A2 · Getting started
Longer stories about daily life, past and future.
- Mnyama anayetengeneza mavi ya mchemraba Wombats make cube shaped poop, and now we know why. Audio
- Ndege huyu analala akiwa anaruka Frigatebirds fly for many days and sleep only a little. Audio
- Chakula cha mchana ambacho nchi nzima inakula In the Dominican Republic, everyone eats the same lunch at the same time. Audio
- Chakula cha jioni kilichopikwa na volkeno In the Azores, people cook food inside a hot volcano. Audio
- Treni ya mwisho Tomas misses the last train in Tokyo and sleeps in a tiny room. Audio
- Kikombe kitupu On his first day, Pedro drinks from a cup that is not his. Audio
- Nambari arobaini na saba Carla waits a long time at the clinic for a small cut. Audio
- Kupotea Lisbon Sofía gets lost in Lisbon and a woman helps her with a map. Audio
- Chumba chenye balcony Marcos gets a hotel room with a nice balcony. Audio
- Meza kwa mtu mmoja Mia eats alone in a small restaurant, and the waiter helps her choose. Audio
- Kiungo kilichowahi kugharimu sawa na dhahabu Saffron comes from tiny flower threads picked by hand, and for most of history a pound of it cost about the... Audio
- Ziwa linalotoweka kila kiangazi In Slovenia, a huge lake fills a valley in winter and then vanishes underground every summer, leaving... Audio
- Bustani iliyo karibu na nyumba yangu A squirrel describes the small park next to its tree: the pigeons by the benches, Mr. Badger and his bread,... Audio
- Mji unaoweka dhahabu juu ya aiskrimu Kanazawa in Japan makes almost all of the country's gold leaf, and wraps whole sheets of it around soft ice... Audio
- Ndege inayodumu sekunde tisini A tiny plane hops between two Orkney islands in Scotland on the shortest scheduled flight in the world. Audio
- Piga kelele au utakosa kituo chako A shared minibus with no bell and no screen, where the only way off is to say so out loud, early and twice. Audio
- Chakula cha mchana kisichoisha In Spain, the best part of lunch starts when the food is finished. It even has its own name. Audio
- Usiagize latte kamwe nchini Italia In Italy, the word latte does not mean coffee. One small word can bring you a big surprise. Audio
- Kahawa inatoka wapi Coffee begins as a red fruit on a green plant and travels far before it fills a cup. Audio
- Kulala kwenye treni ya usiku Night trains in Europe carry travelers between cities while they sleep in cozy beds. Audio
- Jinsi nyuki wanavyotengeneza asali Honeybees turn sweet flower nectar into golden honey through hard teamwork in the hive. Audio
- Barabara ndefu ya hariri The Silk Road was a famous trade route that linked China with Europe for many centuries. Audio
- Amazon, mto mkubwa zaidi The Amazon is the river that carries the most water in the world. Audio
- Pweza na mioyo yake mitatu The octopus is a clever sea animal with three hearts and blue blood. Audio
- Nyaya zilizo chini ya bahari Long cables under the ocean carry almost all of the information that travels between countries. Audio
- Mbio ndefu ziitwazo marathon The marathon is a very long running race with a curious and surprising history. Audio
- Mwanga wa kwanza kijijini While the whole village sleeps, one window glows: the baker lights the oven so fresh bread will be ready by... Audio
- Ndege mdogo aliye ndani ya saa In Germany's Black Forest, carved wooden cuckoo clocks call out every hour while children wait and laugh. Audio
- Mji ambao ilikuwa marufuku kufa When a small Italian town ran out of space in its cemetery, the mayor signed an order telling people not to... Audio
- Paka anayepanda basi Every morning a cat climbs onto the same city bus, watches the streets go by, and gets off at his own stop. Audio
- Samaki anayepanda maporomoko ya maji In Hawaii, a fish smaller than your finger climbs up waterfalls taller than buildings, using its mouth as a... Audio
- Mvuke na sahani ndogo A first night at a Taipei night market, where pointing, smiling, and one brave question buy a very good... Audio
- Fyonza kwa Sauti, Ndiyo Adabu In Japan, slurping your noodles loudly is not rude, it is a sign that you are enjoying the meal. Audio
- Maporomoko Yanayoanguka Kuelekea Juu On very windy days, strong gusts can blow a Norwegian waterfall's spray back up into the sky. Audio
