Podcast Inglês Online

Hey, everyone. Nesse episódio do podcast Inglês Online eu vou falar sobre três expressões em inglês com animais. Enjoy!

Transcrição

Hi! What have you been up to? Today we have a new episode of the inglesonline podcast, and I have three expressions that use animals to express an idea. Basically they take things that we, human beings, do, and compare them to how we think certain animals would do them. First up: sweating like a pig. Yeah, that’s a good one to start with. I’ve never seen a pig sweat, to be honest, but that’s how the expression goes: sweating like a pig.

So I looked for a few examples on the web and here’s what came up: one guy said that he arrived at the train station after a ten-minute walk and that he was now sweating like a pig. So just to make sure we’re all on the same page… If you’re sweating like a pig, that means that you’re sweating A LOT. Just imagine a hot summer day wherever you are in Brazil… now imagine you had to walk for fifteen minutes to get to the bus stop and then you had to wait another fifteen minutes for the bus to get there. You hop on the packed bus and it’s like a sauna in there. Got the picture? You know, you might be sweating like a pig by the time you get in the bus. One more thing: notice that if you’re talking about more than one person, you say “They were sweating like pigs” or “We are sweating like pigs”.

Here’s another one: a bear hug. Imagine a bear giving you a hug. Yep, that’s pretty much it. There’s probably someone in your family who gives bear hugs. You know, that big, strong hug that completely embraces you? That’s a bear hug. One girl tweeted that she was feeling down and needed a bear hug. Another girl tweeted that her brother just went up to her and gave her a bear hug. So when did you last give or get a bear hug?

And now, another way we talk about a person comparing them to an animal: we can say that someone is as quiet as a mouse; or just quiet as a mouse. I’ve even heard, simply, “She’s a mouse”, meaning – that person is very, very quiet, as in, she moves very quietly. When she gets home you don’t even notice. When she leaves the house, she does so very quietly. It’s never a problem if this person gets home late, when everyone else is already in bed sleeping. It’s not a problem because she (or he) is quiet as a mouse and won’t wake anyone up.

Have you ever come across people like this? I have. They make the best roommates ever. I have also come across people who are the opposite – very noisy and not really mindful of other people’s sleep. Here’s one tweet that I found that includes this expression: “When my parents are asleep I’m as quiet as a mouse but … when I’m asleep there might as well be a concert downstairs!” So what this person is saying is that when her parents are asleep… She’s really quiet. She doesn’t make a lot of noise. She’s quiet as a mouse. Now, when it’s her turn to sleep… It’s so noisy downstairs that it sounds as though there’s a music concert going on.

So here are my questions to you: first, sweating like a pig. It happens to everyone, so tell us when your last time was. Who do you know that gives bear hugs? And lastly, what are your comments about being quiet as a mouse? Is this you, or someone you know? Let us know in the comments and talk to you next time.

 

Key expressions

* sweat like a pig (ou like pigs)

* bear hug

* (as) quiet as a mouse

Glossary

(someone) is not really mindful of = (alguém) não está muito preocupado com

we’re all on the same page = a gente entendeu a mesma coisa

Got the picture? = Deu pra imaginar?

Hi, all. Nesse episódio do podcast Inglês Online eu vou falar sobre a expressão em inglês que quer dizer “coloque-se no lugar dessa pessoa” e uma outra expressão similar. Enjoy!

Transcrição

Hi, how’s it going? Today we have a new episode of the inglesonline podcast, and we’re going to talk about a very interesting expression, which is ‘being in someone else’s shoes”. Do you get the meaning? Sort of? I’ll have a few examples for you.

Let me get started with what is kind of a saying: “Never judge a man until you walk a mile in his shoes”. What does that mean? Walking in someone’s shoes means seeing, or experiencing something from someone else’s point of view. Let’s say you can’t understand why your friend George takes the bus every day to work. You feel he’s insane: the bus is so crowded in the morning and it takes twice as long to get to the office as it would take by train. Granted, taking the bus is slightly cheaper than taking the train, but you can’t believe anyone in their right mind would choose the bus just because it’s a few cents cheaper.

