Podcast Inglês Online

What’s up? Nesse episódio do podcast Inglês Online eu falo sobre o uso de WITH no fim de sentenças em inglês.

Transcrição

Hello, all. Today we have a new episode of the inglesonline podcast. Please subscribe to this podcast using the Podcasts app for iPhone and iPad, or listen to the episodes using the Inglesonline Android app.

So I was exchanging emails today with someone I’m working on a project with. OK, let me repeat this sentence: I was exchanging emails today with someone I’m working on a project with. So did you notice I ended the sentence with the word WITH? That happens a lot in English. I’m working on a project WITH this guy. I’m working on a project WITH him. This guy is someone I’m working on a project with. If we translated this sentence literally into Portuguese, we’d have something like “Esse cara é uma pessoa que eu estou trabalhando num projeto COM”. That sounds weird, doesn’t it? We don’t do that in Portuguese, it’s sort of… counter-intuitive.

In English, however, it’s done very often – you’ll hear lots of people ending their sentences with WITH, ABOUT, OF, IN… So today I’d like to give you guys a few examples to illustrate just that and hopefully help you become a bit more familiar with that kind of structure. So my focus today will be on “with”. So check this out: I’m gonna start with a few examples of sentences that use WITH the “normal” way, so to speak. So just listen:

* I’m working on a project with this guy.

* We went to Buenos Aires with Anthony.

* When I was in college I shared a room with this girl.

Just pay attention to how I used WITH in these three sentences: with this guy, with Anthony, with this girl. I’m doing something with this guy – what am I doing with this guy? I’m working on a project with him. We did something with Anthony. What did we do with Anthony? We went to Buenos Aires with him. And when I was in college I did something with this girl. What did I do with her? I shared a room with this girl. So this girl I shared I room with… She was from São Paulo and we became really good friends. This guy I’m working on a project with… he’s a webdesigner. And Anthony… Anthony is the guy we went to Buenos Aires with.

I’d like to ask you to think of your own examples. You went to school with… Joãozinho, Maria, Luciana. So what about the kids you went to school with? Where are they now? For those of you who have jobs… you work with other people at the office or wherever it is you work. Who are these people? Who are these people you work with? And think about the last time you went to a bar or nightclub or restaurant. Most likely you were with other people. So, these people you went out with… Who are they?

So here are my own answers to those questions: I went to school with Lucy and Rose. I’ll tell you more about these two ladies I went to school with: one is a dentist and the other one is a manager. Now, who do I work with, currently? I work with a guy who’s a webdesigner. Here’s some information about this guy I work with: he has one child, a boy. And the third question was about the last time I went out – I went out for dinner with a friend.  So, who is this friend I went out with? She’s an old friend.. we’ve been friends for many years and we first met when we were both teenagers.

Listen again to these questions: Who did you go to school with? Who do you work with, currently? Who did you go out with, last Saturday… or Sunday? Here’s how you can start your sentences: I’m gonna tell you more about this person I went to school with. I’m gonna tell you something about this guy I work with. Or… there’s nothing to tell about this...

How’s it going? Nesse episódio do podcast Inglês Online eu falo sobre o uso da expressãozinha as though em inglês.

Transcrição

Hi, everyone. Today we have a new episode of the inglesonline podcast. Please subscribe to this podcast using the Podcasts app for iPhone and iPad, or listen to the episodes using the Inglesonline Android app.

Today let me give you examples of how to use the expression “as though”. Do you recognize those sounds, especially the last one? “Though” is spelled t-h-o-u-g-h. Listen again: though. We can use “as though” in many ways: It’s as though, It sounds as though, It was as though and the list goes on. Now, what does that mean? The title of this podcast sort of gives it away. Here’s an example: Mary has a three-year old boy. She says that, sometimes, it’s as though she has two children.

Listen again: Mary has a three-year old boy. She says that, sometimes, it’s as though she has two children. How many kids does Mary have? Just one. She has a three-year old boy. However, she says that sometimes it’s as though she has two children. What does that mean? That probably means that she has a very active child; maybe… maybe Mary’s son is a handful! When someone is a handful, that means that person is difficult to manage, or that they get themselves in trouble a lot, or maybe they have a difficult personality, or they demand a lot of attention all the time. If you’re responsible for looking after a kid who’s a handful, you’ll probably be very busy; too busy to take care of anything else. Do you know anyone who’s a handful? I think I know a few kids who are a handful.

