Learn about English words American people say without thinking
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| Alisha: Hi, everybody! Welcome back! I'm joined today again in the studio by… |
| Michael: Michael. Hey, everybody! |
| Alisha: And today we're going to be talking about our favorite English that we use without even thinking about it, so these are things that we just say, we say just so often they come really really naturally to us. So they might be kind of helpful for you to hear about some of the things that we like to say. So I guess I'll start us off for this one. The first one that I've picked, I think I think I picked really simple phrases this time around. The first one that I've chosen is the phrase I know. I know. I like to use this to agree with my friends a lot, so if my friend gives me some some kind of interesting information, I go "I know" or "I know!" Something just to show that I'm listening to them, and that I agree, it doesn't necessarily mean that I'm already, I don't know, like, like I've learned the information or something like that it's it's an agreement phrase that I like to use with my friends. it's just something that, yeah. |
| Michael: Yeah yeah that's this funny you said that because before you explain like the tone and gave an example of how you say it, I thought of it on the opposite side. To me, it sounded like a kid who's like I know, I know, mom. I'm giving them like you need to do this and this and this I know, I know, you know, I'm trying to think, I mean these are gender roles, you can say i thowever you want but I'm trying to think I know yeah hmm I don't know I've ever said it like that. |
| Alisha: Really? Oh, maybe it is a gender thing maybe it's more common among women than it is among them but I feel like it maybe it's just in a movie or maybe it's because it where I'm from that people will say like if you watch the last video for example dude I know that kind of yeah but that your point about kids saying that, it's so funny, like when you get in trouble, I know, I know. saying it like that it has a different meaning. it's another exercise in intonation, maybe this word I know but this phrase really okay cool so there's one what's your what's your first one? |
| Michael: So my first word is not really a word, it spelled a couple different ways, it's Pshhh… So this is something I didn't realize that I do a lot or say a lot or whatever but it's a sound that English speakers make that shows disapproval. so I don't know, like, okay, for example, the kid who's talking to a parent and then the parent says you know you need to do your homework, and I know, I know, but no seriously you need to get into a good… Pshhh! Mom, whatever! yes it may be the same as, like, whatever. |
| Alisha: Yep! she's good there are a lot of variations on Pshhh never whatever you don't want to hear what the other person is saying, you can use she or I seen another one that I like to use pffffft, that one's harder to say though it's not so natural. I think Pshhh good, any any sort of PP kind of sound him that just any sort of just nonsensical phrase said like that means I don't want to listen to what you're saying. yeah, that's a great one. that's a great one! I use that all the time, too! |
| Michael: I wish, I wish I didn't use it as much as I did, but, yeah, I suppose so. |
| Alisha: I see what you mean okay all right uh well onward I guess my next word is anyway. Anyway, I like to use to transition between two things to transition between ideas. I also like to use it when I'm I've been talking for way too long and I need to make an exit from the conversation. usually, I use anyway with kind of a dot-dot-dot feeling anyway, and I don't finish any, I don't finish saying anything after that. it's just sort of is my just a little slide out of it out of the conversation. |
| Michael: Anyway… Anyway, so I use this word a lot, actually. I'm glad you said that, actually some of my students asked me, they said, you know, what are some good words that connect to ideas or something like that, like a beginning you know like first, second, these kinds of words, and I never noticed this before it actually relates to this question, that a lot of the things that you look up that are transition words, we don't ever use in speech, it doesn't sound natural but you have to use synonyms, you have to switch it up if you're writing. Speaking, I say anyway almost every their sentence, maybe I do it too much, well, not that much but a lot a lot I realized even typing, even business emails, I say it all of the time like it's kind of like well, yeah, anyway. Maybe because I go on tangents a lot, so for me I use it not not as much as the anyway dot dot dot, I usually do the anyway back to what I was saying blah blah blah. |
