6 Minute English

How often do you eat chocolate? It's one of the most loved sweet treats in Europe, but a new EU law could make chocolate more expensive. A business owner, who has small cocoa farms in these places, shares their thoughts and concerns about the new law. We also hear from chocolate lovers about whether they would pay more for their favourite chocolate, and about whether they looked at where their chocolate was produced. Neil and Becca discuss this and teach you some new vocabulary. Read along with this podcast with the free transcript, and practise the vocabulary using the quiz and worksheet: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2026/ep-260312 Improve your speaking confidence and skills with our series 'Beating Speaking Anxiety': https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/beating_speaking_anxiety Subscribe to our newsletter for our weekly highlights: https://www.bbc.co.uk/send/u178220599 and feel free to email us at learningenglish@bbc.co.uk!

How many animals can you think of that are black and white? Zebras, penguins, orcas, snow leopards… there are loads! But have you ever wondered why these animals have developed such unique and striking appearances? Neil and Becca discuss this and teach you some new vocabulary. As always, find a free transcript, worksheet and quiz for this episode on our website: ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2026/ep-260305 And find NEW episodes of Office English here or by searching 'Learning English for Work' on your favourite podcast app: ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/office-english Subscribe to our newsletter to receive our weekly highlights in your inbox: ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/send/u178220599 Other podcasts you might enjoy: ✔️ Learning English Grammar ✔️ Learning English from the News ✔️ Learning English Stories

How often do you use pepper? It's one of the most common spices to add to food, so common in fact that many of us don't just use it when cooking, but also place it on our dinner tables to add extra flavour! But how much do we really know about pepper? There are hundreds of different varieties worldwide and they all have the power to add that special something to our food. Neil and Becca discuss this seasoning and teach you some new vocabulary. Find a transcript and worksheet at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2026/ep-260226 Want to boost your speaking skills? Try Beating Speaking Anxiety, our series to help fight your fears of speaking English: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/beating_speaking_anxiety Get our latest programmes. Subscribe to our free email newsletter: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/newsletters

What did you have for dinner last night? And did you cook it yourself? Many people cook at home regularly, for themselves and for others, but have you ever thought about cooking professionally? Working in a restaurant can be tough, but for some people, becoming a top chef is a dream job. Neil and Becca discuss this and teach you some new vocabulary. ✔️ Find a free worksheet, transcript and interactive quiz to help you learn: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2026/ep-260219 ✔️ Try our new series about the fears that come with speaking a foreign language. Find the 'Beating Speaking Anxiety' podcast episodes and video explainers here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/beating_speaking_anxiety ✔️ Don't forget to subsribe to our newsletter, where you get all our updates weekly: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/newsletters Have you tried some of our other podcasts? Try these next: ✔️ Learning English Grammar ✔️ Learning English from the News ✔️ Learning English for Work

How long can you hold your breath underwater? And what about if you were doing a gymnastic and dance routine as well...? Artistic swimming, which used to be known as synchronised swimming, requires dedication, hard work and passion. Phil and Becca discuss this and teach you some new vocabulary. Find a transcript and worksheet for this episode here: ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2026/ep-260212 Want to improve your speaking confidence? Learn from experts about how to fight your fears of speaking in our new series 'Beating Speaking Anxiety': ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/beating_speaking_anxiety And don't forget to sign up to our free newsletter, where we share our tips and weekly highlights every Wednesday: ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/send/u178220599 Other podcasts you might enjoy: ✔️ Learning English Grammar ✔️ Learning English from the News ✔️ Learning English Stories

Dyslexia is a condition which makes it difficult for people to read, write and spell. But, can the ability to process information differently actually be an advantage? And why do dyslexics make excellent spies? Phil and Pippa discuss this and teach you some new vocabulary. Find a full transcript, worksheet and interactive quiz for this episode at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2026/ep-260205 BEATING SPEAKING ANXIETY: ✔️https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/beating_speaking_anxiety SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER: ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/newsletters FIND BBC LEARNING ENGLISH HERE: Visit our website ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish Follow us ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/followus LIKE PODCASTS? Try some of our other popular podcasts including: ✔️ Learning English Grammar ✔️ Learning English from the News ✔️ Learning English for Work They're all available by searching in your podcast app.

People around the world have been preparing for what they believe will be a major world disaster in the near future. Now, some tech billionaires are joining the trend by building underground bunker complexes to keep them safe if the world order collapses. Do they know something we don't? Neil discusses this with Hannah, from the What in the World podcast, and they teach you some new vocabulary. Find a full transcript, worksheet and interactive quiz for this episode at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2026/ep-26029 BEATING SPEAKING ANXIETY: ✔️https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/beating_speaking_anxiety SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER: ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/newsletters FIND BBC LEARNING ENGLISH HERE: Visit our website ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish Follow us ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/followus LIKE PODCASTS? Try some of our other popular podcasts including: ✔️ Learning English Grammar ✔️ Learning English from the News ✔️ Learning English for Work They're all available by searching in your podcast app.

