English in 10 Minutes

By Nick Leonard

Society & Culture Education Places & Travel

What's English in 10 Minutes about?

English in 10 Minutes is a weekly podcast for intermediate and advanced English learners. Each episode is about 10 minutes long and features real, unscripted English conversations about people, places and their stories. Worksheets for each episode, including full transcripts of every conversation and an analysis of the best language used, are available at http://englishin10minutes.com.

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English in 10 Minutes episodes:

02.06.2019
Episode 125: Language Tips and Tricks
In the last episode of English in 10 Minutes, Nick and Wendy give their top tips for language learning, including how to enjoy the process, how to practice speaking, and which smartphone apps to use.
01.30.2019
Episode 124: Roman Stories V (Jovanka)
Our guest Jovanka tells us how she arrived in Rome from New Zealand, why she stayed there, what her favourite Roman places are, and what changes she noticed after recently returning to Rome.
01.23.2019
Episode 123: Favelas
Nick and Wendy talk about visiting two favelas, the famous slums of Rio de Janeiro. In particular, they discuss the security situation and the level of development in the favelas.
01.16.2019
Episode 122: Return to Rio
Nick and Wendy return to the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the last major destination on their trip in South America. They talk about Rio’s staggering natural beauty, from the beaches to the mountains.
01.09.2019
Episode 121: New Zealand
Our guest Jovanka talks about her home country of New Zealand. In particular, she discusses the differences between the north and south islands, the indigenous Māori culture, the All Blacks, and New Zealand’s rivalry with Australia.
01.02.2019
Episode 120: Afro-Brazilian Religion
While in Salvador, Nick and Wendy attended a ceremony of the Afro-Brazilian religion candomblé. In this episode, they talk about the experience and the religion in general.
12.26.2018
Episode 119: Salvador
Nick and Wendy visit the Brazilian city of Salvador de Bahia. They talk about the Afro-Brazilian culture of Salvador, including music and capoeira.
12.19.2018
Episode 118: Colonial Cities
Nick and Wendy continue their trip in Brazil and visit three colonial cities in the northeast of the country: São Luís, Recife and Olinda. They talk about their experiences in each city.
12.12.2018
Episode 117: Planned Cities
Nick and Wendy visit the Brazilian capital Brasília. They talk about their impressions of Brasília and about other planned cities such as Washington, D.C. and Canberra.
12.05.2018
Episode 116: The Pantanal
Back in Brazil, Nick and Wendy discuss their visit to the world’s largest wetlands area: the Pantanal. In particular, they talk about the various animals they saw while they were there.
11.28.2018
Episode 115: Into the Mines
Nick and Wendy visit a working silver mine in Bolivia. They talk about the extremely difficult conditions they saw and the impactful experience they had in the mines.
11.21.2018
Episode 114: Roman Stories IV (Jill)
In our fourth Roman Stories episode, our guest Jill talks about why she moved to Rome 13 years ago. She chooses her favourite place in Rome and explains why life in Italy is different from life in the United States.
11.14.2018
Episode 113: Beautiful Bolivia
Nick and Wendy talk about returning to Bolivia 13 years after their last visit. In particular, they discuss the country’s amazing natural beauty, including the world-famous Salar de Uyuni salt flats.
11.07.2018
Episode 112: Paraguay
Nick and Wendy talk about spending a few days in Paraguay. They discuss Paraguay’s attractions such as the Jesuit missions in the south and the capital Asunción.
10.31.2018
Episode 111: Roman Stories III (Tyson)
Our guest Tyson tells his story of moving from the United States to Rome in 2000, starting by working in a bar and eventually becoming a city tour guide and then a tour director throughout Europe.
10.24.2018
Episode 110: Iguaçu Falls
Nick and Wendy visit Iguaçu Falls for the second time and have a much better experience than on their disappointing first visit. They talk about the wonders of both the Brazilian and Argentine sides of the falls.
10.16.2018
Episode 109: São Paulo
Nick and Wendy begin their South American trip in the mega-city of São Paulo, Brazil. They talk about their expectations before they arrived and how São Paulo turned out to be a big surprise for them.
10.10.2018
Episode 108: Munich
In our first ever three-person conversation, Nick, Wendy and Nick’s brother Tim talk about the German city of Munich. In particular, they talk about Munich’s parks, its traditional beer culture and its untraditional urban surfing culture.
10.03.2018
Episode 107: Rio de Janeiro, 1995
As Nick and Wendy prepare to go to Brazil, Wendy reminisces about the time she went to Rio de Janeiro to study Portuguese as a university student in 1995.
09.26.2018
Episode 106: Roman Stories II (Wendy)
In the second episode of Roman Stories, Wendy talks about how she found herself living in Rome many years ago and why she keeps going back, as well as nominating her favourite neighbourhood in Rome.
09.19.2018
Episode 105: Learning German
Our guest is Nick’s brother Tim, who returns to the podcast to talk about his experiences learning German while living in Germany, both as a teenager and as an adult.
09.12.2018
Episode 104: Roman Stories I (Nick)
In the first of our Roman Stories episodes, Nick shares the story of how he visited Rome for the first time and how he eventually came to live there and to fall in love with the city.
09.05.2018
Episode 103: Slovakia
Nick and Wendy talk about their recent trip to Slovakia in Central Europe. They discuss Slovakia’s natural beauty as well as its cities and castles and how it’s a fairly undiscovered country.
08.29.2018
Episode 102: Family
