English Workout

Make up your mind: make a decision

One expression. Five minutes. Stronger English.

We all have to make decisions every day , don’t we?

This is why this is such a useful expression:

Make up your mind (or make your mind up)

It means making a final decision after considering some options.

How to use it

Here are a few everyday examples:

* I can’t decide which restaurant to go to. I need to make up my mind before 3p.m.

* How about the proposal? Have you made up your mind?

* I’m having second thoughts about the business. Please help me make up my mind.

Mini pronunciation tip

In make up, the final K in “make” connects smoothly with up. Native speakers don’t pause between the two words.

Practice these chunks:

* make up your mind

* made up my mind

* Have you made up your mind?

Now say the whole sentence smoothly:

I finally made up my mind.

Your challenge 🏋️

Complete these sentences aloud:

* Is there any decision you need to make soon? I need to ____________ about ______________________.

* Yesterday I made up my mind about __________________________.

* Go and ask somone : Have you __________________ about ______________.

Say your answers out loud—the Gym is for speaking, not just reading.

Thanks for joining this workout.

Train your English. Build your confidence. See you at the Gym.

Subscribe: @LinguaGym on Substack Instagram: @LinguaGymcol Website: www.linguagym.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit linguagym.substack.com

Having second thoughts: doubting a decision

One expression. Five minutes. Stronger English.

Have you ever made a decision and then started wondering if it was the right one?

That’s when you say:

I’m having second thoughts.

It means you’re reconsidering a decision you’ve already made.

How to use it

Here are a few everyday examples:

* I was about to pay for my new car, but then I saw a newer model. Now I’m having second thoughts.

* Why are you having second thoughts?

* Thomas said we had a deal, but now he’s having second thoughts.

Mini pronunciation tip

In thoughts, the GH is silent. Don’t pronounce it—the word sounds just like /thots/.

Practice these words:

* thought

* thoughts

* second thoughts

Now say the whole expression smoothly:

I’m having second thoughts.

Your challenge 🏋️

Complete these sentences aloud:

* I’m having second thoughts about selling the car.

I’m having second thoughts about ______________________

* Have you ever had second thoughts after buying something?

Two months ago I bought a new cell phone. Then I had second thoughts. I think I didn’t really need it.

_______________________________________________________

* What decision have you never had second thoughts about?

I never had second thoughts about starting this podcast.

I never had second thoughts about ________________________.

Say your answers out loud—the Gym is for speaking, not just reading.

Thanks for joining this workout.

Train your English. Build your confidence. See you at the Gym.

Subscribe: @LinguaGym on Substack Instagram: @LinguaGymcol Website: www.linguagym.com

Comparte este episodio con alguien que quiera aprender inglés

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Run into someone/ Bump into someone: meeting someone unexpectedly

One expression. Five minutes. Stronger English.

Have you ever seen someone on the street without planning to?

This is when you say:

I ran into Sebastian on my way to work.

I bumped into Sebastian on my way to work.

It means meeting someone unexpectedly by chance.

How to use it

Here are a few everyday examples:

* The other day I was walking downtown, and I bumped into Andrés, my friend from university.

* Yesterday, Maria was at the doctor’s, and she ran into one of her school friends.

* Michael and I were at a business meeting, and we ran into Patty, our former boss.

Mini pronunciation tip

Pay attention to the -ed sound in bumped. This -ed is pronounced as /t/, not /id/.

Practice these past tense words with the same /t/ ending:

* bumped

* stopped

* helped

* worked

Now say the whole sentence smoothly:

I bumped into Andrés yesterday.

Your challenge 🏋️

Who have you bumped into lately?

Come up with your own example and say out loud.

Say your answers out loud—the Gym is for speaking, not just reading.

Thanks for joining this workout.

Train your English. Build your confidence. See you at the Gym.

Subscribe: @LinguaGym on Substack Instagram: @LinguaGymcol Website: www.linguagym.com

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For God’s sake:

One expression. Five minutes. Stronger English.

1. Expressing frustration

Have you ever felt you’ve had enough? How do you express that feeling?

This is when you say:

Oh, for God’s sake!

Oh, for Christ’s sake!

Oh, for Heaven’s sake!

It’s similar to saying “Come on!” or “Give me a break!”

How to use it

Imagine these situations:

* You’re driving, you’re in a hurry. Guess what! There’s a huge traffic jam. This when you say : _____________________

* Your team hasn’t finished the report before the meeting. You say _____________.

* You’re cooking, it’s late, and your meal gets burned. ___________________.

2. For someone’s sake: for their benefit

Have you found yourself doing something to benefit someone? This is when you say:

For your sake!

For Mariana’s sake!