But anyway, back to our example: Mary’s kid is probably a handful, so it feels as though she has two children, and not one. It is as though she has two children, and not one. How would we say that in Portuguese? We could say “A Mary tem um filho, mas é como se fossem dois”. We could also say “A Mary tem um filho só, mas parece dois”. It’s as though she has two children. I live in a big city but on Sundays it’s as though I’m in a small town. São Paulo is a huge city. During the week there’s a lot of car traffic in my neighborhood… it’s really noisy and crowded. On Sundays, though… sometimes, in the afternoon, it’s as though I’m in a small town. Very few cars driving by, only a few people on the street, all very quiet. It is as though I live in a small town. I have a dog, but sometimes I feel as though I have a cat. Why? Because my dog is very quiet and she enjoys being on her own a lot. It’s as though I have a cat.

Last night I walked into a room full of flowers. The scent was unbelievable. It was as though someone had sprayed ten bottles of perfume around the room. Since I’m talking about a smell, or a scent, I could say “The room smelled as though someone had sprayed ten bottles of perfume inside it”. Ok, and who knows what it feels like when you overeat? You know, when you’re not even hungry anymore but you keep eating, and then your belly hurts? So here’s another example: last Saturday Tom had feijoada, then a steak with fries. Ice cream for dessert. He felt as though he was going to explode afterwards. How about this one? Yesterday I tried to lift a suitcase but it was too heavy and I just gave up. My dad then lifted the suitcase with such ease… It was as though the suitcase was full of feathers. It was as though the suitcase wasn’t heavy at all!

So you have probably noticed that we can use “as though” in combination with many different words.  If we’re listening to someone talk about how they spent...

What’s up? Nesse episódio do podcast Inglês Online eu falo sobre algo que me aconteceu na última sexta-feira e que achei incrível.

Transcrição

Hi, everyone. Today we have a new episode of the inglesonline podcast. Please subscribe to this podcast using the Podcasts app for iPhone and iPad, or listen to the episodes using the Inglesonline Android app.

So last week I was doing one of my walks. I had just left a large avenue and turned left onto a narrower street. Now, let me paint you a picture: this is a typical residential street where you see one car driving by, like, every ten minutes. It’s a very quiet street – actually it’s almost like a boulevard.  One of the dictionary definitions of boulevard is “a wide, tree-lined road in a city, often used as a promenade”. I guess the street I was in qualifies as a boulevard… Let’s see: wide, check. Tree-lined road, check. In a city, check. Often used as a promenade… hmm, I don’t know about that. Usually there’s no car traffic at all on promenades, which isn’t the case here.

Other than that, though, the road I’m talking about looks like a boulevard. Like I said, it’s a quiet road, tree-lined, you rarely see a car driving by, not many pedrestrians… Anyway, it was really hot – it was around four in the afternoon and if you were in São Paulo last week, more especifically last Friday, you know the kind of ‘hot’ I’m talking about. So that’s why I wanted to walk along this boulevard – so that the trees would shelter me a little bit from the sun.

So there I was, happily walking and listening to some podcast on my mp3 player, when… it happened. Somehow I tripped and fell, and twisted my ankle in the process. Yep, I fell and landed on the sidewalk, and there I stayed for at least two minutes ’cause my right foot and ankle were hurting really bad. So after about two minutes I managed to get up and then I tried to take a few steps. No go. So I just hopped across the sidewalk on my good foot and sat by a tree. There was no one in sight and it was really hot, so I just thought it would be a good idea to sit down, rather than keep standing on one leg.

And that’s when I realized that I would probably have to wait  a while until the pain subsided a little, so that I ‘d be able to walk to the nearest avenue… which, by the way, was a good three blocks away. I didn’t have my cell phone on me, so getting to the avenue was my only hope of finding a cab.

