, you will learn to understand English speech by ear and remember useful phrases to keep the conversation going.

1. Humble Beginnings, or English Listening for “first graders”

A trip abroad is approaching, and you haven’t started teaching yet english alphabet? Does the conversation of foreigners resemble continuous noise with rare fragments of familiar words? Short dialogues from englishspeak.com will help you introduce yourself in English and tell about yourself.

Conclusion: English texts with audio accompaniment for beginners

We've shared some cool materials for English listening, now it's up to you! We prescribe 15 minutes of listening to English speech daily with a gradual increase in difficulty - and success in conquering the English language is guaranteed (if you try the same in reading, speaking and writing, of course).

By the way, useful information about “upgrading” other skills: we have already written about how we compiled a selection of books for and, shared a list of and talked about the best ways to study and.

If you also have a topic for a blog article, write in the comments! We will fulfill your wish. 🙂 Bye!

What associations do you have when you hear the word “listening”? Is this something nerdy from school? A set of challenging ear training exercises? Endless rewind of a jamming cassette tape? Listening has changed a long time ago, and we will prove it. From this article you will learn: what are the benefits of listening lessons, how to properly learn English from audio materials, what types of podcasts are there, is there an award for audio series, and where to look for a talk radio show.

Why do you need to do listening and is it worth doing at all?

Many English learners complain that they have difficulty understanding native speakers. If your interlocutor's speech is too fast and full of colloquial and dialect words, how can you get the essence of it all? Perhaps you were offered a cup of tea, and you took these words as threats. To avoid embarrassment, you need to practice, even if you do not live abroad or do not visit there regularly.

How exactly to practice? There are many videos available on the Internet. But what to do when there is no video and subtitles? We are used to always relying on these helpers. They can become a crutch, without which you will not understand speech by ear. That’s why it’s so important to train your perception of speech without pictures and text. Such exercises are called listening.

Where in real life Can these skills come in handy? For example, you will have to talk with a person on Skype without a webcam or by phone. Another case: the museum will offer you an audio guide in English, but if you’re not used to it, you won’t understand the speaker. The simplest situation: on the way to work you want to listen to the music of your favorite artist or an audiobook in the original language.

If you want to overcome the hearing barrier, practice modern listening. Podcasts, audio series and radio programs in English will help you.

What are the benefits of audio materials in English?

1. You get used to how coherent English sounds.

To better understand English-speaking people, you need to listen to their conversations more often. To get started, choose short educational audio recordings at a slow pace. Then move on to audio material from real conversations between native speakers. This way you will learn the features of intonation, pronunciation of sounds, stress in words, placement of logical pauses.

2. You listen to modern speech

Many of the materials we used for listening lessons at school are outdated. They play out irrelevant situations. The characters' vocabulary is too bookish. The result is unnatural dialogue. Modern listening makes it possible to learn an ever-changing living language.

3. You get used to different accents in English.

Pronunciation depends on national characteristics. The English of an Indian, Chinese and French is quite different by ear. Listen to examples:

Resident of India:

Resident of Burkina Faso ( native language- French):

Resident of Spain:

Chinese resident:

You can learn to understand any accent well. Listen and get used to different pronunciation features.

4. You will learn how to use new vocabulary correctly

In order for vocabulary on a new topic to become firmly entrenched in your mind, it is not enough just to memorize the words. You need to know in what context speakers use them in life. For example, you have mastered . After that, listen to several podcasts for programmers, so the theory will be complemented by practice.

5. You learn grammar by doing.

Modern listening will teach you to listen to abbreviations grammatical structures and will help you understand the application of the rules in context. You will also be able to make sure whether native speakers really use such a complex tense as the Past Perfect Continuous, or whether the teachers tormented you with it in vain.

6. You train your concentration

In the age of smartphone addiction and tabletization, we are accustomed to perceiving information visually. But if you want to improve your concentration, then the best challenge for you will be audio materials in English. This is a double job of the brain: changing the usual information channel to an audio one and processing the speech of a foreigner. The more interesting!

