Living with debt

Living with debt

From 6 Minute English by BBC Radio

May 28, 2026 · 7 min

About this episode

Neil and Pippa discuss the challenges of living with debt and introduce new vocabulary related to financial issues.

Many people have to borrow money to make big purchases, like buying a house or a car. When you do this, you have to pay the money back over time – the money you owe is a debt. With the current cost of living getting increasingly high, some people are having to borrow money even for everyday purchases like bills and food. Sometimes this debt can get out of control, which causes anxiety and stress. Neil and Pippa discuss this and teach you some new vocabulary. Find a transcript and worksheet at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2026/ep-260528 Got another 6 Minutes? Try Real Easy English to learn from natural English conversations: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/real-easy-english/ Learn English from the biggest news stories from around the world: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/learning-english-from-the-news_2026 Search 'BBC Learning English' in your podcast app to find our other programmes or visit bbclearningenglish.com

People in this episode

Hosts: Neil, Pippa

Topics covered

  • debt
  • cost of living
  • financial anxiety
  • vocabulary
  • borrowing money

Keywords

  • debt
  • borrowing
  • cost of living
  • financial stress
  • vocabulary

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: BBC Radio

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