Welcome to the Leonardo English blog 👋

A 30-day challenge to master 100 advanced words and phrases. Learn vocabulary, practise your writing with a group of like-minded students, and get instant feedback from Da Vinci, our OpenAI-powered English teacher.

Our first "Creative Writing Challenge" finished this week. Here's an insider look into how it went, including the tasks our wonderful challengers undertook.

Telling stories is a fundamental part of being a human. But telling a story in a foreign language is not always easy. Here's how we practised this (and had a lot of fun) during a members-only session.

Write stories. Connect with other curious minds. Have fun. Improve your English at the same time. It’s time for a new challenge…

Meet Marianne, a curious mind from France who now calls Bristol "home". Learn what she finds the hardest about learning English, and her "podcast learning routine".

Great news - you can now listen to selected episodes of English Learning for Curious Minds on LingQ!

Did you know that you can use artificial intelligence to help you learn English? No, it’s not science fiction! It’s real, it’s free and you can begin using it today with our guide! Teachers, we have tips for you, too!

Some people say that 20% of your effort produces 80% of your results. Is this true for language learning? If it is, how can you use this knowledge to learn more effectively?

The BBC - the British Broadcasting Corporation - has been producing videos, radio programmes, articles and even English practice materials for over 100 years. Let us guide you through our choices of the very best content for English learners.

I say, old chap, are you looking for podcasts from Old Blighty? Let’s take a look at the very best British English podcasts for language learners and how you can use them to improve your proficiency. God save the King!

One cold December night, curious minds from a wide range of countries gathered for our first ever “Christmas Pub Quiz”. There wasn’t a pub, but there were questions and merriment. Here’s how it went, and how you can take the quiz yourself and test your knowledge.

Listening is a tough part of the IELTS test and speaking is even harder. Here’s the good news; we can show you how to use podcasts to prepare for the listening AND speaking parts of the IELTS test. And you’ll even have fun while doing it.

A startup called OpenAI released an Artificial Intelligence Chatbot called ChatGPT a few days ago. I tested it out to see whether it could write an episode of English Learning for Curious Minds

Transcription is a simple study activity that you can do on your own, anytime you choose. Our guide will explain different transcription techniques and help you choose the one that works best for you.

For the first time even, we held a "quiz". It was a great experience, there was a healthy sense of competition, and we all learned a lot of weird and wonderful facts about the United Kingdom.

Pronunciation is more than just getting different sounds correct. It’s speaking clearly with the correct pace, tone and stress. These ten simple activities will help you practise all these things.

A wide range of vocabulary is the very foundation of good English language skills. It’s important to learn vocabulary efficiently and effectively, so that it’s not easily forgotten. These ten simple activities will help you do just that.

For many learners, grammar is the hardest aspect of English. Others enjoy learning grammar as a way to better analyse English sentences. Whatever your feelings on grammar, you know it’s important. That’s why we’ve put together this guide with ten great ideas for grammar activities that you can do on your own!

Speaking isn’t something you can practise on your own; you need a teacher for that, right? Wrong! There are plenty of ways to practise speaking on your own and our guide will start you off with ten great activities!

Thanks to the Internet, it’s easy to find things to read in English. But what is the best way to approach reading? What methods and activities can you try? This guide will give you ten great ideas for reading activities that you can do on your own… today!

Are you looking for ways to practise your writing, but you have no teacher and no idea where to start? This guide will give you ten great ideas for writing activities that you can do on your own… today!

Listening materials in coursebooks are not authentic, but “real” listening materials can be too difficult. So, what is the best way to practise real listening? This guide will help you out with ten great ideas for listening activities that you can do on your own!

Here’s a list of my favourite 12 episodes from 2022 (so far). How many have you managed to listen to?

For our October members-only session we read an extract from Roald Dahl’s memoirs, Boy: Tales of Childhood. It was an amazing session where we talked about childhood, evil adults, and the experiences that shaped this iconic children’s writer.

Our next challenge will start on November 7th. Here's everything you need to know about it, and how you can take part.

English is a language known for its large and varied vocabulary. Does this mean it will be harder to become fluent? Not if you build our synonym activity into your learning routine!

Reading is a great habit for many reasons, and one of them is learning English! With a good book, you can escape into a whole new world and improve your vocabulary at the same time. Here are our ten top recommended books for English learners.

You might have heard people telling you not to translate between languages if you want to become fluent. However, there is one theory that suggests that translation is good! What is this theory and how can it help you?

By some calculations, one third of English words have Greek origins. In this article, we explain the impact of Ancient Greek on English, and look at 10 Ancient Greek words and their fascinating original meanings.

Textbook listening clips can be unrealistic, boring, outdated and strange. It’s 2022 and time to explore new ways of teaching listening.

Everyone likes a challenge! Here is a language challenge that you can either do with a partner or by yourself - it’s the 4-3-2 exercise! It can help you speak more fluently and even help you prepare for the IELTS speaking test.