Do you ever feel scared to speak in English? Lots of people find speaking a different language stressful. Beth and Pippa talk about learning languages and how to fight your fears of speaking English. Find a full transcript, worksheet and interactive quiz for this episode at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2026/ep-26012 BEATING SPEAKING ANXIETY: ✔️https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/beating_speaking_anxiety SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER: ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/newsletters FIND BBC LEARNING ENGLISH HERE: Visit our website ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish Follow us ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/followus LIKE PODCASTS? Try some of our other popular podcasts including: ✔️ Learning English Grammar ✔️ Learning English from the News ✔️ Learning English for Work They're all available by searching in your podcast app.

We've all been there – we're talking to someone and they say one thing, when we know they mean something else! British people love to play with language, using it deliberately to disguise, misdirect or even change their meaning entirely. But why do we do it? And what are some of the common things to look out for? Pippa and Beth discuss this and teach you some new vocabulary. Find a full transcript, worksheet and interactive quiz for this episode at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2026/ep-260115 Learning English from the News - learn English from news headlines here: ✔️https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/learning-english-from-the-news_2026 SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER: ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/newsletters FIND BBC LEARNING ENGLISH HERE: Visit our website ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish Follow us ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/followus LIKE PODCASTS? Try some of our other popular podcasts including: ✔️ Learning English Grammar ✔️ Learning English from the News ✔️ Learning English for Work They're all available by searching in your podcast app.

What is your favourite social media platform? Do you still use it as much as you did three or four years ago? With the rise of generative AI, many social media users are finding their feeds cluttered with content that they feel no real connection with. Is social media on a downward spiral? Neil and Pippa discuss this and teach you some new vocabulary. Find a full transcript, worksheet and interactive quiz for this episode at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2026/ep-260108 The Listening Room - improve your listening skills here: ✔️https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/the_listening_room SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER: ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/newsletters FIND BBC LEARNING ENGLISH HERE: Visit our website ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish Follow us ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/followus LIKE PODCASTS? Try some of our other popular podcasts including: ✔️ Learning English Grammar ✔️ Learning English from the News ✔️ Learning English for Work They're all available by searching in your podcast app.

Are we becoming a divided society? Neil and Beth discuss this and teach you some new vocabulary. Find a full transcript, worksheet and interactive quiz for this episode at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2026/ep-260101 The Listening Room - improve your listening skills here: ✔️https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/the_listening_room SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER: ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/newsletters FIND BBC LEARNING ENGLISH HERE: Visit our website ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish Follow us ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/followus LIKE PODCASTS? Try some of our other popular podcasts including: ✔️ Learning English Grammar ✔️ Learning English from the News ✔️ Learning English for Work They're all available by searching in your podcast app.

It's Christmas time in the UK. And like with celebrations around the world, people have lots of traditions that they do every year, and memories about Christmas from their childhood. But were the Christmases of the past as magical as we remember? Neil and Beth discuss a strange emotion we can feel at Christmas called nostalgia. Find a full transcript, worksheet and interactive quiz for this episode at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2025/ep-251225 The Reading Room - improve your reading skills here: ✔️https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/features/the_reading_room SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER: ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/newsletters FIND BBC LEARNING ENGLISH HERE: Visit our website ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish Follow us ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/followus LIKE PODCASTS? Try some of our other popular podcasts including: ✔️ Learning English Grammar ✔️ Learning English from the News ✔️ Learning English for Work They're all available by searching in your podcast app.

Where do you get your fruit and vegetables – a supermarket, a greengrocer... or the wild? For our distant ancestors, foraging for wild food was vital for survival, while these days we tend to rely on farmed food, bought in shops. Pippa and Beth discuss foraging and teach you some new vocabulary. Find a full transcript, worksheet and interactive quiz for this episode at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2025/ep-251218 The Reading Room - improve your reading skills here: ✔️https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/features/the_reading_room SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER: ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/newsletters FIND BBC LEARNING ENGLISH HERE: Visit our website ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish Follow us ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/followus LIKE PODCASTS? Try some of our other popular podcasts including: ✔️ Learning English Grammar ✔️ Learning English from the News ✔️ Learning English for Work They're all available by searching in your podcast app.

