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
Follow us at https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/followus
Episodes
- 6 Minute English
Food shortages
Listen to an expert on the global food system and learn some vocabulary.
- 6 Minute English
Ice and the origins of life on Earth
Sam and Neil talk about an essential element for life to thrive.
- 6 Minute English
Women in politics
We discuss some of the reasons why women make up only 26% of the world's politicians.
- 6 Minute English
What's the point of museums?
Beth and Neil discuss the controversial role of museums in the 21st century.
- 6 Minute English
How culture affects sadness
Could your culture influence sadness? We talk about sadness and teach you vocabulary.
- 6 Minute English
Do you get jealous easily?
Hear experts talking about jealousy and envy, and learn related vocabulary.
- 6 Minute English
How to talk to a climate denier
The dos and don'ts of trying to discuss science with someone who doesn't believe in it.
- 6 Minute English
Losing your mother tongue
Hear the story of a woman who replaced her native Czech for English.
- 6 Minute English
The health benefits of apples
Could there be some truth in the proverb 'an apple a day keeps the doctor away'?
- 6 Minute English
Why do we procrastinate?
Do you leave your work until the last minute? If so, this programme is for you!
- 6 Minute English
Doomscrolling: Why do we do it?
We discuss if there is an evolutionary reason why we're attracted to bad news.
- 6 Minute English
Exercise for The Lazy
What's the least amount of exercise you should do to stay healthy?
- 6 Minute English
Can AI have a mind of its own?
Hear about the software engineer who became 'friends' with his computer.
- 6 Minute English
Climate change: Are there too many people?
Does the size of your carbon footprint depend on where in the world you were born?
- 6 Minute English
The hidden life of buffets
We discuss buffet meals and the history behind them and teach related vocabulary.
- 6 Minute English
Songwriting
We discuss the art of songwriting – combining lyrics and music to make a hit song.
- 6 Minute English
United against food waste
According to the UN, one third of the food we grow is thrown away. How can we stop this?
- 6 Minute English
3D printers
We look at the role of 3D printers in medicine, and teach you some related vocabulary.
- 6 Minute English
Deep-sea mining: Good or bad for the planet?
Could some ideas to deal with climate change actually damage the environment?
- 6 Minute English
Can music mend a broken heart?
Meet a singer-songwriter who used music to express her feelings of falling in love.
- 6 Minute English
The art of conversation
We discuss whether the art of conversation is being lost in the era of social media
- 6 Minute English
Meet the flavourists
Is designing a food flavour a dark art? We talk about the people who make flavours.
- 6 Minute English
Are Halloween costumes too scary?
Some parents are complaining that some Halloween costumes are too scary.
- 6 Minute English
Does climate change make you anxious?
We discuss how extreme weather events are affecting our mental health.
- 6 Minute English
Translating recipes
How to adapt dishes from other countries? We talk about it and teach you vocabulary.
- 6 Minute English
Are artistic brains different?
We talk about Mozart, Jimi Hendrix and teach you vocabulary.
- 6 Minute English
Why are prices going up?
We discuss inflation and economics and teach related vocabulary.
- 6 Minute English
English for dating online
We discuss language that gets used for dating online and new language that is emerging.
- 6 Minute English
Man vs beast: Who is more efficient?
We discuss the advantages of the design of the human body, and teach you vocabulary too.
- 6 Minute English
Are you following your dreams?
Hear about two people who dared to follow their dreams and are happy to have done so.
- 6 Minute English
Being a beauty influencer
Hear about women who are using social media to change attitudes to beauty
- 6 Minute English
Women in the workplace
Hear about the career-killing tasks that are holding women back in the workplace
- 6 Minute English
How pandemics end
Covid-19, The Black Death ... We discuss what happens when deadly diseases go global.
- 6 Minute English
Confused by modern idioms?
We talk about some new expressions that have been introduced to English through the media
- 6 Minute English
Which are more dangerous: Sharks or humans?
From monster killers of the sea to endangered species - we talk sharks and vocabulary.
- 6 Minute English
Climate change and evolution
We discuss the impact of climate change on today's wildlife.
- 6 Minute English
Preserving traditional recipes
We discuss the tastes of our childhood and teach new vocabulary.
- 6 Minute English
Restoring trust in science
Modern scientists are under pressure from critics motivated by political views.
- 6 Minute English
Island life: Is it paradise?
Rob and Sam discuss some of the problems Pacific islanders face and teach vocabulary.
- 6 Minute English
The technology of translation
What is the relationship between translation, technology and the human brain?
- 6 Minute English
What is the Platinum Jubilee?
We talk about a very British tradition involving Queen Elizabeth II
- 6 Minute English
People who can taste words
Can you imagine being able to ‘taste’ every word that you hear?
- 6 Minute English
Finding your way in space
What’s up and what’s down for astronauts who are floating in zero gravity?
6 Minute EnglishCan VR treat fears and phobias?
VR is helping people overcome phobias and even tackling more serious problems.
- 6 Minute English
Life in the modern office
Great or awful? How do people rate office working? We talk about it and teach vocabulary.
6 Minute EnglishRemembering Desmond Tutu
Deep convictions and a sense of humour - we talk about a man who helped end apartheid.
- 6 Minute English
Discoveries of the Deep Sea
We talk about an extreme environment, and teach you vocabulary along the way.
- 6 Minute English
Rhetoric: How persuasive are you?
We talk about an art that started with ancient Greek philosophers
- 6 Minute English
Britain's love affair with coffee
It's not all about tea - Britons like coffee too. Learn vocabulary to talk about it.
- 6 Minute English
Optimists vs Pessimists
Which one you are may be linked more to your birthplace and age than attitude.