So you tell your other friend Fred – who’s also George’s friend, by the way… You know, he’s a mutual friend. Anyway, you tell Fred your opinion about George taking the bus to work instead of the train, and, as it turns out… There are a few things about George you weren’t aware of. Fred tells you that George and his family are in a really tough spot right now with very little money saved and a big amount of debt. As Fred puts it, “They’re trying to save as much as they can. Every penny counts”. You tell Fred you had no idea George and his family were facing so many difficulties, and then you say “I guess you can’t really judge a man until you walk a mile in his shoes”.

Of course that doesn’t need to be literal, right? You many not need to actually get into financial difficulty to understand what someone else is going through. Usually we can imagine what it’s like, and that’s one way we can feel what it’s like to be in someone’s shoes. In Brazil we say simply “se colocar no lugar de alguém”. And this is actually something that you can say in English as well: put yourself in someone’s place. Put yourself in Laura’s place and see how it feels. You think someone made the wrong decision? You might feel different if you were in their shoes. Who knows? You might have made the same decision! Now, that’s a shocking thought, huh?

You think someone is a coward? You think your friend made a rash decision? Again, who knows? Maybe if you were in their shoes you’d understand the reasons why they made such a decision. Maybe if you were in their shoes their decision wouldn’t seem so rash, or that person wouldn’t look so much like a coward. It might be the opposite – you might actually understand how brave they are in making their decision. Here’s what someone wrote on Twitter: before you criticize a man, walk a mile in his shoes. Put yourself in his place. Try to understand where he’s coming from.

One girl made this comment about a player who switched teams: “If I were in his shoes I would not have given up team ABC for team XYZ”. She’s saying that if she were in this player’s place… she would have acted differently. Can you find an example from your own life?

Hello, all. Nesse episódio do podcast Inglês Online eu vou falar sobre uma coisa que aconteceu comigo aqui em Londres. Repare em como eu uso WOULD para descrever um hábito passado!

Transcrição

Hey, 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.

Let me tell you a story today… unfortunately it’s something that actually happened. Why do I say “unfortunately”? You’ll see. So one of the first things I did after I moved to England was to get a mobile, or a cell phone. In order to do that, first I had to open a bank account. I wanted to buy a two-year contract so that I could get the phone at a discount. It’s the same thing in Brazil:  when you get an unlocked mobile, you pay full price. If you get a contract, usually for two years, then you get a discounted phone.

So I opened a bank account and then went to the phone shop and got myself a brand new phone with a two year contract. OK, so if you’ve been following Inglês Online for a while you know that I’m a podcast freak and you also know that I like going to a cafe with my laptop computer to work while I enjoy a cup of coffee. So there’s the setting for this story: I was at a Starbucks, working on my laptop. It was a Friday afternoon and the place was really busy. I was sitting at a table which is sort of a long, communal table- which means that many people can sit around it to have their beverage, or work or chat with a friend and so on.

So here’s what used to do: I would have my laptop right in front of me, and then I’d have my mobile sitting next to my laptop. The reason why I used to leave my mobile there was that it was very easy to check email from all my accounts by pressing just a couple of keys on the cell phone. So every twenty minutes or so I would go to my cell phone and check email. Very easy and convenient. Until that Friday…

There I was, very focused on some article I was reading, when two women approached the table and sat right across from me. The one in front of me put a map on the table, while the other one put a magazine next to the map. They started speaking to me in a low voice and in a language that was completely foreign to me. I thought they were begging for money or something. I kept saying “No, no” and they kept pretending they were trying to communicate with me. They even looked at each other as though they were trying to figure out what to say. After a minute or two, a Starbucks worker told them they could not stay inside to beg, and they left.