7. You broaden your horizons

You can choose podcasts, audio series and radio shows based on your interests. If you learn a new trend in the profession or a popular slang word, you will shine in front of your friends and colleagues.

8. You work out where it’s convenient for you

Whether you're driving, on the treadmill, on a plane or on the beach, you can still continue to practice English. If there is a desire, ears and technology will be provided.

A moment of wisdom from a Quentin Tarantino film character.

You"d be surprised what happens if people just listen... without succumbing to all that pain and anger.

You'd be surprised what would happen if people would just listen... without giving in to all the pain and anger.

How to learn English correctly using audio materials

1. Choose engaging material at the appropriate level.

Has it ever happened to you that someone played a recording of an American stand-up comedian, and you, understanding at best a couple of words, still chuckled politely? Happens to many people. Stand-ups are characterized by a lot of slang and complex wordplay. It’s better to put them aside for a while and choose audio materials of your level.

2. Find the best way for you to work with a podcast

You can simply listen to audio recordings in free time or use another tactic:

Listen to the audio material and try to understand as much information as possible from it. If this is difficult to do, try to grasp the main idea of the recording.
Find the text of the entry, read it and translate all phrases unfamiliar to you.
Turn on the audio recording again and try to hear the text that is already familiar to you.
Retell what you heard to your friends, family, or to yourself in the mirror, trying to imitate the speaker’s speech.

This tactic is not as time-consuming as it seems. You will spend 15-20 minutes analyzing a five-minute audio material.

3. Understand unfamiliar words and grammatical structures

Work with new material. If you come across unfamiliar vocabulary, look for it in combinability dictionaries, new constructions - in grammar manuals. After that, try to make a few sentences with them.

4. Make things more difficult

Let's say you began to easily understand the speech of the leading educational podcasts for entry-level. This is great, but you can’t rest on your laurels. Choose more complex materials, challenge yourself with new challenges. This way you can progress.

Listen to how the same news sounds, adapted for beginners, people with an intermediate level, and unadapted for an advanced level:

First level:

Average level:

High level:

Modern materials for listening

Podcasts

A podcast is one or a series of audio files. Educational podcasts cover a variety of topics. Original non-adapted podcasts are devoted to one topic and are released on a regular basis. Listen to the movie podcast trailer to get a sense of what we're proposing to do.

Educational podcasts:

LearnEnglish Podcasts - 10-15 minute podcasts for levels and from the British Council. The site presents materials with simple vocabulary, but a fairly fast pace of speech. Any podcast and transcript (text) can be downloaded completely free of charge. Each audio recording comes with a test and several tasks that will help you check how well you understand what you heard. In addition to podcasts on common topics Here you will find materials for learning business English.
Luke’s ENGLISH Podcast - podcasts from English teacher and part-time stand-up comedian Luke Thompson. Since 2009, his website has accumulated 490 episodes with transcripts. At the end of each issue you will find useful vocabulary, sometimes grammatical structures from the lesson.
Voice of America Learning English - American podcasts adapted for language learning. Here you will find the latest political, cultural and scientific news, short stories, stories of the origin of idioms. The speaker's pace is moderate and will allow you to understand all the words. In addition, the most necessary vocabulary is highlighted in the transcripts and placed in a separate list, Words in This Story.
Business English Pod - business English podcasts that teach you how to speak on the phone, give presentations, increase sales and more. You can listen to the podcasts for free, but for many audio recordings, transcripts, tests, and other materials are only available with a subscription.
Hellenic American Union - topical podcasts with pdf files that you can freely download. Each file includes a transcript, images, glossary, and exercise keys.