On the last day of August we hosted our first ever “book club”, where we discussed George Orwell’s classic novel, Animal Farm. Here’s how it went, and why we will be doing another one very soon.

There are plenty of resources out there for you to practise listening. In fact, there are so many that most learners don’t know where to start! That’s where our guide will help you. Let us recommend the best free listening techniques and resources - and how to use them.

We’ve spent months working on a course English language schools will *hate*. It’s called “Demystifying Business English”. Here’s what’s in it, why you might like it, and how you can get early access to it.

Signposting is a simple and easy-to-learn technique that can improve your listening, writing and even presentation skills. In fact, once you know this technique, you will see it everywhere! Let us explain it to you with this step-by-step guide.

The Monitor Hypothesis is one of many ideas developed by Professor Stephen Krashen to help people learn a second language more effectively. What is this powerful idea about self-correction and how can it help you in your speaking?

Many English learners use ineffective strategies in their independent listening practice. Avoid this problem with our guide to intensive and extensive listening. We will show you how and why it is important to practise both of these techniques.

Curious about what happened at our June Conversation Session? It was a wonderful evening full of discussions about interesting films, books & TV series. Here's what happened.

Without linking words, your writing will be harder for readers to understand. This article explains linking words and their importance, gives plenty of examples and provides extra guidance on the most confusing ones.

This guide for English learners will help you identify your weak areas of pronunciation, understand what you need to improve and give practical tips on how to strengthen your vocal skills.

Used correctly, podcasts are a powerful tool to improve your English speaking. In this article we’ll share the best podcasts to improve your English pronunciation, and give you effective strategies to make the best of them.

Learn about our first ever "Murder Mystery" game for members, and guess who the guilty party might have been...

The business world is full of confusing phrases, acronyms and buzzwords. If you are entering an English-speaking workplace, don’t worry; we can help. We have prepared a handy guide to “translating” Business English.

It can feel frustrating when you have been learning English for many years, but you still struggle to understand native speakers. Our guide to better understanding native speakers explains the problems you may face and gives practical strategies to help you.

Word order in English seems at first to be straightforward. However, if you take a closer look with our guide, you can avoid many common mistakes made by upper-intermediate English learners. These are practical tips that you can use in both speaking and writing.

We've just launched an even easier way of finding an interesting podcast episode to listen to. Here's how to use the "Search by Tag" functionality to find an interesting episode to listen to.

Job interviews are already stressful, but what if your interview is in English, and you speak English as a second language? Don’t panic! We have some great tips to help you ace your English job interview, even if it’s online.

English grammar is not only hard, but it’s also confusing and sometimes it doesn’t even make sense! From adjective order to whom and who, here are my top tips on how to deal with difficult grammar situations.

Phrasal verbs are confusing, and there are so many of them. Sometimes, they don’t seem to make any sense. But can you ignore them? And, if not, what are some techniques to master them?

We had a special edition of our Members-only Icebreaker session on Wednesday, bringing curious minds together with curious objects in a “show & tell” session. Here’s how it went, and some of the unusual objects that were "showed and told".

If you want to express yourself powerfully in English, you need the right verb. We’ll show you where, when and why this is important and give you tips for learning new action verbs.

Our inaugural 21 Days of Idioms Challenge is now over. Here’s how it went, everything we learned, and a full list of all of the idioms in the challenge.

Minimal pairs are a simple tool to identify and correct pronunciation issues. Here is how you can practise them and use them as a tool to speak more naturally.

People often talk about “the British accent”. The reality is that there are many British accents and they can sound very different indeed! We will guide you through the main types of British accents and explain what all this means for an English learner.

A wide range of vocabulary is the very foundation of good English language skills. In this article you'll learn practical tips and simple strategies for improving your vocabulary from an experienced English teacher.

Is your goal to speak fluently with no hesitation? Perhaps that shouldn’t be your goal at all. This article shows how filler words can actually help you to express yourself more clearly.

Our next challenge will start on March 28th. Here's everything you need to know about it, and how you can take part.

Every English learner wants to speak English more naturally. Here are our top ten tips to sounding more natural in English, and the practical methods you can start using today.

Many English learners become obsessed with idioms and see them as a way to become a natural speaker of English. Let’s explore just how important idioms are… and the dangers of using them.

Using sentence starters is an easy way to lift your English to the next level. We will give you ten categories of sentence starters that are simple to use, explain each one, and provide you with plenty of examples. You can use them straight away!

We’ve teamed up with British Council EnglishScore to offer 1€ private lessons with British Council approved English tutors. Read on to see how you can get a private English lesson for less than the cost of a cup of coffee.

This week some amazing curious minds came together for not one but two different Icebreaker meetings. Here's how they went, and a sneak peek into some of the "icebreaker" questions we answered...

Do you avoid learning grammar? Do you feel that it’s boring and unhelpful? Read our guide for independent learners and let us change your mind. We’ll show you how to make grammar a “great” part of your English practice.

Business English isn’t as complicated as you might think it is. Here are a the most important steps that you can take to make sure your business writing impresses your clients and co-workers.