It took me about a minute to realize that when the woman in front of me pulled the map, she pulled my phone as well, which was under the map. I told the Starbucks girl what happened and she said that every week someone has their phone stolen. I left the cafe wondering why there were no surveillance cameras inside the shop, and then I walked around for five minutes trying to find the women, but no luck. Next, I went to the nearest Police Station to file a report. A police officer said that mobile theft is one of the most common types of crime in London. It’s a huge city with tons of people, both from England and from every country in the world you can imagine. You really can’t be too careful in this city when you’re out in the street or… anywhere, really! In the two months I’ve been here, I’ve already heard quite a few stories from people who have had their phones or backpacks stolen in a shop or in a department store. Just yesterday, a guy I know had his backpack stolen in a pub. So here’s my piece of advice to you if you’re coming to London or...

Hi, everyone. Nesse episódio do podcast Inglês Online eu vou falar sobre três expressões com o verbo agree.

Transcrição

Hi, everyone. 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.

So today let’s talk about common phrases or terms with the word AGREE. Are you familiar with that word? When you agree with someone, it means that you and this person share an opinion. Let’s say both of you – you and your friend Mark – agree that coxinha is the most delicious snack ever, so you guys are gonna throw a party where only coxinha will be served, yeah. You and Mark have the same opinion on this matter; you both agree. The word disagree is also very common and has the opposite meaning: let’s say you and your other friend Anthony have very different opinions regarding films and theater plays. You’re just crazy about films; you really are a movie buff and, quite honestly, you couldn’t care less about theater. Your friend Anthony is just the opposite: he goes to the theater as often as he can; and doesn’t care much for movies. So you and Anthony disagree about movies and theater plays.

Alright, here’s the first term. My friend Patricia says she doesn’t eat garlic any longer because garlic doesn’t agree with her. When you say some food doesn’t agree with you, you’re saying that it makes you ill somehow… usually in your stomach. So my friend Patricia… she simply doesn’t eat garlic anymore. I think it has to do with a particular occasion when she had some kind of garlic paté and felt really sick afterwards. So she just stopped; she wants nothing to do with garlic. Is there a food that doesn’t agree with you? Anything that makes you feel a little indisposed, maybe nauseous? For me… If I have too much whole milk, you know? Just regular milk, whole milk. If I have more than, maybe, half a cup… I’ll probably start to feel a little nauseous. So I can say that whole milk doesn’t agree with me. What about you?

Here’s another phrase with AGREE, and I love this one: let’s just agree to disagree. I love it, because so often people have different opinions on a particular topic and… again, very often, many people think that it’s some sort of offense if they disagree with someone, especially if it’s a friend. Some people will apologize to you before stating they disagree, and you can tell they feel uncomfortable. Sometimes it becomes awkward between you and the other person just because you disagree. I, personally, am OK when a friend or anyone, really, says they disagree with me. I just don’t think it’s something to be offended about, and that’s why I love this phrase. Let’s agree to disagree. That means, hey… you and I are sort of having a discussion here about this topic, we’re kinda arguing about this and we obviously disagree. You know, we’ve been arguing for a while, you’ve stated your reasons for your opinion, I’ve stated mine, and still neither one of us has changed our mind. We still think what we thought at the beginning of the discussion. So let’s just agree to disagree. Let’s stop this; let’s quit arguing. I’m not gonna change my mind, you’re not gonna change your mind, fine. No problem. Let’s just agree to disagree. I like this because it’s a peaceful way to put an end to an argument that’s going nowhere. And it’s respectful too, I think.

And here’s one more before we wrap up: this one is something you say when you want to express that you fully...

Se você ainda não compreende bem os podcasts Inglesonline, pode ler um resumo do episódio de hoje em Português lá embaixo do post, em itálico :)

Hello, everybody! Nesse episódio do podcast Inglês Online eu vou falar sobre uma mudança recente na minha vida.

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.

Today I’m going to share a bit of news with you guys… I’ll get straight to the point: I have moved to London, in the United Kingdom. Yep, I no longer live in São Paulo, I no longer live in Brazil, I no longer live in my apartment. If you haven’t noticed yet, I’m giving you a few examples of how to use the expression “no longer”. What is it that you no longer do? Maybe you used to play tennis every week but you no longer do that.