Are you guys with me, so far? So, as I’m having those thoughts sitting against a tree I hear the sound of a car engine. You know, the sound you hear when a car’s pulling up to the curb. And my thought was “Wow, that’s unexpected but it must be one of the residents arriving”. The engine was still running.  I turned my head and saw the front of the car. Well… It was a white car. Anyone who’s familiar with the city of São Paulo will know that pretty much every white car you see is… a taxi cab. I couldn’t believe a white car had just pulled up to the curb… right behind the tree I’d been sitting at. I stretched my neck a little and spotted the TAXI sign on top of the vehicle. Yep, it was a taxi cab.

My next thought was “This cab must be dropping someone off – I need to run and and talk to the driver before he leaves!” So I got up as quickly as I could and hopped around the tree till the driver saw me. And here’s the thing, there was no one being dropped off. No passengers, just the driver. The guy rolled down the window on the passenger’s side and I asked him if he was free for the next passenger. He said yes, and then I asked “Why did you pull up…?” And he said “Oh, I was just gonna grab a bottle of water I left in the trunk&#...

How are you? Nesse episódio do podcast Inglês Online eu falo sobre a expressão do inglês No offense.

Eu estou gravando os podcasts num MacBook agora e parece que não peguei o jeito ainda, pois estou achando que o som está saindo estranho. Se alguém tiver notado isso também – taí!

Transcrição

Hello, everybody. Today we have a new episode of the inglesonline podcast. To download or just listen to other episodes and download transcripts, go to inglesonline.com.br and click Podcast Inglesonline.

So here’s our first expression: no offense. Offense means… what you probably think it means, at least in this case. When you offend someone, you have caused them offense, they are offended because of something you said or did. We say that this person has taken offense to something you said or did. So, if you have the habit of watching American TV series and movies, there’s no way you haven’t heard this before. You may not have recognized it when you heard it, but this is such a common expression… People say that all the time on TV. No offense.

And why do people say “No offense”? Well, listen to what someone posted on Twitter: “Whenever you hear someone say to you ‘No offense… Get ready to be offended”. People use that expression before they say something potentially offensive. It’s like they’re letting the other person know in advance that they’re gonna say something offensive, you know? ‘No offense’. I guess it is short for ‘I mean no offense’ or ‘No offense intended’. And what’s kinda funny is that right after someone says ‘No offense, but…’, you kinda know that the next thing they’re gonna say is an insult, or at least something a little unpleasant.

I mean, listen to one example I found on Twitter… Some guy wrote “No offense to Selena Gomez, but I think every guy she dated was for publicity”. Selena Gomez is an American singer, I think, and this guy is saying that he thinks that she dated guys not because she really liked them, but because of the publicity that the relationship would get her. Now, I mean, how can that not be offensive? I have no idea whether that’s true or not, but when you say “No offense” and then you follow up with “I think every guy you dated was for publicity” – how would that not be considered offensive?

Urban Dictionary has a great definition for the expression “No offense”: it’s an excuse to insult someone. Now, sometimes people use that expression with something that really is not offensive anyway, to be fair, and in cases like this I don’t even understand why they would say “No offense”.  For example, when someone says “No offense, but you should have turned right, not left”. How is it offensive to say that? Of course, this person could have said something before the driver made the turn… but that’s not an offensive thing to say, I think.

Anyway, like it or not, “no offense” is a pretty popular expression and many times when you say something like “No offense, but your report sucks” the other person isn’t really offended. Many people say “None taken”. What does that mean? That means “I didn’t get offended, I didn’t take offense to what you said”. So let me present you with a few examples that I got from Twitter posts, and you tell me if you think it is offensive, or if it’s something that would make you say just “None taken”:

* “No offense, but don’t make me choose between pizza and you ’cause I’ll definitely choose pizza.” Do you think that’s offensive, or would you say “none taken”?”

* “Paul is such a boring name,

How’s it going? Nesse episódio do podcast Inglês Online eu falo sobre expressões em inglês com a palavra bear.

Transcrição

Hey, what’s up? Today we have a new episode of the inglesonline podcast. To download or just listen to other episodes and download transcripts, go to inglesonline.com.br and click Podcast Inglesonline.

Today I’m going to talk about a couple of expressions with the word BEAR. Of course, a bear is a wild animal, as you probably know. Remember Zé Colmeia, also known as Yogi Bear in English-speaking countries? So, that’s a bear and I’m not really going to focus on this particular meaning of the word BEAR for this podcast.

