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

Some brave early-adopters have surgically implanted a microchip in their hands, and are using it to board trains, access their offices, and even pay for things in shops. But the opportunity to use the chips is still relatively limited. Learn what it means to “show off” in English. Read the full transcript of this episode at http://www.plainenglish.com/78      Transcripts are always free and available now! ¿Hablas español? Você fala português? Parles-tu français? 你会说中文吗？日本語を話せますか？ The episode transcripts include instant translations from English to Spanish, Portuguese, French, Chinese and Japanese. Hover over or tap a highlighted word for the translation. Connect with Jeff on Twitter (@PlainEnglishPod) and Facebook (PlainEnglishPod). Or e-mail jeff@plainenglish.com If you like the program, please leave a review or rating wherever you listen. It will help others discover the program. Never miss an episode! Sign up to receive updates from Plain English at http://www.plainenglish.com/mail  Subscribers get exclusi

A ground employee at the Seattle airport stole an empty airplane, took off, flew it for an hour, and finally crash-landed on an island 40 miles away. He did not survive. During the flight, he communicated with air-traffic control, saying he was not expecting to land safely. His plane was pursued by military jets. Learn the many way to use the English phrasal verb “take off.” Read the full transcript of this episode at http://www.plainenglish.com/77      Transcripts are always free and available now! ¿Hablas español? Você fala português? Parles-tu français? 你会说中文吗？日本語を話せますか？ The episode transcripts include instant translations from English to Spanish, Portuguese, French, Chinese, Italian, and Japanese. Hover over or tap a highlighted word for the translation. Connect with Jeff on Twitter (@PlainEnglishPod) and Facebook (PlainEnglishPod). Or e-mail jeff@plainenglish.com If you like the program, please leave a review or rating wherever you listen. It will help others discover the program. Never miss an episode!

A plane crashed shortly after taking off from the city of Durango, Mexico, but all 103 people on board survived the frightening ordeal. A passenger’s cell phone video shows bad weather out the window and captured the sounds and scene of panic as the plane crashed to the ground in the desert. Today you’ll learn the English phrasal verb “sum up.” Read the full transcript of this episode at http://www.plainenglish.com/76      Transcripts are always free and available now! ¿Hablas español? Você fala português? Parles-tu français? 你会说中文吗？日本語を話せますか？ The episode transcripts include instant translations from English to Spanish, Portuguese, French, Chinese and Japanese. Hover over or tap a highlighted word for the translation. Connect with Jeff on Twitter (@PlainEnglishPod) and Facebook (PlainEnglishPod). Or e-mail jeff@plainenglish.com If you like the program, please leave a review or rating wherever you listen. It will help others discover the program. Never miss an episode! Sign up to receive updates from Plain Eng

The McDonald’s Monopoly game—the fast-food chain’s most popular promotion—was scammed for over ten years by one man and a small group of associates, who stole all the winning pieces that were intended to go to customers. Details of this stunning scam—which ended in arrests in 2001—were revealed in an online article this week. There are already plans for a movie. In this episode, you’ll learn the English phrase “at random.” Read the full transcript of this episode at http://www.plainenglish.com/75      Transcripts are always free and available now! ¿Hablas español? Você fala português? Parles-tu français? 你会说中文吗？日本語を話せますか？ The episode transcripts include instant translations from English to Spanish, Portuguese, French, Chinese and Japanese. Hover over or tap a highlighted word for the translation. Connect with Jeff on Twitter (@PlainEnglishPod) and Facebook (PlainEnglishPod). Or e-mail jeff@plainenglish.com If you like the program, please leave a review or rating wherever you listen. It will help others discov

The government of Brazil released a video of a lone indigenous man surviving in the Brazilian state of Rondônia. He was part of an “uncontacted tribe,” which had no contact with civilization, when the other members of his tribe were killed in an attack by farmers in 1995. He has been living alone in the forest ever since, refusing contact with any other humans. In this episode, you’ll learn how to use the English phrase “much less.” Read the full transcript of this episode at http://www.plainenglish.com/74      Transcripts are always free and available now! ¿Hablas español? Você fala português? Parles-tu français? 你会说中文吗？日本語を話せますか？ The episode transcripts include instant translations from English to Spanish, Portuguese, French, Chinese and Japanese. Hover over or tap a highlighted word for the translation. Connect with Jeff on Twitter (@PlainEnglishPod) and Facebook (PlainEnglishPod). Or e-mail jeff@plainenglish.com If you like the program, please leave a review or rating wherever you listen. It will help oth