Horses and humans have had a close relationship for thousands of years, but did you know that horses, along with other animals, are being used to help with physical and mental illness? Neil and Georgie discuss this and teach you some new vocabulary. Find a full transcript, worksheet and interactive quiz for this episode at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2025/ep-251211 The Reading Room - improve your reading skills here: ✔️https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/features/the_reading_room SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER: ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/newsletters FIND BBC LEARNING ENGLISH HERE: Visit our website ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish Follow us ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/followus LIKE PODCASTS? Try some of our other popular podcasts including: ✔️ Learning English Grammar ✔️ Learning English from the News ✔️ Learning English for Work They're all available by searching in your podcast app.

You might know them as potato chips, but here in the UK we call them crisps... and we love them! With many different shapes, sizes and flavours, there's a lot to choose from, but why do we like them so much? And what are some of the other crispy snacks enjoyed around the world? Neil and Beth discuss this and teach you some new vocabulary. Find a full transcript, worksheet and interactive quiz for this episode at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2025/ep-251204 LEARN ENGLISH GRAMMAR Improve your grammar here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/learning-english-grammar SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER: ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/newsletters FIND BBC LEARNING ENGLISH HERE: Visit our website ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish Follow us ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/followus LIKE PODCASTS? Try some of our other popular podcasts including: ✔️ Learning English Stories ✔️ Learning English from the News ✔️ Learning English for Work They're all available by searching in your podcast app.

We've seen influencers on social media posting about all sorts of things – from lifestyle and fashion, to sports, travel, gaming and music. But did you know that some social media influencers are trying to get involved in politics? Beth and Pippa discuss this and teach you some new vocabulary. Find a full transcript, worksheet and interactive quiz for this episode at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2025/ep-251127 LEARN ENGLISH GRAMMAR Improve your grammar here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/learning-english-grammar SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER: ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/newsletters FIND BBC LEARNING ENGLISH HERE: Visit our website ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish Follow us ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/followus LIKE PODCASTS? Try some of our other popular podcasts including: ✔️ Learning English Stories ✔️ Learning English from the News ✔️ Learning English for Work They're all available by searching in your podcast app.

Do you know the 'proper' way to behave during meals? And what would be the worst thing someone could do while eating? This episode is all about etiquette, what makes good table manners and what is considered rude! Phil and Pippa discuss this and teach you some new vocabulary. Find a full transcript, worksheet and interactive quiz for this episode at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2025/ep-251120 LEARN ENGLISH GRAMMAR Improve your grammar here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/learning-english-grammar SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER: ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/newsletters FIND BBC LEARNING ENGLISH HERE: Visit our website ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish Follow us ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/followus LIKE PODCASTS? Try some of our other popular podcasts including: ✔️ Learning English Stories ✔️ Learning English from the News ✔️ Learning English for Work They're all available by searching in your podcast app.

We all remember playgrounds when we were children – slides, swings, climbing frames. But have you heard of the new playgrounds which are designed to include things that others might consider junk... like old tyres and wooden pallets! Pippa and Phil discuss this and teach you some new vocabulary. Find a full transcript, worksheet and interactive quiz for this episode at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2025/ep-251113 THE READING ROOM Improve your reading here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/features/the_reading_room SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER: ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/newsletters FIND BBC LEARNING ENGLISH HERE: Visit our website ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish Follow us ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/followus LIKE PODCASTS? Try some of our other popular podcasts including: ✔️ Learning English Stories ✔️ Learning English from the News ✔️ Learning English for Work They're all available by searching in your podcast app.

It makes our food tasty and our breath smelly, but what are some of the other uses of garlic...? Apart from warding off vampires, of course! Neil and Beth discuss this and teach you some new vocabulary. Find a full transcript, worksheet and interactive quiz for this episode at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2025/ep-251106 THE READING ROOM Improve your reading here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/features/the_reading_room SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER: ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/newsletters FIND BBC LEARNING ENGLISH HERE: Visit our website ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish Follow us ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/followus LIKE PODCASTS? Try some of our other popular podcasts including: ✔️ Learning English Stories ✔️ Learning English from the News ✔️ Learning English for Work They're all available by searching in your podcast app.

How do you like your eggs in the morning? Or do you prefer toast, cereal, yogurt or something else? Maybe you usually don't bother with breakfast! Well, some experts believe that a large breakfast could be the key to maintaining healthy eating habits. Georgie and Phil discuss this and teach you some new vocabulary. Find a full transcript, worksheet and interactive quiz for this episode at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2025/ep-251030 THE READING ROOM Improve your reading here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/features/the_reading_room SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER: ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/newsletters FIND BBC LEARNING ENGLISH HERE: Visit our website ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish Follow us ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/followus LIKE PODCASTS? Try some of our other popular podcasts including: ✔️ Learning English Stories ✔️ Learning English from the News ✔️ Learning English for Work They're all available by searching in your podcast app.