Podcast Inglês Online

Hello, everybody. O episódio de hoje fala sobre trocadilhos em inglês.

Transcrição

What’s up? Today we have a new episode of the inglesonline podcast. Please subscribe to this podcast using the Podcasts app for iPhone or iPad, or listen to the episodes using the Inglesonline Android app. To download or just listen to other episodes and download transcripts, go to inglesonline.com.br and click Podcast Inglesonline.

So I mentioned on our Facebook page the other day that I was having a chat with someone and it went like this:

(Someone said) — I put the heating on. It seems to be working.

(I said) — Cool. No pun intended.

So that person said they had turned on the heating system, or the heater. And I said “Cool”, meaning nice. It’s a good thing that he turned on the heater. However, “cool” also means not too warm. When you say “It was a cool afternoon”, you’re saying it was not very warm. Cool doesn’t necessarily mean “cold” – in Brazil some people say “Tava fresquinho” or something like that. So the word “cool” can have a meaning that is related to temperature. When I said Cool, it was with the first meaning, nice.

Because my friend had made a comment about the heater, and because I used a word that can mean something also related to temperature, I said “No pun intended”. What is a pun? That’s what we call in Portuguese “trocadilho”. The phrase “No pun intended” means I didn’t make a pun intentionally; it wasn’t my intention to be funny or anything. Of course, some people make puns intentionally and then say “No pun intended”. That’s usually part of the joke and the intention is to actually draw attention to the pun.

There are lots of words in English that have more than one meaning, so puns can happen fairly often. And there’s also what’s called a “bad pun”… Can you imagine what that is? I’ll give an example of a pun my dad loves to make. Every time we see a dessert called “Pavê”, he says “É pavê ou pa comê?” Yep, that’s true. He says that. That’s a bad pun.

Well, if you thought that was bad, wait for this one. Last week I saw an ad for a driving school here in the UK and the driving school’s name is Red. You know, Red like the color. Only their tagline is “Highly red-ommended”. Get it? Instead of “recommended”, they say “red-ommended”. Awesome :) I found their advertisement online and included the image on the post – take a look.

So what do you think? Is “highly red-ommended” a bad pun?

Now please let us know what your best examples for puns are, especially if they’re bad puns! There’s usually someone in the family – usually a dad or an uncle – that loves making puns. Let us know in the comments and talk to you next time!

Keywords

* no pun intended

* a bad pun

 

[audio:http://media.blubrry.com/podcast_ingls_online/www.inglesonline.com.br/mp3/podcast-pun.mp3]

Hi, all. O episódio de hoje fala sobre as expressões do inglês pull your weight e have a lot on my plate.

Transcrição

Hello, how’s it going? Today we have a new episode of the inglesonline podcast. Please subscribe to this podcast using the Podcasts app for iPhone or iPad, or listen to the episodes using the Inglesonline Android app. To download or just listen to other episodes and download transcripts, go to inglesonline.com.br and click Podcast Inglesonline.

So here’s a very interesting expression: pull her weight or pull his weight, or pull their weight and so on. Weight, w-e-i-g-h-t. This expression is very often used in the negative. Why? Because this is a very common way to express that someone isn’t working as hard as they should. This person is part of a group – any kind of group – and everyone in the group has to contribute some work, let’s say, towards some kind of goal. And this person isn’t doing enough, for whatever reason. They are not pulling their weight.

Here’s a more specific example. Imagine that you share a house with three other people. So you have three housemates, right? The four of you share a bathroom, and the understanding is that every week one of you will clean the bathroom. Now, imagine that one of the housemates never really does their job… They just, kinda pretend they do: they say they’re gonna clean the bathroom but you never see them do it. You can tell they’re not pulling their weight. They are not pulling their weight.

Or maybe you’re in school and you’re part of a team, and you guys are working on a team project. Sometimes it happens that, for one reason or another, one of the team members won’t pull their weight. You all have meetings to discuss the work, everyone is assigned a different task, but there’s one person who ends up not doing their share. So you can see they’re not pulling their weight. What has your experience been regarding this expression? Have you been in situations where someone wasn’t pulling their weight? Maybe, for some reason, that was you! Let us know in the comments.