- Duara na Meli ya Asubuhi The Ring of Brodgar at dusk, then the small practical business of leaving an island, done in four sentences... Audio
- Nafaka ya Siku Tisini In a bar in Kirkwall, a flat dark bannock turns out to be the reason the islands were farmable at all. Audio
- Mkusanyiko Juu ya Miamba Grey seals are hauling out on the low rocks before the pupping season, and the questions Polly has been... Audio
- Walijenga kwa Walichokuwa Nacho On Lamb Holm, two army huts hold a chapel that prisoners of war made out of scrap, and the only honest... Audio
- Kijiji Chini ya Dhoruba At the Bay of Skaill, a guide with a carrying voice explains a village that a storm returned to the light... Audio
- Kiti Kando ya Moto A guesthouse above the harbour, an argument about what counts as a quiet room, and a chair whose whole... Audio
- Meli Yawasili Bandarini Polly lands at Stromness off the morning boat and works out, one question at a time, how a place with no... Audio
- Rangi ya Waridi Haipo Pink has no wavelength of its own; it is a color the brain invents when the eyes see red and blue light... Audio
- Unang'aa Hivi Sasa The human body constantly emits an extremely faint light, invisible to the eye but detectable with a... Audio
- Ukungu Unajifunga Nyuma Yake On her last afternoon, Polly flies high over the island before fog rolls in and hides it behind her. Audio
- Kijiji Kilichounganishwa na Volkano Polly learns that the same volcano heat that cooked lunch also warms a big public pool and heats homes in... Audio
- Chakula cha Jioni Kilichozikwa Alfajiri Polly watches a cook bury pots of food in the ground, where the volcano's heat cooks dinner with no fire. Audio
- Kreta Moja, Rangi Mbili Polly finds a huge old crater with two lakes, one blue and one green, joined together under a strip of land. Audio
- Ndege Aliyedhaniwa Kupotea Mara Mbili Polly looks for the priolo, a tiny grey and pink bird that lives only in one forest and was once thought to... Audio
- Bustani Mbili za Mwisho Ulaya Polly finds one of the only two tea farms left in Europe, started after the island's orange trees died. Audio
- Visiwa Tisa, Mabamba Matatu Polly arrives over São Miguel, the biggest of the nine Azores islands, made of black rock, green fields,... Audio
- Polly anapanda basi Polly's first bus ride: does this bus go downtown, one ticket, how much, where do I get off, next stop,... Audio
- Polly anauliza njia Polly is lost on the way to the library and asks an owl for directions: excuse me, where is it, is it far,... Audio
- Polly anaagiza kahawa Polly's first cafe order: good afternoon, a coffee with milk, do you have churros, the check please, how... Audio
- Polly sokoni Berta takes Polly to the market. Polly buys fruit for the first time: what is this, two apples, how much, a... Audio
- Polly anakutana na mtu Polly moves to a new street and meets Berta the bear. First greetings: hello, your name, nice to meet you,... Audio
- Vladivostok Polly arrives in Vladivostok and flies off over the Pacific Ocean. Audio
- Amur Polly reaches the Amur River and meets a rare crane on the sixth day of the Trans-Siberian. Audio
- Ziwa Baikal Polly spends a day on the train along Lake Baikal, the deepest and oldest lake on Earth. Audio
- Majira ya Saa Polly explores the dining car and learns that the train uses one time zone across all of Russia. Audio
- Kuvuka Milima ya Ural Polly crosses the Ural Mountains, the line between Europe and Asia, on the Trans-Siberian train. Audio
- Misitu ya Mibiru Polly watches Russian birch forests from the Trans-Siberian train and learns that forty percent of Russia... Audio
- Kituo cha Yaroslavsky Polly boards the Trans-Siberian train at Moscow and begins her seven-day journey to Vladivostok. Audio
- Kwaheri kwa Pasta Polly says goodbye to Pasta the octopus and flies out of Naples. Audio
- Mhariri wa Mwenyewe Polly learns that octopuses can change their own nervous systems by editing RNA in real time. Audio
- Pizza na Chakula cha Mchana Kirefu Polly has lunch with Chiara at a Neapolitan pizzeria and learns about traditional Neapolitan pizza. Audio
- Ngozi Inayoona Polly learns that octopus skin can sense colours even though octopus eyes cannot. Audio
- Mwili Unaofikiri Polly watches an octopus solve a maze with two arms working independently. Audio
