Easy Stories in English – Podcastlijstje

Learning a language is hard, but Easy Stories in English makes it easy! Ariel Goodbody introduces each story, explaining difficult vocabulary and talking about their life. Thanks to their high energy and clear pronunciation, the stories are entertaining and simple to understand.

Whether you’re a beginner, intermediate or advanced learner, there’s something for everyone. The stories cover a wide range of genres, such as fairy tales, myths and legends, drama, comedy, romance, horror, science fiction and action. There is a balance of children’s stories, as well as more mature themes for adults. While listening to the stories, you can read the transcript at EasyStoriesInEnglish.com and get both reading practice and listening practice. With enough time, you’ll find that your reading and writing skills improve as well.

Ariel Goodbody has a strong background in linguistics and language acquisition, and they base the podcast on Stephen Krashen’s theory of comprehensible input. Ariel changes the level of grammar to suit each level, but prioritise comprehension and good storytelling over anything else. Vocabulary is described using paraphrase, cultural references, pictures, intonation and sound effects. British culture, especially English culture, is naturally introduced throughout the episodes.

Ariel also has experience in theatre, and treats every episode like an audiobook performance. With character voices, dramatic timing and a range of accents, adults and kids alike will soon forget that they’re ‘learning’ at all!

Some of the most well-known stories from the podcast are: the Doggo and Kitty stories, Grimm Brothers’ Fairy Tales, The Very Hungry Dragon, Sleeping Beauty, The Perfect Pet, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Why Blood is Red, Saint George and the Dragon and Pioneers of the Continuum. Many stories are adapted from famous authors, such as Edgar Allan Poe, Hans Christian Andersen, Isaac Asimov, Josef Čapek, Margery Williams and Ryuunosuke Akutagawa.

Ariel studied linguistics at the University of Cambridge and started teaching in 2018. As a language teacher, they use comprehensible input techniques such as TPRS and story listening. In 2021 they published a series of graded readers. These easy readers allow fans to get their favourite stories in a physical format.

Apprendre l’anglais facilement avec des contes de fées et histoires racontés en anglais britannique. Méthode pour étudier les vocabulaires, la prononciation, la grammaire et la lecture en anglais. Les livres audio en anglais pour les niveaux débutant, intermédiaire et avancé.

Einfach Britisches Englisch lernen mit Märchen und Geschichten. Methode, um Vokabeln, Aussprache, Grammatik und Lesen auf Englisch zu studieren. Hörbücher auf Englisch für Anfänger und Fortgeschrittene.

Imparare l'inglese facilmente con fiabe e storie in inglese britannico. Metodo per studiare vocabolario, pronuncia, grammatica e lettura in inglese. Audiolibri in inglese per i livelli principiante, intermedio e avanzato.

Aprender inglés fácilmente con cuentos de hadas e historias en inglés británico. Método para estudiar vocabulario, pronunciación, gramática y lectura en inglés. Audiolibros en inglés para todos los niveles: principiante, intermedio y avanzado.

童話、メルヘン、物語でイギリス英語を学ぶことがやさしくさせるイージー・ストーリーズ・イン・イングリッシュ。アリエル・グッドボディはきれいなブリティッシュイングリッシュの発音で新しい単語を説明して、毎週のストーリーを語る。初級、中級、上級の生徒にむかうオーディオブックで英語文法や英語読書をアップさせる勉強取材。

通过英国英语的童话故事和故事轻松学习英语。学习英语的词汇、发音、语法和阅读。为初学者、中级和高级学生提供英语的有声读物。

Легко изучать английский язык с помощью сказок и историй на британском английском. Методика изучения словарного запаса, произношения, грамматики и чтения на английском языке. Аудиокниги на английском языке для начинающих, студентов среднего уровня и продвинутых студентов.

تعلم الإنجليزية بسهولة مع القصص الخرافية والحكايات باللغة الإنجليزية البريطانية. طريقة لدراسة المفردات والنطق والقواعد والقراءة باللغة الإنجليزية. كتب مسموعة باللغة الإنجليزية للمبتدئين والمتوسطين والمتقدمين.

