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Talking about hates

Episode 260619 / 19 Jun 2026

(Photo: Getty)

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Introduction

Neil and Georgie have a real conversation in easy English about hates – the things that make them angry! Learn to talk about the difference between annoying and frustrating, and hear some of the things that Georgie and Neil just can't stand.

Vocabulary

can't stand (something)
really don't like something

annoying / irritating
causing a slight feeling of anger or upset

annoyed / irritated
slightly angry or upset

frustrating
causing some anger because something is delayed or prevented

frustrated
quite angry because you cannot do or complete something

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Transcript

Neil
Hello and welcome to Real Easy English. In this podcast, we have real conversations in easy English to help you learn. I'm Neil.
 
Georgie
And I'm Georgie. You can find a video version of this podcast with subtitles on our website, bbclearningenglish.com.
 
Neil
Hi, Georgie. How are you?
 
Georgie
I'm very well, thank you, Neil. How are you?
 
Neil
I'm OK. At the weekend, I went to a concert.
 
Georgie
Yes.
 
Neil
And I was trying to listen to the music. Lots of people around me were talking loudly, and I really hate that.
 
Georgie
Oh. It's quite annoying, I guess, yeah. Well, today we're actually talking about things that we don't like – things that we hate doing and things that we don't like other people doing. So, let's talk about your concert then. How... why didn't you like that?
 
Neil
I just think it's... it feels quite rude to me because lots of people want to listen to the music and they paid money to listen to the music, but other people have decided just to talk and it means I couldn't listen to my favourite music.
 
Georgie
Yeah, and the tickets are expensive! And you go there for a reason and other people can ruin the experience for you. This happens also in the cinema or the theatre. Yeah, I find that annoying too. I don't like it when people… when groups of people are walking down the street in a line and they don't leave space for other people to pass. I can sometimes be a bit impatient, and maybe that's my problem, but yeah, that annoys me.
 
Neil
Do you know what I can't stand?
 
Georgie
What?
 
Neil
I can't stand it when people leave litter or rubbish, especially in a beautiful, natural place. So, if I'm in the countryside and then I see some old wrappers or...
 
Georgie
Cans.
 
Neil
...cans left lying on the ground, that makes me sad and angry.
 
Georgie
Yeah, because it spoils the beautiful environment. Is there anything that you hate doing personally?
 
Neil
Oh, lots of things. I really hate DIY. DIY is when you do repairs to your own house or flat.
 
Georgie
Yes.
 
Neil
I'm really bad at it. And because I know I'm bad at it, when I do it and it's a failure, everything about it makes me hate it.
 
Georgie
Another thing that I don't like doing is, similar to what I said before, I don't like going through crowds of people because again, I like to get to places quickly and if I can't move easily in a crowd that frustrates me. I find that annoying and irritating.
 
Neil
Yeah, it's really irritating, isn't it?
 
Georgie
And it's strange because usually I'm quite a calm and relaxed person and I just think, well, whatever happens happens. But for some reason, in these situations, I get very annoyed. It makes me very annoyed.
 
Neil
How about food? Is there any food that you can't stand?
 
Georgie
Actually, no. I eat most food and I really love food. When I was younger, I used to hate nuts for some reason. I don't like the texture but... or I didn't like the texture. But now I think I don't mind them so much. I just don't want nuts in my sweet treats. So, Neil, do you think that there's anything that you do that other people hate?
 
Neil
Oh, definitely. I've got kids and kids are very honest. And so my kids think I'm really annoying in the morning, especially if I ask them lots of questions when they're making their breakfast.
 
Georgie
I can really relate to that, to your kids actually, because I really don't like it when people ask me lots of questions in the morning. I'm just waking up. I don't want to talk to anyone at the moment. Anything else?
 
Neil
Well probably lots, but let's leave it there. How about you?
 
Georgie
There's definitely things that people find annoying about me. I'm very forgetful with my possessions – so, things that I own. I often leave bags, phones, jackets, umbrellas in restaurants and bars. And my friends and my sister get really annoyed because they have to follow me around making sure that I've got all of my things. And I think that's very annoying for them. It's annoying for me as well because I lose lots of things, like my phone a couple of times. Annoying for everyone!
 
Neil
OK. Let's recap the vocabulary we've heard in this episode, starting with can't stand. If you can't stand something, you really, really don't like it.
 
Georgie
The adjectives annoying and irritating describe something that makes you feel uncomfortable or angry when it happens.
 
Neil
Georgie just gave the adjectives that describe the situation, but annoyed or irritated describe the way you feel. So, if you are annoyed or irritated, something has made you angry.
 
Georgie
If you feel frustrated, you're annoyed because you can't do something. For example, if you're in a traffic jam, you can feel frustrated that you can't move somewhere quickly. The situation is frustrating.
 
Neil
That's it for this episode of Real Easy English, but don't forget to go to our website, bbclearningenglish.com, where you can download a free worksheet.
 
Georgie
And we'll be back next week with another conversation in Easy English. Goodbye for now.
 
Neil
Goodbye!

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