Anyway, this is how it all started: last year I started thinking about moving to Europe when I realized that I had the right to Italian citizenship. In case you don’t know, my last name is Bergamini, which is Italian, and so I was able to get a hold of all the documents and certificates that were necessary for the citizenship process. So I took care of that – in other words, I did what was necessary to have my Italian citizenship recognized. By the way, everyone, I’ll add a link at the end of this episode’s transcript that points to the website I used to get all my information about Italian citizenship. So if you’re interested, just follow that link (I get no commission for that; it’s just a good source of information).

OK, so back to my story… So after being recognized as an Italian citizen I started considering the possibilities. Italy is a Member State of the European Union, and, as such, its citizens are allowed to live and legally work in all other Member States. The UK, or United Kingdon, is also a Member so that means that, as an Italian, I can live here and get a job.

Well, as you guys all know, I already have a job… this blog, Inglês Online, as well as the online course, are my job. I’m still doing, here in England, the same think I did in São Paulo, which is to write tips and produce podcasts and new materials, give assistance to my online students, manage both websites and the Facebook page and respond to contact mail. Oh yeah, and be a guest on the English Experts podcast every once in a while…

So, yeah. I’m not going to abandon this blog and I’m gonna keep on doing everything I’ve been doing. You know what I’ve been wondering? About my accent. I speak with more of an American accent, but now I live in the UK. I don’t know! The other day I met a Canadian woman who’s been living in London for seven years and she says her accent hasn’t changed. I have to say, I tend to pick up local accents pretty quickly, so… Let’s see. Hopefully I won’t lose the ability to speak “American” and, who knows? I might gain the ability to speak “British”.

So that’s what I wanted to tell you guys today. Oh, see the picture in this post? I took it yesterday at one of London’s underground stations. It shows part of the map for London’s underground and overground transport systems – underground is what they call the subway system and overground is for the city trains.

Everyone, that’s pretty much it. Below the transcript for this episode you’ll find a summary in Portuguese – it is not a word-for-word translation; but I wanted to make sure that everyone gets the news – even those who haven’t yet reached the level of comprehension necessary for this podcast.

Talk to you next time!

 

Hi, everyone! Nesse episódio do podcast Inglês Online eu vou falar sobre expressões com pull em inglês.

Transcrição

Hey, how have you been? 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.

So today we have a few expressions with the word pull: P-U-L-L. You know, pull, the word that does not mean “pular” – most of the time I guess we can translate pull as “puxar” in Portuguese. “Pull”, however, like so many words in English, is used in several idiomatic expressions such as “pull someone aside”. What does that mean? When you pull someone aside, you take that person to one side away from other people, usually because you wanna have a word with them… a private conversation. So that’s why you pull that person aside. Imagine you’re in this group with lots of people talking to each other and all of a sudden your friend Matt says something and you remember you’ve got something kind of urgent to discuss with him.

The thing is, this is a private matter and you wouldn’t want to discuss it in front of other people. So what do you do? You pull Matt aside, away from the group, and then you discuss that private matter with him. You pull him aside. That’s a fairly common thing to happen, isn’t it? It could happen at a party, or while you’re with your classmates in school, or you’re at a shopping mall with a bunch of friends and you’re all talking and waiting in line to get in the movie theater and then it just occurs to you that you’ve got something a bit urgent and a bit private to tell one of your friends. You don’t want to just start whispering in front of everyone so you discreetly pull your friend aside, and then you tell him what you wanted to tell him. You pull your friend aside. You pull him aside, or you pull her aside, away from the group.

Alright, so here’s another expression with the word “pull”: when we say something is like pulling teeth, we mean to say that this thing is very difficult to do. It’s very common to say that making someone do something is like pulling teeth. This means that making someone do that thing is very difficult and they don’t wanna do it, for one reason or another. So, I don’t know about you but the first thing that comes to my mind when I think about pulling teeth isn’t really how difficult it is, but rather how painful that is. Yeah… so, this idiom isn’t really about pain – it’s more about something being difficult to get done.

