For intermediate English learners

Finally understand real English Then speak it with confidence

Built on 40 years of research into how adults actually become fluent, delivered in 20-minute lessons you can do anywhere

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4.8 Apple Podcasts · 1 billion downloads
Dr. Jeff McQuillan teaching Comprehensible Input i+1
Dr. Jeff McQuillan Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics + Education
15MLearners
189Countries
1,800+Lessons
21 yrsof ESLPod®

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Hear it for yourself

120 seconds inside a Daily English lesson

Press play. Notice how clearly we speak. Every difficult word is explained in clear English you already understand. That's Rich Comprehensible Input™ in 120 seconds.

Sample Lesson

Competing in Business

Complete lessons have 20-25 minutes of audio + 30-40 minutes of reading material

0:002:00

You hear the dialogue spoken at a clear speed in the beginning of the lesson, like this line:

Yoko: I'm thinking we could go in another direction. What do you think about offering freebies or gifts with purchase?

Show the explanation ↓Hide the explanation ↑

Then you hear an explanation of that line in the main lesson:

Dr. Jeff: Yoko says, "I'm thinking we could go in another direction," meaning we could do something different. She asks, "What do you think about offering freebies or gifts with purchase?" A freebie is something you get for free, that you do not pay for.

If you go to the grocery store in the United States, sometimes the store will give you a small piece of food that they are selling for you to taste. That's a freebie. You don't have to pay anything for it. Of course, they want you to buy some.

The phrase gift with purchase means you get something extra when you buy a certain product. So, a woman goes to the store to buy some makeup, things to make her face look beautiful, more beautiful, let's say. The store may offer her a gift with purchase. If she buys this 50-dollar package of makeup, they will give her a two-dollar lipstick or ten-dollar lipstick. I don't know how much lipsticks cost. I don't buy lipstick. Well, not anymore.

Finally, you will hear the line again at a normal speed at the end of the lesson:

Yoko: I'm thinking we could go in another direction. What do you think about offering freebies or gifts with purchase?

Want to hear more?

Rich Comprehensible Input™

Why this works when apps don't

Apps, AI chatbots, and live tutors focus on all the wrong things. Rich Comprehensible Input is what 40 years of research says actually works to turn intermediates into fluent, confident speakers.

Hear the words clearly

Every Daily English lesson is recorded with our unique Slow-Explain-Fast Technique™. You understand every word, with real American English, not textbook scripts.

Slow-Explain-Fast Technique™ Conversations recorded at slow speed, explained, then reviewed at natural speed

Get large amounts of input

Each lesson goes beyond the audio with a 10-page Learning Guide. You get the cultural context for English idioms, phrases, and expressions, and learn what Americans know and use every day.

Daily & Cultural English Library 1,800+ lessons on daily life, business, travel, idioms, culture, and more

Speak with confidence

No time is wasted on games, exercises, or English you cannot understand. Research-driven i + 1 Targeting™ makes sure every lesson is at your level. When you understand, you start speaking without stopping to translate.

i + 1 Targeting™ Input one step above your current level, exactly what you need to improve

What You Get

What's Inside Unlimited English

1,800+ lessons across 16 categories • Every lesson comes with a 10-page Learning Guide

Daily English

8 categories · 1,500+ topics

  • Business Tough Negotiations, Making a Presentation, Hiring for a Job, Negotiating Salary, Giving Opinions, and more
  • Travel + Transportation Asking for Directions, Hotel Reservations, Going Through Customs, Reserving a Rental Car, Arranging Airport Transfer, and more
  • Daily Life Talking about Time, Being Late for an Event, Avoiding Giving an Opinion, Getting Dressed, Types of Neighborhoods, and more
  • Money Paying the Bills, Using an ATM, Talking about Prices, Investing Your Money, Being in Debt, Giving Correct Change, and more
  • Shopping Shopping at the Mall, At the Bakery, Garage Sales, At the Butchers, Finding a Bargain, Getting Bad Service, and more
  • Health + Medicine Scheduling a Medical Appointment, Childhood Illnesses and Diseases, Health Insurance Plans, Sports-Related Injuries, and more
  • Entertainment + Sports At the Movies, Seeing a Play, Bar Hopping, Pop and Jazz Music, Watching the Olympics, Betting on Sports, and more
  • Relationships + Family Seeing Old Friends, Going to a Wedding, Describing a Person's Looks, Dating a Younger Man/Woman, Saying Goodbye, and more