And here’s a very, very common, very popular expression in English that you can use all the time, especially when someone wants to send you more work or … sometimes a coworker is asking you for a big favor… Obviously, this would be the answer in English! You can say “I’ve got a lot on my plate right now”. That means simply that you’ve got a lot of work to do; you’re busy, you have lots of different things to take care of right now and you have no time to spare. Or maybe you’re just occupied, you have concerns about something in your life and you’re not really available to hear someone else’s problems.

For example, your friend Mary says “I’m feeling depressed about my finals. I don’t think I’m prepared and I’ll probably fail them all. I don’t wanna say anything to my father though. He’s got enough on his plate with my brother being sick”. So Mary is going through sort of a hard time; she’s afraid she’s gonna bomb the finals and she would like to share that aprehension with her father, but she won’t. Why? Because her father has a lot on his plate right now. He’s got a lot on his plate. He has enough on his plate – his son is sick. So Mary doesn’t want to burden her father with her problems.

Imagine that you are super busy in your job and someone walks up to you and says “Hey, would you organize the office party for me this year? That would really help me out a lot!” And you reply “Well, as much as I would love to do that – I’m really sorry, I’ve got a lot on my plate right now. Otherwise, I’d do it” I’ve got enough on my plate as it is.

Hey, everybody. O episódio de hoje fala sobre duas expressões em inglês com as palavras chair (cadeira) e seat (assento).

Transcrição

Hi, what’s up? Today we have a new episode of the inglesonline podcast. Please subscribe to this podcast using the Podcasts app for iPhone or iPad, or listen to the episodes using the Inglesonline Android app. To download or just listen to other episodes and download transcripts, go to inglesonline.com.br and click Podcast Inglesonline.

So let’s start with the expression in the title. People say that in Brazil when they’re very surprised at something; when they’re caught by surprise, when something surprises them to the point they nearly fall off their chair. Of course, we use that metaphorically, right? When we say that, it usually does not mean that we actually nearly fell off the chair. It’s a metaphor and we use it to emphasise our surprise at something. Same thing in English. So here’s the expression again: I nearly fell off my chair; or another way people say that – I almost fell off my chair. Nearly means the same as almost here.

So I’m trying to remember the last time something caught me by surprise and made me nearly fall off my chair. And, you know… I can’t. Really, I can’t remember anything recently that made me fall off my chair. I’m sure many of you will have good examples. Come on! Tells us your stories. Maybe it was some news, maybe something you saw on TV… What was it that made you nearly fall off your chair?

Now think of the most gripping, most thrilling, most suspenseful movies you’ve watched lately. Are you a fan of horror movies? A good horror movie can sometimes keep you on the edge of your seat. That is the opposite of being relaxed in your seat. Sometimes you’re watching something relaxing on TV, like a music concert and you’re relaxed, you’re having a beer and enjoying the music… Well, this expression communicates kind of the opposite. When you’re on the edge of your seat, your eyes are probably glued to the screen. Your attention is completely focused on the movie; you may be a little nervous or your heart may be pounding a little bit. You’re just waiting to see what’s gonna happen next, and next, and next… You’re on the edge of your seat.

I have my own example for this: when I watched the movie Speed for the first time, I was on the edge of my seat for most of the movie. Who knows which movie I’m talking about? It’s pretty old and stars Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves. The title in Brazil is ‘Velocidade Máxima’. And there’s another film I’ve watched recently, and Sandra Bullock is in it again… It’s called Gravity, and this film kept me on the edge of my seat. Pretty gripping and full of action.

I think no one’s gonna have a problem finding examples for this one. Movies nowadays are so full of action, explosions, suspense and so on. So what are your examples? What are the movies you’ve watched recently that kept you on the edge of your seat? Let us know in the comments and talk to you next time!

Keywords

* nearly fall off (one’s) chair

* be on the edge of (one’s) seat

 

Glossary

edge = nesse caso, beira (da cadeira)

glued to the screen = grudados na tela

gripping = que prende a atenção

 

[audio:http://media.blubrry.com/podcast_ingls_online/www.inglesonline.com.br/mp3/podcast-chair.mp3]

HI, everyone. O episódio de hoje fala sobre cinco provérbios bastante populares do inglês.