- Kopo Polly watches an octopus open a jar to catch a crab and learns how short an octopus's life is. Audio
- Ghuba ya Napoli Polly arrives in Naples and meets a giant Pacific octopus at the world's oldest marine biology institute. Audio
- Kuondoka Bonde Polly says goodbye to Ranger Tomas and flies west out of Yosemite. Audio
- Njia ya Maziwa Juu ya Glacier Point Polly watches the Milky Way at Glacier Point and looks through a telescope at the centre of our galaxy. Audio
- Nusu Dome Polly flies up Half Dome on warm air with a flock of swifts, sees the summit, then glides back down. Audio
- Mwewe Anayeruka Polly tries to copy a peregrine falcon's dive, learning what makes the falcon the fastest animal in the world. Audio
- Mti wa Sequoia Polly visits a giant sequoia nearly 3,000 years old and learns about its fireproof bark. Audio
- Safari na Mlinzi Tomas Polly spends the morning in Ranger Tomas's truck, learning about bear feeding and peregrine falcon nests. Audio
- Juu ya Bonde Polly flies into Yosemite Valley, watches climbers on El Capitan, and rides the shuttle bus at dusk. Audio
- Harufu ya Mdalasini A new neighbor leaves a small surprise outside her door. Audio
- Kilo Mbili za Uvumilivu A first trip to the local market with a vendor who refuses to let her leave with the wrong tomatoes. Audio
B1 · Finding your flow
Polly's weekly adventures and real-world stories.
- Mkono Unaoweza Kuonja Octopus suckers contain special receptors that let an arm taste whatever it touches, even in total darkness. ? Quiz included Audio
- Mbio ambazo jibini daima hushinda Once a year in England, people chase a wheel of cheese down a dangerously steep hill, and the cheese almost... Audio
- Wanyama wawili wapya, kila mmoja kwa ukubwa wa ukucha Scientists in Montenegro just described two snail species new to science, found on limestone cliffs in a... Audio
- Siku mdudu halisi alipoharibu kompyuta In nineteen forty-seven, engineers found an actual moth stuck inside a giant computer, taped it into their... Audio
- Kamba mwenye jua ndani ya kucha yake A small ocean shrimp snaps its claw so fast that it creates a flash of heat nearly as hot as the surface of... Audio
- Nyumba iliyogawanywa kati ya nchi mbili In a small town on the Belgian-Dutch border, some houses sit in two countries at once, and the front door... Audio
- Jeshi lililoshindwa na ndege In nineteen thirty-two the Australian military was sent against emus eating the wheat crop in Western... Audio
- Sokwe wana lafudhi za kikanda A new study of more than eleven thousand recorded calls found that young chimpanzees in different parts of... Audio
- Mtandao uko chini ya maji Almost all international internet traffic travels along cables lying on the sea floor, which break... Audio
- Mnyama anayetoa kinyesi cha mraba Wombats are the only known animal to produce cube shaped droppings, and the corners are formed by uneven... Audio
- Mji unaoishi ndani ya jengo moja Almost every resident of Whittier, Alaska lives inside a single fourteen storey building reached through a... Audio
- Ndege huyu hulala akiwa anaruka Frigatebirds stay in the air for days over open ocean, and researchers put recorders on their heads to find... Audio
- Chakula cha mchana anachokula nchi nzima In the Dominican Republic the main meal lands at midday, it is almost always the same three things, and the... Audio
- Ramani yako ingekosea kabla ya chakula cha mchana Satellite clocks tick faster than clocks on the ground, and if nobody corrected for it your phone would... Audio
- Unawaka mwanga. Hakuna anayeweza kuuona. Human skin gives off a faint light all day long, and a Japanese team photographed it in a sealed dark room. Audio
- Bluu hii ipo mahali pamoja tu A stony beach in the Dominican southwest, one pebble that is blue all the way through, and the single... Audio
- Kahawa moja, nchi mbili In one small town, the border between Belgium and the Netherlands runs straight through streets, houses and... Audio
- Ujumbe wako husafiri chini ya maji Almost everything you send across an ocean travels through cables lying on the sea floor, not through... Audio
- Ufuo unaowaka bluu usiku On some warm coasts, the sea lights up electric blue when you touch it. The light comes from billions of... Audio