Cultural English

8 categories · 2,000+ topics

  • Popular Culture Super Bowl Parties, Online Dating, Hip Hop Culture, Filming in L.A., and more
  • Common English Language Q&A British vs. American English, Can vs. Can't, Effect vs. Affect, Pronouncing "a", Common Abbreviations, and more
  • American Writers and Artists Stephen King, Mark Twain, Bob Dylan, Yo-Yo Ma, Ansel Adams, Kate Smith, Georgia O'Keefe, Raymond Chandler, and more
  • Famous Places, Cities, and States Las Vegas, Niagara Falls, Yellowstone, Honolulu, Graceland, Disneyland, Boston, Carnegie Hall, California, and more
  • Classic American Movies Star Wars, Bonnie and Clyde, Apocalypse Now, Titanic, The Shawshank Redemption, Blockbuster Movies, and more
  • Well-Known Books Dr. Seuss Children's Books, Chicken Soup Series, Rich Dad Poor Dad, Catch-22, The Farmer's Almanac, The Road, and more
  • Presidents, Politics, and History John F. Kennedy, Pledge of Allegiance, George Washington, Barack Obama, Liberty Bell, Salem Witch Trials, and more
  • Holidays and Festivals Thanksgiving, Christmas and Kwanzaa, Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Fourth of July, Memorial Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and more

Every lesson: audio + 10-page Learning Guide • Listen anywhere • Cancel anytime

The main course

Unlimited English

1,800+ lessons in clear, real English

$290/year or $29/month

  • 1,800+ lessons on daily life, business, travel, idioms, culture, and more
  • Full English transcripts for every lesson, every word spoken
  • Vocabulary explained in clear English you can easily understand
  • Listen anywhere on your phone, browser, and iOS or Android app

How it works

  1. 1 Pick your 20-30 minute lesson each day
  2. 2 Listen to the audio while you are on the train, in your car, on your walk, or drinking your coffee
  3. 3 i + 1 Targeting™ takes you to the next level so you can speak more fluently

Free lesson

5 Phrases That Make You Easier to Understand in English

A 10-minute audio lesson with the five exact phrases you can use when someone doesn’t understand what you said in English

No credit card needed

Bovard Administration Building at the University of Southern California

Your professors

Dr. Jeff McQuillan & Dr. Lucy Tse

ESLPod® launched in 2005 as the first English learning podcast in the world. Today, it is one of the most respected and popular English learning programs anywhere. More than 15 million people have learned English with ESLPod, with lessons downloaded over one billion times.

The host is Dr. Jeff McQuillan. He holds a Ph.D. in applied linguistics and education from the University of Southern California, and has spent more than 35 years helping adult learners move from intermediate to advanced English. Dr. McQuillan has published more than 60 books and scientific articles on language learning and has appeared on CNN as a leading language expert.

Dr. Lucy Tse writes and produces the ESLPod lessons. She holds a Ph.D. in second language acquisition from the University of Southern California. Dr. Tse wrote the best-selling book, Why Don’t They Learn English?, has published dozens of research articles, and has contributed to the Harvard Educational Review.

The ESLPod method is built on 40 years of research by Dr. McQuillan, Dr. Tse, and their former professor and co-author, Dr. Stephen Krashen: When you give learners enough rich, interesting, and understandable input, the ability to speak naturally follows.

  • 15M learners taught · 21 years of ESLPod.com · 40+ years of comprehensible input research

Learners speaking now

Common Questions

What level of English do I need to start?
Lessons are designed for adult intermediate learners: people who can read a lot of English, understand most of it, but still find it hard to speak easily or understand native speakers. If you've tried apps like Duolingo or Babbel and feel you're not making progress, you're in the right place.
Are all of your lessons 100% in English?
Yes! All of our lessons are designed for intermediate and advanced English users. We do not use any translation. All lessons and instructions are completely in English to give you complete immersion in the language.
How does the 7-day free trial work?
You get 7 days to try all of our 1,800+ lessons for free. Cancel anytime before Day 7. On Day 8, your credit card is charged either $29 (for the monthly plan) or $290 (for the annual plan), depending on which one you signed up for. We will email you 2 days before we charge you to remind you.
Does the membership auto-renew? Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Monthly memberships renew every month, annual memberships renew every year, until you cancel. You can cancel from your account easily. Every course and membership has a 30-day money-back guarantee.
How is this different from Duolingo, Babbel, or online tutors?
Most apps and tutors focus on either rote memorization or "output" practice, forcing you to speak before you're ready. They're based on now-disproven 19th century theories of how we learn languages. Unlimited English is for adults who enjoy practical English in lessons that are funny and interesting. We use current scientific research to create real, interesting English at a level you can actually understand. The result is the ability to listen to fast English and to speak more fluently.
Is this only for American English?
The hosts are American, so the accent is American English. But the vocabulary, the grammar, and the method work for any English you'll need, whether it is British, Australian, or international business English. The way clear English works is the same everywhere.
Can I download lessons for offline use?
Yes. Every lesson can be downloaded to our iOS or Android phone app so you can listen on a plane, on the subway, or anywhere your phone has no signal.
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