TED.com is an amazing resource for English learners. This guide shows you how to get the maximum benefit from the site by applying active listening techniques.

Spanish is a beautiful language with many things in common with English. However, you just can’t speak English in the same way you speak Spanish! Use our guide to discover the common mistakes that Spanish speakers make in English and how to avoid them.

English learners have a lot of options when it comes to choosing an English certificate. Learn the differences and find out which one is best to achieve your goals in English.

Are you afraid that your accent is holding you back from speaking better English? This article will help you understand the role of accent in pronunciation, and we’ll give you tips to speak more clearly.

Do you hate vocabulary lists? Do you feel that new words disappear from your memory soon after you learn them? It's time to learn about a much more effective way.

Meet (and listen to!) Isabella, a curious mind from Germany. Learn about how she has developed a wonderful English accent despite having spent very little time in an English-speaking country.

Listening is a powerful way to increase your fluency in English, but you need good strategies to become an active and independent listener. Here are our favourite 10 activities that will help you improve faster and more effectively.

There’s a lot more to improving your listening skills than just listening. This guide shows you how switching to active listening can help you learn faster and more effectively.

It’s now 2 years since we released the first episode of English Learning for Curious Minds. Here’s everything that happened this year, and some fun statistics about who was listening.

Meet Aminah, a curious mind from Thailand who moved to the UK last year. Learn about her English goals, and how she is planning to get her IELTS test to get her license to practise dentistry in the UK, all while taking care of her young baby.

Writing is an incredibly powerful skill for English learners that will help you improve your vocabulary, stop making the same mistakes, and become a more confident and eloquent speaker of English. In this guide, English teacher Emile explains why, and how you can make the most of this technique.

There are hundreds of thousands of English teachers to choose from. Here are our top tips on how to find the perfect one for you.

Used correctly, podcasts are a fun and effective way for your ESL students to improve listening skills. Your students will thank you for introducing them.

Looking for a bargain on your next English course? Here are some of the best deals for English learners this Black Friday, including italki, Preply, Mosalingua and Linguix.

Do you feel embarrassed and shy when using English? It doesn’t need to be this way. Here’s how you can become a more confident speaker of English and take your English to the next level.

Did you know that there was a way to use Google to learn a new word in English every day? Google launched this feature at the end of October, and it is available for free to anyone with an Android or iPhone device. Here's how it works (and why you should use it).

Meet Nadia, a curious mind from Russia who is keen to improve her pronunciation in English. Learn about her English-learning routine, and how she uses podcasts to improve her speaking skills.

What are the differences between the big four English tutoring platforms and how can you find out which is best for you? We asked English teacher Emile to review each website and report back with the good, the bad and the ugly.

Cambly is one of the biggest tutoring websites, offering English lessons online since 2012. How it is different to all the other English-tutoring websites, and what are some smart ways to use Cambly to learn English?

Verbling is one of the most popular tutoring websites, offering thousands of tutors for English and other languages. Can you use Verbling to learn English quickly and easily?

Preply claims to offer over 25,000 English tutors and private classes for as low as $2 an hour. How does it work, and is it actually any good? Read on for our detailed review of Preply.

italki is one of the biggest websites for English teachers, with almost 8,000 teachers to choose from. How does it work, and is it actually any good? Read on for our detailed review of italki.

If novels and news articles are too difficult to read, graded readers are a fantastic choice. You can enjoy a story and improve your English at the same time.

Matt Halsdorff and Christian Saunders recently teamed up to work on an amazing project about how native English speakers can adapt their language. Here’s what’s in it, and why it matters.

Tens of millions of people every year take Business English classes in the hope of getting a better job. But what actually is Business English, do you actually need it, and does it really matter?

There are 3 non-native speakers of English to every native English speaker. If you are learning English, what does this mean for you?

Millions of learners enrol at English schools every year. Are they wasting their money, and what are the alternatives?

Meet Jenneke, a curious mind from The Netherlands. Discover how she started speaking "International" English, and why she decided to focus on activating her "passive" vocabulary.

We just finished our first “Vocabulary Builder” challenge. Here’s how it went, all the words we covered, and everything we learned.

Can classic language learning methods help me improve my English? Here is how using an old-school method in a new way can help you improve your English.

Recording yourself speaking English is a powerful way to improve your fluency and see your progress over time. Here’s how to do it effectively.

“Chunking” originated in psychology and it changed how we think about memory. Here’s how you can apply it to learn English more effectively.

Meet Cassie, a Master's student in Translation and Interpreting with plans to become an interpreter. Discover why she decided English Learning for Curious Minds was the perfect tool to help her with real-time interpreting, and how she learned to have a fluent conversation in six months.

Saying the wrong word can be really embarrassing, but it’s part of the process. Use these tips and tricks to notice your mistakes and make them less often.

Meet Laura, "The Hungry Learner", and learn about her recipe for successful language learning. She has also been kind enough to provide a 7 day planner for how to maximise your use of podcasts to learn English, and how to build your own daily habit.