Unadapted podcasts:

BBC Podcasts - podcasts ranging in length from 5 to 60 minutes for level and above. You can download all audio materials for free. But each entry has a kind of expiration date, after which it is deleted from the site.
TED Radio Hour and Ted Talks Daily are projects based on the famous conferences and educational videos from TED Talks. Each episode consists of one or more interviews on a common topic.
iHeartRadio - here you can find thematic podcasts collected from various portals.
Player FM is a platform that contains podcasts on any topic that might come to your mind.
Radio Wolfgang is not just a podcast, but a whole community of people creating a new media format. Participants propose topics that interest them and choose the best ones by voting. Podcasts are developed based on the winning topics. There is a lot of documentary and scientific material, entertainment content and stories of individuals.
Check out the Podcast Awards website for the best non-adapted podcasts.

Audio series

In our country, few people know about audio series, but they are extremely popular abroad. Short and long audio dramas, just like their video counterparts, are released for entire seasons and gather a lot of fans. Most of them are freely available. The only thing is that rare audio series are provided with transcripts. Therefore, such materials are usually suitable for students with an Intermediate level and above. Please keep in mind that some series have age and other restrictions. Warnings sound at the beginning of each episode.

Best Audio Dramas:

Bronzeville is a stylish series about Chicago in the 40s. One of the main roles is voiced by Laurence Fishburne, aka Morpheus from The Matrix. What we have: a specific African-American accent to train your ears and amazing jazz music as a bonus. You can listen to all episodes by following the link. And the trailer for the series is .
Wooden Overcoats is a British Podcast Awards winner, a British series about the rivalry between two funeral homes. Almost Bezenchuk and “Nymph”, only in the English way. You can listen to the trailer.
The Once and Future Nerd is an award-nominated and award-winning fantasy series. The audio drama is interesting because each episode is accompanied by a script in pdf. You can listen to the trailer for the series by following the link.
Our Fair City is a post-apocalyptic audio drama with short episodes of 10-15 minutes. The creators continue to release new seasons, the first two of which are accompanied by transcripts. As a bonus, the series comes with comics.
MarsCorp is a comedy series about the Red Planet. Twelve episodes of 40-45 minutes each.
We're alive is one of the best series in the survival horror genre. Over 60 million downloads, awards for best production, screenplay and acting. You can listen to the trailer.
The Truth - short stories of 10-20 minutes in length from theater professionals from New York. The audio drama has been around for 20 years. You can listen to the trailer for the series by following the link.

Selections of audio series:

Check out the Audio Verse Awards website for a list of the best audio dramas from the past year.
On Twitter, the hashtag #AudioDramaSunday is responsible for a selection of the most remarkable audio series.
You can select the series based on a short trailer at Audio Drama Production Podcast.
Find news, teasers and short reviews of new series on Audiotainment News.
You will find quite a lot of audio dramas on the already familiar Player FM.

Radio show

Radio broadcasts are not only a source of new music. There are many worthy original talk shows on foreign radio channels. Professional journalists with good diction create high-quality content that is convenient for learning spoken English. As with audio dramas, radio shows rarely contain transcripts, so this type of modern listening is suitable for Intermediate levels and above.

Top radio stations:

BBC Radio is a British radio station that is heard by everyone who studies English. Here you will find many programs for every taste. BBC Radio 4 is a separate BBC product, aimed not at broadcasting music, but at discussing a wide range of topics: food, travel, book reviews, etc. BBC Ulster (Ulster is a city in Northern Ireland) and other local BBC units will give you an idea about dialects of the English language. The Irish differ from the English in their specific pronunciation; their dialect is quite difficult to understand if you are not used to it. But the presenters, as professionals in their field, speak better than most citizens, so we recommend training on their radio show.
Bloomberg Radio is an American radio station covering business life. The best portal for learning English on business and finance. 2,700 journalists from 120 countries select the latest materials for you 24/7. You can select and listen to the program in the Shows tab.
ABC Radio is an Australian radio station with programs divided into categories: news, social issues, entertainment, culture, science, etc. Each episode lasts from 6 minutes to one hour, contains interviews with different personalities and the presenter's point of view on the problem. - a popular American radio show with transcripts. Each issue is dedicated to a specific topic. It is revealed through different stories and situations that happened to real people in the real world. our online English school.

