Plain English | Learn English | Vocabulary, News, And Culture At The Right Speed For English Language Learners

Saudi Arabia will allow construction of new movie theaters, after a 35-year prohibition. Theater chains are ready to dive into a new market, but some questions remain about censorship and how this deeply religious country will embrace the cinema experience. Facebook has admitted that its users may experience some negative mental health effects from using social media. Plus, we practice English expressions “dive in” and “wind up.” PLAIN ENGLISH is a weekly podcast for intermediate English students. The pace of the show is a little slower than native English speech and listeners can read the transcript as they listen so they never miss a word. FULL TRANSCRIPTS of the show are available for free online at plainenglish.com. Practice your English by reading transcripts as you listen. This episode is available at http://www.plainenglish.com/09 Stay in touch with us! Sign up to receive email updates and exclusive content at plainenglish.com/mail ¿Hablas español? No hay problema. Lee transcripciones interactivas con

A series of deadly wildfires has broken out in Southern California; they have been spread by strong, dry winds. The fires have caused over 200,000 people to evacuate their homes and have come dangerously close to the city’s famous Getty Museum. The International Olympic Committee has banned Russia from competing in the 2018 Winter Olympics, although some Russian athletes will be able to compete under a generic Olympic flag. We also review English phrases “crack down on” and “caught up in.” PLAIN ENGLISH is a weekly podcast for intermediate English students. The pace of the show is a little slower than native English speech and listeners can read the transcript as they listen so they never miss a word. FULL TRANSCRIPTS of the show are available for free online at plainenglish.com. Practice your English by reading transcripts as you listen. This episode is available at http://www.plainenglish.com/08 Stay in touch with us! Sign up to receive email updates and exclusive content at plainenglish.com/mail ¿Hablas e

Disney’s 3-D animated film “Coco”, which is rich with Mexican cultural references, is officially the highest-grossing film ever in Mexico and is popular in the United States. Its all-Latino cast, accurate portrayal of Mexican folklore, and rich animation have contributed to its popularity.   Britain’s Prince Harry is engaged to American actress Meghan Markle; the two will marry in the spring in Windsor Castle, just outside of London.   We also practice “to go over well” and “to die down.”   PLAIN ENGLISH is a weekly podcast for intermediate English students. The pace of the show is a little slower than native English speech and listeners can read the transcript as they listen so they never miss a word. FULL TRANSCRIPTS of the show are available for free online at plainenglish.com. Practice your English by reading transcripts as you listen. This episode is available at http://www.plainenglish.com/07 Stay in touch with us! Sign up to receive email updates and exclusive content at plainenglish.com/mail ¿Hablas

Charles Manson, a cult leader whose followers brutally killed nine people and terrorized Los Angeles in 1969, died in jail of natural causes at age 83. A team of students submitted a design for constructing a sustainable city on Mars. The team envisions a series of domes covering a network of underground tunnels that could house up to 10,000 people. We also practice English phrases “hold a grudge” and “come about.” PLAIN ENGLISH is a weekly podcast for intermediate English students. The pace of the show is a little slower than native English speech and listeners can read the transcript as they listen so they never miss a word. FULL TRANSCRIPTS of the show are available for free online at plainenglish.com. Practice your English by reading transcripts as you listen. Stay in touch with us! Sign up to receive email updates and exclusive content at plainenglish.com/mail ¿Hablas español? No hay problema. Lee transcripciones interactivas con traducciones de palabras y frases en español. Visita a plainenglish.com/es

The Louvre, one of the most famous museums in the world, opens a second location in Abu Dhabi that will tell the stories of eastern and western civilization through artwork. In China, shoppers spent a record $25 billion on Singles Day; what was originally a light-hearted protest of Valentine’s Day has become the world’s biggest shopping day. We review English phrases “shore up”, “spill into”, and “throw weight behind.” PLAIN ENGLISH is a weekly podcast for intermediate English students. The pace of the show is a little slower than native English speech and listeners can read the transcript as they listen so they never miss a word. FULL TRANSCRIPTS of the show are available for free online at plainenglish.com. Practice your English by reading transcripts as you listen. Stay in touch with us! Sign up to receive email updates and exclusive content at plainenglish.com/mail ¿Hablas español? No hay problema. Lee transcripciones interactivas con traducciones de palabras y frases en español. Visita a plainenglish.co