- Hoteli inayotembea wakati umelala On a European night train, you fall asleep in one country and wake up in another, with the Alps outside... Audio
- Chakula cha jioni kinachopikwa na volkano On a green island in the Azores, cooks lower a pot into a hot hole in the ground and let the earth slowly... Audio
- Ngome ambayo mfalme hakuishi ndani yake kwa muda mrefu A Bavarian king built a fairy-tale castle on an alpine crag, slept there only a handful of nights, and left... Audio
- Kutembea sakafuni mwa bahari Twice a day the North Sea pulls back for kilometres, and people walk barefoot across the bare seabed before... Audio
- Kwa nini simu yako inazimika kwenye baridi Your phone shows forty percent battery, then dies in the snow. The battery is not empty. It is cold, and... Audio
- Mji uliofichua mto For fifty years, Seoul hid a river under an elevated highway. Then the city tore the highway down, and the... Audio
- Kilomita kumi juu angani Passenger planes cruise about ten kilometres above the ground. That number is not random: it is where the... Audio
- Binadamu wa kale walistawi msituni Scientists once thought ancient humans avoided rainforests. New evidence from West Africa says they thrived... Audio
- Kwa nini asali ya miaka elfu tatu iliyopita bado inaliwa Honey jars from Egyptian tombs three thousand years old are still edible. The chemistry behind a food that... Audio
- Mechi ya tenisi iliyodumu siku tatu The longest tennis match ever played: Isner vs. Mahut, Wimbledon 2010, eleven hours, three days, a final... Audio
- Pweza aliyefungua kufuli An octopus called Inky escaped his aquarium tank at night through a drain pipe, and what it reveals about... Audio
- Malipo Makubwa Kuliko Yote Katika Riadha A brand new athletics championship this month paid its winners more than the sport has ever offered before. Audio
- Kufundisha Kompyuta Lugha ya Nyangumi Researchers are using artificial intelligence to search for real structure inside the clicking patterns of... Audio
- Mapigo ya Polepole ya Moyo wa Miti Laser scans at night revealed that trees pulse gently every few hours, possibly pumping water through their... Audio
- Maua Saa Tisa Usiku At three in the morning, Bangkok's biggest flower market is more awake than midday, and it never really... Audio
- Wanariadha Elfu Kumi, Usiku Mmoja wa Ufunguzi The 2026 Asian Games, hosted jointly by Aichi and Nagoya, Japan, bring together roughly ten thousand... Audio
- Benki Inayopokea Jibini Pekee An Italian bank keeps a vault holding more than half a million wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano, accepted as... Audio
- Namba ya Betri Yako ni Kisio A phone's battery percentage is not a direct measurement, but an estimate calculated from voltage and... Audio
- Ufuo Huu Umetengenezwa kwa Takataka A sparkling beach in Northern California is made entirely of old dumped glass, smoothed into colorful... Audio
- Hakuna Ghorofa ya Nne Popote In much of East Asia, elevators skip the number four entirely, because it sounds exactly like the word for... Audio
- Misitu ya Mibiringanya Polly wakes up on the second morning of the Trans-Siberian, watching the birch forests of European Russia.... Audio
- Mhariri wa Kujihariri Polly learns that octopuses edit their own RNA in real time, building a brain that is different in each... Audio
- Kuondoka Bondeni Polly says goodbye to Ranger Tomas and flies west out of Yosemite, watching a peregrine hunt swifts on her... Audio
- Shomoro Anayepiga Mbizi Polly tries to copy a peregrine falcon's dive from El Capitan, learning how the falcon's third eyelid and... Audio
- Jumapili ya Paella An adult granddaughter visits home and finds her grandfather hasn't forgotten anything yet. Audio
- Treni ya Kwenda Granada An overheard phone call on the train turns a long trip into a kind of company. Audio
- Duka Lisilo Sahihi A simple coffee order leads to a strange conversation about a bookshop that doesn't exist anymore. Audio
- Chumba cha 304 Kina Mandhari A late check-in turns into a small gift when the hotel runs out of rooms on the lower floors. Audio
- Meza ya Mtu Mmoja A traveler eats alone in Madrid and discovers the waiter is the real star of the meal. Audio
C1 · Stretch yourself
Rich, natural texts about places, history and ideas.
