Back to Start

ESL-Podcasts: My Recommendations

Welcome to the Webtutor podcast. Today I will recommend some of my favorite podcasts to learn english as a second language.

[More:]

Download MP3-File here..

BTW: I made a list of my favourite podcasts that I listen to regularly. I figured that I listen to 58 German and 63 English podcasts, not included Video-Podcasts that I watch from time to time but not every day.

Meanwhile I found out how I can set up my iPod shuffle to play podcasts in random order. I figured that the shuffle do not play podcasts if it is set to shuffle mode. Now I found that option in iTunes. I have to set it for each episode by clicking with the right mouse button on the episode, then choosing "Get Info" and looking in the "Options" tab. Here you can uncheck the checkbox "skip when shuffling". I also figured that I have to check the option "Remember playback position" if I import my own MP3 files, for example an audio book, into iTunes.

But let's go on with my podcast recommendations:

Some of you may still learning English as a second language. So I have chosen some podcasts that are useful for learning English.

The first is ESL-Podcast. I listen to this podcast for over a year right now and in my opinion it's the best for people who wants to learn English as their second language. The podcast normally contains of a short story like getting a haircut or checking out on the supermarket. All the vocabulary and special phrases are explained in detail. There is also a learning guide that you can download if you register for a paid membership. The podcast itself is free. There are three episodes per week, each episode is about 15 to 20 minutes long.

Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/EnglishAsASecondLanguagePodcast
Website: http://www.eslpod.com

Another recommendation is the Bob and Rob show. Two guys, one from Britain, the other from the USA are living in Japan and talking about a specific topic. This week they talked about chocoloate. As with the ESL-Podcast, you can get a detailed study guide if you join a paid membership, the podcast itself is free. There are about 2 episodes per week, each one is about 20 minutes long.

Feed: http://englishcaster.com/bobrob/wp-rss2.php
Website: http://www.englishcaster.com/bobrob/

If you are more sophisticated in English, you should also try "A Way with Words". It's a radio program from KPBS which is distributed as a podcast. It's a call-in show where people can ask any question about words in English. For example about pronunciation, spelling or where do the word come from. Sometimes there is a little quiz. It's quite entertaining but only if you understand English quite good to follow the program. It’s a weekly podcast, each episode is 50 minutes long. I normally split one episode to listen to it on different times.

Feed: http://www.kpbs.org/radio/podcasting
Website: http://www.kpbs.org/words/

Another Podcast aims for business listeners. It's the Business English Pod. It explains situations from the business world. It's like the ESL-Pod for business users. Unlike "A way with words" it's also suitable for beginners. You can download episodes twice a week, each will have a duration of about 10 minutes.

Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/businessenglishpod
Website: http://www.businessenglishpod.com/

If you think grammar is important, you should listen to the Grammar Girl. Her podast is called "Grammar Girl, Quick and dirty Tips for Better Writing". It's very entertaining. She explains some everyday grammar problems like how to use apostrophes. You can listen to this podcast twice a week and one episode is about 3 to 6 minutes long.

Feed: http://www.qdnow.com/grammar.xml
Website: http://grammar.qdnow.com/

Last but not least a podcast that I dicovered recently. It's "The Linguist on Language". It's a podast for people who are still quite fluent in understanding English but he gives some good advice for language learning in general. So I think, it's worth a recommendation. There are several episodes during the week, each is about 8 to 12 Minutes long.

Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelinguistonlanguage
Website: http://thelinguist.blogs.com/how_to_learn_english_and/

01/17/2007 08:03:16, von Marian , 701 words, 8779 views   Categories: Podcast

5 comments

Comments, Pingbacks:

Comment from: Andrew Best [Visitor] · http://www.china232.com

Hi. I'm a Canadian making an ESL podcast with my brother. It's aimed at intermediate to advanced students of English. We explain a lot of useful words and phrases in a fun talk show style. The site is www.china232.com. There are free study guides as well.

01/30/2007 @ 04:21

Comment from: Bob DuCharme [Visitor] · http://www.eslbusinessnews.com

If you liked these, then you may also like ESL Business News, a weekly podcast of international business news read in slow, clear English. In addition to a link to an MP3 file of each podcast, the http://www.eslbusinessnews.com website provides a link to the script that accompanies each podcast so that the listener can read along while listening, making it a great learning tool for students studying business English.

05/01/2007 @ 03:28

Comment from: Jane [Visitor] · http://www.eslhelpdesk.com

3x5 is 15, in base ten.
Other than that, try this podcast, eslhelpdesk.com.
Maybe I should add it to your list of podcasts. This is specifically for ESL students.

11/12/2007 @ 05:32

Comment from: amigo [Visitor]

Hi there.It's Interesting To Me.Thanks...

12/03/2007 @ 21:03

Comment from: Maria [Visitor]

Thank for your Recommendations .

12/18/2007 @ 05:54