Transcrição

Hello, how are you? Today we have a new episode of the inglesonline podcast. Please subscribe to this podcast using the Podcasts app for iPhone or iPad, or listen to the episodes using the Inglesonline Android app. To download or just listen to other episodes and download transcripts, go to inglesonline.com.br and click Podcast Inglesonline.

Today I thought I’d talk about a few popular proverbs, or sayings, in English. There are countless proverbs in English, just like in Portuguese and, probably, every language in the world. Proverbs are supposed to express popular wisdom or a basic truth, but… do they always? Have you ever heard a proverb that you thought was silly? I have – can’t remember which ones right now, but, on the other hand, there are some proverbs that I think are great.

So here’s what I’m gonna do: explain each proverb briefly and tell you whether I agree or disagree – and I’d like to ask you to do the same in the comments. Let us know whether you agree or disagree with each proverb, and give us examples!

So the first one is super easy: a dog is a man’s best friend. We say exactly the same thing in Portuguese. I don’t know if dogs are men’s best friends but they are pretty great friends. I’ve always had dogs and I think they’re awesome friends so I’m totally OK with this proverb.

How about this one: actions speak louder than words. What does that mean? Imagine that you’re a girl and your boyfriend says he loves you but he never calls or wants to see you; he’s rude to you and treats you badly… but he says he loves you at every opportunity. His words are saying that he loves you, but his actions are saying otherwise. This is a very popular saying in English that teaches you to watch somebody’s actions instead of blindly believing what they say. I have to say I really agree with this one! When someone talks the talk but doesn’t walk the walk… something’s wrong.

Now here’s an interesting one: all publicity is good publicity. This one applies to companies or famous people. Let’s say you’re a celebrity and you get in a fight at a bar one evening. You’re punched in the face; it’s pretty awful and the next day you and your black eye are all over the newspapers. You’re so ashamed you tell your agent you never wanna leave your house ever again. She tells you, “Don’t be silly! All publicity is good publicity. At least people are talking about you; they know who you are! There’s no such thing as bad publicity: all publicity is good publicity”. In other words… as long as people are talking about you, it’s all good. I don’t know about this one; I’m not sure I agree.

Now check this out: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. We have a saying in Portuguese with the same meaning; in Portuguese, however, we use a soccer metaphor. We say “em time que tá ganhando não se mexe”. So, there it is: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Don’t try to fix something that’s working just fine; there’s nothing to fix! I kind of agree with this one. Sometimes you can make something even better, even though that thing is working just fine! What do you think?

And, finally, good things come to those who wait. This proverb’s telling us that being patient pays off. If you’re patient, good things will come to you. Be patient. I don’t know. I think it’s all relative. Sometimes waiting is good; sometimes taking action, or changing your course of action works great. You know what I think? That going with your instincts is what works best. If your instincts tell you to wait,

Hello, all. O episódio de hoje fala sobre expressões em inglês que utilizam as palavras short e long.

Transcrição

Hey, what’s up? Today we have a new episode of the inglesonline podcast. Please subscribe to this podcast using the Podcasts app for iPhone or iPad, or listen to the episodes using the Inglesonline Android app. To download or just listen to other episodes and download transcripts, go to inglesonline.com.br and click Podcast Inglesonline.

So let’s get started with an expression that contains both the word short and the word long. Short and long. It’s a great expression and, I have to say, very useful. Picture this: you’ve had a long day. You were supposed to meet up with a work colleague this morning so that you would both work on a report, but your colleague got stuck in traffic and you had to work on the report without his help. Since he had important information that was vital to the report, you were not able to finish it. Well, the report was due by eleven o’clock at your manager’s desk and obviously you didn’t have it ready by then. That created a big problem, because your manager promised the VP of Finance that this report would answer a very important question regarding which direction the company should take in the future. The VP, Mary, came by at eleven, but there was no report. Mary said that that was really disappointing and because she couldn’t read the finished report, she wouldn’t be able to make any more decisions today.