| Alisha: that's a good point about it being used for transitions so a lot of my students are the same way they'll pick like a really really formal almost business-y term to use to transition in their speech and doesn't really sound so natural, but something like anyway or like you said well, or so, it's much better to use in conversation I think cool okay. Anyway. |
| Michael: Anyway. Seriously. So seriously this is another one always the intonation, this is this is our our thing is intonation, I guess, but seriously can be said in a lot of different ways. For me, maybe the most common is the same as when you say really? Just kind of like seriously? Okay, like, did that actually happen no way really yeah anytime you anytime you go up like that it's just it's a rhetorical question, you don't actually want an answer just like wow, same thing as wow. And then there's also the when someone does something stupid and you just look and seriously? You know, but that's less common, that's you know kind of ... |
| Alisha: Really? |
| Michael: Seriously? |
| Alisha: no, really! I mean I I use it the way that you just described it to do just to like if I see I don't know somebody who is walking on the street in front of me and maybe they stop and they don't have any consideration for the people behind them on the street, I might go seriously? |
| Michael: Oh! you're right, you're right, you're right! |
| Alisha: Like, oh! Is this really happening? Did you just make this decision? I, so, I, maybe, I use it when I'm talking to myself more not so much, I don't necessarily. Yeah, those are fighting words. |
| Michael: Yeah, those are fighting words, so no, you're right, I think maybe driving, the same thing, yeah. Seriously? Or I mean, are you are you kidding me? Well, I don't want to say the bad version of it, but this is what I'm thinking I'm driving like are you kidding me seriously you're right you're right but it's usually to yourself because otherwise, it's pretty aggressive |
| Alisha: That's true, yes, don't say it to the other person. But, yeah, you're right, in terms of when you're talking to your friends and you want to ask, did that really happen to you? Seriously? Yeah, it's super useful. Okay, my turn? Okay, last one for me. My last one is when I use all the time in a number of situations, I've chosen: I don't know. This is great for, of course, when you don't know the answer to something but I think when you don't know the answer to something like you know math question or whatever, it's better to say I don't know but when you use the the contracted, dunno. Form of don't know, it just shows kind of that you're, it's not a serious issue, it's not something you need your overly concerned with, I don't know, I don't have an answer, I don't have an idea, it's kind of like saying you know what do you think or just this is all I've got, you know. So I don't know, do you use it? |
| Michael: No, that's, that's a really good one. The same thing is anyway, I type this a lot I say well I say idk, which is the acronym for it. I would never say IDK out loud, don't say IDK, that sounds kind of stupid, I'm sorry, in my opinion. But you say I don't know. I don't know, I don't know. I say that all the time because I think it's it's just a nice way to be humble, really, because maybe you do know or you think you know, but it's a nice way to be like I'm not sure, you know, what do you think? it's a nice thing, it tones down your tone, you don't sound as authoritative as aggressive you say. I don't know what do you want to eat Chinese food tonight? yeah I mean I don't know we can we can eat whatever you want what do you think? |
| Alisha: Yeah, it's like a really nice soften or like that if you want to introduce you know like an offer, if you have an idea about something but you're not sure how the other person feels, you can just say I don't know, what do you want to do? I don't know what do you want to do? |
| Michael: But that's usually the thing that I don't know what do you want to do? I don't know what do you want to do okay just make a decision, we're gonna go to youtube, and we're gonna watch some videos in EnglishClass101. |
| Alisha: Wow nice! Anyway... Okay, so that's some English that we use without thinking about it all the time. I think that they're pretty useful phrases and they're a little bit fun, too. If you have some English that you like to use from time to time, or that you just find comes out of your mouth without thinking about it, please leave us a comment and let us know what it is, and... |
| Michael: Yeah, so also, this is this is a tough one because if you use it without thinking about it, it's hard for us to realize what those words are, so if there are any words you hear English people say and you're curious, also leave that in a comment anyway you can, and anyway I think that's that's about all we have, anything else? |
| Alisha: I think that's all! So give them a try and we will see you again next time when we have more fun stuff to talk about. Thank you. Bye! |
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