An American family escaped a pirate attack in a remote area of the Brazilian Amazon and survived in the jungle for three days. Selena, the Mexican-American artist known as the Queen of Tejano music received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame this month. In the second half of the program, we review the English expressions ‘hitch a ride’ and ‘on behalf’.   PLAIN ENGLISH is a weekly podcast for intermediate English students. The pace of the show is a little slower than native English speech and listeners can read the transcript as they listen so they never miss a word. FULL TRANSCRIPTS of the show are available for free online at plainenglish.com. Practice your English by reading transcripts as you listen. Stay in touch with us! Sign up to receive email updates and exclusive content at plainenglish.com/mail ¿Hablas español? No hay problema. Lee transcripciones interactivas con traducciones de palabras y frases en español. Visita a plainenglish.com/es y busca este episodio. ENGAGE with the show by writing to J

Catalonia’s leaders make a bid for independence, but regional president Carles Puigdemont is arrested. The Houston Astros won the World Series for the first time in their franchise history. In the second half of the program, we review the English expressions “stop short” and “a stretch.”   PLAIN ENGLISH is a weekly podcast for intermediate English students. The pace of the show is a little slower than native English speech and listeners can read the transcript as they listen so they never miss a word. FULL TRANSCRIPTS of the show are available for free online at plainenglish.com. Practice your English by reading transcripts as you listen. Stay in touch with us! Sign up to receive email updates and exclusive content at plainenglish.com/mail ¿Hablas español? No hay problema. Lee transcripciones interactivas con traducciones de palabras y frases en español. Visita a plainenglish.com/es y busca este episodio. ENGAGE with the show by writing to Jeff on Twitter (@plainenglishpod) or Facebook (plainenglishpod) USE

The Vegas Golden Knights, a hockey team, became the first major league sports team to call Las Vegas home. Tom Petty, one of the most well-known rock and roll musicians, died at the age of 66. In the second half of the program, we review the English expressions “make a splash” and “take refuge.” PLAIN ENGLISH is a weekly podcast for intermediate English students. The pace of the show is a little slower than native English speech and listeners can read the transcript as they listen so they never miss a word. FULL TRANSCRIPTS of the show are available for free online at plainenglish.com. Practice your English by reading transcripts as you listen. Stay in touch with us! Sign up to receive email updates and exclusive content at plainenglish.com/mail ¿Hablas español? No hay problema. Lee transcripciones interactivas con traducciones de palabras y frases en español. Visita a plainenglish.com/es y busca este episodio. ENGAGE with the show by writing to Jeff on Twitter (@plainenglishpod) or Facebook (plainenglishpod

A series of three large earthquakes hit Mexico in the last month, including the strongest earthquake to hit the country in over a century. The new features of the iPhone X are impressive, including what is possibly the newest word in the English language, “animoji.” In the second half of the program, we review examples of the English phrases “bundled up” and “comb through.” PLAIN ENGLISH is a weekly podcast for intermediate English students. The pace of the show is a little slower than native English speech and listeners can read the transcript as they listen so they never miss a word. FULL TRANSCRIPTS of the show are available for free online at plainenglish.com. Practice your English by reading transcripts as you listen. Stay in touch with us! Sign up to receive email updates and exclusive content at plainenglish.com/mail ¿Hablas español? No hay problema. Lee transcripciones interactivas con traducciones de palabras y frases en español. Visita a plainenglish.com/es y busca este episodio. ENGAGE with the sh

Would you like to speak English better? Do you have a hard time understanding native speakers because they go too fast? Do you want to learn English expressions and practice with phrasal verbs? If so, then you are in the right place. Plain English is a free slower-speed podcast for people learning English. Each lesson includes a discussion about an interesting topic and an explanation of one English word or phrase. Come join Jeff and JR every Monday and Thursday for new episodes of Plain English. Click "subscribe" to get the newest episodes downloaded to your phone automatically. For even more free English resources, sign up to get our e-mail updates at PlainEnglish.com/mail By joining our free e-mail list, you'll get: An explanation of an additional word or phrase from every episode (over 100 per year!) Links to English-language articles about the main topic (test your understanding!) A summary of the new episode Want to learn more? Check out our home page at PlainEnglish.com