All Ears English
The most well known and well regarded conversational podcast for English learners. The format of the podcast is not very different from others on this page, but what I think has made this podcast so renowned among English learners is the energy and chemistry shared by hosts Lindsay and Michelle. Listen to this podcast for some great conversational tips and practice; it's time well spent!
The English We Speak
Less of a podcast for conversational practice, and more about conversational vocabulary and expressions. Listen if you find yourself interested in British English, because many of the expressions taught here are not used in the US. For people who say they are too busy to study English, there is no excuse not to listen to this podcast, as it rarely exceeds 2 minutes.
6 Minute English
For some reason the BBC decided to offer the 2-minute "The English We Speak" and this self-titled 6 Minute English podcast. With 4 extra minutes, this podcast does offer a bit more explanation and detail of certain topics, vocabulary, and grammar, but I think most dedicated English learners will still be left itching for more than something well under 10 minutes in length. I highly recommend these BBC podcasts if you're someone who never seems to have enough time in the day to study English. Clocking in at 2 and 6 minutes, it's hard to make that excuse here.
Adept English
Geared towards more serious English learners, Adept English focuses on conversations to improve your listening skills and vocabulary. Additionally, some episodes focus on tips to help you achieve fluency faster and easier by spending your time more wisely.
EnglishClass101.com
This is primarily a video podcast – so if you don't have time to watch videos, this will not be useful for you! Although I find the name quite spammy, the content is very good! If you're a beginner to lower intermediate English learner, this is the place to improve your conversational skills, start to learn British and American expressions, and improve your grammar.
Voice of America
The Voice of America podcast is excellent for English learners who enjoy learning about current events, listening to the news, and being generally informed about the world. I listen to Voice of America everyday in Spanish and it's a great way to stay up-to-date while improving the language you're studying. If you enjoy the podcast, definitely visit their website!
Effortless English Podcast
I don't consider this an English learning podcast, although it is labeled that way, but rather as a self-help guy who sometimes talks about English. AJ has a lot of enthusiasm, and that's what I think most of his listeners enjoy. So if you enjoy his podcast, you will probably learn some good vocabulary and ways to maintain your English studies. Other than that, I think there's better podcasts to listen to.
Easy English Expressions
As the title of this podcast says, you will learn some very useful expressions from Shane's podcast. Besides that, if you're looking for what most English learners consider a "typical" American accent – Shane is a great person to model your accent after!
English Fluency Now
Very similar to the Voice of America podcast in how it focuses on current events. This is a great podcast for a mix of everday English and some more formal English that varies depending on the topic being discussed. At the time of writing, it doesn't seem that this podcast is updated any longer, however with so many podcasts already created, there are a lot of past episodes you can still listen to and learn from!
English Funcast
Want to have fun learning English? Then Funcast is for you. Discussing a great variety of English topics, English Funcast makes learning less stressful. Many English students say that they are unable to be funny in their second language, this podcast will help you overcome this obstacle! Unfortunately, the podcast is rarely updated – thankfully, there are many past episodes to listen to!
Zapp English
Zapp claims that their listening and colloquial English podcasts feature real English speakers involved in unscripted, authentic situations – this is definitely not the case. They are intermediate conversations slowed down for English learners. BUT – still very helpful! Just don't fool yourself and think that these are real conversations.
Luke's English Podcast
If you want to listen to a British guy, then this is the podcast for you! Haha – really though, the podcast has Luke telling stories and talking about his daily life. There is no focus on teaching English, it's just Luke talking about unrelated things from episode to episode – and that is great for conversational practice! But so are all other podcasts in the world that happen to be spoken in English.
I will Teach You a Language
Some language learners prefer to get language learning advice from polyglots. It's understandable, seeing as they've learned so many languages, and probably have some advice to offer. Olly is one of them, and he offers some advice that's helped him, as well as interviewing other polyglots and language learners. Being honest, all the "polyglot" stuff kind of annoys me, and I find it easier to focus on one language instead of talking about learning several.
Actual Fluency
Another "polyglot" style podcast, like the podcast reviewed before this one. It's the same style, a person who speaks a few languages offers some tips and interviews other polyglots. If you strive to become a polyglot, listen to these podcasts. If you are someone focusing on one language, I would avoid them.
Creative Language Learning
Yep. Another "polyglot" podcast. If you liked the previous 2 podcasts, then you'll probably like this one too. It's people who study a lot of languages talking about learning a lot of languages. I don't think these podcasts are ideal for the typical language learner – someone focused only on 1 language, because there is a big difference between someone studying 1 language and someone trying to study them all. If you are hellbent on learning a lot of languages – you'll find some useful conversations here!
Language Mastery
The last of the polyglot podcasts. Nothing different than the last ones. If you want to learn as many languages as possible and English is just your next step in accomplishing that goal, check out this podcast. If you're someone who is just studying English for a while, there are better podcasts with more important tips and advice.
Culips ESL
Another podcast that claims to have absolutely real, unscripted conversastions – but what you really get are slowed down, scripted conversations for intermediate level English speakers. It's a good podcast, but it bothers me that they lie about the level of English spoken. To clarify: great for intermediate, nothing like a real conversation.
English 2.0
A great podcast that focuses on both traditional language learning – grammar, pronunciation, word stress, etc. – and motivational and English learning strategies. This is another video podcast, so if you don't have time to watch videos, then you should look for a different podcast.
Espresso English
Espresso English offers short but detailed English vocabulary, pronunciation help, and answers to commonly asked questions. I wouldn't say there is a lot of energy, especially compared to other podcasts on this list. Sometimes the audio quality is quite poor, while other times it is quite good, so that's a little frustrating.
Happy English
Happy English offers short but effective podcasts that focus primarily on vocabulary usage. If you are short on time, but looking for a way to increase your English vocabulary, this is a good option with an energetic host.