DO NOT SAY 'I know' or 'I understand' - there are MUCH better alternatives!

[Music] hello everyone and welcome back to english with lucy today i'm going to tell you why you need to stop saying i know and i understand to know means to be aware of through inquiry observation or information now the issue is with this word it can make you seem like a know-it-all i know i know i know i know it can sound a little impolite there are many other ways of saying that you know something or that you understand something i've included understand in this list because it's very overused it's one of the first words that we learn when we're learning english whether you understand something or if you don't understand something i think it'll be really helpful for you to have a bank of other phrases other words and other interjections that you can use in place of i know and i understand and a lot of these have little differences in meaning so you can make more complex observations so this video is perfect for expanding your vocabulary but if you want to improve your pronunciation and your listening skills even further then i highly recommend the special method of combining reading books with listening to their audiobook counterpart on audible it might sound weird but let me explain because it really does work take a book that you have already read in your own language and would like to read in english or simply a book that you would like to read in english i have got loads of recommendations in the description box for you and read this book whilst listening to the audiobook version on audible i choose audible because it's got almost every book i love their subscription model and it's my platform of choice i use it all the time especially when running reading alone will not help you with your pronunciation because english isn't a strictly phonetic language the way a word is written in english might not give any indication as to how it is pronounced in english but if you listen to a word as you read it your brain will start making connections and the next time you see that word you'll know exactly how it's meant to sound how it's pronounced and the next time you hear that word you'll know exactly how it's spelt or written it's such an effective method and the best part is you can get one free audio book that's a 30 day free trial on audible all you've got to do is click on the link in the description box to sign up right let's get back to the vocabulary lesson so i have got verbs near synonyms for i know to know and i've got some phrases and interjections as well so for this exercise i want you to imagine that i'm a boss of a company and i have taken inspiration from my some one of my previous bosses lots of shady inspiration so number one the first synonym for to know is to be aware of to be aware of and this basically means to know that something exists for example i'm aware of the lack of water in the office toilets don't worry an engineer is coming next friday number two is to realize to realize and this is to understand a situation sometimes suddenly ah i've just realized i have only just become aware of something it can however just mean to understand for example i realize how frustrating it is that your paychecks were late this month but i couldn't sign them because i was on a yacht and the wi-fi was terrible number three is to recognize to recognize and this is to accept that something is legal important or true for example i recognize how much it means to you to have natural light in the office but i have very sensitive eyes number four quite similar is to appreciate to appreciate this means to understand a situation and to realize that it's important for example i appreciate why you'd like more sick pay but i'm afraid that people might abuse it number five is to acknowledge to acknowledge this means to accept or admit the existence or the truth of something for example i acknowledge that the lack of toilet paper is frustrating but it's not that hard to put a couple of sheets in your pocket each morning and number six not an exact synonym for either of them but i think it's important it is to notice to notice which means to see or to become conscious of something or someone for example i did notice that you've been parking by the entrance each day i understand that you have a bad leg but you must be considerate of more executive members of staff right let's move on to some phrases and interjections that you can use instead of i know or i understand again lots of them have little differences it might seem pointless that i'm giving you the definition for each of them but just watch for differences because they're very subtle number seven is i see i see it means i understand and that i'm paying attention to what someone is saying however it does depend on tone of voice if i say i see it can show a bit of disapproval so if someone were to say to me i was off sick yesterday because i had a stomach bug i might reply saying i see was there vomit because if there wasn't any vomit you should have come in we can also extend this to number eight which is i see what you mean i really see what you mean this means more or less the same thing but it's almost further implying that you don't really agree for example if a member of staff said to me i won't be able to finish that project tonight because it's my birthday and my husband's taking me out i might reply with i see what you mean i'll offer the project to somebody more dedicated number nine is fair enough fair enough this is used to show that you understand and accept what someone has said for example if someone says to me i'm not coming to the office party on friday night because i suffer with bad social anxiety i might say fair enough i'll see you on monday you loser number 10 is all right and we can also say 11 which is ok these are fairly basic i'm sure you've heard of them already and these are used to especially express that you have heard what someone has said more than the fact that you accept it for example if my secretary comes to me and says i'd just like to remind you that your interviewee has been waiting in the lobby for three hours i might say all right as in i've heard you i'll come down after i finish this game of solitaire number 13 and 14 are i see your point and i take your point they mean the same thing these are used to say that you understand what someone's saying but it's also used to imply that you disagree with it for example if john comes to me and says i think that you need to let mary go i might reply saying i see your point john but i'm not sure i'm allowed to fire someone for not agreeing to go on a date with you come back to me if you find a better reason number 15 is i don't blame you i don't blame you this is used for saying that you understand why someone has done something or why they feel a particular way for example if mary comes to me and says i'm going to speak to hr about john hr is human resources i might reply by saying i don't blame you mary he's a total weirdo but don't tell hr i said that number 16 is a slang one i get what you mean or even more slang i get you to get in this case means to understand i get you i understand you you get me you understand me so if cynthia were to come to me and say i don't think that eight minutes is long enough for a lunch break i might reply saying i get what you mean cynthia but it's calculated by an algorithm and it's what the computer has decided's best for you number 17 even more slang is gotcha gotcha this is a reduction it means i get you i've got you i've understood you so someone comes to me and says i'd like to propose a salary review i could say gotcha you think it's too high as well don't you number 18 is i'm certain that and this just means i know i'm certain that i'm absolutely sure so if someone comes to me and says i'm feeling overwhelmed with this new workload i might reply saying don't worry i'm certain that you'll be feeling underwhelmed like the rest of us in no time that's it for today's lesson i hope you enjoyed it i hope you learned something don't forget to claim your free audiobook and 30 day free trial on audible the link is in the description box don't forget to connect with me on all of my social media i've got my facebook my instagram my twitter and my personal lucy bellaire channel where i talk about everything that isn't related to english i will see you soon for another lesson [Music] [Music] you

Channel: English with Lucy

Views: 2,596,148

Keywords: stop saying I know, stop saying i don't know, stop saying I understand, do not say I know, Do not say I don't know, do not say I understand, don't say I know, don't say I understand, i know alternatives, i understand alternatives, english with lucy, english with lusy

Id: mJfnb7PIHDo

Length: 10min 22sec (622 seconds)

Published: Wed Apr 01 2020