The CEO of the company kept calling Mary, wanting to know what her decisions were, and she kept telling him that the decision-making would have to wait until next week. That’s right, today is Friday and everyone will have to wait until the following week for the report to be completed and for decisions to be made. The CEO got so frantic about it that he came down to your manager’s office and initiated an emergency meeting. He asked all the company VPs to join the meeting and then he explained that this report was extremely important for the future of the company. “I have to be honest”, he said. “I don’t know if we’re still going to be employed next week”.

“Oh, oh”, you thought. “I think my manager failed to mention that the report was that urgent”. After the CEO adjourned the meeting, you went home and your wife was there. She asked a simple question: “How was your day?”. What’s your answer? Well, it depends. You can give your wife the short version, or you can tell her the long version. These are very common expressions in the English language and you will often hear people say “Well, the short version is…” and then, they will give you a summary of what happened. A summarized version, the short version. Many times people will say “The short version is…” and they’ll say just a few words; and then they will immediately follow up with “The long version is…” and then they will tell you the whole story. Or, at least, they’ll give you more information.

So your wife asks “How was your day?” and you answer “The short version is, I may be out of a job next week”. Your wife looks surprised and asks “And the long version?” And you proceed to tell her what’s happened so far.

Here’s another way to give someone the short version: you can say “Well, to make a long story short… We may all be out of jobs by next week”. To make a long story short. That means you’re going to summarize it; you’re going to take this long story and make it short, so you can quickly give your friend an idea of what happened without having to tell them all the details.

So imagine you had your wallet stolen yesterday and you have to get new documents now.

Hi, everyone. O episódio de hoje é sobre duas expressões em inglês que tem a ver com idolatrar uma pessoa, chegando ao ponto de achar que a pessoa é perfeita e nunca faz nada errado. Que tal? :)

Transcrição

Hello, how’s it going? Today we have a new episode of the inglesonline podcast. Please subscribe to this podcast using the Podcasts app for iPhone or iPad, or listen to the episodes using the Inglesonline Android app. To download or just listen to other episodes and download transcripts, go to inglesonline.com.br and click Podcast Inglesonline.

So today I’d like to talk about two terms, or expressions that are related, really. I’m sure every one of you will be able to relate and find examples in your own lives. These are the expressions: the first one is put someone on a pedestal; the second one is this person can do no wrong. Can you guess what the meaning is for the expression “to put someone on a pedestal”?

That’s when you believe someone is perfect. And if you put someone on a pedestal it can also mean you think they are superior to the rest; they’re just a superior being. In general, though, putting someone on a pedestal just means you glorify that person, you idealize them to the point you see them as perfect.

But we know no one is perfect, right? That’s the thing. So… I have examples in my life of someone who puts someone else on a pedestal. Yeah, let’s say Person X puts Person Z on a pedestal. Person X idealizes Person Z so much that no one can say the slightest negative thing about Person Z – Person X will get very angry if she hears it. In fact, it doesn’t even need to be negative. Sometimes, when someone makes a light-hearted comment about Person Z, Person X gets furious. You can’t even joke about Person Z when Person X is around. Although I suspect that’s more of an issue concerning Person X’s sense of humor, or lack thereof…

So, yeah. Person X definitely puts Person Z on a pedestal. Person X thinks Person Z is perfect. That is a true example from my own life. Can you think of people you know that behave like that? Maybe it’s someone in your family; maybe it’s one of your friends or coworkers. Can you think of anyone in your circles that puts a certain person on a pedestal? They just think that person is perfect. They think that person can do no wrong.

And that is the second expression of today. That person can do no wrong. When you put someone on a pedestal, that usually means that you think that person can do no wrong. What does that mean? That means that whatever that person decides, whatever they do, you think they’re right. You think they’ve made the right decision. You never think they’ve made a mistake. You would never think they’re wrong. You love them, or you admire them so much, that even if they make an unexpected decision or decide to take a weird course of action, you’ll understand. You would never doubt their decisions!

This is someone you put on a pedestal and, to you, they can do no wrong. They’re always right, you love every word they utter. They can do no wrong in your book. Have you ever idolized someone like that? Maybe it was your first teacher; maybe a friend; or perhaps it was a girlfriend or boyfriend. You put them on a pedestal; they could do no wrong. 