Greece faced its most devastating tragedy in over a decade when a wildfire swept through a seaside town, killing 80 people; destroying 1,500 homes; and pushing people into the ocean to escape the flames and smoke. Photos of the aftermath show melted cars abandoned in the streets, dead tree trunks over a bed of ashes in the forest, and a chilling clues about a group who couldn’t escape the flames. On this episode, you’ll also learn how to use the English phrase “flat-footed.” Read the full transcript of this episode at http://www.plainenglish.com/73      Transcripts are always free and available now! ¿Hablas español? Você fala português? Parles-tu français? 你会说中文吗？日本語を話せますか？ The episode transcripts include instant translations from English to Spanish, Portuguese, French, Chinese and Japanese. Hover over or tap a highlighted word for the translation. Connect with Jeff on Twitter (@PlainEnglishPod) and Facebook (PlainEnglishPod). Or e-mail jeff@plainenglish.com If you like the program, please leave a review or r

Recent studies by music streaming services Deezer and Spotify have found that most people reach an age of “musical paralysis.” Younger listeners tend to listen to the most popular music and then our tastes expand. But at a certain point, most people stop discovering new music and simply listen to the music they already know. On today’s episode, you’ll also learn the English phrase “settle in.” Read the full transcript of this episode at http://www.plainenglish.com/72      Transcripts are always free and available now! ¿Hablas español? Você fala português? Parles-tu français? 你会说中文吗？日本語を話せますか？ The episode transcripts include instant translations from English to Spanish, Portuguese, French, Chinese and Japanese. Hover over or tap a highlighted word for the translation. Connect with Jeff on Twitter (@PlainEnglishPod) and Facebook (PlainEnglishPod). Or e-mail jeff@plainenglish.com If you like the program, please leave a review or rating wherever you listen. It will help others discover the program. Never miss an

Rome is building a new subway and archaeologists keep finding hidden treasures buried deep beneath the city. The artifacts range from small tiles and pottery to entire buildings, including a military barracks and an entire house. Many of the discoveries are already on display in the new subway stations. Learn one new way to use the English word “twist.” Read the full transcript of this episode at http://www.plainenglish.com/71      Transcripts are always free and available now! ¿Hablas español? Você fala português? Parles-tu français? 你会说中文吗？日本語を話せますか？ The episode transcripts include instant translations from English to Spanish, Portuguese, French, Chinese and Japanese. Hover over or tap a highlighted word for the translation. Connect with Jeff on Twitter (@PlainEnglishPod) and Facebook (PlainEnglishPod). Or e-mail jeff@plainenglish.com If you like the program, please leave a review or rating wherever you listen. It will help others discover the program. Never miss an episode! Sign up to receive updates from

Several companies are developing robots to automatically prepare restaurant meals. One California restaurant has a machine that makes a burger start-to-finish without any human interaction; a startup in London says its robot can mimic a master chef at work and prepare any one of 2,000 recipes. Automation may drive down costs and increase speed at so-called “fast casual” restaurants. Learn the English phrase, “brace yourself.” Read the full transcript of this episode at http://www.plainenglish.com/70      Transcripts are always free and available now! ¿Hablas español? Você fala português? Parles-tu français? 你会说中文吗？日本語を話せますか？ The episode transcripts include instant translations from English to Spanish, Portuguese, French, Chinese and Japanese. Hover over or tap a highlighted word for the translation. Connect with Jeff on Twitter (@PlainEnglishPod) and Facebook (PlainEnglishPod). Or e-mail jeff@plainenglish.com If you like the program, please leave a review or rating wherever you listen. It will help others dis

The movement to eliminate plastic straws is spreading: the UK government plans to ban them and Starbucks has already announced it will re-design its cold-drinks lids to go straw-less. Straws can stay intact in the environment for up to 200 years. But will giving up straws really help the environment? Plus, learn the English phrase “gathering steam.” Read the full transcript of this episode at http://www.plainenglish.com/69      Transcripts are always free and available now! ¿Hablas español? Você fala português? Parles-tu français? 你会说中文吗？日本語を話せますか？ The episode transcripts include instant translations from English to Spanish, Portuguese, French, Chinese and Japanese. Hover over or tap a highlighted word for the translation. Connect with Jeff on Twitter (@PlainEnglishPod) and Facebook (PlainEnglishPod). Or e-mail jeff@plainenglish.com If you like the program, please leave a review or rating wherever you listen. It will help others discover the program. Never miss an episode! Sign up to receive updates from Plai