Check out these examples: one girl tweeted “Getting people to do the dishes around here is like pulling teeth”. I mean, this is the perfect example, isn’t it? Anyone who’s ever shared a house with other people knows that there is always someone who won’t pull their weight. You try to get them to do their share of the work, you talk to them, but somehow some people always find a way to be some place else when everyone is home doing housework. Getting that kind of person to help with house chores is like pulling teeth. They don’t wanna do it, they’ll give you excuses, they’ll change the subject, you’ll feel like you’re wasting your time… It’s like pulling teeth; it’s just very difficult to make that happen.

Here’s what another person tweeted: “Getting my six-year-old to do her homework is like pulling teeth”. If you’re a parent and you got kids in school, maybe you know what that’s like? Yes? Let us know in the comments! Someone else said “Teaching my parents to use Twitter is like pulling teeth”. I sort of agree on that one… I’ve tried to explain Twitter to my pa...

Hey, what’s up? Nesse episódio do podcast Inglês Online eu vou falar sobre algumas expressões do inglês com a palavra bar, incluindo a expressão que quer dizer “atrás das grades”.

Transcrição

Hello, everybody. How have you been? 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.

So today we’re going to focus on a few expressions with the word BAR. I don’t mean “bar” as in the place you go to get a few drinks. I mean “bar” as that long, rigid piece of solid material that can be used to support something or… it can also be used as a barrier, or as a part to some kind of structure and so on.

So here’s the first one: bar none. Sound familiar? Never heard of it? Either way, please listen to these examples of bar none being used:

* Ryan Morris has the best music videos, bar none.

* We have the most lucrative compensation plan in this industry…bar none!

* This is the best speech on gun control I’ve ever seen, bar none.

So after listening to these examples, what do you think “bar none” means? Well, it means “no exceptions”. And that is why bar none usually follows a statement that something or someone is the best, the most intelligent, the most efficient, and so on. It can be used for the bad stuff as well, like “this is the worst hotel I’ve ever been to, bar none” but it’s just more frequently used to emphasize the best, the strongest, the most talented and so on. I’m trying to remember how I could use “bar none” in my personal opinions – so here are a few: I think Friends is the funniest sitcom ever, bar none. Mango is my favorite fruit, bar none. It is also the most delicious fruit on the planet, bar none. Do you agree? Disagree? Let me know in the comments. Let’s wrap up this section with one more example I found on Twitter (all those other examples came from Twitter as well, by the way). Here it goes: Bike riding is, bar none, the best way I have found to clear my head.

Alright, so here’s another expression with bar. Behind bars. I bet many of you have heard this one before, especially if you’re a fan of cop shows on TV. “Behind bars” is an informal way of saying in prison, in jail. So if someone is behind bars, they’re in prison. Yep, that’s it. Listen to this example: Danielle Kellogg is sentenced to 15 years behind bars for the DWI crash that killed a 7-month-old. So this Danielle lady was sentenced to fifteen years in prison – she’ll be behind bars for fifteen years.

Here’s another piece of news I read:  A federal judge sentenced Anthony Johnsson to 6½ years behind bars for insider trading. Six and a half years behind bars – in other words, in prison. By the way – what’s insider trading? That is the sharing of privileged information, information that should not be shared with the public – so some people go ahead and share that information with other people, and those people use that info for personal financial gain… for example, to buy stocks that will make them lots of money. I think that famous American celebrity, Martha Stewart, spent some time behind bars for insider trading.

And, hasn’t that soapopera “Salve Jorge” just come to an end? So who’s behind bars in the final episode? Let us know in the comments and talk to you next time.

 

Key expressions

* bar none

* behind bars

 

Glossary

Sound familiar? = Does it sound familiar? (Tá reconhecendo?)

is sentenced to = é condenada a

DWI = driving while intoxicated  (dirigindo “intoxicado”,

Hello, how’s it going? Nesse episódio do podcast Inglês Online eu vou falar sobre uma expressão que tem a ver com o nosso ditado “ri melhor quem ri por último”.

