I saw Lisa at the station. We watched a movie last night. Look at this photo. Look, I understand what you’re saying. See, watch, and look are all connected to using our eyes, so it’s easy to mix them up. But there are some important differences. Sometimes something simply comes into view. Sometimes we choose to pay attention to something …
1082 – How Americans Really Use “It Depends”
“Do you like living in New York?” “It depends.” “Should I buy a new laptop?” “Well…it depends.” “Is English difficult?” “That depends.” “It depends” is one of those little English expressions that we use all the time in everyday English. But did you know that the phrase, “It depends” has a number of different meanings and uses? Most of the …
1081 – Bring vs. Take: Which One Should You Use?
Can you bring me a coffee? I’m only taking one suitcase. What should I bring? Don’t forget to take your umbrella. Bring your laptop. Take this to the office. Bring and take seem like simple words, but they’re easy to mix up. You’ve probably learned that bring means “move something toward the speaker” and take means “move something away from …
1080 – Hear or Listen? What’s the Difference?
I heard a strange noise. Listen to this song. Can you hear me? Are you listening to me? Hear and listen. These words are both connected to sound and ears, so it’s easy to mix them up. But there’s an important difference. Hearing usually happens naturally. A sound reaches your ears, even when you’re not trying. Listening is active. You …
1079 – Phrasal Verbs with “Back” You’ll Actually Use
Come back. Call back. Pay back. Give back. Get back. Write back. What do all of these expressions have in common? Well, of course, they all use the word back. But here’s the interesting thing. In many of these phrasal verbs, back gives us the idea of returning – returning to a place, returning a phone call, returning money, returning …
1078 – What Does “Go Ahead” Really Mean?
Go ahead. Go ahead and start without me. You go ahead. I’ll catch up. Go right ahead. Go ahead, I’m listening. Go ahead. Two simple words that you’ll hear all the time in everyday American English. Sometimes we use it to give someone permission. Sometimes it means start or continue. Sometimes we use it to tell someone to go before …
1077 – How Americans Really Use “Come On”
Come on, let’s go. Oh, come on! Come on, you can do it. Come on in. Come on over. Come on. Two simple words, right? But depending on the situation and your tone of voice, those two little words can mean hurry up, I don’t believe you, you can do it, enter, visit me, or even… that’s ridiculous. It’s one …
1076 – Stop Mixing Up Miss, Lose, Forget, and Leave
I missed the bus. I lost my keys. I forgot my wallet. I left my phone at the office. These four words seem similar because they all describe situations where something goes wrong. But they don’t mean the same thing. Did you fail to catch something? Did you no longer have something? Did you forget something in your mind? Or …
1075 – How Americans Really Use “Guess”
I guess so. I guess not. I guess you’re right. Let me guess. Guess what? You probably learned that the verb guess means to answer a question when you don’t know the answer. And that’s true. But in everyday American English, guess has several other meanings. In fact, when native speakers say, “I guess,” they’re usually not making a guess …
1074 – How Americans Really Use “I’m Good”
I’m good. We’re good. You’re good. It’s all good. You probably learned that good is the opposite of bad. So you might think, “I’m good” is simply a conversational reply to “How are you. And it is. But in everyday American English, I’m good has several different meanings. We use I’m good to politely refuse something, to say we don’t …