Good.

Today’s speaker was Sasha! 🇨🇦Thank you for taking part! 🎧 Audio transcript in the description!

I need to cut down on the chocolate 😂

This is very thorough, Jon! We find the differences between American and British English terminology fascinating!

Thank you so much Hanna 🇸🇪 for being part of the series! 🎧 Audio transcript is in the description!

Love your presentation! You're also a fellow DaVinci user. :) That's really cool that you live in Japan. it's definitely the country I'd love to visit one day.

Looking forward to next video!

The idea of having different accents in the videos is interesting and challenging to the learners, like me 😂.

I need to get used to the most heavy British, because understand you were easy peasy, but understand the lady, was very difficult. Btw, nice video! Keep going!

I came across your video, and I thought it was very useful, well structured and very well explained, without being too long, making the learning process easy to get! Congrats.

Hey Jon, this is Faiz! I’ve checked out your channel, and your videos are truly fascinating. I’d love to collaborate with you on a conversational video for my channel. Let me know if you’d be interested in working together. Looking forward to hearing from you!

So I can use got you covered for when giving guidance?

As always awesome content!

Today’s speaker was Honey! 🇵🇭 Thank you and take care! 😊 🎧 Audio transcript in the description.

Very helpful ❤ keep uploading 😊

It's very useful video❤ please keep uploading❤ You are helping many English learners by your videos 😊

Amazing ❤ keep uploading such videos please

Amazing ❤

Your pronunciation is amazing

Thank you “Uncle Vin” 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 @vincentwaymusician for your first appearance in the series! 🎧 Audio transcript is in the description!

Thank you! I won’t give up!

This is a good length of time to study when I have a break at work! Very helpful,thank you 🙏

Thank you Fouad 🇩🇪 for taking part in today's video! Full Transcript: So today we're going back into a business/work-related topic, and our speaker is from Germany. He's a bilingual English and German speaker, so there's a bit of an accent there, but I think that's great practice for listening to different people out in the wild. We have a question here, something sensitive. What does the speaker say? Which one of these? These can all be used, by the way, with sensitive having a variety of different meanings, but which one does he use? Let's take a listen and do not look at the subtitles the first time. ----------------------------------------- We clearly have too many projects due by the end of this month. It's pretty clear that some things need to be set to one side for a bit, so let's figure out what's urgent first. Our branch manager informed us on Tuesday that our inspection is on the 27th. Now that's locked in for sure. We need to start the preparations ASAP. We also need to have all of our computers backed up by the end of this week so that the IT can perform their security updates. That's a must. I'll talk to the team, see if there's anything else that's time-sensitive, and get back to you this afternoon. ----------------------------------------- Okay, he used the compound word time-sensitive. Good job if you caught that. These are all of the other questions we're going to answer at the end of the video, but pause now quickly if you want to have a look first. Okay, he said, We clearly have too many projects due by the end of this month. It's pretty clear that some things need to be set to one side for a bit, so let's figure out what's urgent first. So, to set something to one side means to postpone it or just give it less of a priority compared to other things. Put money to one side and think about what you really want. So maybe this person's thinking about the cost of something. They're saying, "No, put that to one side and think about what you really want." Forget about money for a second, or let's set that aside and worry about the bigger problem. So he's saying what's urgent. We need to decide what cannot be set to one side so then we can find the other things that can be set to one side. I hope that makes sense. Our branch manager informed us on Tuesday that our inspection is on the 27th. Now that's locked in for sure. So he's saying it's locked in, which means to be made certain. Could be for an event, time, place, reservation. Let's lock that in as soon as we know who's coming. You can also say to set it in stone. If something is set in stone, it is made certain. It's not going to change. So he's saying that this inspection is locked in. We need to make preparations for that, so this is something that cannot be set to one side because it's definitely going to happen. By the way, ASAP, I assume a lot of you watching probably already know, means as soon as possible, but perhaps you don't know that we can say it in all these different ways. We can say as soon as possible, we can say ASAP, we can also say A.S.A.P. Let's listen again to how he used it. We need to start the preparations ASAP. Yeah, so he used this one here, ASAP. So just listen out for all these different variations. Please respond ASAP, ASAP, as soon as possible. All right, I think we're good so far. Let's go on to the second page. Stay hydrated. More important than studying, I shouldn't say that. Second page: We also need to have all of our computers backed up, means to make a copy, to keep it safe, by the end of this week so that IT can perform their security updates. So I think the reason he said the IT instead of just it is it's short for the IT department. That's a must. Well, if something's a must, it's essential. It's necessary. So that's saying that it cannot be set to one side. A large garden is a must somebody might say if they're looking for a house. If it's a thing that you can buy, by the way, we can also call it a must-have. This new smartphone is a must-have. It's something that's essential for me to have. But backing up the computers, that is a must. I'll talk to the team and see if there's anything else that's time-sensitive and get back to you this afternoon. Okay, so that was from the warm-up. Time-sensitive-something that cannot wait or needs to be done soon. These reports are time-sensitive, but the customer reviews can wait until next week. Please don't confuse it with a sense of time, which means to just have a good idea of how long something will take. Time-sensitive means it cannot wait, needs to be done soon. So with that second page finished, let's look back at these comprehension questions. Which projects will be set to one side? Well, he said that at the beginning, but after that, he kind of switched it around and talked about what can't be set to one side. So he didn't actually say anything. It's what they're trying to find out, but they haven't gotten that far yet. Question two: Is the company's inspection date likely to change? Well, he said it was locked in. If we remember what locked in means, then the answer is no, it's not going to change, or not likely to change. And the last question: Who will the speaker talk to next and why? Well, he says, I'll talk to the team. So presumably, this is all of the other staff members. If this is a smaller company, if this is bigger, maybe it's just to a department, and see if there's anything else that's time-sensitive. So just like he did at the beginning, he started discussing all of the things that cannot be set to one side, and then anything that's left, we can put that to one side. So he's talking to the team to find out if there are other projects that cannot be set to one side, then they're going to decide. He says, I'll get back to you. They're going to decide later. All right, good job for not setting your studying to one side for today. But good job, keep it going if you like and see you again.