For my kids’ sake!

How to use it

Here are a few everyday examples:

* Take your medicine—it’s for your sake.

* I accepted the job for my family’s sake.

* We stayed calm for the children’s sake.

Mini pronunciation tip

Notice how the S at the end of God’s and the S at the beginning of sake blend together. Instead of pronouncing two separate S sounds, you make one long /s/ sound.

Practice holding the S:

* For God’s sake !

Your challenge 🏋️

Pay attention throughout your day and use this new expression.

Say your answers out loud—the Gym is for speaking, not just reading.

Thanks for joining this workout.

Train your English. Build your confidence. See you at the Gym.

Subscribe: @LinguaGym on Substack Instagram: @LinguaGymcol Website: www.linguagym.com

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Work-life balance: having time for work and for life

One expression. Five minutes. Stronger English.

Do you ever feel like work is taking over your life? Do you have enough time for your family, friends and the things you love?

This is when you talk about:

“ Work-life balance ”

It means having a healthy balance between your professional life and personal life.

How to use it

Here are a few everyday examples:

* How’s your work-life balance?

* I’m concerned about my work-life balance

* Having a good work-life balance is at the top of my priorities.

Mini pronunciation tip

Pay attention to the sound of “O” in “work”. It’s not the Spanish “O”. It’s the same sound you hear in bird, word, and nurse.

Practice these words with the same vowel sound:

* work

* word

* bird

* nurse

Now say the whole expression smoothly:

I’m trying to improve my work-life balance.

Your challenge 🏋️

Ask people around about their perception on “work.life balance”.

Say your answers out loud—the Gym is for speaking, not just reading.

Thanks for joining this workout.

Train your English. Build your confidence. See you at the Gym.

Subscribe: @LinguaGym on Substack Instagram: @LinguaGymcol Website: www.linguagym.com

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Get down to business : start talking about the main topic

One expression. Five minutes. Stronger English.

Do you usually make some small talk before meetings at work?

After a few minutes of small talk, you can say:

“Let’s get down to business”

It means to start focusing on the important topic or purpose of the meeting.

How to use it

Here are a few everyday examples:

* You meet a friend to talk about a new business idea. At the beginning, you talk about your jobs and families. After that, you need to focus on the purpose of the meeting. This is when you can say : “Let’s get down to business”.

* You’re selling your car and a potential buyer asks you about yourself and other personal things. You just want to focus on selling the car. This is when you can say : “Let’s get down to business”.

Mini pronunciation tip

We normally don’t pronounce “to” as /tuː/.

Instead, reduce it to /tə/ — a quick, weak sound, almost like “tuh.”

Try saying it in chunks:

Let’s get DOWN → tə → BUSINESS

Your challenge 🏋️

Think of a situation in which you could use this new expression: “Let’s get down to business”

Say your answers out loud—the Gym is for speaking, not just reading.

Thanks for joining this workout.

Train your English. Build your confidence. See you at the Gym.

Subscribe: @LinguaGym on Substack Instagram: @LinguaGymcol Website: www.linguagym.com

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Bail : three different ways to use it

* Bail: money you pay while waiting for trial

One expression. Five minutes. Stronger English.

Have you heard the news? A famous actor was arrested, but he was released on bail.

That’s when you say:

He was released on bail.

It refers to the money a person pays to the legal system so they can leave jail while waiting for their trial.

How to use it

Here are a few everyday examples:

* The judge set bail at $50,000.

* She couldn’t afford to pay bail.

* His family paid his bail.

* Bail on: to back out or leave unexpectedly

One expression. Five minutes. Stronger English.

Do you have a friend who usually cancels plans at the last minute?

That’s when you say:

He usually bails on me.

It means to leave a situation or cancel a plan unexpectedly, often disappointing other people.

How to use it

Here are a few everyday examples

* Don’t bail on our dinner plans!

* She said she’d come, but she bailed at the last minute.

* I almost bailed on the meeting because I was exhausted.

* Bail someone out: rescuing someone from a difficult situation

One expression. Five minutes. Stronger English.

Have you ever run out of money and had to ask a friend for help?

That’s when you say:

I had to pay a bill, I had no money, so I called my friend to bail me out.

It means to help someone get out of a difficult situation, especially a financial one.

How to use it

Here are a few everyday examples

* My parents bailed me out when I couldn’t pay my rent.

* The government bailed out several banks during the financial crisis.

* Thanks for bailing me out—I really needed the money

Mini pronunciation tip

In bail, the letters AI make the long /eɪ/ sound , just like in:

* bail

* mail

* train

* wait

Now say the whole phrase smoothly:

My friend bailed me out.

Your challenge 🏋️

Do you remember the three different forms of BAIL?