Did you know the word BEAR had other meanings? Here’s a very common expression: bear with me. That means “be patient”, just stay with me and wait while I finish this thing I’m doing, or… please stay here and listen to this story I’m telling you because I do have a point and I am getting somewhere with this. Please bear with me.

How do we say that kind of stuff in Brazil? What comes to my mind is something like “Guenta mão aí”…. only “guenta mão” is really informal language, right? “Bear with me”, on the other hand, is not a slang expression. You could use it in a presentation or with your colleagues at work without a problem.

When I think of this expression, the first thing that pops in my mind is someone telling another person a story, and it’s sort of a long -winded story and the listener is getting kind of impatient. So the one who’s telling the story suddenly realizes that it may take them a while to get to the point they wanna make, and they say “Please bear with me; I’m gonna get to the point” or just “Bear with me; I’m getting there”.

How would you say “Bear with me” in Portuguese? Let us know in the comments, and leave your examples as well.

And here’s another common expression with the word BEAR: Bear in mind. That means… remember this piece of information, keep this in mind when you’re making a decision related to this issue, or when you’re taking action… bear in mind that we’re not going to lend you any money. Bear in mind, remember, keep in mind. Bear in mind that it is usually really cold where you’re going so a bicycle may not be your  best choice to get to work. Here’s an example I found on Twitter: “You have to bear in mind that there’s no treatment for dengue”. So the person who posted that is advising other people to remember, to keep in mind that there’s no treatment for dengue. Bear it in mind. Bear in mind that there’s no treatment. By the way, is that true? I know it’s a serious illness, but I thought there was a treatment.

Anyway, another person tweeted this: Bear in mind that nobody’s perfect. Basic, simple piece of advice, right? So bear this in mind: nobody’s perfect. There’s something useful to bear in mind for the rest of our lives, don’t you agree?

As you listen to this podcast, bear in mind that it is intended for people on an intermediate comprehension level. As both a Portuguese speaker and an English learner, I think you should bear in mind that it’ll take you a while to get used to the sounds of English. Also, bear in mind that understanding a podcast is different from being able to speak it, so… listen, listen, listen and give yourself the chance to effortlessly absorb some English. That’s my piece of advice for you today!

Talk to you next time.

 

Key expressions

* bear with me

* bear in mind (that)

Glossary

also known as = também conhecido como (essa expressão frequentemente é dita abreviada em forma oral,...

Hello, all. Nesse episódio do podcast Inglês Online eu falo sobre alguns errinhos comuns de inglês.

Transcrição

How’s it going, everyone? Today we have a new episode of the inglesonline podcast. To download or just listen to other episodes and download transcripts, go to inglesonline.com.br and click Podcast Inglesonline.

Let’s go for some practice today. What kind of practice? I’m gonna talk about a couple of structures that are frequently misused by English learners, especially those learners who haven’t had enough input in English… well, not enough input on those two little structures, anyway.

The first common mistake can be illustrated by this example: “I’m used to wake up late on Saturdays“. That may make sense to our Brazilian ears in the beginning, but it’s really not how English natives speak. So what I’m going to do here is give you several examples so that you get a little more exposure to the correct usage of “used to” to express some activity that is a habit to you.

First of all, when someone says “I’m used to wake up late on Saturdays” – and, remember, this is the incorrect way to say it – this person is trying to communicate a habit; something that he or she does regularly. That’s how he or she usually does things. That’s what this structure communicates. What’s the correct way to say it? We’re gonna use the -ING form here: I’m used to wakING up late on Saturdays. I’m used to waking up late on Saturdays. That means that I usually wake up late on Saturdays. I have this habit of waking up late on Saturdays. I probably like waking up late on Saturdays. I’m used to waking up late on Saturdays.

Like I mentioned before, the incorrect way might make sense to ears that are accustomed to Portuguese. Let’s get that straightened out right away by listening to several examples. Here are a few habits of mine and some people I know as well.

* I’m used to walkING my dog in the evenings.

* I’m used to writING posts in the morning.

* My friend Mariana is used to sleepING late on weekends.

* One of my friends is used to drinkING milk at dinner. She really likes it.

* I’m not used to drivING in Rio de Janeiro, so I would avoid it.