Andrés Manuel López Obrador, a populist leader who twice lost presidential races in Mexico, swept to a landslide victory July 1 as Mexicans overwhelmingly backed his message of change. AMLO, as he is known, promised to reduce poverty, end corruption, and get the country’s violence under control. He takes office in December. Learn the English expression “strike a chord.” Read the full transcript of this episode at http://www.plainenglish.com/68      Transcripts are always free and available now! ¿Hablas español? Você fala português? Parles-tu français? 你会说中文吗？日本語を話せますか？ The episode transcripts include instant translations from English to Spanish, Portuguese, French, Chinese and Japanese. Hover over or tap a highlighted word for the translation. Connect with Jeff on Twitter (@PlainEnglishPod) and Facebook (PlainEnglishPod). Or e-mail jeff@plainenglish.com If you like the program, please leave a review or rating wherever you listen. It will help others discover the program. Never miss an episode! Sign up to rece

In a high-scoring and at times odd final, France defeated Croatia 4-2 to win its second World Cup in history, putting an end to Croatia’s improbable and dramatic rise. Croatia’s Mario Mandzukic scored at both ends of the field, Video Assistant Review figured in a controversial handball penalty, the game was threatened by lightning, and a fan ran out onto the field. France persevered and brought home a World Cup trophy. Its coach, Didier Deschamps, is the third man to win a World Cup as both a player and a coach. Read the full transcript of this episode at http://www.plainenglish.com/67      Transcripts are always free and available now! ¿Hablas español? Você fala português? Parles-tu français? 你会说中文吗？日本語を話せますか？ The episode transcripts include instant translations from English to Spanish, Portuguese, French, Chinese and Japanese. Hover over or tap a highlighted word for the translation. Connect with Jeff on Twitter (@PlainEnglishPod) and Facebook (PlainEnglishPod). Or e-mail jeff@plainenglish.com If you like t

Twelve boys and their 25-year-old soccer coach were rescued from a cave in northern Thailand after floodwaters stranded them on a ledge for 18 days. The group was trapped in a cave after monsoon rains flooded the passageways. After 10 days stranded with no food or water, a team of rescue divers found them—and the search for an escape route began. In the end, the boys were evacuated by teams of expert divers who helped them navigate the dark and treacherous cave system with scuba gear. On today’s episode, learn the English phrase “fill up.” Read the full transcript of this episode at http://www.plainenglish.com/66      Transcripts are always free and available now! ¿Hablas español? Você fala português? Parles-tu français? 你会说中文吗？日本語を話せますか？ The episode transcripts include instant translations from English to Spanish, Portuguese, French, Chinese and Japanese. Hover over or tap a highlighted word for the translation. Connect with Jeff on Twitter (@PlainEnglishPod) and Facebook (PlainEnglishPod). Or e-mail jeff@pl

As part of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman’s Vision 2030, the government of Saudi Arabia began issuing driver’s licenses to women. Women across the country were celebrating their new freedom, and some sat in the driver’s seat of a car for the first time. But not everyone is celebrating: some think the right to drive should be just the beginning of new women’s rights, while others are not comfortable with the idea of women on the road. Today you’ll learn the English phrasal verb “put on.” Read the full transcript of this episode at http://www.plainenglish.com/65      Transcripts are always free and available now! ¿Hablas español? Você fala português? Parles-tu français? 你会说中文吗？日本語を話せますか？ The episode transcripts include instant translations from English to Spanish, Portuguese, French, Chinese and Japanese. Hover over or tap a highlighted word for the translation. Connect with Jeff on Twitter (@PlainEnglishPod) and Facebook (PlainEnglishPod). Or e-mail jeff@plainenglish.com If you like the program, please leave

The final four teams are set: they are France and Belgium, who face off on Tuesday, and Croatia and England, who play on Wednesday. Belgium’s golden generation is hitting is prime right in time to make a big move this year, while France’s are exceeding expectations. Croatia’s goalie may have injured his hamstring in the game against Russia, potentially giving England an advantage in the finals. Learn the English expression “on the line.” Read the full transcript of this episode at http://www.plainenglish.com/64      Transcripts are always free and available now! ¿Hablas español? Você fala português? Parles-tu français? 你会说中文吗？日本語を話せますか？ The episode transcripts include instant translations from English to Spanish, Portuguese, French, Chinese and Japanese. Hover over or tap a highlighted word for the translation. Connect with Jeff on Twitter (@PlainEnglishPod) and Facebook (PlainEnglishPod). Or e-mail jeff@plainenglish.com If you like the program, please leave a review or rating wherever you listen. It will hel