Currently, there are already a great variety of different audio courses designed for listening in the car.

Leaving aside the question of the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of this technique, we have made for you a selection of several similar audio materials. Listen and improve your English on the way to work.

Before downloading this or that course, we highly recommend that you at least briefly understand what audio English courses in the car are, what you can expect from them, and what you shouldn’t.

Let's start with the fact that, in our opinion, such audio courses can never replace full-fledged training English language. Let's be honest, in our teaching practice we have not yet met a single person who would learn to speak English only by listening to such courses in the car on the way to work.

“Learning” English using this method is severely limited by several obvious factors.

Firstly, due to objective reasons, you cannot concentrate 100% on learning English, because... forced to simultaneously drive a car, assess the situation on the roads, etc. Therefore, from time to time you will be forced to “step out” from the process for a couple of minutes and then return to the listened material again.

Secondly, by doing this you activate only one of several channels of information perception, namely the auditory one. That is, even when you hear a word, you don’t know how it’s spelled, you don’t see its transcription, and you probably won’t be able to write it on paper without errors. This no longer allows us to talk about an adequate process of language learning.

Let it not seem to you that we are only opponents of such courses. It must be admitted that the method of English courses in a car also has its undeniable advantages:

1) You can listen to the material every day for at least 30-60 minutes, without additional organization time for classes. It's objectively convenient

2) Listening to the material several times in the car, you willy-nilly begin to remember it. The material is, as it were, recorded in the subcortex of your brain.

Practice shows that the most effective results from such courses can be obtained in addition to basic English training in language school or with a teacher (such training should be the main one in any case!).

That is, when you go over a topic with a teacher, you then reinforce it by listening to it in the car. In this case, with a certain training system, a good result is guaranteed.

Here is a selection of some similar courses that can help you master the language. Go ahead, try it, download it to your flash drive, listen. Perhaps this will become an indispensable support for you when studying English.

1) 1C. English while driving (audio course)

1C English while driving - Part 1

1C - English while driving - Part 2

Our English courses for intermediate level provide users with a unique audio-based English learning experience. This approach will “pump up” listening and help cope with phonetic difficulties in pronunciation. The program provides a language base that will allow you to pass an interview, write an application, draw up a resume, and even read unadapted text.

Our English language courses "for advanced students" are accompanied by interesting exercises to develop various skills - students will be able to expand their vocabulary by a couple of thousand more words, learn a few more verb tenses and passive voice, read a variety of texts and write dictations. Listening to English speech makes up at least 50% of the learning time.

❶ You have already studied English at school, in courses, on Skype or at a university, but you do not have confidence in your knowledge;

❷ You feel a language barrier, despite a good vocabulary and knowledge of grammar;

❸ You confuse grammatical structures, use many words incorrectly;

❹ You have a meager active vocabulary of up to 1000 words.

Fluency in English opens many doors and new opportunities. People learn pre-intermediate level of English in order to communicate, read books in the original, travel and feel comfortable anywhere in the world.

If you like this feeling of freedom, now you can expand your horizons and learn English online to improve the knowledge you have previously acquired. Thanks to audio texts with subtle humor, you will easily master grammar and be able to expand your vocabulary. At the same time, the perception of spoken speech is sharpened, correct pronunciation words and entire structures, writing and translation skills are trained.

Training with course "Intermediate - Pre-intermediate" It will bring, in addition to benefits, great pleasure!

What does the course include?

The course “Intermediate - Pre-intermediate” consists of 46 lessons. This is not just an English course for beginners, but a comprehensive methodology. The lessons are structured according to the principle “from simple to complex.” You gradually immerse yourself in new topics and very soon you feel the result. After completing this course, you begin to study the language in more depth.

