What does it mean if you don’t hold your
breath? Or you just say the word? Or you tell someone what? Or if something’s your treat? We’re looking at these phrases and lots
more like them in this video. They’re going to take your spoken English
up a level. There’s the English you learn from books
in school, and then there’s colloquial English. All those informal spoken expressions that
English speakers use all the time. And that’s what this lesson’s all about. We’ll show you lots of common phrases and
how to use them in action. So let’s roll the first video. What’s that? It’s my application. I’m applying for my dream job. Oh really? Do you think it’s a good idea? Sure. Go for it. What job is it? I’m applying to be an astronaut with the
space agency. What? NASA? You bet. And they’re asking about my special skills
and I have a great one…. Dah-dah Dah-dah-dah Di-dah-dit Di-di-dit Dit,
Dah-di-dah-dit Dah-dah-dah Dah-di-dit Dit. Do you know what that means? I haven’t a clue. It’s morse code. Oh right. So do you think you’ll get the job? I haven’t the foggiest idea. What do you think? Ah. Well, don’t hold your breath. Hey but you’re very good at morse code. Dah Di-di-di-dit Di-dah Dah-dit Dah-di-dah
Di-di-dit OK, did you notice this phrase? When you go for something, you put in effort
to get or achieve it. We normally say this phrase to encourage people. Do you think I should apply for this job? Sure. Go for it. It’s a great idea. And you also heard this phrase. You bet! You want to be an astronaut, with NASA? You bet. It just means yes or certainly, but it’s
a very enthusiastic yes. We can also use it when someone guesses something
correctly. So you know morse code. You bet! And then you heard some informal ways to say
‘I don’t know’. For when you don’t know at all. I don’t have the foggiest idea. In British English we can skip the word idea
and just say this. I haven’t the foggiest. And you heard a similar phrase:
Will I get the job or not? I don’t have a clue?’ This phrase is interesting because you can
also use it in a disapproving way, when you think someone’s stupid or bad at something. Don’t ask Vicki about morse code. She doesn’t have a clue. How dare you! OK, what’s next? This is good one. When we hold our breath, we breath in and
don’t breathe out. But the idea is we can’t do it for long. Do you think I’ll get the job? Well, don’t hold your breath. So we say this when we think something’s
NOT going to happen soon. Or maybe it won’t happen at all. Hey Jay. Do you think we’ll all get our COVID vaccinations
soon and life will return to normal? Maybe but don’t hold your breath. It’s a joke answer for when we think something
won’t happen, or it’ll take a long time. OK, let’s see another conversation. This one’s an old joke, but a good one. Ta dah! Who are you? I am the genie of the lamp and I can grant
you one wish. Really? Yes, just say the word. What would you like?" Well there are a lot of countries in the world
where there are wars. Yes, I see that. And I want them to live in peace. Hmm. Hmm. Sorry. No can do. Oh! Well the thing is these countries have been
at war for hundreds of years. It just not possible. Try another wish. Mmm. OK then. I want you to find me a nice man. Oh that's more like it. He’s got to be kind and intelligent and
love children. And he’s got to love cooking and housework
more than watching football. Hmmm. Errr. Show me those wars again. OK, the first phrase you should learn was
‘Just say the word’. You can say this when you’re being helpful. You can have anything you want. Just say the word and it’s yours. The idea is you only need to ask and I’ll
do what you want. It invites someone to give you an order. If you need me to help you, just say the word. OK, next phrase. You want world peace? Sorry. No can do. This simply means I can’t. We say it when someone’s asked us to do
something that’s impossible. Notice the word order. It’s strange. I don’t know why we say it that way because
it sounds funny. Maybe that’s why. Can you help me file these papers? Sorry, no can do. I’m going out to lunch with a customer. Bye! OK, the next phrase is very common: ‘The
thing is…’ So I can’t have world peace? No. The thing is these countries have been at