* Sometimes when you start at a new job you have to become familiar with people who are used to doING things a certain way; and that way might not be what you’re used to.

Tell us about your lunch or dinner habits. Examples: “I’m used to having just a salad at dinner. I’m never too hungry at night, so a salad is usually enough”. Or “I would never eat feijoada at night. That’s heavy food and I’m not used to going to bed after eating that much”.

And here’s the second structure for this podcast. It is, yes, a really simple structure and it’s considered very basic. And yet, I hear people say it wrong all the time, including quite a few TV personalities. How do you ask what something, or some word, means? You say “What does that mean?” or “What does it mean?”, or “What does “truck” mean?” Truck means caminhão.

The most common mistakes here are “What means truck?” or “What does mean truck?”. Those are wrong. “Mean” is a verb, and it behaves the same way as… have, go, take and all other verbs. What does “mean” mean? It means “significar”. So let me give you several examples of the correct way to use this. These are all gonna be questions, of course, so if you know the answers… leave a comment!

Hi, there. Nesse episódio do podcast Inglês Online eu falo sobre expressões em inglês com a palavra sky.

Estou achando que tenho aumentado a velocidade da fala nos últimos episódios. Que acham?

Transcrição

Hi, you guys. Today we have a new episode of the inglesonline podcast. To download or just listen to other episodes and download transcripts, go to inglesonline.com.br and click Podcast Inglesonline.

So today let’s take a look at a couple of expressions with the word SKY. You know, sky, that thing that looks blue from where we stand. We have to look up to see it and it is also a place, so to speak, that we think of as very high, very far away from where we are right now. So there’s a little expression that we use to communicate that… something is at a really high level. Of course, it has to make sense: we could be talking about prices, we could be talking about inflation, or the temperature when it’s really hot. We use the expression sky-high for that.

So what does “sky-high” mean? It means as high as the sky, and I think we can all agree that that’s really high. Here’s one example I found, from a tweet. It is a question, so just listen: “How many times has your anxiety, stress or worry reached sky-high levels?” What that person is asking is, how many times have you felt really intense anxiety, stress or worry; so intense that we could say that the levels of anxiety, stress or worry you felt were sky-high? In other words, as high as the sky. So you can see that this expression, sky-high, here works as an adjective. Listen again to the question: How many times has your anxiety, stress or worry reached sky-high levels?

Or let’s talk about inflation. Maybe younger listeners won’t remember but inflation in Brazil, in the 80’s, was out of control and prices were sky-high. No surprises there, right? Prices usually go sky-high when inflation is out of control. Here’s another example I got from the Internet… “Never get your hopes high because it would mean the disappointment would be sky-high.” So this person is advising others to not get their hopes high. Don’t be too hopeful, don’t expect things will go just the way you want them to, ’cause if you do that your disappointment will be sky-high.

Here’s what another person said: “I’ve been eating a lot of cake and sweets the past few months… I had my blood tested last week and my blood sugar went sky-high! What to do?” Well, I’d say… Cut down on the sugar, right? But that’s just me. Sometimes when people move to another city, their expenses go sky-high. Why? Well, because everything is more expensive in the new city: rent, groceries, utilities… So their expenses go sky-high. What are your examples? When did something like that happened to you? Maybe your emotions got to a sky-high level after something happened? Maybe your performance at work went sky-high after you started your new job? Let us know in the comments.

And now listen to this: There is no limit to what we could achieve or create. Sky’s the limit. “Sky’s the limit”, or “The sky’s the limit”, is a popular way of saying… what? That actually there is no limit. Of course, this term, or this expression comes up a lot when we’re talking about dreams, creativity, or what we can achieve in life, how far we can go, or prosperity, things like that. The sky’s is the limit. I have a feeling many listeners here will like this phrase. What do you think about that? Do you think there are real, actual limits to what a person can do? Sometimes we hear those unbelievable, incredible stories about people who achieved something that just seems impossible. It could be someone who was dirt poor as a child and went on to build an empire (I guess Silvio Santos...

Hi, there. Nesse episódio do podcast Inglês Online eu falo sobre expressões em inglês com a palavra book.

