Free English lessons from real videos

One short lesson a day — an idiom, a conversation or a story — explained in simple English, with a transcript and a quick quiz.

Conversation · Nov 4Can you answer “Where are you staying?”Expectation vs reality at airport immigration! Learn short, full answers: “I'm staying at the Sheraton Hotel.” “I'm traveling with my mother.” Also: “Here you go” and “You're good to go.”
Culture · Nov 3Which accent says “I'm breaking up with you” best?Hear “I'm breaking up with you. Just take it.” in 9 accents. “Break up with someone” means to end a romantic relationship. “Just take it” means “accept it”.
Idiom · Nov 3Can you guess “a chip on your shoulder”?If you have “a chip on your shoulder”, you still feel angry about something from the past. It is not about food! Example: “He's just got a chip on his shoulder.”
Pronunciation · Nov 3Can you say “the rippling rhythm” right?Elmer Fudd opens a concert, but he says every R like a W. Learn to say “rhythm”, “rhythmic strains”, “refrain” and “around” the right way.
Common mistakes · Nov 2Only one is correct. Can you find it?A manager asks about a missing report. Learn why we say "I sent it yesterday," not "I have sent it yesterday."
Common mistakes · Nov 2Stop saying “Hello” all the time!“Hello” is correct, but there are more natural greetings. Learn Hey, What's up, How's it going, Morning and Yo, and when to use each one.
Culture · Nov 2Which accent says “Why are you late?” best?Hear “Why are you late?” in 9 accents. “Late” is an adjective, so we use “are”. To say sorry, use “Sorry I'm late”, not “Sorry for late”.
Culture · Nov 1Which accent says “You look stunning” best?Hear “You look stunning today” in 8 accents. Stunning means extremely beautiful or attractive. After “look”, use an adjective: “You look stunning”, not “You look like stunning”.
Culture · Nov 1Can you say “How dare you” in 8 accents?Hear “How dare you!” in 8 accents. This strong phrase means you are shocked and angry at what someone did or said. After “How dare you”, use the base verb: “How dare you say that!”
Ordering food · Nov 1“I'll have a hamburger.” But he'll pay… when?A hungry man orders lunch at two diners and promises to pay on Tuesday. Learn “What'll it be?”, “I'll have…”, “coming up”, “specialty” and “a generous portion”.
Common mistakes · Oct 31Only one is correct. Can you find it?Two friends talk about a haunted house on Halloween. Learn the difference between "scared" and "scary."
Story · Oct 31Mo cried for help. Who came?Mo is a lonely elephant who wants a friend. Learn: alone, lonely, bored, thankful, came to help, not sad anymore.
Culture · Oct 31Can you guess “the elephant in the room”?Hear “Can we address the elephant in the room?” in 8 accents. “The elephant in the room” is a big problem that everyone can see, but nobody wants to talk about. To “address” a problem means to talk about it and deal with it.
Phrases · Oct 30“Have to” or “get to”?NASA astronaut Victor Glover speaks from a spaceship far from Earth. Learn “get to” (you are lucky to do it), “a whole bunch of” and “just trust me”.
Conversation · Oct 30“Why should I hire you?” Can you answer better?Sarah's job interview goes badly. Learn: Do you have any references?, What's a reference?, Do you have any questions for me?, Why should I hire you?, the right person for the job.
Common mistakes · Oct 29This ghost would rather… what?Casper is a ghost who doesn't like to scare people. Learn “would rather + verb” (no “to”!), “doesn't like to”, “make friends with” and “sort of”.
Idiom · Oct 29Does “pet peeve” mean you're angry at your pet?A “pet peeve” is a small thing that annoys you a lot. It is not about pets! Example: “Whistling is a pet peeve of mine.”
Common mistakes · Oct 29Only one is correct. Can you find it?Two friends talk about what helps when they feel sad. Learn to say "It makes me feel happy."
Culture · Oct 28Are you saying these 4 UK places wrong?Learn how to say Leicester, Edinburgh, Thames and Greenwich the British way. They don't sound the way they look!
Common mistakes · Oct 28Cat or cake: which vowel is long?Mr. Tom shows the difference between short and long vowel sounds in English with ten easy words.