Today's speaker was Tanya 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Thanks cuz! Full Transcript: Hey there! How’s your English studying going? Recently, I have another listening comprehension exercise for you. This time, the setting is a funny story happening in a salon. To start with, which of these can you hear in the listening section? Don’t look at those subtitles and give it a try! You know she’s been on about changing her hair for a while. She wanted a fringe, right? Well, she called me this morning. Her voice was all shaky, so I knew something wasn’t right. She said that she’d just been, and the guy that did it made a complete mess of it. Knowing her, she probably did a terrible job of explaining what she wanted. I shouldn’t laugh, but oh my god, when she was telling me, I could just imagine her sobbing in the chair. It gets better. She complained to the manager and even said that he’s bald, so what’s he doing working in a salon? She’s lucky that someone else put up with her and fixed it. Okay, she said "to put up with her." Let’s look at that and everything else that was said in a moment, but first, pause the video if you want to look at these questions we will go through at the end. Let’s begin. She said, “You know, she’s been on about changing her hair for a while. She wanted a fringe, right? Fringe, like bangs-this bit, this hairstyle.” Well, she called me this morning. Her voice was all shaky, so I knew something wasn’t right. So she called-my idea of shaky is, “Oh, can you believe what just happened?”-like that, a shaky voice. She said that she’d just been. She didn’t say where she’d been; she cut out a bit here. She said that she’d just been to the salon, because right here it says changing her hair, wanting a fringe. We can assume, okay, she’s been to the salon, and the guy that did it-the hairstylist-made a complete mess of it. To make a complete mess of something means to do a terrible job or a failed attempt. “I tried to wax the car, but sorry, I made a complete mess of it.” There are a few variations here: a total mess, an absolute mess, a complete mess of something, or just to mess something up. So it sounds like this wasn’t a very good hairstylist. But then she says, “Knowing her”-the friend she’s talking about-“she probably did a terrible job of explaining what she wanted.” So now she’s kind of flipped this over and said, actually, it’s probably the friend’s fault. Because “knowing someone”-knowing him, knowing her, knowing [name]-it lets you guess what someone probably did or will do. “Knowing Aaron, he probably won’t reply,” or “Knowing him, he’ll be able to fix it.” So, it can be used in a negative or a positive way. You can also say, “If I know Aaron, then he probably won’t reply.” So, knowing this friend, she probably did a terrible job of explaining what she wanted. The friend didn’t say this; she’s guessing, “Well, we know her-it was probably her fault somehow.” Second page-hydration, second page. “I shouldn’t laugh, but oh my god, when she was telling me, I could just imagine her sobbing in the chair.” Sobbing, crying, being in tears. So she said, “I could just imagine”-used for a likely situation. “Yeah, I believe that could happen.” “I could picture it; I could see it; she was so upset. I could just imagine her walking out and slamming the door.” It didn’t really happen, but it could have happened. So, the friend didn’t call her saying, “I’m crying in the chair,” but she’s saying that’s what she could imagine happening. It gets better. The story gets better-not the haircut. She complains to the manager and even said that-and then she’s quoting her-“He’s bald, so what’s he doing working in a salon?” So, the hairstylist has no hair, and she’s saying, “Why is he working here if he has no hair?” That is a very rude comment to make about someone, and it’s completely inappropriate. The person speaking is saying she’s finding it funny, but she’s not agreeing that that was a good thing to say. Because then she says, “She’s lucky that someone else put up with her and fixed it.” So, this was in the warm-up question. “Putting up with her” means to deal with someone even though they’re having negative traits or negative actions. “I don’t know why everyone puts up with the new boss.” Be careful not to confuse it with “to put someone up,” which means to let them stay overnight. She’s lucky that someone else put up with her-with her complaining that was totally inappropriate-and fixed it, fixed her hair. Alright, let’s come back to the comprehension questions. Who does the speaker think is to blame for the bad haircut? Well, the friend is saying that it was the guy that did it, but this person speaking says, “Well, knowing her, she probably did a terrible job of explaining what she wanted.” It was her friend’s fault-or at least, that’s what she thinks. What does the speaker think the salon staff should have done instead? Well, she said, “She’s lucky someone else put up with her and fixed it.” Saying that she’s lucky kind of gives me the impression that she’s surprised the staff fixed it. So, even though she didn’t say this, my answer would be “not offering to help” or even “asking the friend to leave.” That’s maybe what they should have done instead. So, the last one-why did the speaker say they shouldn’t laugh? She said, “I shouldn’t laugh, but oh my God,” and continued. Well, at the beginning, she said her voice was all shaky, so the friend’s clearly very upset about this. She thinks, yeah, my friend was making a fool of herself; it was her own fault. But, you know, it’s still her friend, so that’s probably why she said “I shouldn’t laugh,” because she’s very upset. Maybe we should take this a bit more seriously. If you want to take your English seriously-or more seriously-what’s better than doing one study video?

Today's speaker was Syl 🇺🇸 (New York) - Thanks mate! Full transcript: This one made me laugh when I got the listening clip from my friend. So, let's take a listen now to this native speaker. We’ll review everything that was said and check our comprehension-that’s why we’re here! Let me ask you: which of these can you hear in the listening section? It’s going to start now. Do not look at those subtitles! ------------------------------------------------ “Dude, you’re overthinking it. You said the date went well; there was great chemistry. So, just hit her up and ask her to meet up again. You’re not going to impress anyone by ignoring them-it’s not high school. Obviously, keep the message brief. Don’t pour out your heart like, ‘Oh my goodness, I’ve never met anyone like you before. I love you!’ No, there’s a limit. But at the same time, just be honest. I’d tell her straight, ‘Hey, the other night was fun,’ and I’d invite her out again to make my intentions clear. That’s just me, though. All I’m saying is, don’t ghost her or do anything stupid.” ------------------------------------------------ Okay, he said, “That’s just me, though.” Let’s take a look at that and everything else in the review section. But first, here are the questions we’ll ask at the end. Pause now if you want to take a quick look first. Okay, he said, “Dude, you’re overthinking it. You said the date went well; there was great chemistry.” Chemistry is like a nice feeling, a nice connection between two people. “So, just hit her up and ask her to meet up again.” Hitting someone up means to contact them, to call them, message them-along those lines. “You’re not going to impress anyone by ignoring them-it’s not high school.” So, maybe when teenagers or young adults are dating, they might do things differently by trying to look cool. But he’s saying, “Obviously, keep the message brief.” So, he is saying, “Hit her up,” he’s saying, “Message her, keep it brief-keep it simple.” “Don’t pour out your heart,” and then he goes on and makes a mocking impression: “Oh my goodness, I’ve never met anyone like you before. I love you!” He’s saying, “No.” So, don’t pour out your heart. To “pour your heart out” means to be overly emotional, sharing your feelings with no filter-just letting everything come out. “I poured out my heart to her; it sounds very dramatic, but it wasn’t mutual-I’m sorry, bro.” We can also say, “to wear your heart on your sleeve.” This is someone who does this kind of thing a lot-someone who’s always sharing their feelings with no filter. “Ah, he wears his heart on his sleeve.” So he’s saying, “Don’t do that; don’t go to that extreme. There’s a limit. But at the same time, just be honest.” “I’d tell her straight, ‘Hey, the other night was fun.’” So he’s saying, “I'd tell her straight.” To tell someone straight or straight up means to tell someone honestly and directly. “I want your honest opinion, so just tell me straight up.” The complete opposite of saying it honestly and directly is to sugarcoat something-to try to say something in a nicer way than what the truth is. So, “Don’t sugarcoat it.” It’s the same as saying, “Tell me honestly, tell me straight up.” “I would tell her completely directly, honestly, ‘Hey, the other night was fun,’ and I’d invite her out again to make my intentions clear.” My intentions-what I plan to do. Then he says, “That’s just me, though.” And that’s a way of saying, “That’s just my opinion.” It doesn’t mean it’s true for everybody-that’s just what I would do. It’s something you might say when you’re giving advice. “All I’m saying is, don’t ghost her or do anything stupid.” Don’t do anything stupid like that. What does “ghosting” someone mean? It means to completely ignore and stop communicating with someone-literally, to become a ghost, where that person can’t see or hear you anymore. “Why do I keep getting ghosted on these dating apps?” Quite common slang, especially in the dating world. Alright, let’s check that all of that made sense. So firstly, does it seem like the date went well? Well, this person he’s talking to seems to be worrying a lot, but he said the date went well-there was great chemistry. Yeah, it seems like, according to the listener, that the date went well. We don’t have any other reason to think that it didn’t. What was the listener planning to do? So, on that same page, with the speaker saying, “You’re not going to impress anyone by ignoring them,” that kind of tells me the guy first, when he was overthinking it, maybe he said, “What should I do? Should I wait? Should I not call her? I don’t want her to think that I’m too desperate or I care too much.” I think that was his original idea before this friend steps in and gives some advice. So, yeah, maybe ignoring her, waiting a while before messaging. Okay, and the last one-not exactly a question-but if we summarize the speaker’s advice, what he’s trying to say, just be…and then we want two answers. Let’s look at the choices: “Just be serious”-hmm, that doesn’t really fit. “Just be direct”-yes, I think that is definitely one of the answers. He is saying, “Tell her straight, tell her honestly, tell her directly.” “Amusing”-he didn’t say anything about being amusing, but he wasn’t telling the other guy to be amusing. “Committed”-you can commit to someone, but that does feel a little bit more serious. I could understand if you’d go for that answer, though. “Emotional”-no, he said don’t be overly emotional, don’t pour your heart out. And “open”-yeah, if you’re saying, “Hey, it was fun,” you’re being honest; another way of saying that is to be open. So, I think “direct” and “open,” without being too emotional or too serious, is exactly what he was trying to get across. Now, let me tell you straight-are you done with studying for today? That was very direct. I like to be direct. But hey, if you’re not done...

