English A1 listening practice

Short radio debates in English about real news, written for A1 learners (beginner): short, slow sentences about everyday things, with the most common words.

Each episode has a host and several panelists who disagree, so you hear opinions, reasons and reactions — the language of real conversations. Every page has the first minute of audio, the start of the transcript and the key words with their meaning.

• 6 min · 9 Nov 2026 · PetsStudy: having a pet doesn't make renters happier, researchers findIf you got a pet mainly to feel happier, would you be disappointed?
• 6 min · 6 Nov 2026 · Shopping & pricesCoffee prices keep climbing worldwide: time to cut back on your cup?Are you ready to pay more for your coffee, or is it time to switch to something cheaper?
• 6 min · 4 Nov 2026 · SocietyClocks fell back this week: time to finally end the twice-a-year change?Should we lock the clocks on daylight saving time year-round, or stick with standard time?
• 6 min · 2 Nov 2026 · TravelRyanair cuts check-in deadline to 60 minutes before flightIf you arrive at the airport an hour before your flight and the check-in desk closes, should the airline let you...
• 6 min · 30 Oct 2026 · TourismHilton opens its first cave hotel in Cappadocia: dream stay?Would you pay premium prices to sleep in a cave, or does a luxury hotel need proper walls and modern rooms?
• 6 min · 28 Oct 2026 · AISpotify's AI-made Wrapped podcast gets booed by fans: good idea gone wrong?Should Spotify have used AI hosts for Wrapped, or does that feel like a betrayal of the artists and listeners who...
• 6 min · 26 Oct 2026 · MusicMetallica's eight-night Las Vegas Sphere residency: concerts reinvented?Would you travel to Las Vegas and spend your money to see a band play the same songs differently every weekend,...
• 6 min · 23 Oct 2026 · FootballNFL plays nine games abroad in 2026: good for football's future?Should the NFL move a team overseas if it means some players have to travel thousands of miles every other week?
• 6 min · 22 Oct 2026 · FoodTaco Bell makes nacho fries permanent: smart move or menu overload?Would you keep ordering Nacho Fries if they were always on the menu, or was the fun in waiting for them to come back?
• 6 min · 21 Oct 2026 · TravelUK's new face-scan airport gates skip passports entirelyWould you let the airport scan your face instead of showing your passport, or would you rather stick with the old way?
• 6 min · 20 Oct 2026 · Shopping & pricesAirlines raise fees for checked bags and pets againShould airlines be allowed to keep raising checked-bag and pet fees, or do you think there should be a limit on how...
• 6 min · 19 Oct 2026 · FootballBallon d'Or campaigning gets fierce: does that cheapen the award?When players start campaigning hard for their own trophy, does that make the award feel less special?
• 6 min · 18 Oct 2026 · FootballMan City stunned 4-2 by PSG in Champions LeagueCan Manchester City recover from this 4-2 humiliation at home, or does the PSG thrashing expose a deeper crisis...
• 6 min · 17 Oct 2026 · SportsWorld Series rematch: Dodgers face the Blue Jays againWhy did the 2025 World Series champions Dodgers collapse so spectacularly, and what went wrong with the Blue Jays...
• 6 min · 16 Oct 2026 · AIStarbucks and Little Caesars let ChatGPT take your order: good idea?Does asking ChatGPT to order your coffee or pizza actually solve a real customer problem, or is it just a clunky...
• 6 min · 15 Oct 2026 · Shopping & pricesHalloween spending hits a record $13 billion: worth it?Is $13.5 billion in Halloween spending this year worth the money, or are Americans caught in a cycle of holiday inflation?
• 6 min · 14 Oct 2026 · FoodDirty sodas go global: genius drink mashup or just sugar?Is the dirty soda boom a genuine global beverage innovation, or just a sugar-loaded fad that won't survive beyond the US?
• 6 min · 13 Oct 2026 · AgritourismPicking your own apples is booming: real farm fun or just a photo op?Is pick-your-own apple farming a genuine economic lifeline for struggling farms, or has it become a social media...
• 6 min · 12 Oct 2026 · FoodFood recalls keep piling up: is our food supply too complex?Why are food recalls affecting 941 million units in 2026 when the number of recalls hasn't increased—is our food...
• 6 min · 11 Oct 2026 · Shopping & pricesHalloween candy prices jump again: skip the sweets this year?Should families skip candy altogether this Halloween, or is the price spike just making us buy smarter rather than buy less?
• 6 min · 10 Oct 2026 · WorkTarget tracks staff lateness with a point system: fair or too strict?Is Target's points-based attendance system a necessary tool to improve operations and customer service, or does it...
• 6 min · 9 Oct 2026 · Shopping & pricesNew phones pack 10,000mAh batteries: worth the extra bulk?Are 10,000mAh batteries worth carrying a heavier, thicker phone—or are Chinese makers chasing capacity while Western...
• 6 min · 7 Oct 2026 · ScienceNobel Prize week returns: is it still science's ultimate honor?Does the Nobel Prize still matter as science's ultimate honor when the US—historically its biggest talent pool—is in...
• 6 min · 29 Sep 2026 · EconomyChina's crackdown on billionaires: justice or scaring off investors?Is China's crackdown on billionaires a necessary cleanup of fraud and tax evasion, or is it driving away the...
• 6 min · 29 Sep 2026 · FootballSalah's shock move to Turkey: has he thrown away his legacy?Did Mohamed Salah make the right call joining Trabzonspor, or has he genuinely damaged his legacy by dropping to the...
• 6 min · 29 Sep 2026 · EconomyCalifornia's billionaire tax vote: fair share or scaring wealth away?Will California's Prop 40 billionaire wealth tax pass on November 3, 2026, or will the two competing ballot measures...