Please give us your own examples in the comments. It would be interesting to hear different stories – I’m sure everyone can relate to these two expressions. Talk to you next time!

Keywords

* put someone on a pedestal

* can do no wrong

Hello, everybody. Obrigada pelos comentários sobre o formato diferente do episódio da semana passada! Muitos de vocês provavelmente não sabem disso ainda, mas eu utilizo muito esse formato no Curso Básico – explico, dou exemplo, pergunto, dou mais exemplo, falo de novo, apresento mais uma atividade, etc. É um formato de que gosto muito, já que facilita a compreensão e favorece a exposição repetida do aluno ao conteúdo de inglês. Acredito que a opinião geral foi positiva – de vez em quanto, então, teremos um desses ;)

Agora, sobre o episódio de hoje: muita gente viu o título e imaginou que o episódio será sobre a expressão So what?, que é traduzida, sim, como “E daí?”. Só que não é apenas sobre essa expressão que vou falar. É também sobre uma outra, com o verbo care, que pode ser traduzida como “E daí?” também. Read on :)

Transcrição

Hi, how are you? Today we have a new episode of the inglesonline podcast. Please subscribe to this podcast using the Podcasts app for iPhone or iPad, or listen to the episodes using the Inglesonline Android app. To download or just listen to other episodes and download transcripts, go to inglesonline.com.br and click Podcast Inglesonline.

So today let’s talk about an expression that could be translated as “E daí?” I’m not talking about So what? although that is a great expression as well, and it does mean “E daí?” When someone says to you “I love my new shoes but I’m not going to wear them tonight because… they’re too colorful”. Yeah, let’s say your friend Joanna is hesitant to wear her new shoes because they’re too colorful and shiny and she’s worried people will talk. You guys are going to the theater tonight, let’s say it’s a formal event, and most people will be dressed in black. Your friend Joanna has these new red and yellow shoes that she’s dying to wear, but she’s concerned that people will talk.

So you just say to her “So what? Who cares if people talk? Just put on your new shoes and enjoy them”. Who cares? I don’t care. Do you care? Who cares if people talk about your shoes? Don’t worry about what other people will think. If you feel like wearing your new, colorful shoes tonight, just go ahead and wear them, and enjoy them! And Joanna asks “What if people talk?” And you tell her “Let them talk! At least you’re giving them something to talk about”. Who cares if they talk?

So you’re a girl and you have been invited to a party tonight and you think your dresses aren’t good enough for the party? If you really wanna go, I’ll bet some of your friends would say “Who cares? Just go anyway”. Now, there are some places that really do require we dress appropriately, as a form of being respectful. I guess showing up to a wedding in bermuda shorts and flip-flops would be disrespectful in most cases. In other cases, however, it is ok to dress following your own style or with a bit of character. It all depends on the situation, I guess. What is your opinion on the subject? I think some situations, or events, are more flexible than others. What I know is, I once went to an event where all the women – that’s right, all the women – were wearing night gowns, and I was wearing pants. That’s right, I didn’t have a night dress at the time and my date said to me “So what? Who cares? Just put on your black pants and no one will notice”.

Hi, all. Hoje eu vou testar uma ideia diferente nesse episódio do podcast Inglês Online: vou fazer uma atividade com alguns dos verbos irregulares mais comuns do inglês. Aguardo comentários, feedback, sugestões, etc. Conforme for, é um formato que pode começar a aparecer de vez em quando aqui no site!

Transcrição

Hi, how are you? Today we have a new episode of the inglesonline podcast. Please subscribe to this podcast using the Podcasts app for iPhone or iPad, or listen to the episodes using the Inglesonline Android app. To download or just listen to other episodes and download transcripts, go to inglesonline.com.br and click Podcast Inglesonline.

So here’s what we’re gonna do today: work those irregular verbs a little bit. Not all of them, of course. I’ve selected five of them and I’m gonna give you examples where I use them in the infinitive form and in the simple past form. Then, I’m gonna ask you a couple of questions and, if you feel ready, you can give them a shot and say your answer out loud.