Today's speaker was my mum, so I definitely know where she's from! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿Thank you! Full transcript: Welcome back, learners of English! These videos are designed to help with your listening comprehension and start understanding native content perfectly. So we're going to listen, review, and check everything that was said. Today's topic is about booking flights, and your warm-up question is: which of these can you hear? Let's take a listen. Do not look at those subtitles! --------------------------------------------- I've asked you enough times already. Can we just sit down now and book these flights? We've kept an eye on them for months, and we know they're not gonna get any cheaper. If anything, they may go up. If we leave it till the last minute, we might be scrambling and have to book some horrible flight instead. Remember two years ago? We had a long connection and had to change airports. It wasn't even cheap. I'd rather just book this one now and then it's done. We know the dates we want, so why do you always have to drag your feet? --------------------------------------------- Okay, so she said-that was my mom. Thank you, Mom. She said to keep an eye on. Don't worry if you're not sure how that's used; we'll go through it in a second along with everything else. But these are the comprehension-checking questions. We will go through these at the end, but pause now if you want to take a quick look. Now, let's get into the review of the whole speech. That's the color code. She said, "I've asked you enough times already. Can we just sit down now and book these flights? We've kept an eye on them for months." There it is, right there. So to keep an eye on something or someone means to watch it continually or to watch them continually over a period of time, staying alert, making sure nothing suspicious happens or nothing changes. "Please keep an eye on my boy until I get back." So please make sure he doesn't try to run away or anything like that. "I always keep an eye on the portion sizes." So in this example, maybe someone gets their coffee at Starbucks. They're keeping an eye on the side of the cups; if they start making them smaller, then I'm going to stop buying them. So for a long time now, we've been keeping an eye-we've been checking these flights, and we know that the flight prices are not going to get any cheaper. If anything, they may go up-they may go up in price. If we leave it till the last minute, we might be scrambling and have to book some horrible flight instead. Scrambling. I could only think of just saying, not an egg. It's a different kind of scramble. I don't know what else people scramble, but this kind of scramble means to be in a panic, in a hurry. "She scrambles to find her car keys every morning." That's my wife right there. It's okay, she doesn't watch these videos. You can also say "to be in a mad rush" or "in a mad panic." So we might be in a rush to book some horrible flight instead if we don't book these flights now, if we don't sit down and book them. Second page. Remember two years ago? So now she's talking about a past event. We had a long connection, like a flight connection, and had to change airports. That's a really bad connection. For example, London has different airports-Gatwick and Heathrow. We had to travel between the two airports and change flights. It wasn't even cheap, so even though it was a terrible flight connection, it wasn't cheap either. "I'd rather just book this one now, and then it's done." Saying "it's done"-it's finished; we don't need to worry about it anymore. "We know the dates we want, so why do you always have to drag your feet?" It's quite an odd expression, "dragging your feet." If you imagine someone walking behind you dragging their feet, it has this idea that they are taking longer than necessary to do a task-it's the best way I could describe it-usually because they don't want to do it. "He was dragging his feet; I could tell he didn't really want to go." You can also say, "It was a drag" if it was something boring that you didn't want to do-it made you drag your own feet. So she's asking the person she's talking to, "Why do you always have to drag your feet?" All right, so back to these questions. What is the speaker trying to avoid? Well, when she was talking about the past event, I'm getting the idea she doesn't want this to happen again. So, what was wrong last time? It was not even cheap. She also said, "Can we book these flights now?" She's talking about the price not going up, not going down-so also the long connection. So the answer here-she's trying to avoid overpriced flights with bad connections. That's putting it all together. Is the listener unsure of the flight dates? The listener, the person she's talking to? Well, near the end, she said, "We know the dates we want, so why do you always have to drag your feet?" So that's not the reason why he's dragging his feet, or at least that's the point she's making. So no, they both know the desired date. And finally, is the speaker blaming the listener for booking horrible flights last time? Is there a clear answer here, or do we just have to kind of guess? Let's look for some clues. So she started by saying, "I've asked you enough times already." That's a bit of a clue, and then later saying, "Remember two years ago." This has happened before, and then she added, "Why do you always have to drag your feet?" I'm getting the impression here that maybe the last time this happened-the last time they tried to book flights-maybe it was because he was dragging his feet before. So she didn't exactly say, "It was your fault last time." She didn't say those words, but she did imply that they've done this before, and maybe it's going to cause the problem again-but not an easy question there. And hey, let me ask you - Are you done with studying for today?

That’s Awesome! Thank You so much! 🫶🏻❤️✨

Today's speaker was Lewis! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿Cheers mate! Full Transcript: Hey everyone, welcome back! I have a question for you: What is stopping you from understanding native speakers? Is it the speed that they talk? Is it their pronunciation? Or is it the difficult vocabulary, phrases, and expressions that they use? In my experience, it's usually a combination of all three of those things-for me studying a foreign language, and for most of the students I've taught. So, in this series, we try to tackle all three of those points. We will listen to a native speaker, then we'll review all of the vocabulary they used. The topic today is about being late, and my warm-up question for you: Which of these phrases can you hear? Which one does the speaker use? Let's take a listen and don't look at those subtitles. ------------------------------------------------------- "Look, I hold my hands up-I'm pretty terrible at being on time. I'll be the first to admit that. I know it's one of my flaws, and I don't do it on purpose. And to be fair, I always let whoever I'm meeting know that I'm running a bit late. What really irks me is when people are late but don't even let me know. I feel like a quick text is common courtesy. Like the other day, I was meeting some guys at the station, and they were like 15 minutes late. And I wouldn't have had a go at them, except they didn't say anything. I could have grabbed a coffee or something rather than just hanging around the gate." ------------------------------------------------------- Okay, did you catch it? He said, "I wouldn't have had a go at them." Now, don't worry if you're not sure what this means or why he used it. We will cover that soon. And pause the video now if you want to look at these comprehension questions, but we will go through them at the end. This is the color coding that I use. I will keep it right there above my head. So first, he said, "Look, I hold my hands up-I'm pretty terrible at being on time." Why did he say, "I hold my hands up"? You can think of it literally, like being arrested. "I'm the bad guy, putting my hands up." You're admitting to something, and you're being honest. "I hold my hands up-I'm not the best at time management," for example. You can also say, "I'm being honest," or "I admit." Then he says another phrase which is very similar: "I'll be the first to admit that." And it means pretty much the same thing-I'm showing honesty for something I do that's bad. "She spends way too much money, but she'll be the first to admit that." So there's this friend who spends way too much money, but she's aware of it. She says, "Oh, I know, I spend too much. Uh, I'm trying to spend less, I'm working on it." She knows it's a problem. "I know it's one of my flaws." Well, that makes sense because he's just said, "I hold my hands up-I'm admitting it." A flaw is a negative thing that people do. "And I don't do it on purpose. Okay, and to be fair, I always let whoever I'm meeting know that I'm running a bit late." So he's saying, "Yeah, okay, I do this, I'm late, it's bad," but he's saying, "And to be fair, I'm trying to be fair to myself now," he's kind of giving himself some credit as well. "I always let whoever I'm meeting know I'm running a bit late, so I do communicate." "What really irks me is when people are late but don't even let me know." So, people who don't communicate-he's saying that he's late, but he does tell people. What irks him is when people are late and don't let him know. So, "irks me" is something that annoys you, something that bothers you. Here's something that irks me: "It really irks me when people stand and block the doorways." That really irks me. You can also say, "It gets on my nerves"-very commonly used. And "that grinds my gears"-that's a more American phrase, I think, made popular by the TV show *Family Guy.* There's a meme of Peter saying it grinds his gears. Anyway, don't worry if you are not familiar with that. I'd say "gets on my nerves" or "irks me" are used more. "What irks me is when people don't even let me know." Okay, I think we're okay so far. "I feel like a quick text is common courtesy." Now, common courtesy is similar to common sense. Common sense is intelligence that you expect everybody to have. Well, common courtesy, or common decency, is good manners or politeness that you expect everybody to have. It should be for simple things that you expect everybody to do. "I thought that holding the door open for someone should be common courtesy." Yeah, everybody should hold the door open for everybody else-makes sense to me. "Like the other day, I was meeting some guys at the station, and they were like 15 minutes late." Okay, so it's kind of late. "And I wouldn't have had a go at them, except they didn't say anything." So, "I wouldn't have had a go at them." To have a go at someone means to tell someone off, to tell someone they did something wrong. This is very, very common: "I had a go at him for using my phone without asking." "Hey, uh, excuse me, that's my phone-you don't take it without asking like that." And then this one over here uses it the same way that the speaker did: "I wouldn't have had a go at her, but she did it several times." So maybe the first time she did it, "Oh, that's okay, I'll let it slide, I'm okay with that, I'm not going to say anything," but she did it several times, so then, "I had a go at her." You can also say, there's a lot here: "to scold," "to lay into someone," "to call," or "chew someone out." You don't need to remember all of these-there's a lot of different ways. I'm not sure why we need so many ways to be angry at someone! A lot of these are very British-sounding to me-I don't know what that says about our culture, but there's a lot. Please be aware of them. I wouldn't use this last one yourself if you want to sound natural, but be aware that some people do say it. Be careful not to confuse it with "to have a go at something." So, to say, "to have a go at kayaking," for example, means to give it a try. It's completely different. So, he said, "I wouldn't have had a go-gotten mad at them-except they didn't say anything." So this is okay, but not saying anything, not sending a quick text-that is not okay. "I could have grabbed a coffee or something rather than just hanging around the gate." So, he said he went to the station, he's just standing here at this gate waiting for them because he's thinking, "Well, they should be here now. How about now?" If they'd sent a text saying, "Oh, sorry, we're going to be 10-15 minutes late," then he could have grabbed a coffee. Okay, let's go back to these comprehension questions. Does the speaker think it's okay to be late? Well, he said, "It's one of my flaws," so he knows it's a bad thing-he's admitting that. So, no, it's not okay-he knows it's not good. Did the speaker get upset at their friends? Well, he did. They were 15 minutes late. That's not why he was upset: "I wouldn't have had a go at them for that, but they didn't say anything." So, yes, he did get upset with his friends. And the last question: Did the speaker get coffee? Why or why not? So, there's a couple of things here. "I could have grabbed a coffee or something rather than just hanging around the gate." So, no, he was hanging around the gate, waiting. He couldn't grab coffee because he stayed there, so the answer is no. But one more thing to note: He said "a coffee or something." So, in my mind, he doesn't really need the coffee-it wasn't what he was trying to do. But he's just giving that as an example, like, "I could have gotten a coffee, I could have gone for a little walk, I could have grabbed lunch and come back-I don't know, something." He could have done anything-it was just kind of an example. There were some tricky points there in today's lesson, but I hope if you go back and listen again, everything will make a lot more sense. And I hope you got something useful out of this video. If you'd like to keep your study session going for today, there is something else lined up for you. But that's it. Thanks very much for watching!