Venezuela is facing a slow-motion societal collapse, as shortages of food, medicine and electricity plague the country; cities are overrun by violence and looting; and the country’s government has slid into authoritarianism. Despite it all, some organizations are doing their best to relieve the suffering. Learn how to use the English expression “in the face of.” NBC News Video: https://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/how-one-miami-woman-is-bringing-relief-to-children-caught-in-venezuela-s-hunger-crisis-927481411987 Fundrise Page: Comparte Por Una Vida: https://www.gofundme.com/comparteporunavida/ How to help: Comparte Por Una Vida: https://comparteporunavida.com/v2/como-ayudar/ Read the full transcript of this episode at http://www.plainenglish.com/63      Transcripts are always free and available now! ¿Hablas español? Você fala português? Parles-tu français? 你会说中文吗？日本語を話せますか？ The episode transcripts include instant translations from English to Spanish, Portuguese, French, Chinese and Japanese. Hover over

Happy Fourth of July! Americans celebrate their nation’s birthday by having parades, watching fireworks displays, setting off their own fireworks, and watching the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest. Though US independence was declared on July 4, the actual vote to become an independent nation was two days earlier, on July 2. At the end of the program, learn the English phrasal verb “go off.” Read the full transcript of this episode at http://www.plainenglish.com/62      Transcripts are always free and available now! ¿Hablas español? Você fala português? Parles-tu français? 你会说中文吗？日本語を話せますか？ The episode transcripts include instant translations from English to Spanish, Portuguese, French, Chinese and Japanese. Hover over or tap a highlighted word for the translation. Connect with Jeff on Twitter (@PlainEnglishPod) and Facebook (PlainEnglishPod). Or e-mail jeff@plainenglish.com If you like the program, please leave a review or rating wherever you listen. It will help others discover the program. Never miss an epis

Two soccer powerhouses fell in their first games in the knockout round of the world cup as Portugal and Argentina fell to Uruguay and France. Russia stunned Spain with a penalty-shot victory in Moscow. Brazil faces Mexico today: will Mexico finally beat the five-time champion? Plus, learn the phrasal verb shape up. Read the full transcript of this episode at http://www.plainenglish.com/61      Transcripts are always free and available now! ¿Hablas español? Você fala português? Parles-tu français? 你会说中文吗？日本語を話せますか？ The episode transcripts include instant translations from English to Spanish, Portuguese, French, Chinese and Japanese. Hover over or tap a highlighted word for the translation. Connect with Jeff on Twitter (@PlainEnglishPod) and Facebook (PlainEnglishPod). Or e-mail jeff@plainenglish.com If you like the program, please leave a review or rating wherever you listen. It will help others discover the program. Never miss an episode! Sign up to receive updates from Plain English at http://www.plainenglis

They are a ubiquitous part of live in New York City: the yellow plastic cards with a magnetic stripe called MetroCards are the way New Yorkers board the subway. But they are set to be retired in the next several years, in favor of a more high-tech way to ride the 114-year-old system of underground trains. Plus today learn the English phrasal verbs “phase in” and “phase out.” Read the full transcript of this episode at http://www.plainenglish.com/60      Transcripts are always free and available now! ¿Hablas español? Você fala português? Parles-tu français? 你会说中文吗？日本語を話せますか？ The episode transcripts include instant translations from English to Spanish, Portuguese, French, Chinese and Japanese. Hover over or tap a highlighted word for the translation. Connect with Jeff on Twitter (@PlainEnglishPod) and Facebook (PlainEnglishPod). Or e-mail jeff@plainenglish.com If you like the program, please leave a review or rating wherever you listen. It will help others discover the program. Never miss an episode! Sign up to

TV host Anthony Bourdain and fashion pioneer Kate Spade took their own lives this month—Spade in New York and Bourdain in France. Both were successful, rich, and admired around the world, but lived with deep personal troubles. In the wake of these tragic suicides, take a moment to connect with those around you and to care for your own mental health. Read the full transcript of this episode at http://www.plainenglish.com/58     Transcripts are always free and available now! ¿Hablas español? Você fala português? Parles-tu français? 你会说中文吗？日本語を話せますか？ The episode transcripts include instant translations from English to Spanish, Portuguese, French, Chinese and Japanese. Hover over or tap a highlighted word for the translation. Connect with Jeff on Twitter (@PlainEnglishPod) and Facebook (PlainEnglishPod). Or e-mail jeff@plainenglish.com If you like the program, please leave a review or rating wherever you listen. It will help others discover the program. Never miss an episode! Sign up to receive updates from Plain