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