Today's speaker was Matt! 🇿🇦Thank you mate! Full Transcript: Hi there! Thanks for joining me again. Today's topic is about a sales pitch, so there's going to be some phrases to do with business English. Today we've got a 30-second listening section, and then we're going to break down everything that was said, check your comprehension and make sure that everything is crystal clear. We have a warm-up question for you: What can the app do? This person is talking about an app for some reason. What can this app do? Can it make suggestions, make comments, or make lists? Listen out for it and turn off those subtitles or look away now! ------------------------------------------------------------------- Imagine having a tool that helps you keep on top of everything-all of those small tasks that add to your stress. You want to put them off or not have to worry about them completely. That's exactly what our new app does! It's not just an organizer; it's like having your own personal assistant, but at a fraction of the cost. Our AI-powered app will not only remember your daily tasks, but it will also make suggestions on how to do them efficiently. You can bet on it! In 5 years, everyone will be using these, so we want to let you in on a great investment deal before it's too late. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Okay, he said that the app can make suggestions. Good job if you caught that! These are the comprehension questions we will talk through at the end. Pause the video now if you want to take a look before. And this is the color coding for the review that we're going to start right now. So, he said, "Imagine having a tool that helps you keep on top of everything." Now, being on top of everything means to be organized, up to date, all of your tasks are done, and you are not behind. "I tidy for 5 minutes every day to stay on top of everything." Now, there are a few different ways of saying this phrase. You can say "keep on top," "stay on top," or "remain on top." And instead of just saying "everything," you can even change what the "thing" is. So, in this example, you could say, "I tidy for 5 minutes every day to stay on top of the cleaning" or "the housework." A student of mine confused this once with "to be on top of the world." Now, I get it. The world is kind of everything, but this phrase means you're really happy, really excited, really joyful. So, a completely different meaning there. Please watch out. So, he says, "All of those small tasks that add to your stress." I think he kind of said that bit a little bit quickly-"all of those small tasks that add to your stress." Yeah, that might have taken a couple of listens to hear. "You want to put them off or not have to worry about them completely." So, what does "putting something off" mean? It means to leave a task for later, but it's not the same as postponing something. If you postpone it, you've planned to do it later. Putting something off is just, "I don't want to do this now." It's got a nuance of not really caring about it or not giving it a priority. You know you'll forget again. So, stop putting it off! Maybe someone's done this lots of times with something: "I don't want to do it now. I don't want to do it now." So, it also means to procrastinate, if you're familiar with that word, or to push something back or set it aside. But like I said, pushing something back can mean "I've scheduled it for later." This means, "No, no, no, I don't want to do it." You want to put them off. You want to put off your small tasks or not have to worry about them completely. That's exactly what our new app does! It's not just an organizer; it's like having your own personal assistant but at a fraction of the cost. If you haven't heard "a fraction of" something, in this case the cost or the price, it means much cheaper than the original price. So, if you know fractions in math, in English: 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, etc. It depends how the person says it. If they say "a fraction of the cost," and they're giving this gesture, then you think of it as being a very small amount-maybe 1/8 or 1/10. This example uses duration: "This new highway will get me to the office in a fraction of the time." So, maybe half as long or even faster. So, that was the first part. And then he goes on to describe the app: "Our AI-powered app (artificial intelligence) will not only remember your daily tasks, but it will also make suggestions"-this was from the warm-up-"on how to do them efficiently. You can bet on it!" Okay, "You can bet on it" is used to tell the listener that they can be sure of something. You will hear this all the time in kind of sales pitches or business English. You'll hear it in other places as well: "She'll be late again-you can bet on it!" That's just somebody talking to a friend. "You can count on it," "You can be sure of it," "Rest assured." In sales, they're very often trying to use persuasive language, so this is a big one that they would use quite a lot. "You can bet on it! In 5 years, everyone will be using these." So, this app that he's promoting is going to become more popular. Things like that will become used by everybody. "So, we want to let you in on a great investment deal before it's too late." This ending sentence really sounds like a sales pitch. "We want to let you in" means to share a secret or a deal with someone. Like, this is not for everybody. This is not for the public. This is just for you! "Hey, I want to let you in on this." "I'll let you in on a little secret." "I'll let you in on a good offer, but only if you order soon!" It's a good sales tactic. So, back to our comprehension questions. What is the speaker promoting? Well, I don't think that's too tricky. He's been talking about an app. The first time you hear it is here: "That's exactly what our new app does." And you also hear it here: "Our AI-powered app will do… dot dot dot." So, that's what it is. Why is this better than a personal assistant? He talks about comparing it to a personal assistant. Why is this better? Well, he said, "It's like having a personal assistant but at a fraction of the cost," meaning it is much cheaper than hiring an assistant. I would hope so! An app should not cost more than hiring another person to do things for you. Who is the speaker talking to? A little bit harder, I think. So, I think until the end you could think he's talking to the public-people who want to download and buy the app. But at the end, he says, "We want to let you in on a great investment deal before it's too late." So, it's an investment. This is not one person buying the app. He's not talking one-to-one to somebody buying the app. He's talking to somebody or even a company. He wants funding. He wants them to either buy his idea, his whole company, or invest in a fraction of their business-something like that. So, I'd say he's talking to an investor or a company. He's not talking to one individual customer. I hope there were a few things in that video that you didn't know before. I hope it was useful, and if you'd like to keep the study session going, there's the next one. But thanks very much for watching! See you again!