This may be too easy for you – maybe you’re completely fluent as far as irregular verbs are concerned. What I say to you in that case is… listening to this episode can’t hurt. For everyone else, here’s the activity:

1. Bring: let’s get started with bring. Past tense: brought. Yesterday Mary brought her computer home with her. It usually stays in the office but yesterday she brought it home. So give me a full answer to this question: What did Mary bring home yesterday?  She brought home her computer. My friend came to visit yesterday and brought me flowers. Yep, she brought me flowers. So what did my friend bring me yesterday? Full answer! She brought me flowers.

So how are you doing?

2. Take: let’s look at take now. Past tense: took. John took me to the opera last night. Yep, he took me to the opera. And Jennifer took offense when our teacher said that women are physically weaker than men. She took offense when the teacher said that. Alright, so where did John take me last night? He took me to the opera. John took me to the opera. And what happened when the teacher said that women are physically weaker than men? Jennifer took ofense. She took offense.

3. Come: the past form of come is came. My housemate Kate came down with the flu last week. She came down with the flu. So what did Kate come down with last week? Full answer: she came down with the flu. Kate came down with the flu. My sister came home early last night. She came home early. So did my sister come home late last night? Full answer, everyone. No, she didn’t come home late. She came home early last night.

4. Go: it’s go now. Past form: went. Simple: Where’s Jake? He went to the toilet. Jake went to the toilet. And last month a couple of my friends went to Campos do Jordão. So where did Jake go? Jake went to the toilet. He went to the toilet. And where did my friends go last month? They went to Campos do Jordão. My friends went to Campos do Jordão.

5. Say: our last verb of today is say. Past form: said. Again: said. One more time: said. My teacher said this morning that we’re doing very well. She said we’re doing very well. So what did my teacher say? She said we’re doing very well. What did she say? She said we’re doing very well. And my friend Annie said her favorite browser is Internet Explorer. That’s what she said. What did Annie say? She said her favorite browser is Explorer. Again: What did she say? She said Explorer is her favorite browser.

Now, I’m curious: how did you do? Were you able to answer all the questions fast? Let us know in the comments, and talk to you next time!

Keywords

* brought, took, came, went, said

 

[audio:http://media.blubrry.com/podcast_ingls_online/www.inglesonline.com.

Hello, everyone. Nesse episódio do podcast Inglês Online vamos ver (ouvir!) como dizer em inglês algumas expressões em português, como “Estamos a caminho”, “Quando você estiver saindo” e “no caminho pra tal lugar”.

Transcrição

Hi, how are you? Today we have a new episode of the inglesonline podcast. Please subscribe to this podcast using the Podcasts app for iPhone or iPad, or listen to the episodes using the Inglesonline Android app. To download or just listen to other episodes and download transcripts, go to inglesonline.com.br and click Podcast Inglesonline.

So today I wanna talk to you about how to use the word WAY properly in a couple of situations. I’ve written an English tip about WAY before, but this time I’d like to focus on a few things we say in Portuguese and how to use WAY to say them in English. What am I talking about? I wanna be very clear, so I’m gonna read the kinds of things we say in Portuguese that are related to today’s expressions:

* A gente tá a caminho;

* Pega o lixo quando você estiver saindo

* Vi um artista famoso no caminho pro trabalho hoje

We can say all of those using the word WAY. And actually, we use kind of the same expression, or term, for all of them. And, again, this is something I don’t hear a lot of students say. I don’t know whether this is considered basic or advanced; what I know is, that’s a pretty useful little expression and you’ll hear it all the time in movies and TV series.

So here it is: ON my WAY, ON his WAY, ON their WAY. I’m on my way somewhere. That means I’m en route, I’ve already left my house and I’m moving toward my destination. Maybe I’m on a bus right now, maybe I’m on the train or just walking. I’m on my way. Let’s say my friend rings me up while I’m on the bus. Why am I on the bus right now? Because I’m on my way to meet my friend… at a restaurant. So my phone’s ringing, I answer and it’s my friend. She asks me “Are you on your way?” She wants to know whether I have already left. What’s my answer? I’ve already left; I’m on the bus that is taking me to the restaurant where I’m going to meet up with her. So I say “Yeah”. Or, for learning purposes… “Yes, I’m on my way” which would be totally fine to say as well, by the way.