- Viumbe wawili ambao hakuna aliyewahi kuwapa jina, waliopatikana ukingoni mwa jabali Scientists in Montenegro have described two snail species new to science, found on limestone cliffs in a... Audio
- Kamba mwenye jua ndani ya gamba lake A small ocean shrimp snaps its claw so violently that it produces a flash of heat nearly as hot as the... Audio
- Vita ambavyo Australia alishindwa na emu In nineteen thirty-two the Australian military was deployed against emus devastating the wheat crop in... Audio
- Sokwe, inabainika, wana lafudhi A new study of more than eleven thousand recorded calls finds that young chimpanzees in different parts of... Audio
- Benki inayokopesha kwa dhamana ya jibini An Italian bank stores and ages more than half a million wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano, accepted as... Audio
- Kwa nini ramani yako ingekuwa na makosa kufikia muda wa chakula cha mchana Satellites tick at a different rate than clocks on the ground, and without a deliberate correction your... Audio
- Mwako ambao ngozi yako haiachi kutoa Human skin gives off a faint light around the clock, invisible to the eye, as a Japanese team confirmed by... Audio
- Ni nini hasa kinachobeba maneno yako kuvuka bahari Almost everything sent between continents travels not through satellites but through cables lying on the... Audio
- Hoteli inayovuka mipaka ukiwa umelala On a European night train, a traveller falls asleep in one country and wakes in another, with the Alps... Audio
- Mto ambao Seoul aliuficha kwa nusu karne Seoul spent decades entombing a river beneath a highway, then reversed course and dug it back into the... Audio
- Kile ambacho jumapili bado inadai An adult granddaughter returns home for Sunday paella and discovers that her octogenarian grandfather's... Audio
- Mkahawa mmoja, nchi mbili In the Belgian Dutch town of Baarle, the international border runs straight through streets, houses, and... Audio
- Ngome ambayo mfalme wake karibu hakuishi kuiona Bavaria's King Ludwig the Second poured a fortune into a fairy tale castle he would inhabit for barely a... Audio
- Kutembea juu ya sakafu ya bahari Twice each day, the tide withdraws for kilometres along the Wattenmeer coast, inviting walkers onto the... Audio
- Simu yako haijafa. Ina baridi tu. A phone that shows forty percent battery and then dies the moment you step into the cold has not run out of... Audio
- Kilomita kumi juu Passenger jets cruise about ten kilometres up not for the view but because that is where thin air starts... Audio
- Asali iliyodumu kuliko milki Honey sealed inside Egyptian tombs thousands of years ago remains perfectly edible today, and the reason... Audio
- Pweza aliyejiachia kutoka kwenye kufuli An octopus named Inky vanished from a New Zealand aquarium overnight, and the ingenious route he took to... Audio
- Nyangumi aliyesafiri kilomita elfu kumi na tano Polly learns about two humpback whales who swam 14,000+ km from Australia to Brazil, breaking the world... Audio
- Kupanda Mahali Pakavu Zaidi Polly arrives at ESO's Paranal Observatory in the Atacama, the driest place on Earth, where four enormous... Audio
- Mabadiliko ya Saa Polly explores the dining car on the fourth day of the Trans-Siberian and learns that the whole train runs... Audio
- Mwewe Anayeparamia Polly tries to copy a peregrine falcon's dive after seeing one launch from El Capitan, learning about the... Audio
- Msekoya Polly visits Mariposa Grove and climbs into the canopy of the Grizzly Giant, a giant sequoia nearly 3,000... Audio