Today's speaker was Kevin 🇨🇦 - cheers mate! Full transcript: Today's native speaker is from Canada, and the topic is about being too old to do things. We will listen to a 30-second section first and then review everything that was said and check your listening comprehension. First, I have a warm-up question for you: which of these phrases can you hear in the speech we're about to listen to? Try not to look at subtitles, and let's start. -------------------------------------------------------- What do you mean you're too old? Literally, anyone could say that. Think of it this way: there are people in their 60s who would love the chance to be in their 40s again, and people in their 80s who, you know what I mean? It's all relative. As long as your body's in good check, who cares? Also, if it makes you feel any better, I've seen people much older than you signing up for their first class as well. You're not going to stick out like a sore thumb. No one's going to judge you, and I think if anything, you might inspire others to join as well. -------------------------------------------------------- Okay, sorry about the audio quality. I think he was in a big empty room when that was made, but the answer was "if it makes you feel any better." Now, if you're not sure exactly what that means or why he used it, don't worry. We will come back to it in a second. We'll also come back to these comprehension questions, but pause the video right now if you want to take a look before we break everything down and explain. And this is the color coding that goes right above my head. So he said, "What do you mean you're too old? Literally, anyone could say that. Think of it this way: there are people in their 60s who would love the chance to be in their 40s again, and people in their 80s who, you know what I mean?" Okay, there's a lot here. So whoever he's talking to must have said that they were too old. So he's asking, "What do you mean? That's nonsense. You're not too old." He's saying anybody could say, "I'm too old." Then he says, "Think of it this way." So he's using this phrase because he's thinking of a way to explain his point. We often use this when we're trying to change someone's mind or just to give your opinion. It's not quite a fill phrase. It usually comes at the beginning of the sentence. You can also say, "How about this?" or "What I mean is..." It's something to tell the listener you're trying to say your thoughts in a certain way. It's actually pretty simple. Think of it this way, and then that person will give an example. So maybe you've tried to say something. First, the person doesn't understand you, or you don't think you've expressed yourself very clearly. You can say, "Think of it this way," and then say it a different way. So he said, "Literally, anyone could say that." Then he goes on to explain more: there are people in their 60s who would love the chance to be in their 40s again. So people who are in their 60s think, "Wow, I want to be 40 again. That's so young." But people in their 80s think, "Wow, 60s? It's so, so young. I want to be 60 again." So he's saying it's the same for everybody. Maybe even people in their 40s think, "Oh, I want to be in my 30s or my 20s again." And because of all of this, he says, "It's all relative." So that is referring to this right here. It's important vocabulary to learn, but it is very tricky. The best way I can describe it is how something seems is different for each person or situation. So this is a slightly more simple example: my job seems stressful, but it's all relative. A surgeon would think my job has little stress. So for me, I have lots of deadlines. I'm always busy, so I might seem stressed out. But then, if I think, "Hold on, do I have to cut anybody open? Do I need to perform surgery on people?" or no. So what's stressful for me might not be stressful for somebody else. I'm sure a surgeon would think, "Oh, deadlines? That's nothing. Why are you stressing out about that?" So it's for every person and every situation. He's referring to people in their 80s, 60s, 40s, etc. They all have a different idea of what seems young and what seems old. Then he kind of changes the topic. He says, "As long as your body's in good check, who cares?" So instead of talking about age, he's saying your body is in good check, which means in good condition. We can also say good condition or good check for talking about a car or some kind of object. You could sell it for a lot of money if it's still in good check, if it's still in good condition. And in British English, we also say "in good nick." If you hear that, you're probably talking to somebody from the UK. So forget about this age. If your body is in good check, who cares? It doesn't matter. It's not important. Then he says, "Also, an extra point: if it makes you feel any better, I've seen people much older than you signing up for their first class as well." Well, he just said forget about being old, but now he's saying he's talking about people's age again. So why? Well, the phrase "if it makes you feel any better" is when you want to say something that might be good news or it might be helpful, but it's not the main point that you're trying to say. So maybe somebody at work, a new coworker, is feeling nervous. You might say, "I was also nervous on my first day, if it makes you feel any better." Now you're adding that in because you being nervous too isn't really helping the person you're talking to. It's not really helpful. It's just showing the, you know, I know how you feel. Me saying this might make you feel a bit better. You can also say "if it helps" or "if it's any consolation." So age doesn't really matter, but if it makes you feel any better, there are even older people as well. You're not going to stick out like a sore thumb. "Sticking out like a sore thumb" means to stand out or to be easily seen as different. So if you're in a group of people 20, 25, 23, 21, 22, and then suddenly an 80-year-old person in a group, that person might stick out like a sore thumb because they're a very different age from everybody else. You can also say "to be the odd one out." You might stick out like a sore thumb wearing that hat. So maybe that hat, it's not a regular baseball cap. Maybe it's a big orange hat or something. No one's going to judge you, and I think if anything, you might inspire others to join too. Okay, this "if anything" can be quite tricky, so let's look at how it's used. Instead of just this thing, also this thing as well, or actually, it's even this as well. The second point can change from a good to a bad thing or the other way around, or it could just be more extreme. He's really good at doing his homework. It's a good thing. If anything, he studies too much. It's flipped into a bad thing. Okay, maybe he doesn't go out and play. Maybe he stresses about his work. So it's a good thing at first, but you can't say that he's bad at doing homework. It can't go this way. But if anything, maybe it's even too much. So he's saying nobody's going to judge you, but if they do, if anybody is judging you, it's going to be in a good way because you might inspire other people. People see you and think, "Oh, wow, that's amazing. Like somebody that age is taking this class. Wow, I have a lot of respect for them." That's the point he's trying to make there. Okay, that was a lot of tricky grammar points and a lot of tricky phrases, so let's check that we've understood everything. Question one: which does the speaker say is the most important, health or age? So he does talk about age a lot, but he does say, "As long as your body's in good check, who cares?" So I think that's the main point he's trying to make. I would say health. Why would the speaker mention that older people have joined? Well, it's a good question. He just said health is the most important thing. So why after that does he talk about age again? Well, if it makes you feel any better, he's trying to make the listener feel better. Maybe he really wants this person to join him, so, you know, he's just trying to say things to maybe convince that person to come along. Last question: is the listener likely to be the youngest person in the class? I feel like that's trying to trick us. Well, he said, "I've seen people much older than you signing up." So maybe this person is not going to be the oldest, but based on the whole conversation, it's pretty clear that they are going to be, if not the oldest, one of the older people there. So no, it's not very likely that this person's going to be the youngest, but that's okay. There was a lot there. Please feel free to go back and listen one more time, and I hope that that makes a lot more sense. There were some difficult points in there, so good job on getting through to the end. If you want to keep the studying going, I have the next lesson lined up for you right here. That's it. Take care. See you again.

Today's speaker was Micah 🇵🇭thank you! Full Transcript: Hi, English learners. Welcome back! We have another slideshow today, and the topic is a barbecue invitation. So, my question for you: which of these phrases can you hear in the text that we're about to listen to? I recommend that you don't look at subtitles the first time listening. And if you're ready, let's begin. My dad's throwing a big barbecue this weekend. You're welcome to come, but if you want to hitch a ride, we'll be getting there early, like 4 or 4:30, 'cause we'll be helping him set up. He always goes through a lot of trouble. He makes these ribs, and they just fall off the bone. I swear, you've never had anything like them! Anyway, if you are interested, let me know sometime today. He'll want a head count before he goes shopping for all the stuff. I'm also going to buy some drinks for everyone. You can either pitch in with me or feel free to bring something of your own. Okay, so the answer was "to go to a lot of trouble." So that was a really nice phrase, but let's go through everything and find out exactly what the speaker said in that section. These are the comprehension questions that we're going to go through at the end, but pause the video now if you want to take a quick look first. And this is the color coding that we're going to use for the review. I'm just going to put it right there above my head. So, firstly, the speaker said, "My dad's throwing a big barbecue this weekend." Now, the speaker didn't actually say "party," but to throw something means to host or organize a party or some kind of informal event. Notice it says informal. You wouldn't say to throw a business meeting or anything like that. An example sentence: "She always throws the best parties," or "They threw a big baby shower for her." That might have been hard to catch, like I said, because she didn't actually say "barbecue party" or "barbecue event." "You're welcome to come, but if you want to hitch a ride..." I mentioned in a previous video: hitch a ride, catch a ride, or get a lift. "We'll be getting there early, like 4 or 4:30, 'cause we'll be helping him set up. He always goes to a lot of trouble." That was the question. Now, going to a lot of trouble means to work hard or spend a lot of time doing something for someone else. Even if you work hard at your job, you wouldn't really say, "I've gone to a lot of trouble at work today," unless you're doing something for a particular person or something like that. There's no need to go to all that trouble-you might say this to somebody if they're offering to do something for you. You can also say to go out of one's way. "He makes these ribs..." And now she just goes on about the food. Uh, I don't know if it made you hungry, but it certainly did for me! "They just fall off the bone." So, she's describing the meat. They are so tender, so soft, that they fall off the bone. Then she says, "I swear you've never had anything like them!" We say "I swear" to give emphasis. What you're saying is 100% true. "Please believe me, it wasn’t me, I swear!" or "I swear it was a real UFO!" I think that's a good example because seeing a UFO is not something very believable, so we add "I swear" to say, "I know you're not going to believe me, but this is true." We can also say, "I'm telling you..." Something, something. We use that the same way, at the start of the sentence. "You've never had anything like these ribs before." That’s hard to believe, but she’s saying, "I swear." Anyway, if you're interested-interested in attending-let me know sometime today. He’ll want a head count before he goes shopping for all the stuff. A head count is the number of people attending something. "We need to set up chairs. What’s the head count? How many people are coming?" In other words, how many chairs do we need? "The teacher did a head count to be safe." In my mind, this is a class of young children. The teacher is making sure everybody's there. "I'm also going to buy some drinks for everyone. You, the listener, can either pitch in with me, or feel free to bring something of your own." To pitch in for something means to contribute in some way. This could be money, but it could also mean helping out. First example sentence: "Pitch in and grab some boxes." This means to help out. Maybe someone's just standing there doing nothing-"Please pitch in and grab some boxes. I'm doing this, she's doing that, you can grab these boxes." "We're all going to pitch in at the end." This is a little unclear-maybe at a restaurant, someone's offering money. "No, no, don't pay now, we're all going to pitch in at the end." We're going to put our money together before we leave. Be careful not to confuse it with pitch without the in. You can pitch an idea, like if you're giving a sales pitch, for example. You're pitching an idea or suggestion. We need the in in there. So, you can either pitch in with me, or feel free to bring something of your own. Let’s take a look now at those comprehension questions and see if we understood everything that was said. **Question 1:** Will the barbecue start at around 4:30? She did mention 4, 4:30, but she said, "If you want to get a ride with us, we'll be getting there early, like 4 or 4:30, 'cause we'll be helping him set up." So, actually, this implies that the barbecue is gonna start later. This is getting there early so they can help him. So, the answer would be no, it will start later. We don't know exactly when, but not at 4:30. **Question 2:** Does the speaker's dad need to know how many people will attend? We covered this-head count means the number of people. "Let me know sometime today; he’ll want a head count before he goes shopping for all the stuff." He wants to know how much stuff he needs to get. So, how many people does he need to buy food for? Yes, he does. **Question 3:** Is the speaker asking for money? We talked about pitching in-it could be for money. She said, "I'm also going to buy some drinks for everyone." So, in this case, pitching in would mean paying money because she's buying something. So, you can pitch in some money, and she can buy some drinks. You can contribute that way, or she gives a choice: "Feel free to bring something of your own." So, she's not necessarily asking for money. You could give her some money for these drinks, or if you want to bring your own snacks, cake, or drinks, that’s also fine. So, the answer is: not necessarily, but she does want the listener to contribute in some way. If you'd like to listen to the section again, please use the chapters in the video to help guide you. I also recommend shadowing, or leave a comment with a phrase that you've learned today, and I'll take a look at it. Thank you for joining me today! If you'd like to keep your studying going, there's another video right here for you. See you next time!