Each lesson includes 5 interactive exercises. They are aimed at improving basic skills: listening, reading, writing, vocabulary, translation and correct pronunciation. One lesson a day allows you to improve your knowledge. You will notice progress as you undergo training, feel a surge of energy and a desire to continue moving towards your goal. Feel how much easier it becomes to write, read and speak!

Grammar load. You will learn the most common tenses English verb. Group times are actively used in the course Simple, Present Continuous and Present Perfect. In some lessons there are constructions with the passive voice. You will become familiar with English participle and gerund. Learn to construct conditional sentences correctly. Continue exploring modal verbs . Consolidate the knowledge acquired at the initial stage.

As a lexical load in the course “Intermediate - Pre-intermediate” are given 1500-2000 most frequently used words. You will become familiar with word forms, some idioms and phrasal verbs. Practice listening and pronunciation more difficult words The simulator, which you can also find on our website, will help.

Having completed Pre-intermediate training, you will be able to expand your vocabulary by at least 600 new words. Learning English is methodologically structured in such a way that you gradually enrich your vocabulary and also remember the use and spelling of words in different speech situations. Each lesson adds additional words to your vocabulary.

We recommend that you spend at least 30 minutes a day. This time will be enough to learn all the necessary material. Regularity of exercise is the key to success. Take the “Intermediate - PRE-INTERMADIATE” course, studying for 30 minutes daily! And continue learning English with Lim-English in a format that is comfortable for you!

Course objectives: listen to and understand English

Deepen your knowledge of basic conversational topics

You already know a lot, but are you missing something to start active communication? The main goal of the “Intermediate - PRE-INTERMEDIATE” course is immersion in new topics. You will learn to understand advertisements in in public places, inscriptions on products. You will be able to write personal letters or postcards, read and retell short texts. You will learn to express your thoughts and opinions on various issues.

Improve your grammar knowledge

Is your speech boring and monotonous? Until you learn to use new, more complex grammatical structures - passive voice, modal verbs, conditionals and much more - it is difficult to talk about developing language skills. Therefore, this course examines examples of more complex structures, knowledge of which will give you confidence and significantly diversify your speech.

Comprehensive Skills Training

The uniqueness of the teaching methodology in Lim-English is that in each lesson all the necessary skills for knowledge of the English language are trained. Unlike many courses, our English courses train listening comprehension, as well as writing, reading, translation, pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar. Only comprehensive training makes training effective.

What will you get from the Intermediate English course?

Learning new grammatical categories.

At this level, many simple rules have already been mastered and well worked out in practice, it’s time for more complex topics - passive voice, conditional offers and modal verbs. These and some other topics are included among 46 lessons with English voice acting.

Improving speaking and writing skills.

Pre-intermediate level of English assumes speech skills higher than at the so-called “survival level”. Therefore, during lessons, methodologists increasingly deepen students’ knowledge on standard topics and include in the study some rarer topics and expressions for them. The course will be a real gift for those who want not only to practice writing, but also to listen to the English language in order to work with phonetic aspects.

An integrated approach to skills development.

During the course, students take more than 40 lessons, and each such lesson is not just a rule with examples, but also a set of exercises with which you can practice writing, speaking, listening, reading, and the same task trains 2 at once or 3 skills.

Well “Intermediate - Pre-intermediate” is what will help you!

How to take the course?

The first step for a beginning student is registration on the resource. Next, we recommend taking a test that will compare your expectations and actual skills.

If the results confirm that you need Pre-intermediate, choose it and start listening to the English language with its unusual phonetic structure and completing the tasks proposed by the authors. They are aimed at developing several skills at once, none of them will be forgotten.

Will I be able to take this course?

Course difficulty level:
AVERAGE

Beginner or intermediate knowledge of English is required to take the Intermediate English course. This course is for those who already have basic knowledge and want to move on. Feel free to start training, and the result will not keep you waiting!