Culture · Oct 28“Where's the bathroom?” in 10 accents. Hardest one?Hear “Where's the bathroom?” in 10 accents. At someone's home, ask “Where's your bathroom?”; in a restaurant, ask “Where's the bathroom?”. In the UK, people often say “toilet” or “loo”; in the US, “bathroom” or “restroom”.
Culture · Oct 27“How are you today?” in 10 accents. Hardest one?Hear “How are you today?” in 10 accents. In the UK, “Alright?” is a friendly way to say “Hi, how are you?”. Answer with “I'm good, thanks. And you?” or “Yeah, alright. You?”.
Culture · Oct 27“I'm so stoked” — happy or angry?Hear “I'm so stoked” in 10 accents — South African, Northern Irish, New Zealand, British RP, New York, Australian, Welsh, French, Southern and Jamaican — and learn the slang word “stoked” (very excited).
Idiom · Oct 26Can you guess what “under your belt” means?Anything “under your belt” is something you have already achieved or learned. Example: “I have five years of experience under my belt.”
Story · Oct 26Can a tiny ant save a bird?An Aesop fable: a dove saves an ant, and then the tiny ant saves the dove.
Common mistakes · Oct 26Are you making these 4 mistakes at work?Say "I have a question", "Let's discuss it", "Please get back to me" and "I have been working here since…" the natural way.
Common mistakes · Oct 25Only one is correct. Can you find it?A tourist asks a local for the way to the station. Learn the question "Where is the nearest station?"
Conversation · Oct 25No experience? Can you answer this?Mary has a job interview for a kitchen job. Learn: Do you have any experience…?, No, but I want to learn, Tell me about yourself, I'm very organized, I follow directions exactly.
Culture · Oct 25“Make me a cup of coffee” — rude or polite?Hear “Make me a cup of coffee” in 11 accents. It is an order — to be polite, say “Could you make me a cup of coffee, please?”. In casual British English, “Make us a cup of coffee” often means “make me”.
Culture · Oct 24“You're having a laugh!” — happy or shocked?Hear the British phrase “You're having a laugh!” in 8 accents — Cockney, South African, Northern Irish, New Zealand, British RP, New York, Australian and Welsh. It means “You're joking! / You can't be serious!”.
Idiom · Oct 24What does “drive someone nuts” mean?VOA Learning English explains the idiom "drive someone nuts" with a very noisy leaf blower.
Common mistakes · Oct 24Are you saying these 4 Halloween words wrong?Learn how to say Halloween, costume, skeleton and vampire the natural way. And don't mix up costume and custom!
Vocabulary · Oct 23What does “harm any animals” mean?Elmer catches a rabbit, then gets a telegram: three million dollars — but only if he doesn't harm any animals. Learn: harm, not one cent, in my will, What's up, Doc?
Common mistakes · Oct 23What can you say instead of “I don't know”?Neo Lingo Now shows five natural ways to say “I don't know” in English — from polite to very casual.
Culture · Oct 23Which accent says “speak to the manager” best?Hear “You are speaking to the manager” in 7 accents — French, Southern, Jamaican, West Country, Spanish, Canadian and Dutch — and learn the polite question “What can I do for you?”.
Conversation · Oct 22How do you answer “If you could pick…”?NASA astronaut Christina Koch answers “If you could pick, where in space would you go?” Learn to give your choice with “I'd have to say…” and your reason with “The reason I say that is because…”.
Culture · Oct 22What does “cuppa” mean?Hear “cup of tea and a slice of cake” in 12 accents — from American and Standard British to Geordie, Brummie, Scouse and Cockney — and learn the British word “cuppa”.
Common mistakes · Oct 22Only one is correct. Can you find it?Two friends talk about a married couple. Learn to say "married to" (not "married with").
Culture · Oct 21What does “keep it 100” mean?Learn two popular English slang phrases: “on fleek” (looks perfect) and “keep it 100” (be honest and real) — plus “slay”.
Story · Oct 21What does “nobody dared to” mean?An animated legend: a boy hears a sad cry by the river at night.
Culture · Oct 21What are “April showers”?Hear one sentence about spring rain in 8 accents — South African, Northern Irish, New Zealand, British RP, New York, Australian, Welsh and French — and learn “April showers bring May flowers”.