Sorry about the audio quality. I’m trying to improve this 🙏 Today's speaker was Alex 🇦🇺🇷🇴 - Thank you so much! Full transcript: Hi everyone, welcome back! In today's video, we're listening to a script about describing houses. We're going to listen first, and then we're going to look at the entire script, check your comprehension, and hopefully learn some new vocabulary as well. Try to turn off subtitles the first time listening, but let's begin. ---------- We went and saw two houses today, our agent had suggested a few more, but I could already tell that those weren't what we had in mind. Sure, they looked nice and spacious, but they were also out in the middle of nowhere. Maybe not for him, but that's definitely a deal breaker for me. But these two we saw today were very tempting. One was just on the outskirts, it was quite modern and not too expensive. The only downside was it felt a little cramped, but I'm sure we could make do. The other was more central, it was a bit older and more rundown, but I think it has lots of potential. ---------- Okay, so these are the comprehension questions we're going to look at at the end, but pause the video now if you want to try and answer them first. And this is the color code for the review, which I'm just going to put above my head. We went and saw two houses today, our agent had suggested a few more, but I could already tell that those weren't what we had in mind. So, to have something in mind is to have an idea or something you want, what do you have in mind for lunch? Or, that's not what I had in mind. Be careful not to confuse it with something being on your mind, which means that you're thinking about something too much or maybe you're worried about something. Sure, they looked nice and spacious, but they were also out in the middle of nowhere. That's why it wasn't what they had in mind. In the middle of nowhere means somewhere very rural and countryside, with nothing exciting nearby, it's always negative. "Our car broke down right in the middle of nowhere." In this example, the car chose the worst possible place to break down because there was nothing around, and there was nobody to ask for help. You can also say "in the sticks" or "in the Outback" referring to Australia. Maybe not for him, but that's definitely a deal breaker for me. So, just quickly, a deal breaker is something unacceptable for you. She is saying that maybe not for him. Now, "him"-it's easy to think that this means the agent, but actually "for him" means the other person. We went and saw two houses, so I think it could be easy to mistake that. Let's talk about deal breaker a little bit more, so I found out that she's already married, that's a deal breaker. I would hope that that's a deal breaker for anybody if somebody's already married. Now, you can also say that in that example, that is a red flag, that is a big red flag. But there is a difference between a red flag and a deal breaker, a deal breaker is very personal. So, you could say somebody is not right for you because they are too tall, that's a deal breaker. That's not a red flag because that's not for everybody, some people would like a tall person, others wouldn't, a deal breaker is very personal and specific to you. So, the husband or partner is saying maybe not for him, but for me, the person speaking, being out in the middle of nowhere is a deal breaker. But these two we saw today were very tempting. One was just on the outskirts, so we just talked about being in the middle of nowhere. Now, this is not central-right in the middle of the city-but this is kind of the edges of a city, so there are still some things to do. It's kind of a happy medium between the two. It was quite modern and not too expensive, the only downside was it felt a little cramped, a little bit small, not very spacious, or maybe just bad spacing. But I'm sure we could make do. Making do with something means to settle or to be okay with something that's not perfect or ideal, let's make do with what we already have. It's not perfect, but you know, we can survive with that, you just have to make do. What are we making do with? Well, it's not the size that we want really, but we can manage with it. The other was more central-outskirts, central. It was a bit older and more rundown, but I think it has lots of potential. So, rundown-the meaning is kind of assisted by "older" here, they go together. If something is rundown-something like a house or a car-it can also be used for people, I'll explain in a minute. Rundown means old but also very used, almost broken. It's not broken, but it looks like it might break soon, "It's only 5 years old, but it looks very rundown." In British English, we also say "tatty." Now, for people, you can also use "rundown," but it doesn't just mean old. You wouldn't say an old person looks rundown unless they are feeling tired, exhausted, or a little bit sick. So, you can say, "I feel so rundown today." That's fine, saying someone else looks rundown-be careful. So, the house looked rundown because it was also older, but I think it has lots of potential. So even though it's old and rundown now, it could be improved, or it could be really good, "He's still learning, but I think he has so much potential." Here, this is being used to describe maybe a new coworker. You can also say, "I see potential in him." So, the second house-maybe they're going to do some DIY or a bit of home improvement, but it has lots of potential to be a good house. So, let's go back to these comprehension questions. Who likes the countryside more? Well, in the first page, she said, "It's a deal breaker for me being in the middle of nowhere, but maybe not for him." So, the idea I'm getting here is that he might like the countryside more, this is not a deal breaker for him, but it's still not what we had in mind. So, I think the answer here is her boyfriend or husband-we're not sure. He likes the countryside more than her, for her it is a deal breaker, it is not acceptable. Number two, has the speaker decided which house to buy? Well, this was the second page, they said they were very tempting, and she described both of them, but she did not say anything about, "We're going to go for this one" or "We're going to get that," that's it, it's a no. Which house do you think the speaker likes most? Now, this one's really tricky, I don't think there's a 100% right or wrong answer here. But if we look at the phrases we've learned, "I'm sure we could make do with this one, it's not perfect, it's okay, we could live there, it's fine." The second one, "It's old and rundown, but it has lots of potential." I think this one sounds more positive, we need to do some work with it, but I could see us being pretty happy here, that's the impression I'm getting from that. So, I would say the answer is possibly the last one, but again, not a clear answer either way. If you had that same idea that the last one seemed like she liked it the most, then I think you've got a really good understanding of what she was saying and what she meant. But that's it for this video, please look at the chapters in the video, and you can go back easily and listen again to what was said. You can change the speed, you can shadow, and please use the comments to make your own sentence-maybe a phrase that you didn't know before. Make sure you're using it right, and I'll take a look. But that's it for today! Thanks very much for watching!