Here’s another example: you’re in a meeting with five other people from your company and you’re all waiting for a client. The client phones in and lets everyone know she’s on her way and should be there in fifteen minutes. “Ela está a caminho”, right? She’s on her way to the meeting. She’s on her way. She’s not home, sleeping or watching TV. She’s on her way.

Why do we use ON and not IN or AT? I don’t know, people. It’s ON. That’s how it is. We say “I’m on my way”; “They’re on their way”; “She’s on her way”. So that covers the first example in Portuguese I mentioned at the beginning of this podcast. “A gente tá a caminho”; we’re on our way. It also covers the third example: “Vi um artista famoso no caminho pro trabalho hoje”. We could say “I spotted a celebrity on my way to work today”. Here’s a different situation: We stayed in a hostel on our way to Rio. I got a flat tire on my way to work yesterday.

And here’s the second one: imagine you’re home and you’ve just made carrot cake. Your sister’s about to leave – she’s going… somewhere, and you say “Hey, get some cake on your way out”.

Hi, all. Nesse episódio do podcast Inglês Online eu vou falar sobre expressões em inglês com a palavra leg.

Transcrição

Hey, what’s up? Today we have a new episode of the inglesonline podcast. Please subscribe to this podcast using the Podcasts app for iPhone or iPad, or listen to the episodes using the Inglesonline Android app. To download or just listen to other episodes and download transcripts, go to inglesonline.com.br and click Podcast Inglesonline.

So here’s an expression I’ve been hearing a lot here in England: pull someone’s leg. What does that mean? Picture this: you and your friends are discussing your plans for next weekend. It looks like you guys are going to the beach. So one of your friends, Barry, has a car, and he’s gonna drive. Barry has promised you a ride. If Barry doesn’t give you a ride, there’s no way you’ll get to that beach, and Barry knows that.

So Barry turns to you and says “Oh, you know what…? I forgot to tell you. I’m taking my sisters to the hairdresser’s on my way to the beach… the car will be full. Sorry!” You cannot believe what you just heard. Barry had promised you a ride to the beach. You’ll have to stay home now, while all your friends enjoy a sunny weekend at the beach. You can barely hide your disappointment when Barry says, laughing “Please don’t cry. I’m just pulling your leg. I’ll pick you up at eight.”

So Barry was pulling your leg. He was messing with you. He was joking. When someone’s pulling your leg, they’re usually saying something that is not true; or they’re pretending to feel a certain way, but only as a joke. So you believe what they’re saying or you believe they feel that way, and you get disappointed, or embarrassed, or upset and so on. And that is when the other person usually says “I’m pulling your leg”. I’m just joking; I didn’t mean that. I’m sure all of you know someone who does that all the time. Some people enjoy pulling other people’s legs and they’ll do it whenever they get a chance. Can you remember the last time you pulled someone’s leg? What about the last time someone pulled your leg?

And here’s another interesting expression with leg… Break a leg. Doesn’t it sound just weird to say “Break a leg!” to anyone? Why would you say that? Well, because you’re wishing them good luck. Yep, when you say “Break a leg” you’re wishing that person luck. I did some research on the origin of the expression, and it seems like some actors believed that if you said “Good luck” to them – that would bring them bad luck, actually. So they started saying something that sounds like the opposite, right? I mean, you wish that someone will break a leg – that’s not exactly like wishing them good luck. It’s like you’re wishing them bad luck. For some reason, some actors felt more comfortable wishing each other bad luck rather than good luck, and the expression caught on.

We could say that these actors were superstitious people, right? They believed that if you wished someone “Good luck”, something bad was actually going to happen. That’s a superstition, I would say. What’s your opinion about this? Are you a superstitious person? Let us know in the comments, and talk to you next time!

Key expressions

* pull (someone’s) leg

* break a leg

Glossary

a ride = uma carona

the expression caught on = a expressão pegou

 

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