Shows / 6 Minute English
6 Minute English
Learn and practise useful English with clips from programmes around the BBC.
Each week, we talk about an interesting topic and learn helpful words and phrases used in natural spoken English - all in 6 minutes!
Practise your listening and hear natural spoken English.
Find more at https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish
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Episodes
- 6 Minute English
The school that puts the kids in charge
What happens when you put the kids in charge of the school? Phil and Georgie discuss this and teach you some useful vocabulary. TRANSCRIPT Find a full…
- 6 Minute English
What can we learn from toddlers?
You might think that we teach toddlers, but they can teach us as well! Neil and Beth discuss this and teach you some useful vocabulary. TRANSCRIPT Find a full…
- 6 Minute English
How learning to read changes lives
How can literacy change people's lives? Beth and Phil discuss this and teach you some useful vocabulary. TRANSCRIPT Find a full transcript for this episode and…
- 6 Minute English
Building a better world with wood?
Did you know that being in nature, and building with wood, has benefits for our physical and mental health? Neil and Beth discuss this and teach you some…
- 6 Minute English
How names can tell painful stories
Can names be attached to painful histories? Neil and Beth discuss this and teach you some useful vocabulary. [Image: Getty] TRANSCRIPT Find a full transcript…
- 6 Minute English
Too old to have a baby?
Men and women are having babies later in life. Why? And what does society think of older parents? TRANSCRIPT Find a full transcript for this episode and more…
- 6 Minute English
E-rickshaws driving away pollution
Are electric rickshaws the solution to urban air pollution? Neil and Beth discuss this and teach you some useful vocabulary. TRANSCRIPT Find a full transcript…
- 6 Minute English
How bubble tea got its bubbles
How did bubble tea get its bubbles? How was this drink invented? Neil and Beth chat about this. TRANSCRIPT Find a full transcript for this episode and more…
- 6 Minute English
Can you keep a secret?
Are secrets always negative? Or can they be positive too? Neil and Beth discuss this and teach you some useful vocabulary. [Image: Getty Images] TRANSCRIPT…
6 Minute EnglishBitter food, better health?
Could bitter foods be better for your health? (Image: Getty Images) Find a full transcript for this episode and more programmes to help you with your English…
6 Minute EnglishTalking at the table
A lot can happen at the dinner table, and not just eating! Beth and Neil discuss chatting at meal times and teach you some useful vocabulary. (Image: Getty)…
6 Minute EnglishEating for two
Mums-to-be often feel guilty about the food they crave in pregnancy. Georgie and Phil discuss this and teach you some useful vocabulary. (Image: Getty)…
6 Minute EnglishDancing for the brain
Not a dancer? You might change your mind once you hear the benefits! Beth and Neil discuss this and teach you some useful vocabulary. (Image: Getty) TRANSCRIPT…
6 Minute EnglishNudges: The secrets of persuasion
Are nudges good or bad? Beth and Neil discuss this and teach you useful vocabulary. TRANSCRIPT Find a full transcript for this episode and more programmes to…
6 Minute EnglishWhy sitting is bad for health
Could sitting be damaging to our health? TRANSCRIPT Find a full transcript for this episode and more programmes to help you with your English at…
6 Minute EnglishWhy everyone loves the underdog
Could being the underdog help you succeed? TRANSCRIPT Find a full transcript for this episode and more programmes to help you with your English at…
6 Minute EnglishDisability in music and theatre
The UK's Equality Act of 2010 guaranteed the rights of disabled people to equal access to education, employment, and services, including music, theatre and the…
6 Minute EnglishWhat makes a great library?
What makes a library a library? Neil and Beth discuss this and teach you some useful vocabulary. TRANSCRIPT Find a full transcript for this episode and more…
- 6 Minute English
Sewing to fight period poverty
TRANSCRIPT Find a full transcript for this episode and more programmes to help you with your English at…
6 Minute EnglishPlastic waste eaten by enzymes
Plastics can be difficult to recycle, could a recently discovered enzyme help? Neil and Beth discuss this and teach you some useful vocabulary. TRANSCRIPT Find…
6 Minute EnglishFeed your brain
Find a full transcript for this episode and more programmes to help you learn English at bbclearningenglish.com
6 Minute EnglishFood for new mums
What do mothers eat after giving birth? Does it depend on which country you are from?
6 Minute EnglishFighting loneliness with soup
Neil and Beth discuss a project in the Netherlands for helping lonely people.
6 Minute EnglishWhat is the future of work?
Should we be worried about our jobs disappearing? Or is the future positive?
- 6 Minute English
Addicted to sugar
How has sugar become such an important part of our diets? Neil and Georgie discuss.
6 Minute EnglishOur love of pets
Why do we keep, and love, pets? Neil and Georgie discuss this and teach new vocabulary.
6 Minute EnglishSexism: Female farmers fighting back
Female farmers in many countries face sexism. Some are finding ways to be fairly treated.
- 6 Minute English
Learning lessons from the Moon
Summer 2023 saw two missions to the Moon. Why are scientists so keen to get there?
- 6 Minute English
Could we live without plastic?
Is it time to start living without plastic? Beth and Neil discuss this.
6 Minute EnglishInvasive species: Why don't we eat them?
Invasive species are causing problems for nature around the world, so why not eat them?
- 6 Minute English
What and where is Little Italy?
How did Italian food become famous throughout the world? Find out with Neil and Georgie
- 6 Minute English
Social media and teenage health
What are the risks of social media to teenage health and what can be done about them?
- 6 Minute English
Mystery flying objects
What exactly did navy pilots see in 2004? The US investigates these UFOs now, in 2023.
- 6 Minute English
Elephant-proof farming
What happens when an elephant wants to eat your crops? How can you stop it?
- 6 Minute English
Should we farm octopus?
Is it OK to eat animals that can feel emotion? Learn vocabulary on this topic.
- 6 Minute English
Ways to live for 100 years
More and more people are living to 100, but what is the secret of a long life?
- 6 Minute English
How green is your money?
Should climate change make us think where to invest our money? Learn useful vocabulary.
- 6 Minute English
Mushrooms: Medicine or myth?
Today the medicinal mushroom industry is big business. But are there actually benefits?
- 6 Minute English
Saving dead languages
Some Australian languages have been saved from extinction. We discuss Barngala's revival.
- 6 Minute English
Sounds that make you want to scream
Some sounds cause some people huge distress. Learn about 'misophonia' here.
- 6 Minute English
How fans talk about their passions
Fandom is more than simply being a fan, and now it is developing its own language.
- 6 Minute English
Making male friends
Do men find it harder than women to make close friendships? Neil and Beth discuss.
- 6 Minute English
Do you have eco-anxiety?
A growing number around the world are experiencing something called 'eco-anxiety'.
- 6 Minute English
Can we stop natural disasters?
Is there any way we can stop natural disasters being so damaging?
- 6 Minute English
Could you live on wild food?
We hear about a new foraging project and the health benefits of eating wild food.
- 6 Minute English
Should we fear chatbots?
We talk about chatbots and teach you some useful vocabulary along the way.
- 6 Minute English
Ecotourism: good or bad?
Is a style of tourism that respects animals and local communities working well?
- 6 Minute English
Can climate change cause more disease?
Mosquito-borne diseases kill 750,000 annually. Could climate change make it worse?