Today's speaker was Alex 🇲🇽🇺🇸 thanks bro! Full transcript: Reported speech-this might be one of the trickier ones so far, but let's give it a try. Listening to a 30-second segment first, then taking a closer look. Here we go. ----------------------------------------- I don't know why Nathan told you he wasn't coming tonight. He told me that as long as we weren't meeting up too early, then to count him in, and that he'd catch a ride with all of us. I know we weren't sure when to meet up at first because of work, but that's why Kate pushed back the reservation to 7:30 to make sure that everyone could make it. What else did he tell you? If he's just going to bail for no reason, that's pretty uncalled for. Rachel even said that she'd make her own way just to make sure there was enough space in the car for him. I've just about had it with him. ----------------------------------------- Okay, so let's take a closer look at that. I don't know why Nathan told you he wasn't coming tonight. So already, we know that the speaker is talking to another person about this guy, Nathan. He told me that as long as we weren't meeting up too early, then to count him in. Counting someone in is to assume that someone is going to attend, come, or take part in something. If there are free drinks, then count me in. He said he's coming. You can count him in. So he had already told the person speaking that, oh yeah, as long as it's not too early, count me in. I'm coming, and that he would catch a ride. Catching a ride is an expression to mean to be given a lift. Thanks for letting me catch a ride with you. We can also say hitch a ride, get a ride, or in the UK, get a lift. We often say thanks for giving me a lift. He'd catch a ride with all of us. So this person, Nathan, has already said, yeah, yeah, I'm going to come. I'm going to catch a ride with you. I know we weren't sure when to meet up at first because of work, but that's why Kate pushed back the reservation. To push back a reservation means to postpone or delay it, to change an event to a later time. So you can say to push back something or to push something back. One example: we can't push back the meeting. It needs to happen today. So what exactly is the speaker saying right now? He's saying, I know we weren't sure when to meet up at first. So he's basically saying, yeah, at first we didn't know. So if we didn't know when to meet, then, you know, I can kind of understand why he would say he's not coming because he was worried about it being too early. But that's why Kate-this is another friend-pushed back the reservation to 7:30. So maybe it was at 6 or 6:30, but another friend has gone through the effort of making the reservation later to make sure that everyone could make it. Our other friend Kate has done this, so there's really no excuse that he could be making. Now the speaker is asking the person he's talking to for more information. What else did he tell you? And now, after asking that question, he's just going to continue and assume things. If he's just going to bail for no reason, so to bail means to cancel a plan. It usually means, like, at the last minute-they're kind of being a bit of a flaky person, to back out of an action. Don't bail on me now. It's often used in a negative way. If someone's bailed, then, you know, you can't-you haven't-they haven't been reliable, and this is kind of what's implied here. Don't confuse it with to bail someone out. To bail someone out means to get them out of trouble, just like bailing someone out of jail. So this is quite different. If he's just going to bail for no reason, that's pretty uncalled for, which means something rude or inappropriate. Literally means if something is called for, it means publicly people have asked for it. So uncalled for means nobody has asked for this or, the way we use it, something rude or inappropriate. That comment was uncalled for. She insulted him in front of everyone. That was totally uncalled for. That was unnecessary. That was rude. That was not acceptable. Now we go to another friend. Rachel even said that she'd make her own way just to make sure there was enough space in the car for him. So he's just kind of adding on to the efforts that the other friends have done to include him. So in the previous page, if I go back a second, he's coming as long as it's not too early, and he's going to catch a ride with everyone. So this friend, Rachel, made efforts to make sure he could do that. And he finishes by saying, I've just about had it with him, which is kind of understandable at this point. So to be very upset with someone-lots of things have added up. So, you know, oh, they said this thing, I wasn't very happy. Then they did this. Then they said that to me. That's it. She's just about had it with him. Honestly, I've had it up to here. We can often add "up to here." People often do this to show, like, the top, the max. Honestly, I've had it up to here with your excuses. If you hear this from somebody, then I don't know what you've done, but it's not looking good for you. So I hope that that speech, broken down, kind of made a bit more sense. Please feel free to go back again and take another listen. Thanks to KZbin, you can play around with the speed. You can shadow it so that you become a bit more familiar. And also, please drop a comment using your own example sentence. I hope it was beneficial for you. So thanks for watching, and see you again next time.

Today's speaker was Vicky 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Thank you so much! Full transcript: In today's video, we listen to a native speaker say that their friends don't follow through with things. Let's find out what that means and try to understand more. This example speech is a little bit different in terms of topic. It's about friendships and advice. Somebody's talking about their friend, so let's listen to the segment. It's about 30 seconds long, and then we're going to take a look at the script afterwards. So, if you're ready, let's take a listen. ----------------------------------------------- Recently, it feels like everyone's relying on me. It's minor stuff, but it all adds up. Like, I have this friend-sweet girl, very caring. She's been having a rough time lately, but at the same time, she doesn't do herself any favors. What I mean by that is she always asks for advice, whether it's family issues or relationships. But whenever I try to give my opinion, she either brushes it off completely or just kind of agrees but then never follows through with what I've said. So, I don't really know how else to help her. Anyway, sorry for ranting on. ------------------------------------------------ Okay, there were quite a few fast bits there. I'm not sure how difficult that was for you, but let's take a look at what was said. Recently, it feels like everyone's relying on me. It's minor stuff, but it all adds up. So, saying that something all adds up is quite a common way of saying that many small things have added up and have become something significant. For example, you only study for 5 minutes a day, but it all adds up. That's a positive way. I bought too many things online recently. They were only small, but they all add up, meaning you're spending too much money. Hold on. Like, I have this friend-sorry, that wasn't a very natural way of saying it. Like, I have this friend-sweet girl, very caring. She's been having a rough time lately. Rough, of course, being a tough or difficult time. But at the same time, she doesn't do herself any favors. This means… when you're making things hard for yourself, which is often your own fault or it could be avoided. So, if someone else says, "I have no energy today," you could say, "Well, you're not doing yourself any favors by staying up late." Maybe you know that person likes to play video games at 2 in the morning. Or you can say that. You're not doing yourself any favors. Maybe, uh, there's something else as well, but that's your own fault. So, maybe her rough time is to do with other things as well, but also at the same time, she's doing something to herself as well. Now, she goes on to explain. What I mean by that is she always asks for advice, whether it's family issues or relationships. So, she's asking for advice on, you know, a variety of different things. Next page. But whenever I try to give my opinion, she either brushes it off completely. Now, brushing something off means to ignore something that was said or to kind of, you know, not really do anything about it. This is a big problem. Don't just brush it off. It has this idea, this image of, "Okay, but, you know, you put it to one side and nothing gets done." Ignore them. Brush it off. Now, in this case, you're telling somebody to ignore them. Maybe somebody's being mean or said something that they shouldn't have said. You're telling someone, "Brush it off," meaning, "Pay no notice. It's okay. Don't, you know, let it upset you." And also, be careful of brushing up. Brushing up your English is a similar-sounding expression with a completely different meaning. So, she either brushes it off completely or just kind of agrees, but then never follows through with what I've said. So, following through with something is to continue an action until it's completed. For example, he made a study plan but didn't follow through with it. So, you're kind of got something going, you're like, "Oh yeah, I'm going to do this. I've got my books. I'm going to do it," and then, you know, you don't. Seems familiar? Sorry, not accusing you. To carry on with something or to see something through is also something you might hear. So, what does this mean? Well, sometimes she ignores what's said and sometimes she says, "Oh yeah, okay, that's good advice. I'm going to do it," but then, you know, doesn't seem to. So, I don't really know how else to help her. And then, that's kind of the end of, you know, her reporting about her friend. And then, anyway, sorry for ranting on, which is kind of just a polite, "Oh, I've been talking too much." To rant means to say a lot of negative things in one go. "He just ranted on and wouldn't let me speak." So, she's basically saying, "Oh, you know, I've said lots of negative things. Maybe you're getting a bit bored by now. Sorry about that." And, the complete opposite to "rave on" about something is to give lots of positive things to say about something. "Oh, he kept raving on about that new restaurant. He said it was really good." I think that could also, I think that could also be easily mistaken. Sorry for ranting on. Sounds like I'm ranting on now, so I will say that that is the end for English in Five today. Please go back and take another listen. See if you can make a bit more sense of what was said. Play around with the speed. Shadowing is another good idea. And make your own comments with something new that you've learned today, and I'll take a look at it. That's it. Thank you for watching. See you next time.

