First of all, “supertastic” isn’t a word. I made it up. But the three best podcasts that I have selected for this list are real and will improve your English.
That is, if you know how to use podcasts to get better English.
Here is a list of the 3 best podcasts to listen to improve your English.
Introduction
Many of you listen to my podcast The Living in English: 365 Podcast. Thank you for listening! In fact, join the raging conversation on my new facebook group. Click here to be taken there.
My podcast is great. I’m biased, I know. However, from what I’ve heard from listeners like you, it’s not a far cry from the truth. This blog post goes with episode #72 called Supercharge your Listening with These 3 Podcasts. You can listen to it below.
Just listening to my podcast may not be exciting enough, if you can believe it (I certainly can’t). So the list below has a few of the millions of podcasts available to you. Which are your top 3 podcasts that you listen to? Tell me below.
1. National Public Radio (NPR) Podcasts
I LOVE NPR! This is my favorite suggestion on this list. They’re an award winning public radio. Yes, NPR is radio, but they also have fantastic podcasts! I’ve spoken about them on this blog before. I also use them in my lessons.
What’s It About?
NPR has everything. It’s information for the public. It’s also public funded. I 100% enjoy that they have both global and national news. I’m a news junkie. I can’t help it. If you are, this is very much so a podcast for you! A few of their well known and very popular podcasts are Serial and This American Life. Both of these have interviews and Serial is an investigative journalism podcast.
Don’t love the news? I understand. They also have music. Their Tiny Desk Session is viewed thousands of millions of times on Youtube. Here is a Congolese/Belgium band that I discovered called Lous and the Yakuza. They did a Tiny Desk Session earlier this winter. Yes, it’s in French. I’m reviving my French skills. đ Don’t you just ADORE them!?
How NPRs Podcasts Will it Improve Your English?
I’m specifically recommending NPR. There are other public radios in this world. Canada has one. The U.K., Ireland, South Africa do, too. I’ve only listening to NPR so far, so that’s why I’m recommending them to you.
NPR has no fake news despite what you may hear. It’s simply untrue. Their reporting is good and thorough. However, I will say that it’s more liberal (democrat) than it is conservative (Republican/Libertarian). The NPR shows and podcasts are entertaining and interesting. There is something for everyone.
I would recommend high-intermediate to advanced level students listen to their podcasts. They are more advanced and very academic. However, you can also try to listen to any of them if you’re at a lower level. They have transcripts available. If NPR isn’t your cup of tea, then try the next one on my list.
2. Voice of America (VOA) Podcast
You already know this one. It’s not new. But guess what? It’s still good.
For those of you who don’t know about this classic, let me explain.
What’s It About?
VOA is an international broadcast. You can watch it. You can listen to it. You can even read it. It has something for everyone. What does that mean?
It means that it’s available in 40+ languages. VOA has existed for years. It’s a classic. As I already mentioned, it has radio broadcasts, but guess what else? It also has T.V. and digital! How wonderful!
I found it interesting that no U.S. government official and interfere in VOAs reporting. This means that it has a “firewall,” as their website says.
You can watch a training video about this “firewall” on their website, or by clicking here. Similarly, you can download the transcript of that training here.
Besides this firewall, they do a good job at being bi-partisan. This means that they are neither republican, democratic, independent, etc. They report the facts as they happened and try to remain objective and unbiased. I appreciate that and I’m sure that you do as well.
I love all things international, so it’s great that they have a global perspective on their reports. If you’re not a news junkie (which there is nothing wrong with being), they also report on news, immigration, culture, etc.
How Will the Podcast Will Improve Your English?
VOA will improve your English in many ways. You can focus on different parts of learning. For example, reading, listening, vocabulary, etc. They have a large site. This site has many lessons that you can use with their reports. These reports also have transcripts and videos. I recommend this for any level of English. If you’re a beginner, don’t be afraid to try them. Because VOA has so many topics, it exposes you to different vocabulary, people, and viewpoints that you may not have learned about previously. Also, because of this, you can challenge yourself in a lot of ways because the speakers are native or advanced users of English. They may not speak with an accent or dialect that you learned. If you’re okay with that, carry on with VOA and the final one on our list.
3. Science Friday (SciFri) Podcast
It’s Friday (FriYAY!), y’all! Today is the perfect day to listen to this podcast (it’s also a radio show). As you guessed from the title, it’s a podcast about science. It’s released every Friday. In fact, an episode has been released every Friday since 1991!
The show has been around for a long time. It originally started as part of NPR (#1 on our list). It’s no longer under the NPR brand, but is operated by WNYC. That’s right, in New York City, New York.
What’s the show about?
…science. It’s about…science. It’s about all types of science, in fact. I think it has something for everyone. Here’s a short list of a few categories they’ve made episodes about:
- brain science
- energy
- astronomy
- arts
- culture
- history,
- math
- food
- nature
- biology (which I hate)
- etc!
I recommend SciFri for intermediate (B1)+. It’s entertaining. The show is informational. You’ll never run out of things from SciFri to listen to because it’s been around for so, so long! If you don’t know much vocabulary or phrases on the topics they discuss, then I suggest you listen to them to learn more vocabulary. Also, they’re native speakers. This isn’t a show created for people learning English, which is golden for you. You know, in fact, there are tons of articles (that’s right, reading). Hate reading? No problem, then listen. It is a podcast/ radio show. In addition, I think you can also watch.
How Will the Podcast Improve Your English?
All-in-all, SciFri can improve your English. This podcast is interestingânot at all boring. You’re welcome. I know you enjoy that. If you like science, are studying or working in the sciences, this is the podcast for you. Likewise, you will learn more vocabulary on top of improving your listening. This fast talking native English speakers speak at a regular pace, mostly, so you shouldn’t have too many difficulties listening.
These are my top 3 choices for listening. These podcasts will improve your listening, increase your vocabulary, etc. The best three podcasts to listen to for English language learners are National Public Radio (NPR), Voice of America (VOA), and Science Friday (SciFri). Each of these three podcasts are recommended for different English levels. Which is right for you? I can’t answer that for you, but you can discover your English proficiency level by taking my free English test. Science Friday and National Public Radio are recommended for intermediate to advanced levels. Voice of America is perfect for all levels, especially the beginning and low-intermediate levels.
Which are your favorite podcasts?
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