Learn English with the British Council and Premier League

Latest Episodes:

Speaking Skills - Words of encouragement Sep 08, 2017

Show notes

In this week's Premier Skills English Podcast, Jack and Rich talk about how we show sympathy and the language we use to encourage others. Jack is sad about Arsenal's start to the season and Rich is not very sympathetic. The focus is on some fixed expressions we use to sympathise and encourage people when they are feeling sad or depressed. They also talk about the importance of intonation in our voices when we want to be sympathetic and encouraging. The task for listeners is to complete three dialogues that use sympathetic and encouraging language. As always, we also have a new football phrase for you to guess. Find all the learning activities, a quiz and a discussion on the website: http://premierskillsenglish.britishcouncil.org/skills/listen/podcasts/speaking-skills-words-encouragement

Speaking skills - Talking about computers Sep 01, 2017

Show notes

In this week's Premier Skills English Podcast, Rich is having some problems on his computer and can't change his Fantasy Football team. He calls Jack for some technical help. focus on being polite and the words and expressions you should use to show politeness.The language focus is on words and phrases we use to talk about computers and giving instructions. Your task is to write some step-by-step instructions for other listeners on the Premier Skills English website. As always, we also have a new football phrase for you to guess. Enjoy! You can find all the free learning activities on the website: http://premierskillsenglish.britishcouncil.org/skills/listen/podcasts/speaking-skills-talking-about-computers

This week - Matchweek 3 Aug 28, 2017

Show notes

What happened in Matchweek 3 in the Premier League? Join the discussion: http://premierskillsenglish.britishcouncil.org/skills/listen/week/matchweek-3

Speaking Skills - Being polite Aug 25, 2017

Show notes

In this week's Premier Skills English Podcast, Jack and Rich focus on being polite and the words and expressions you should use to show politeness. They look at some different situations where it is important to be polite and what you should say and what you shouldn't say. Your task is to look at some impolite or rude sentences and make them more polite using some of the polite expressions we introduce in this podcast. As always, we also have a new football phrase for you to guess. Enjoy! Go to the website for all the free learning activities, a quiz and discussion points: http://premierskillsenglish.britishcouncil.org/skills/listen/podcasts/speaking-skills-being-polite

This week - Matchweek 2 Aug 21, 2017

Show notes

What happened in Matchweek 2 in the Premier League? Join the discussion on the website: http://premierskillsenglish.britishcouncil.org/skills/listen/week/matchweek-2

Pronunciation - Difficult words and sounds Aug 18, 2017

Show notes

In this week's Premier Skills English Podcast, Jack and Rich focus on pronunciation. They talk about where their clubs (Arsenal & Liverpool) finished last season and where they might finish in the Premier League this season. The language focus is on difficult sounds to say and difficult words to pronounce. Jack and Rich give you lots of examples of some of the most common sounds and words that learners have problems with. They also give you some sentences and tongue twisters to practise at home. The task for listeners is to write a tongue twister that includes some sounds that are difficult to pronounce. As always, we also have a new football phrase for you to guess. Enjoy! Find all the free language activities and a discussion on the website: http://premierskillsenglish.britishcouncil.org/skills/listen/podcasts/pronunciation-difficult-words-and-sounds

This week - Matchweek 1 Aug 14, 2017

Show notes

Welcome to 'this week' from Premier Skills English, a weekly review of the action from the Premier League for learners of English across the globe. In 'this week', Jack and Rich talk about all of the weekend's action in the Premier League; the big headlines and the main talking points. We also ask you to get involved; do you agree with Jack and Rich's choices of best player, best team and best match of Matchweek 1? Make your prediction for next week's big match and tell us how your club or fantasy football team is doing. We welcome comments from all football fans and especially welcome comments from football fans who are learning English. Join the discussion on the website: http://premierskillsenglish.britishcouncil.org/skills/listen/this-week/matchweek-1

Premier League Kick-off Aug 10, 2017

Show notes

In this week's Premier Skills English Podcast, Jack and Rich talk about the new Premier League season which kicks off on the 11th of August. They speak about the teams that they would like to win the Premier League, the teams that they think we should keep an eye on and some young players who could make an impact this season. We would like to hear from you, too - don't forget to tell us what you would like to happen this season in the comments section at the bottom of this page. As always, we also have a new football phrase for you to guess. Enjoy! For all the free language activities and discussion, go to the website: http://premierskillsenglish.britishcouncil.org/skills/listen/podcasts/premier-league-kick

On a desert island Jul 27, 2017

Show notes

In this week's podcast, Jack and Rich help you with conditional sentences and ask you to imagine the things you would like to keep with you if you were stranded on a desert island. Find all the learning materials on the website: http://premierskillsenglish.britishcouncil.org/skills/listen/podcasts/desert-island

Speaking Skills - At a hotel Jul 22, 2017

Show notes

In this week's Premier Skills English Podcast, Jack tells Rich about a bad hotel experience. The language focus is on words and phrases you can use at hotel receptions and the lesson includes 20 of the most common questions asked in hotels. Jack and Rich role play two different hotel situations and introduce lots of useful language at the same time. Your task is to write about a hotel that you've stayed in and then to upload it to a travel advice website. As always, we also have a new football phrase for you to guess. Enjoy! You can find all the learning activities on the website http://premierskillsenglish.britishcouncil.org/skills/listen/podcasts/speaking-skills-hotel