Our guest, Nick’s mother Marion, talks about her mother’s life journey, from the Netherlands to Indonesia to spending time in a Japanese prison camp in World War II to finally moving to Australia.
08.22.2018
Episode 101: Prague
Nick and Wendy recently visited Prague in the Czech Republic. They talk about what they did there and they also reminisce about their previous trips to Prague in 2000-2001.
08.15.2018
Episode 100: Rome
For our 100th episode, Nick and Wendy talk about their favourite city in the world: Rome, Italy. They discuss Rome's historical layers and the difficulty of having a functioning modern city on top of a ruined ancient city.
08.08.2018
Episode 99: Europe, 1969
Our guest, Nick’s mother Marion, talks about visiting Europe as a 21-year-old in 1969. In particular, she talks about travelling to Europe from Australia by boat and visiting places places like London, Prague and Rome.
08.01.2018
Episode 98: Tunisia
Nick and Wendy talk about visiting the North African country of Tunisia. They talk about enjoying Tunisia’s cultural heritage, taking a Roman bath, and accidentally stumbling onto a tourist resort.
07.25.2018
Episode 97: Ethiopia
Nick and Wendy talk about one of their favourite countries in Africa: Ethiopia. They discuss the country’s history and food and talk about some of the places they liked the most in Ethiopia.
07.18.2018
Episode 96: Sydney
Our guest, Nick’s father Geoff, is back to talk about his home town of Sydney, Australia. He talks about Sydney’s harbour, beaches and beauty.
07.11.2018
Episode 95: Fado
Nick and Wendy talk about the famous Portuguese music style known as fado. They discuss the concept and origins of fado, and how to see it in Lisbon.
07.04.2018
Episode 94: The Maya World
Nick and Wendy talk about visiting Maya archeological sites in Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras. They discuss the Maya pyramids, the surrounding landscapes and the value of visiting several different sites.
06.27.2018
Episode 93: Australia
Nick and his father Geoff talk about their home country of Australia. In particular, they talk about identity and development in Australia, the country’s popular sports, and some special places in Australia that Geoff has visited.
06.20.2018
Episode 92: The Original Way
Nick and Wendy talk about walking the Camino Primitivo - the Original Way - of the Camino de Santiago in Spain. They talk about the people they met along the way, the difficult weather conditions, and the spirit of the...
06.13.2018
Episode 91: The Douro Valley
Nick and Wendy talk about their recent trip to the Douro Valley in northern Portugal. They talk about the region’s famous vineyards and its other attractions.
06.06.2018
Episode 90b: Driving Through Arabia, 1976
In the second part of this two-part conversation about his overland trip from South Africa to the UK in 1976, our guest Reg talks about travelling through Arabia, including Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Syria.
05.30.2018
Episode 90a: Driving Through Africa, 1976
In the first part of a two-part episode, our guest Reg talks about living in Apartheid-era South Africa in the 1970s and the challenges he faced and experiences he had driving through Africa in 1976 in a kombi van.
05.23.2018
Episode 89: Porto
Nick and Wendy talk about Porto, the second largest city in Portugal. They talk about life along the riverfront and the other things they did during their recent trip to Porto with Nick’s family.
05.16.2018
Episode 88: Exploring Egypt
Nick and Wendy talk about another one of their favourite countries: Egypt. They discuss Egypt’s incredible ancient sites as well as its natural beauty.
05.09.2018
Episode 87: Singapore
Our guest Hairul talks about his home country of Singapore. He talks about doing army service as well as Singapore’s ethnic mix, its delicious food and its famous chewing gum ban.
05.02.2018
Episode 86: Picturesque Peru
Nick and Wendy talk about the country Wendy listed as her second favourite in the world: Peru. They talk about Peru’s archeological sites and incredible nature.
04.25.2018
Episode 85: Surprising Pakistan
Nick and Wendy talk about one of their favourite (and most surprising) countries: Pakistan. They discuss Pakistan’s friendly people and beautiful mountain scenery.
04.18.2018
Episode 84: St. Louis
Our guest Alex talks about his hometown of St. Louis in the United States. He talks about the city’s famous arch, its charm and what he thinks of its reputation as the best baseball town in America.
04.11.2018
Episode 83: Summer in Iceland
Nick and Wendy talk about Iceland, which Wendy ranked as her fourth favourite country in the world. They discuss the extraordinary natural beauty of Iceland and doing a hike that didn’t exactly go according to plan.
04.04.2018
Episode 82: Lemurs in Madagascar
Nick and Wendy talk about their visit to Madagascar several years ago. The highlight, of course, was all the different lemurs they saw while they were there!
03.28.2018
Episode 81: Papua New Guinea
Our guest Joanna talks about her experiences living and working in Papua New Guinea. She discusses Papua New Guinea's languages, culture and love for her favourite sport, rugby league.
03.21.2018
Episode 80: Chocolate Festival
Nick and Wendy talk about visiting the chocolate festival held in the beautiful medieval town of Óbidos in Portugal.
03.13.2018
Episode 79: Alternative Berlin
On a short trip to Berlin, Nick and Wendy take an ‘alternative’ walking tour to discover some of the lesser known sites and areas of the city.
03.07.2018
Episode 78: Berlin, 1989
Our guest, Nick’s brother Tim, talks about being in Germany as a teenager when the Berlin Wall came down in November 1989 and visiting Berlin shortly afterwards.
02.28.2018
Episode 77: Ice Skating
Wendy talks about her love for ice skating. She talks about the many opportunities she had to go ice skating while living in Switzerland and her search for a skating rink this winter while living in Portugal.