Transcrição

Hi there. How have you been? 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.

Alright. So if you’ve read the title of this episode, you know that it’s gonna have something to do with laughter and such. And you know that “Ri melhor quem ri por último” is like a proverb, right? In English, it’s not a proverb – well, I’m not gonna talk about a proverb today anyway. What people say in English is something like “I got the last laugh” or “he had the last laugh”.

So, what does that mean? Picture this: you’re telling, let’s say… your brother. You’re telling your brother that you’re gonna learn Chinese in six months. Your brother can’t stop laughing when he hears this. It’s been five minutes now and he’s still laughing. “Chinese?”, he says. “There’s no way you’ll be able to speak Chinese in six months. It’s one of the hardest languages in the planet!” He’s still laughing when you reply “Let’s see who gets the last laugh”.

So what are you saying? “Let’see who gets the last laugh”. Let’s see whether I’m gonna be successful or not. I think I can do it, I’m gonna be successful and prove you wrong, and then I’m gonna have the last laugh. You’re laughing now because you don’t believe I’m capable of doing this; you think it is impossible for me to learn Chinese in six months; you think it’s even funny! But when I’m successful, I will be the one  laughing. I will have the last laugh.

So your brother is literally laughing at you now. And you say “Let’s see who’s gonna have the last laugh”. So let’s say it’s six months later and you have, in fact, learned Chinese. You’re just a genius for languages – you really did learn it. You can hold conversations with native Chinese speakers. So you call your friend Mary and you tell her what happened. You say “My brother couldn’t stop laughing when I told him I wanted to speak Chinese in six months. But I learned it and I can totally understand Chinese people and they understand me as well. So, yeah, I got to have the last laugh”.

Of course, though, there’s no need for the other person to laugh in the beginning in order for you to get the “last laugh”. That is an expression that can simply mean “have victory, be successful” when someone didn’t believe you could do it. Here’s a good example of that: a new movie starring actress… Lucy Smith is out. Yeah, Lucy Smith – she’s a new actress, and many critics have predicted that this movie is gonna be a flop. They’re really unanimous about it. In all the newspapers, the magazines, TV shows, critics are saying that Lucy just isn’t impressive as an actress and that this movie is gonna be a box office failure.

Well, the movie is released and it actually turns out to be a blockbuster. Yep. So today you turn on the TV and you see a TV personality saying “Lucy Smith’s new movie brought millions to the theaters – it looks like Lucy got the last laugh”. So it looks like Lucy came out victorious on this one! Despite all the criticism in the beginning, despite all the negative reviews, success was achieved. The movie had great results at the box office.

Hi, how are you? Nesse episódio do podcast Inglês Online eu falo sobre palavras relacionadas a relacionamentos de amizade e profissionais em inglês.

Transcrição

Hello. What’s up? Nothing much? Well, 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.

So you know the difference between “um amigo” and “um conhecido, um cara que eu conheço”, right? That’s the difference between a friend and someone you know. Some guy you know. He’s not really a friend… you wouldn’t probably invite him to your birthday party or to your wedding, you wouldn’t give him a call and say “Let’s go see a movie” ’cause he’s just an acquaintance. A-c-q-u-a-i-n-t-a-n-c-e. An acquaintance is someone you know, maybe a friend of a friend, maybe someone that goes to the same school as you, maybe someone who goes to the same church, or club, who you kinda know… but you guys haven’t developed a close relationship. I think you know what I’m talking about. Everyone can think of people in their lives who are not really close friends, but acquaintances.

So you could say, “Oh, Mary? We’re not that close; she’s an acquaintance. We were introduced by a mutual friend and I never saw her again until today”. So Mary isn’t a close friend, she’s just someone you kinda know; she’s an acquaintance. Sometimes you and your acquaintances have mutual friends, right? Maybe you and your siblings have mutual friends. You know, you and your sisters and brothers. In my case… my cousin and I have a few mutual friends. My cousin introduced me to a few different people, and I ended up befriending some of them. For example: my cousin is friends with Maria. She introduced me to Maria, and Maria and I became friends. So my cousin and I now have a mutual friend – Maria. So, tell me: do you and your relatives have mutual friends?