Today's speaker - Chris 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 thanks mate! Full Transcript: Today's native speaker says he didn't let his nerves get to him. What does he mean by that? Let's listen and try and find out more. Okay so let's take a listen to what today's native speaker said. The topic is a company meeting. We'll listen for about 30 seconds and then go through the script. If you're ready let's take a listen. My place of work always has these weekly meetings. Each week a different member of Staff gets up there and gives a small talk. Usually about something positive like team building or self-improvement... Anyway, if no one volunteers then the managers picks someone at random. I'd kind of prepared something just in case but I'd never volunteered before. I figured it would look better than getting called on so I bit the bullet and just went for it. And actually it wasn't so bad. The speech itself wasn't particularly special but I was pretty proud that I volunteered and didn't let my nerves get to me. Okay so let's take a closer look at that. My place of work always has these weekly meetings and each week a different member of Staff gets up there and gives a small talk. So getting up there is implying that the person is presenting to the public. It means that they're getting up on a stage. It doesn't always mean that. There doesn't necessarily have to be a stage but we have this idea of talking or expressing yourself to a group of people. For example you're funnier than the comedian you should get up there. In that example there is some kind of stage. And there's also get out there - now the difference between the two is if someone's getting themselves out there... then... they want to be a bit more social. If you want your friend to get out there - maybe they're single, maybe they need to start dating again. You'd say oh you need to get yourself out there. And gives a small talk... Now saying a small talk instead of just small talk changes the meaning completely. So a small talk - noun - is a formal presentation or some kind of business pitch. He gave a talk about newly discovered fossils. So this is presenting in front of people. Perhaps on a stage again. Versus Small Talk, which is talking about the weather, hobbies or anything just to avoid an awkward silence. For example I don't like small talk. So just missing that 'a' in there can make a world of difference. Now hopefully from the context of being at work hopefully we picked up that it is a small talk... Usually about something positive like team building or self-improvement. Anyway, if no one volunteers then the managers pick someone at random. You can say at random, randomly. Basically it looks like everybody's just looking at their feet. Nobody wants to volunteer. Okay... Dave, how about you? I'd kind of prepared something just in case but I've never volunteered before. I figured it would look better than getting called on. So firstly we say I figured. Now it's not exactly the same as saying I figured out the answer or I figured out a problem. We often use it just to mean giving an opinion. For example I figured it was best to leave him alone. That's not like a right or wrong answer but we often use it that way. And that's exactly how the speaker is using it here. It means I thought or I sensed... I figured it would look better than getting called on. And getting called on... I believe it's more used in America. I'm not entirely sure but I do hear it from time to time. It's to be asked to answer a question or do something. This is something quite official - either in a meeting or at school. For example the teacher called on James but he didn't know the answer. So what he's saying is he thought that volunteering, to offer something, would look better or seem better to the the boss or the managers than if they had just called on him and said okay we're choosing you at random. So I bit the bullet and just went for it. Now bit the bullet is an expression you may or may not have heard before. It means to do something unpleasant you don't want to do or like a bold move. Just bite the bullet already, you'll be glad when it's over. It's not a very... It's usually not a pleasant thing. It's something that maybe you're a little bit scared to do, a little bit anxious. So you might also say to just do it, just get it over with or even 'take the plunge' is another similar expression. So... and then he said and just went for it which is basically saying the same thing twice. Biting the bullet means to just go for it so he's just adding stress. He's just kind of saying the same thing again. So I bit the bullet and just went for it. It's quite common to hear those together. And actually it wasn't so bad. Now that makes sense because he's saying "actually I was surprised. I thought it was going to be bad. That's why I said bit the bullet. But actually it wasn't". The speech itself wasn't particularly special but I was pretty proud that I volunteered and didn't let my nerves get to me. Now if we look at letting your nerves get to you - it means to let yourself become nervous. "I wasn't prepared which was probably why my nerves got to me". And please be careful not to mistake it with 'to get on my nerves' which means to get angry or to get really uh frustrated. So that's again something to be careful of. But if we look back here. Why is he feeling proud? Not because of the speech or not because of what he said. He was proud because he volunteered and that was the thing that he was nervous about doing. Which is why he said he bit the bullet. So that's it for this video. If you'd like to go back again you can shadow it, you can play around with the speed thanks to KZbin, and take another listen. See if you can follow and understand a bit more. [The bits] you didn't get last time (I misspoke). And of course if you want to use one of the examples and make your own example sentence then please do so in the comments and I'll take a look. But that's it for today. Thanks very much for watching and I'll see you next time.

Full transcript: Hello welcome to Natural English listening! It's been a long time. I'm starting off a new series called English in five where we listen to some natural speech and then go through it looking at some of the grammar points, some of the phrases and find out what you missed. So the first time listening, I recommend turning off subtitles or closing your eyes. Whatever you'd like to do and then we'll talk about it after. Okay if you're ready here we go... ------------------------------------------- Today was the first time in a really long time that I got to have some quality time to myself. I'd been so busy lately, so much so that I'd almost forgotten how to relax. I put the telly on but couldn't really think of what to watch. In the end I just chose a drama that my friends had been going on about. It wasn't too bad but honestly I think they hyped it up a little too much. It wasn't really for me so I thought I'd do something else instead. Well, that was what I thought, but actually when I looked at the clock it was already time to get dinner started. I couldn't believe how the time had just vanished. ------------------------------------------- Okay so that was the script let's start taking a look at it... Today was the first time in a really long time that I got to have some quality time - now quality time uh described as time that is valued positive treasured and often rare so even if you enjoy your work for example you wouldn't say "quality time at work" because it's something you get to do all the time. You kind of think of it as a rare thing and something that you really appreciate. Example sentence - "I will spend some quality time with my family" very often said. And you can also hear valuable time or precious time. Used the same way... I'd been so busy lately, so much so that I'd almost forgotten how to relax - Now this this so much so is affecting the word busy. So how busy? Well, so busy you forgot how to relax. So kind of simple when you think about it but it sounds like quite a mouthful. Grammar that stresses the adjective or verb before it - let's look at a couple more examples. The new restaurant was really popular, so much so that no one could get a table." So this time it's changing or describing how much - how popular it was. Now that's an adjective, we can also do it to a verb. He was sweating. How much was he sweating? So much so that he had to change clothes. Poor guy... I put the telly on now telly being TV in British English in case you didn't know... but couldn't really think of what to watch. In the end I chose a drama that my friends have been going on about - Now going on about - to talk about something - many times. "I don't care stop going on about it" hopefully you haven't been told that too much. I know I have. "I know I keep going on about it but have you booked the hotel yet?" So you're describing yourself there I know I've said this more than once sorry but something something... You can also say whining on about something or badgering on about something. Badgering on being British English again. Okay so that was the first half - next half... It wasn't too bad but honestly I think they hyped it up a little too much. So hyping something up is to praise something or to say that it's really good. "My friends really hyped up the pizza at that place." so before you even went they said it was really good it was really good. Next sentence "It was really hyped up, I don't know why." So maybe you're saying that the thing wasn't actually good because everyone said so but you don't understand why. The candidate was really hyped up by the interviewer." So this is using um using it for a person rather than something - it's someone. "The interviewer said yeah this guy's great they've got the skills they're really good for the job." It was overhyped and it had a lot of hype - you might also hear - used the same way. And... where am I? Sorry. It wasn't really for me so I thought I'd do something else instead. Now "for me" can trip up a few people because we'd always say it in the negative way. Something wasn't for me. You can't say that something was "for you". We don't really use it that way. So it's something that you don't like. I tried it but it wasn't for me. It's a nice way of saying oh I I didn't like it... A very British sounding sentence - Not my cup of tea. Oh sorry, and "I'm not too keen on it" is also quite commonly used... So I thought I'd do something else instead. Well that was what I thought, but actually when I looked at the clock it was already time to get dinner started. I couldn't believe how the time had just vanished. So we often... A lot of expressions to do with time going away - I didn't think it needed an example sentence, but you might also hear "the time disappeared", "the time was eaten up" or "the time was just gone". They're all really commonly used. So that was it, that was the script that we listened to. It's up to you where you go from here. You might want to go back to the beginning and listen to it one more time now that you've kept some of those points in mind. You could also shadow it where you're speaking at the same time as it's being played. And also feel free to drop a comment - try writing a sentence using one of those points and I'll let you know if you used it the right way or need to make any changes. So yeah, thank you for watching and see you again soon. Take care!

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Thank you Jon! This video was so helpful that I could learn seamlessly and effectively. First I tried listen to this video without subtitles. I managed to understand the half. Next I watched it again with subtitles and understood 95%, looking into Cambridge Dictionary sometimes. Finally I skimmed over the words and phrases in the description and got concrete comprehension. Overall it was a great exercise for me. Please keep up with the good work!

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