Transcrição

Hello, there. Today we have a new episode of the inglesonline podcast. To download or just listen to other episodes and download transcripts, go to inglesonline.com.br and click Podcast Inglesonline.

How about we take a quick look at a couple of very simple expressions with the word “book”? And I’ll go straight to the example so you get the meaning of the first expression. Let’s say you’re talking to your friend Leslie about this guy, Michael. Leslie is saying that Michael is eighteen years old and doesn’t want to go to college because he thinks working is more important than getting a formal education. Many people criticised his decision, but Leslie’s opinion on this matter is that someone who is willing to take on a job and work hard is an admirable person.

You have the opposite opinion, though: you think everyone who’s around Michael’s age should concentrate on studying, on getting an education. You think Michael is just looking for an excuse to not go to college. In your opinion, college is hard work and he’s trying to avoid it. Well, Leslie strongly disagrees. She says “Michael isn’t a lazy guy. He’s only eighteen and he’s already got a job. He’s a hard worker and very independent. That is a pretty great thing to do at his age in my book”.

Again: Leslie said “That is a pretty great thing to do in my book”. In my book… what does that mean? Is she an author, has she written books? Nope, not likely. That’s an expression which pretty much means “in my opinion, according to what I believe, according to my values”. That’s a great thing in my book means, in my opinion that’s a great thing. As I see it, that’s a great thing. So that’s a really good thing in my book.

Here are more examples I found on Internet forums: one guy said he went shopping for a guitar and found one that was really heavy. He then said that that was not a bad thing in his book, since he has a preference for heavy guitars. According to what he thinks, according to his views and to what he believes, heavy guitars are a good thing. Heavy guitars are not a bad thing in his book.

People also say “Not in my book” to communicate “Not in my opinion, not according to my views”. One example: I was reading a website that allows people to book hotels online. OK, this is another meaning for the word “book”. That means “make a reservation”. So after someone has had their stay in a hotel, they can go back to this website and leave a review. In other words, they can evaluate the hotel and write about what they thought was good and bad about their stay. One person said that the hotel advertised itself as “trendy”. What does trendy mean? When something’s trendy, that means it represents or displays or is built according to the latest fashion trends; it’s modern; it’s hip and so on.

Well, that person said that this hotel promoted itself as trendy, and then he said in his review “Trendy hotel? Not in my book”. So according to what he understands as trendy, hmm… that hotel is not trendy. Not in his book. He went on to explain: he said that the room was dusty, worn and there were lots of cobwebs on the curtains. Yeah, I guess that would not be trendy in my book either. What do you think?

So how about I ask you a few questions and you give me your answers saying something like “Yeah,

Hi, all. What’s up? Nesse episódio do podcast Inglês Online eu falo sobre duas expressões em inglês que usam palavras relacionadas a tribunais e julgamentos.

Transcrição

Hi, there. Today we have a new episode of the inglesonline podcast. To download or just listen to other episodes and download transcripts, go to inglesonline.com.br and click Podcast Inglesonline.

Today let’s focus on a couple of popular expressions that use legal terms. What do I mean by legal? Legal means, related to the legal system or to laws and regulations. One of the expressions has the word ‘verdict’. That’s v-e-r-d-i-c-t, verdict. The word itself means pretty much the same as veredito, in Portuguese. However, people ask “What’s the verdict?” a lot in everyday conversation when they want to know about a decision someone has made, or should have made, or their opinion on something…

Let me illustrate the use of this expression with examples I found on Twitter. A girl, let’s call her Jane, wrote this: Who’s tasted the new Lean95 Coconut flavor? What’s the verdict? Listen again: Jane wrote Who’s tasted the new Lean95 Coconut flavor? What’s the verdict? So Lean95 is a product  – I actually don’t what kind of product it is, but it doesn’t matter – it’s a product, and it comes in different flavors. So apparently there’s a new flavor, coconut. Jane wanted to know who had tasted the new flavor, and then she asked What’s the verdict? What do you think? If you have tasted the new coconut flavor, what’s your opinion? Do you like it? Do you hate it? Is it good, bad, so-so…? What’s the verdict?

