Embarrassed to go to the doctor?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2024/ep-241226

delay: put off to a later time; postpone

diagnose: identify a disease or medical problem by recognising the symptoms and examining the patient

suffer in silence: endure or struggle with painful feelings or trauma without asking anyone for help

put (someone) at ease: make someone feel calm and relaxed

confidential: kept private and secret; information which is not shared with anyone

non-verbal cues: communication using means such as the expression on your face, hand gestures, or tone of voice to show how you feel about something, rather than using words

Call centres: Are you talking to AI?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2024/ep-241219

yelling: shouting

pacify (someone): down someone who is angry

in the near future: very soon, within a short time

as a matter of fact: used to add emphasis to a statement, to give more detail about what has just been said, or to introduce something that contrasts with it

empathetic: able to put yourself into someone else’s position and share their feelings or experiences

you know: (filler word) used to give the speaker time to think, or to express uncertainty

Making ‘mum friends’

https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2024/ep-241212

play date: time that parents arrange for their young children to play together

clique: small group of people who like to spend a lot of time together and may seem unfriendly towards other people

glam: (informal) short for glamorous: visually attractive and exciting

fit into (a group of people): and feel accepted by the other people in a group

down to luck: (informal) depend on chance rather than effort or skill

click with (someone): feel a friendly connection with someone, especially the first time you meet them

Can you trust ancestry DNA kits?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2024/ep-241205

family tree: diagram that shows all the members of a family, usually over a long period of time, and how they are related to each other

ancestry: the origins of your family; your ancestors who lived a long time ago

take (it) with a pinch of salt: do not believe that something is completely accurate or true; be doubtful or sceptical about something

forebears: relatives who lived in the past

ethnicity: social, cultural and linguistic characteristics shared by a large group of people

blow your mind: be extremely exciting or surprising

How babies learn to talk

https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2024/ep-241128

babble: meaningless noises and sounds which babies make as they start learning to speak

stressed syllable: sound within a word which is emphasised by being spoken longer, louder or higher than the other sounds

error: mistake

classic example: perfect or most typical example of something which has all the features which you expect such a thing to have

take (something) for granted: accept or assume something without question

ambiguous: having more than one possible meaning; being open to interpretation

The secrets to a healthy old age

https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2024/ep-241121

young at heart: (idiom) think and behave in a youthful way, in spite of your age

positive attitude: feeling hopeful, confident and focused on the good aspects of life rather than the bad ones

twin studies: scientific research using sets of twins to investigate the roles of genetics and environment in human development

Mediterranean diet: food typically eaten by people living around the Mediterranean Sea, such as fresh vegetables, olive oil and fish

communal meal: occasion when people sit down together to eat, talk and share a meal

multigenerational household: people from two or more generations of the same family living in a house together

The bond between sisters

https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2024/ep-241114

get on: have a good relationship

put someone on the spot: (informal) make someone answer a difficult question or make a difficult decision in the moment, often embarrassing them in the process

march to your own drum: (idiom) do things in your own way; think and behave differently from others

sibling: brother or sister

bossy: enjoy telling people what to do

spoiled: allowed to do or have whatever someone (eg. a child) wants, usually with the result that they behave badly

Having acne

https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2024/ep-241107

puberty: stage of life when a person grows from a child into an adult because of changes in the body’s sexual reproductive system

emotionally vulnerable: have your feelings and emotions easily hurt

trivialise: make something seem less important than it really is

get through (it): to survive a difficult experience or challenging period of life

over the counter: describes medicine that can be bought in a shop without a doctor’s prescription

bane of (my) life: source or cause of persistent unhappiness or misfortune