Common mistakes · Oct 20Why “faster than” but “more powerful than”?The famous opening of the 1941 Superman cartoon. Learn comparatives: faster than, more powerful than — and why we never say “more faster”.
Conversation · Oct 20What does “they couldn't be nicer” mean?Two friends talk about a favorite coffee shop. Learn: How often do you…?, hang out with friends, first choice, What drinks does it serve?, They couldn't be nicer.
Common mistakes · Oct 20Are you saying these 4 words wrong?Learn how to say Wednesday, vegetable, comfortable and island the natural way. Some letters are silent!
Idiom · Oct 19What does “call it a day” mean?VOA Learning English explains the idiom "call it a day" with a very long day at work.
Story · Oct 19What does “It's pointless” mean?A farmer waters bamboo seeds for years and sees nothing. Everyone says “It's pointless.” Then… Learn: It's pointless, persist, within weeks.
Common mistakes · Oct 18Say the truth or tell the truth?Learn when to use say and when to use tell: tell the truth, she said to me.
Conversation · Oct 18What does “I have a reservation” mean?A short check-in at a hotel front desk. Learn: I have a reservation, May I see your ID?, credit card, room number, Here is your key.
Culture · Oct 18“Can I have” or “Can I get”?Hear one useful request in 7 accents — American, British, Scottish, Geordie, Brummie and more — and learn “Can I have…?” vs “Can I get…?”.
Story · Oct 18What does “king for a day” mean?The guards grab Gabby the town crier — but the king has a surprise. Learn: Put me down!, You can't do this to me!, How would you like to…?, king for a day.
Conversation · Oct 17How do you answer “purpose of your visit”?A passenger answers an immigration officer's questions at the airport. Learn: purpose of your visit, on a vacation, intend to stay, return ticket.
Culture · Oct 17What does “my bad” mean?Six everyday American slang words and what they mean: my bad, screw up, bummer, ripped, ace and laid back.
Listening · Oct 17What does “trick-or-treat” mean?A short Halloween story: a family carves a jack-o'-lantern and the kids go trick-or-treating. Learn: pumpkin, carve, knock on the door, trick or treat.
Vocabulary · Oct 16A pack, a pride, a litter… of what?Learn the English words for groups of animals: a pack of dogs, a school of fish, a pride of lions and a litter of puppies.
Story · Oct 16What did the new sign say?An animated story: a few new words on a sign change everything.
Culture · Oct 16“Nice to meet you” — which accent is yours?Hear the classic greeting “Nice to meet you” in 8 accents: Cockney, South African, New Zealand, Australian, Welsh and more.
Common mistakes · Oct 15Why is “explain me” wrong?"Explain me" is a common mistake. Learn the right pattern: explain something to somebody — and when you can drop the object.
Conversation · Oct 15How do you order food in English?Four polite phrases for ordering food: ask for the menu, order a dish, ask for a recommendation and ask for water.
Idiom · Oct 15What does “sign up for” mean?Two friends talk about signing up for a picnic. Learn what "sign up for" means and where the pronoun goes.
Idiom · Oct 14What does “go viral” mean?VOA Learning English explains the expression "go viral" — with a lot of cats.
Common mistakes · Oct 14Is “I suggest to read more” correct?Four everyday mistakes with "suggest" and "recommend" — and how to say them correctly.
Culture · Oct 141 sentence, 10 English accents Which one is yours?Hear the same polite question in 10 English accents: American, British, Scottish, Irish and more.
Conversation · Oct 13Can you check in at the airport in English?A short airport dialogue: flight time, check-in, flight number, stops and confirming in advance.
Idiom · Oct 13What does “stick out like a sore thumb” mean?VOA Learning English explains the idiom "stick out like a sore thumb" with a funny party mix-up.
Story · Oct 13Beauty fades, but kindness ____?An animated story about two sisters: beauty fades, but kindness endures.
Culture · Oct 12Where does the word “Halloween” come from?The Englishoneer explains where Halloween and its name come from.
Idiom · Oct 11What does “get under someone's skin” mean?VOA Learning English explains the idiom "to get under someone's skin".