Afleveringen

I Can't Keep Doing This (Intermediate)

5 mei 2026 · 28 min
Afspelen

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Enough is enough. Something has to change. I’m sorry everyone, but I can’t do episodes every fortnight anymore.

Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Cant for the full transcript.

New Vocabulary

Binge – to do a lot of one thing in one go, e.g. to binge a TV show

A leap of faith – a big, scary decision in your life – comment and let me know what leap of faith you’ve been putting off in your life!

Watching paint dry – an expression we use to refer to a very boring activity

On the back burner – when you keep putting off an important project because it’s not urgent

‘That sucks’ – a colloquial way of saying something is bad

Fortnight – two weeks, or fourteen days (UK English)

To kick in – to start taking effect, e.g. when a medicine kicks in

Anodyne – boring, uninspired, unoriginal

Anecdote – a small story from everyday life

A preview – when you get to see/hear part of something before it’s released

Video about North Korean pop culture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0T-pPPUAppk

00:00 Intro

01:24 New Vocabulary

07:37 How tastes have changed

10:45 Me vs. the other English learning podcasts

14:04 Bored of my own style

16:34 I need more time

18:19 Big plans

19:42 Story preview!

24:27 Vocabulary Recap

25:29 Tell me about your leap of faith!
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Cambodia is Hard to Talk About (Conversation)

7 april 2026 · 30 min
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I discuss my friend visiting me from the UK, and an emotional holiday in Cambodia. I touch on the heartbreaking topic of the genocide, but also something more fun: eating a giant spider!

Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Cambodia⁠⁠⁠ for the full transcript.

00:00 Intro

01:07 A visitor

03:16 Two big empires

05:59 Visa-free travel

07:01 Force-fed in a teahouse

08:23 My new spirit animal

11:36 My most important job

13:55 Cambodia

18:00 Yummy spider!

20:13 The challenge of talking about this

25:31 Summer plans

27:01 Outro
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Herding Mountains to Make a Forest (Pre-Intermediate)

23 maart 2026 · 26 min
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The Stone Forest in Yunnan is a beautiful karst mountain range. But how did it come to be? Learn all about the Sani people and the magical origins of this Chinese nature site in today's episode.

Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Mountains⁠⁠ for the full transcript.

Level: Pre-Intermediate.

Genre: Myths & Legends.

Vocabulary: Herd, Bucket, Spirit, Order, Whip, Unfurl, Dam, Rooster, Freeze.

Setting: China.

Word Count: 681.

Author: Chinese Myths.

00:00 Intro

00:52 The Sani people

01:39 My full circle momoent

04:12 Leaving Chinese

06:19 Coming back to Chinese

08:57 Busy busy!

11:14 Stumbling across the origin story

13:30 Vocabulary

17:34 Herding Mountains to Make a Forest

23:31 Outro
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Doing Stand-Up Comedy in Chinese (Conversation)

9 maart 2026 · 25 min
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Comedy is hard enough, but doing it in Chinese? Oh, Ariel, you do love a challenge! Hear all about my performance adventures and upcoming travel in this laughs-packed episode.

Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Comedy⁠⁠ for the full transcript.

00:00 Intro

01:18 Batching episodes

03:09 Discovering pine cones

05:14 The nightmare of tones

08:33 Trying comedy in Chinese

11:37 This is your host!

13:45 London vs. China

15:48 I've arrived

17:56 Upcoming holidays

19:33 Wicked 2

22:31 Let's gallop!
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The Animals' Peace Party (Pre-Intermediate)

23 februari 2026 · 21 min
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The cows and horses have argued with the pigs for too long. It's time to have a peace party and finally settle things. But one very talkative pig has a different view...

Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Peace⁠ for the full transcript.

Level: Pre-Intermediate.

Genre: Myths & Legends.

Vocabulary: Hoarse, Filthy, Greedy, Settle a dispute, Master (leader), Amongst, Farmhand, Favour (verb), Wisdom, Squeal.

Setting: China.

Word Count: 1044.

Author: Mary Hayes David, Chow Leung.
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All the Housemates I've Ever Had (Conversation)

9 februari 2026 · 59 min
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Living with people isn't easy, and I've had it really hard. The Illuminati, the silent treatment, and deadly narcissists - I've seen it all. If you live alone, this episode will fill you with relief, and if you have housemates, it'll make you think 'Maybe they aren't so bad after all!'

Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Housemates⁠ for the full transcript.

Cover art image of dirty dishes by Johan Hansson CC BY 2.0

00:00 Preview

00:39 Intro

03:48 The ethics of this episode

05:50 Living in Bristol

13:46 Moving in with a 'friend'

20:16 Choosing my next housemate

22:36 A brief interlude

23:21 Moving to London

27:27 Down to Eltham

32:20 Finally, up to Walthamstow

38:40 The confrontation

48:58 The actual building

52:11 Would I do it again?

55:07 Outro
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How the Moon Became Beautiful (Beginner)

26 januari 2026 · 18 min
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The moon is beautiful, but it wasn't always that way. True love was needed, as well as breaking a mother's heart...

Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Moon for the full transcript.

Level: Beginner.

Genre: Myths & Legends.

Vocabulary: Astronomy, Poem, Pick (flower), Sharp, Gentle, Ridiculous.

Setting: China.

Word Count: 843.

Author: Ariel Goodbody.

00:00 Intro

01:11 Vocabulary

04:53 How the Moon Became Beautiful

12:58 Transcription problems

16:10 Outro
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Christmas in Japan (Conversation)

12 januari 2026 · 1 uur 8 min
Afspelen

Hear all about my time in the bars of Osaka and Fukuoka at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Support⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Your support is appreciated! Lees meer

Christmas in Japan isn't like Christmas in the UK. For one thing, it includes humiliation. It also includes very strange food. And don't forget the hot springs!

Vocabulary: Elephant in the room, Onsen, Thatched house, Bullet train, Purikura, Chazuke

Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Japan for the full transcript.

00:00 Preview

00:31 Intro

01:34 The elephant in the room

03:23 New Year's resolutions

07:03 A spicy train journey

12:25 The hotel tricked me!

14:19 A smooth flight

15:57 The little things

18:32 Public behaviour

20:38 The wonderful resort

23:26 My first onsen experience

27:41 Let's go to the murder village!

34:13 The panda has left the building

36:14 Meeting the locals

39:15 Pew pew trains

40:51 Bright lights, big city

42:25 Ariel, you tease!

43:58 Welcome to the New World

46:54 The magical disappearing hangover

49:09 Onwards to Fukuoka!

50:51 Embarrassing ourselves at the Pretty Club

52:54 Crooning like robots

53:59 Exploring Fukuoka

57:23 But what about Christmas?

59:34 Culture shock-ish

01:02:35 Outro
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Hansel and Gretel (Pre-Intermediate)

30 december 2025 · 36 min
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What if the witch in Hansel and Gretel was Chinese? Well, then things would be very different. In this twisted version of the classic fairy tale, the two young children run away from the house of sweets and end up somewhere far more exotic...

Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Hansel for the full transcript.

Level: Pre-intermediate.

Genre: Horror.

Vocabulary: Woodcutter, Sweet tooth, Twig, Abandon, Breadcrumbs, Quitter, Betrayal, Witch, Belly, Prison bars.

Setting: Fairytale.

Word Count: 2357.

Author: Ariel Goodbody.

00:00 Intro

10:55 Hansel and Gretel

29:52 Outro
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It's My Podcast and I'll Ramble If I Want To (Conversation)

15 december 2025 · 38 min
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Get episodes without adverts + bonus episodes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Support⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Your support is appreciated! Lees meer

Have you ever eaten bone marrow? You know, the fat inside of animal bones? Have you ever wondered whether ancient humans sucked out the marrow like a tube of yoghurt? Yeah, that's the kind of stuff I've been doing recently. Have a listen.

Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Ramble for the full transcript.

00:00 Intro

00:48 Friday dreams vs Saturday realities

02:57 Dreaming of any colour Christmas

05:06 Whammageddon

06:42 Yummy bones

09:56 Style change!

12:22 Japan for Christmas

17:06 Osaka is Daban, apparently

23:52 No more faffing about with thumbnails!

30:34 Me, Myself and AI

34:03 Outro
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