war for hundreds of years. It’s useful for introducing reasons. We say it before we explain something. I’m sorry I didn’t call you last night. The thing is I fell asleep
I don’t really need another pair of shoes, but the thing is these ones are so cute. OK, here’s another handy phrase. Try another wish. OK then I want you to find me a nice man. That's more like it. It’s an encouraging thing to say. It means that something is better and more
acceptable. It’s $500. Oh, that’s too much. Well with our discount it’s only 300. Oh. That’s more like it. So the lower price was better and more acceptable. No. No. No. That’s more like it. OK, I’ll work on this one. Yeah, it’s better than the rest. OK, let’s look at another conversation now. You’ll hear some good phrases for building
relationships, and being supportive. Really? Well, let’s see. I’m so upset. Uhuh. Why? I was expecting to hear from Frank Hobson. I thought he was going to place a big order
with me. And he didn’t? No. Oh, well cheer up. It’s not the end of the world. I worked so hard to make that sale. I thought he was going to buy 3,000. That’s a lot! But these things happen. And I thought I was going to be salesperson
of the month. Ah! I’ll tell you what. How about I take you out and buy you meal
tonight? Really? It’ll be my treat. And you can choose the restaurant. Wow! That would be really nice of you. You’re welcome. Thanks very much. I really appreciate it. I’ll see you later then. Yeah, see you later. Hi Frank. So you’re ready to submit your order? Fantastic, just make sure you put Vicki in
the box where it says salesperson, not Jay, OK? That’s great. Thanks Frank. I’m going to be top salesperson again! You’re so mean to me! But I said some nice things to you. Let’s look at some. Oh cheer up! Cheer up is a phrasal verb and it means to
become happier and not sad. So if someone’s feeling low, we might try
to ‘cheer them up’. And people say ‘cheer up’ to encourage
someone who’s sad. But they also say it if someone’s being
miserable and they’re fed up with them. That happens a lot too. I’ve often thought it was a strange thing
to say. You can’t really order someone to be happy
if they’re not. True. OK, here’s something you can say when something
bad happens. It’s not the end of the world. The idea is things aren’t as bad as you
think. The end of the world is the worst thing possible
so it’s a reminder that it’s better than that. And maybe there‘s still hope. Perhaps things can change. And here’s another sympathetic phrase. These things happen. Sometimes it’s nobody’s fault when bad
things happen. It’s just chance or bad luck. So the idea is you shouldn’t feel bad or
guilty about it. OK thanks. Oh, I’ve just spilled some coffee. Not to worry. These things happen. Be careful though because we don’t say this
when there was a really bad event. Oh my. What’s happened? My grandmother’s died. Ah well. These things happen. That was NOT appropriate. We’ve made another video about what to say
when people are grieving. I’ll put the link here. OK, back to the conversation. Here’s a really common phrase. But when do we say it? I’ll tell you what. How about I take you out for a nice meal tonight? We say it before we offer to do something. And we can drop the ‘I’ and ‘will’
and just say ‘Tell you what’. Tell you what, if you buy 3,000, I’ll give
you a discount. We also say it before we make a suggestion,
So where do you want to go tonight? Oh I’ll tell you what. Let’s try that new Indian restaurant. Good idea. And there’s one more phrase you should know. It’ll be my treat:
Treats are things that are very nice and pleasant. They’re things we give to other people because
we know they’ll enjoy them. Jay’s bought some tickets for us to see
Hamilton. It’s my birthday treat! We can use this word ‘to tell someone that
we’re going to pay. What would you like to drink? A beer? No no, put your money away. This is my treat. So it’s a very practical phrase, I think. You bet! If you have suggestions for other colloquial
phrases you’d like us to look at, tell us in the comments. Just say the word and we’ll try to help! And I want to tell them about the bell. Go for it. The thing is if you subscribe to our channel,
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shared it with a friend. Thanks a lot everyone. Bye-bye. Bye.