The criminal _________________.

I had plans with my friend Nicolas, but he ______________ at the last minute.

Sophia had no money to pay for the rent, so I ____________ her ___________.

Say your answers out loud—the Gym is for speaking, not just reading.

Thanks for joining this workout.

Train your English. Build your confidence. See you at the Gym.

Subscribe: @LinguaGym on Substack Instagram: @LinguaGymcol Website: www.linguagym.com

Comparte este post con alguien que esté aprendiendo inglés

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Pet peeve: something that annoys you

One expression. Five minutes. Stronger English.

Is there anything that seems small, but really annoys you?

This is when you say:

I hate it when people interrupt me. That’s my pet peeve!

It means something that annoys you more than it annoys other people.

How to use it

Here are a few everyday examples:

* People singing aloud on public transportation annoys me. That’s my pet peeve.

* What’s your pet peeve?

* I hate it when people open the windows in my car. What a silly pet peeve!

Mini pronunciation tip

In pet peeve, notice the two different vowel sounds:

Pet has a short E /e/ — like bed or ten -the sound is short.

Peeve has a long EE /iː/ — like see or green- the sound is long.

Now say the whole phrase smoothly: “My biggest pet peeve.”

Your challenge 🏋️

Ask people around you about their pet peeves. If they don’t understand the expression, explain it to them.

María, what’s your pet peeve?

Luis, What’s your biggest pet peeve?

Say your answers out loud—the Gym is for speaking, not just reading.

Thanks for joining this workout.

Train your English. Build your confidence. See you at the Gym.

Subscribe: @LinguaGym on Substack Instagram: @LinguaGymcol Website: www.linguagym.com

Conoces a alguien que esté aprendiendo ingles. Comparte este post.

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Ages : for a very long time

One expression. Five minutes. Stronger English.

Have you been stuck in traffic for what felt like forever?

This is when you say :

It took me ages to get to the office because of the traffic

How to use it

Here are a few everyday examples:

* I haven’t been there for ages

* I hadn’t seen her for ages

* It took me ages to get there (to a place)

* I’ve been waiting in line for ages

Mini pronunciation tip

Notice that ages is pronounced with a soft G (like gym) and the ending sounds like -iz, not -es.

Practice these chunks:

* for ages

* It took ages

* I haven’t seen you for ages

Try saying the whole sentence smoothly:

I haven’t seen you for ages.

Your challenge 🏋️

Complete these sentences aloud

* Is there anyone you haven’t seen in ages? I haven’t see ______________in ages

* What’s the longest you have waited for someone/something? I waited for __________ for ______ when ____________________________

* I haven’t been to ___________ for __________

Say your answers out loud—the Gym is for speaking, not just reading.

Thanks for joining this workout.

Train your English. Build your confidence. See you at the Gym.

Subscribe: @LinguaGym on Substack Instagram: @LinguaGymcol Website: www.linguagym.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit linguagym.substack.com

Grow old with: becoming older / aging together with the person you love

One expression. Five minutes. Stronger English.

Are you in love? Is there anyone you would like to spend the rest of your life with?

This is when you say :

I want to grow old with you

It means choosing the person you want to be with

Mini pronunciation tip

Pay attention to the TH sound at the end of “with”. It’s not a T—your tongue gently touches your upper teeth as air flows out.

Practice these chunks:

* grow old with

* live with

* stay with

A clear TH will make your pronunciation sound much more natural.

Turn: aging/ getting older

One expression. Five minutes. Stronger English.

When’s your birthday? How old will you turn this year?

This is when you say :

I’ll turn 30 this year

It means to reach a new age or to become a certain age.

How to use it

Here are a few everyday examples:

* My birthday is on August 28th, I’m turning 29 this year.

* When I turn 50, I’ll be retired.

* How old will your son turn this year?

Mini pronunciation tip

Again pay attention to the TH sound in the middle of “birthday”. It’s not a T—your tongue gently touches your upper teeth as air flows out.

Practice these chunks:

* thirtieth

* birthday

* thought

* growing old with

On my thirtieth birthday, I thought about growing old with the people I love.

Your challenge 🏋️

Complete these sentences aloud

* Is there a person you would like to ______________ with ?

* I’ll ________ ________ this year.

* My father / mother / sister /partner is ______ing _________ next year.

Say your answers out loud—the Gym is for speaking, not just reading.

Thanks for joining this workout.

Train your English. Build your confidence. See you at the Gym.

Subscribe: @LinguaGym on Substack Instagram: @LinguaGymcol Website: www.linguagym.com

Conoces a alguien que esté aprendiendo ingles. Comparte este post.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit linguagym.substack.com