Here’s another example from the search results on Twitter: North Herts College, which is in the UK, had this question in their timeline – What’s the verdict – how was 2012 for your business? They wanna know how your business did in 2012 (in case you own a business, of course); how well, or how badly it performed. Were you able to expand your business, or has it shrunk? Have you found new customers? How much did you spend versus the profit you made… In other words, what’s the verdict for 2012? How was 2012 for your business… What’s the verdict? One more before we move on: let’s say your friends were talking about spending the weekend at the beach, only they couldn’t decide yesterday where they wanted to go. You had to leave early, so you have no idea what’s been decided… if anything. Today you run into your friend Kevin, who was there yesterday, and you ask him “So what’s the verdict? Where are we going this weekend?” What have you guys decided? Have you guys come to a decision? Where are we going on the weekend? What’s the verdict?

Already… Here’s our second expression of today: The jury is still out. You know what a jury is: a group of people who have to judge and give their verdict on something. Here’s the expression again: “the jury’s still out”. You know when, during the process of a trial, the members of the jury go into a little room to discuss and make a decision about some legal matter? They haven’t come to a conclusion yet, they’re still deciding, right? They’re still in the room. That’s what “the jury’s still out” means, although when we use that expression we’re not talking about an actual jury. We’re just saying that something has not been decided yet; it has’t been determined; there’s no final answer yet: the jury’s still out.

Here’s an example from a Twitter post: this guy, let’s call him… John.

Hey everyone. Nesse episódio do podcast Inglês Online falo sobre expressões com a palavrinha own, incluindo uma das maneiras que os nativos do inglês usam para dizer “Agora assume!”.

Transcrição

Hello, how’s it going? Today we have a new episode of the inglesonline podcast. To download or just listen to other episodes and download transcripts, go to inglesonline.com.br and click Podcast Inglesonline.

Today I’m focusing on the word own. O-w-n. When you own a car, the car belongs to you. It’s registered in your name; you can sell it if you want to. You probably bought it; you paid for it with your own money or maybe a relative… your father gave you the car. But it’s in your name now; you own it. Same thing with a house: you’re a home owner when the place where you live, be it a house or an apartment, belongs to you. If you look at all the documentation regarding the house, your name is up there in the field that says OWNER. You own the house; you’re a home owner. This is a very common term: home owner. In Portuguese I guess we’d say something like “Eu sou proprietário” or “Eu sou dono de alguma coisa”, depending on what we were talking about. Those are great translations for ‘I’m the owner’ and ‘I own something’. But we also say ‘Eu tenho isso, eu tenho aquilo’ a lot in Portuguese. Depending on what we’re referring to, saying that we own something is more common, and also more accurate, than ‘I have or I’ve got something’.

You could certainly say “I’ve got a house in the beach”, for example, when you’re chatting with someone informally. If for some reason, however, you’d like to convey that you’re the owner of that thing; that it belongs to you… If, for whatever reason, it’s relevant to you to communicate that you are the owner, than use “I own it”. Maybe you’re chatting about residential properties in your area and it makes sense to say that you own a house in the neighborhood. Maybe you’re chatting with a dog breeder and it makes sense to say “I own six poodles”. Maybe… you just wanna show off: “I own three chains of restaurants and there are twenty restaurants in each chain. So, in total I own sixty restaurants.”

It’s not so usual to say “I own a pen” or “He owns three erasers”. We use ‘own’ more often when the thing we own is considered somewhat valuable. And this is an insteresting way to use “own” – when someone does extremely well at an interview, for example, we can say he or she owned the interview. Let’s say Jerry had an interview this morning. He’s back now and you ask him “So how did the interview go?” Jerry says “I owned it. My answers were spot on, the interviewer loved me”. So Jerry owned that interview; he killed it (that’s another way of saying he did extremely well). Let’s say your friend Jane did really well in her math test. She says “I did so well; I owned that test”. “He or she owned that room” is very common as well, and that’s when someone is able to socialize well with people in a party, for example, and entertain them, and everyone thinks that person is great, everyone wants to be around them, and so on.

Now on to the expression in the title of this podcast! “You screwed up” – have you heard that one? Not great to hear, but it happens… When someone screws up, that means that they made one or more mistakes; they went the wrong way about something; the results of something they did were awful, they did it the wrong way… you get the picture.

Of course, when someone screws up, one of the common reactions is to be quiet, or to disappear,