Now, when we say colleagues, that’s more about professional relationships. A colleague may be someone who works with you, but very often there’s some sort of fellowship between you and a colleague: you’re in the same field of work, or in the same department, or you’re both professors at some school and so on. A colleague is not necessarily a friend. In Brazil we use the word “colega” meaning a professional relationship, I guess, but we also use “coleguinha de escola” for kids, right?  In this case, it’s more about friendship; but not so in English. When you say “my colleagues” you’re referring to people who work with you, or have the same profession, or are in the same field. Of course, a colleague can become a friend. For example, a professor might say “Dr. Howard was an esteemed colleague and friend…”

Now, when you talk about a coworker – that’s a bit more specific than ‘colleague’. A coworker is someone who works with you and you guys are probably in the same building and have some kind of regular interaction. Coworkers are people you usually see on a regular basis at the office; you have lunch with your coworkers and sometimes you guys go out for a drink after work. You know when we wanna tell… a friend, for example, that someone at work said this or that… Here in Brazil many times we say something like “um cara lá do trabalho…” In English we could say “This guy at work said this or did that” but we could also say “my coworker said…” or “one of my coworkers did this or that”.

Hello, what’s up? Nesse episódio do podcast Inglês Online eu falo sobre três expressões que começam com “I’m”: uma é a do título desse episódio; e as duas outras tem a ver com… comer e beber!

Transcrição

Hi, how’re you doing? 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.

So today I thought I’d give examples for a few really common expressions that start with “I’m”. I’m, as in “I am”. Here’s one: I’m on it. This is a great expression. In order to understand what it means, picture this: you’re at work, in a meeting with your boss and a few coworkers. Your boss is assigning different tasks to each one of you. She turns to you and says “Our budget report needs to be revised. This is an urgent task and I need you to understand how important it is that we deliver a flawless report to our VP. I need you to double check every single item in that budget.” So you understand what your boss is saying. You get how important it is to get that report revised and any mistakes fixed as soon as possible. You are ready to start, you know what to do, you look your boss in the eye and you say “Boss, I’m on it”. I’m on it.

What does that mean? When you say “I’m on it”, you’re saying that you’re gonna start doing that task as soon as possible. Now, most likely.  Your boss can relax, you’re taking care of it. You are on it. In some cases, when someone says “I’m on it”, that means they’re already doing it. For example, let’s say this is a different company – the manager arrives in the office and asks the team “Did anyone remember to prepare those slides for our presentation tomorrow?” And you say “Don’t worry boss, I’m on it”. What do you mean? Well, you’re working on them right now. You’ve got the presentation software open on your screen and right this moment you’re creating the final slides of the presentation. You’re on it. You’re taking care of it. In this example, you’re doing it right now.

So next time your boss asks you – in English, of course – to do something, and you’re committed to doing it; you know you’re gonna start doing it soon or maybe you’re already doing it… What can you tell your boss? “I’m on it”. Don’t worry boss, I’m on it.

And here’s another great little expression that starts with “I’m”: I’m good. You know when you’re having lunch at your friend’s and then his mom wants to put more food on your plate? You’re full, you’ve had a lot of food already and, in fact, there’s still some food on your plate. You’re good. So that’s what you say to her: Thanks, Mrs. Martin, I’m good. The expression “I’m good” here means “I have enough. No more is necessary”. I’m good. So if you’re at a barbecue party drinking your soda drink… your glass is still full and then your friend shouts “Need more soda?” You can say “I’m good, thanks”. You can also use that as “No, thanks”. For example, if someone offers you something you don’t feel like eating or drinking, you can say “No, I’m good. Thanks”. That is very informal, OK? It’s a very informal way to say no when someone offers you food or a beverage.

And, by the way, going back to the example above where your friend’s mom wants to put more food on your plate… Let’s say you’re not even halfway through your first serving yet.