Learning English Conversations

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Natural English, one useful expression at a time.

The gist

Learning English Conversations turns fluent English expressions into clear, repeatable lessons. Recent episodes move from slang like “yap” to workplace-ready phrases, pronunciation notes, and anxiety-reducing habits for real conversations.

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About Learning English Conversations

Learning English Conversations is a practical English-learning show built around the moments learners actually meet in conversation. It is direct and easy to follow. Recent phrase episodes use small scenes to make meaning stick: a friend talking too long, a colleague offering help, decorators doing poor work, or a holiday upgrade that fails to deliver. Each scene leads into an expression used by fluent speakers. “Yap” becomes informal, unserious chat. “A bit of a stretch” becomes a way to describe an exaggeration that is not completely false. “Kick the can down the road” becomes a delay that leaves a problem for later, or for someone else. The show also pays attention to register. It points out when language is informal, when a phrase carries a negative feeling, and when a spoken pronunciation should stay out of formal writing. That makes the lessons useful beyond memorisation. Learners get a sense of social fit. The examples range across work, shopping, study, health and safety, restaurants, meetings, hobbies, and everyday support. A second strand, Beating Speaking Anxiety, shifts from phrases to the emotional side of speaking English. In the excerpted episode, speaking coach riannon describes anxious “post-match analysis” after meetings or conversations. The advice stays practical: keep a diary, notice pre-speaking behaviours, take a few minutes before a meeting, and use English around enjoyable interests. The show’s strength is its combination of current expressions and calm confidence-building. It suits learners who want more than textbook correctness. It helps them hear how English works when people are helping, exaggerating, delaying, complaining, focusing, or trying to be themselves.

Made for: Best for English learners who already understand basic lessons and want everyday spoken phrases, clearer register, and more confidence in conversation. It especially suits learners preparing for work, study, social situations, or low-pressure practice outside formal classes.

What sets it apart: The show pairs expression lessons with practical speaking-confidence advice, so vocabulary and anxiety are treated as connected parts of real communication. It also explains tone, context, and informal usage instead of stopping at dictionary-style definitions.

In their own words

Everyday expressions and real English conversations to help make your English conversations easier. Every week, we teach you a new phrase or word you can use in conversation with The English We Speak. And we bring you special series to improve your English conversation. Try Beating Speaking Anxiety to learn how to fight your fears of speaking English. Find more at bbclearningenglish.com Follow us at bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/followus

everyday English expressionsinformal slang and registerworkplace conversationBritish English pronunciation notesspeaking anxietyconfidence before meetingssocial and shopping examplesusing English for enjoyable interests

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About Learning English Conversations

In their own words

Talks about

Podcasts like Learning English Conversations

Episodes

The English We Speak: Tough it out

The English We Speak: A bit of a stretch

The English We Speak: Kick the can down the road

The English We Speak: Cut corners

Beating Speaking Anxiety: 8. I’m scared I can’t be myself

The English We Speak: Short-change

Beating Speaking Anxiety: 7. I’m scared I’m not getting better

The English We Speak: Go through a rough patch

Beating Speaking Anxiety: 6. I’m scared I won’t get the joke

The English We Speak: Learn the hard way

Beating Speaking Anxiety: 5. I’m scared people won’t understand me

The English We Speak: A big ask

Beating Speaking Anxiety: 4. I'm scared of speaking in front of people

The English We Speak: Facepalm moment

The English We Speak: Shoot off

Beating Speaking Anxiety: 2. I’m scared of forgetting my words

The English We Speak: Hot on the heels

Beating Speaking Anxiety: 1. I’m scared of making mistakes

The English We Speak: Aura farming

The English We Speak: Lock in

The English We Speak: A fresh start

The English We Speak: A little something

The English We Speak: Moment of truth

The English We Speak: On their toes

The English We Speak: Duck out

The English We Speak: Off base

The English We Speak: Take someone under your wing

The English We Speak: No two ways about it

The English We Speak: -core

The English We Speak: Cook

The English We Speak: Neck of the woods

The English We Speak: Teething problems

The English We Speak: No leg to stand on

The English We Speak: Speak someone's language

The English We Speak: Ate

The English We Speak: Muddle along

The English We Speak: Go to

The English We Speak: Skedaddle

The English We Speak: Main character moment

My Song, My Home: Alice in Leeds

The English We Speak: Fall on stony ground

My Song, My Home: Grace in Liverpool

The English We Speak: Make a rod for your own back

My Song, My Home: Josh in London

The English We Speak: Ship

My Song, My Home: Bailey in St Ives

The English We Speak: Twig

The English We Speak: Mooch

The English We Speak: By the book

The English We Speak: Turn over a new leaf

The English We Speak: You can't go wrong with

The English We Speak: The flip side

The English We Speak: In my travel era

The English We Speak: Give it some welly!

The English We Speak: Shoehorn something in

The English We Speak: On the fly

The English We Speak: That's on you

The English We Speak: Stomping ground

The English We Speak: Warts and all

The English We Speak: Off the scale

The English We Speak: Throw one's toys out the pram

The English We Speak: Makes my skin crawl

The English We Speak: An uphill task

The English We Speak: Bide someone's time

The English We Speak: From the get-go

The English We Speak: Tug at the heartstrings

The English We Speak: Clutch at straws

The English We Speak: Crank up

The English We Speak: Find your groove

The English We Speak: Top-notch

The English We Speak: Flow State

The English We Speak: Got you

The English We Speak: Flow State

The English We Speak: -coded