What's English in 10 Minutes about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

English in 10 Minutes episodes:

Episode 125: Language Tips and Tricks

Episode 124: Roman Stories V (Jovanka)

Episode 123: Favelas

Episode 122: Return to Rio

Episode 121: New Zealand

Episode 120: Afro-Brazilian Religion

Episode 119: Salvador

Episode 118: Colonial Cities

Episode 117: Planned Cities

Episode 116: The Pantanal

Episode 115: Into the Mines

Episode 114: Roman Stories IV (Jill)

Episode 113: Beautiful Bolivia

Episode 112: Paraguay

Episode 111: Roman Stories III (Tyson)

Episode 110: Iguaçu Falls

Episode 109: São Paulo

Episode 108: Munich

Episode 107: Rio de Janeiro, 1995

Episode 106: Roman Stories II (Wendy)

Episode 105: Learning German

Episode 104: Roman Stories I (Nick)

Episode 103: Slovakia

Episode 102: Family

Episode 101: Prague

Episode 100: Rome

Episode 99: Europe, 1969

Episode 98: Tunisia

Episode 97: Ethiopia

Episode 96: Sydney

Episode 95: Fado

Episode 94: The Maya World

Episode 93: Australia

Episode 92: The Original Way

Episode 91: The Douro Valley

Episode 90b: Driving Through Arabia, 1976

Episode 90a: Driving Through Africa, 1976

Episode 89: Porto

Episode 88: Exploring Egypt

Episode 87: Singapore

Episode 86: Picturesque Peru

Episode 85: Surprising Pakistan

Episode 84: St. Louis

Episode 83: Summer in Iceland

Episode 82: Lemurs in Madagascar

Episode 81: Papua New Guinea

Episode 80: Chocolate Festival

Episode 79: Alternative Berlin

Episode 78: Berlin, 1989

Episode 77: Ice Skating