English · Podcast guide
English podcasts with a reason to listen
Find supported stories or topic-led talks, then practice the English you want to understand in real life.
English listening practice works better when the subject matters to you. Pick a story or talk you would enjoy understanding, and decide how much language support you need to follow it.
The Duolingo options below use a language you already know to support the English. TED is a different kind of challenge: prepared talks on varied subjects, with the vocabulary and presentation style each speaker brings.
Find your fit
A few good places to start
Our level suggestions describe the listening challenge, not a formal assessment. The episode browser shows the recordings currently available in this app.
Intermediate
Duolingo English for Spanish Speakers Podcast
English stories with Spanish support
Relatos en inglés combines English-language stories with Spanish narration. It is a useful option if Spanish is a comfortable language for you and you want help staying with a longer story. The series also includes stories featuring different English accents.
Use the Spanish narration to confirm the situation, then replay one English passage. Focus on understanding the original speech rather than waiting for the next explanation.
Intermediate
Duolingo English for Portuguese Speakers Podcast
English stories with Portuguese support
This Duolingo series provides Portuguese narration around English stories. Choose it if Portuguese is your stronger language. It is a different route into English listening from reading a translated transcript line by line.
After a short English passage, describe the main idea in simple English. It does not need to be polished; the aim is to connect listening with your own words.
Advanced
TED Talks - Most Popular
Following an idea from beginning to end
TED talks offer prepared presentations about ideas, experiences, and research. Choose a subject you know something about so the specialist vocabulary does not overwhelm the listening practice. Speakers and delivery styles vary, so sample the opening before committing to a whole talk.
Listen for the speaker’s central claim and one example they use to support it. Use the transcript to check the language of that example, then try summarizing it.
Make it a habit
Get more from your next episode
Choose one listening goal
Decide whether you are practicing understanding the story, recognizing connected speech, or learning vocabulary for a particular topic. One session does not have to do everything.
Replay the words you almost heard
A phrase you understand when reading but miss in speech is a useful target. Listen to it again in context and notice the rhythm, reduced sounds, and stressed words.
Before you press play
A few common questions
Do I need to copy one accent?
For comprehension, it is useful to become comfortable with more than one speaker. Start with a voice you can follow, then expand. You can work on your own pronunciation without trying to imitate every new accent you hear.