Podcast Inglês Online

Depois de um break, o podcast volta. Welcome back ;-) Ana

How are you? Hoje eu falo sobre a expressão “moving forward” que eu ouço com frequência no meu ambiente de trabalho. Não perca!

Hi, everyone, this is kind of an episode of the podcast. As you guys know, if you’ve been listening to the podcasts or following the website for a while, you know there has been a break… We’ve taken a break with the podcasts and there are a few reasons for that. Things have gotten very, very busy with the site, and myself and Marcelo, who works for Inglês Online, who’s part of the team… both of us have been working really hard to make the website better, and doing a lot of work behind the scenes and writing lots of new articles – especially Marcelo for the basic English section of the website. So, there has been a lot going on and in the coming weeks, there’s gonna be more, more news.

I just wanted to say “hi” and say that in the future… in the near future we will probably be having more impromptu podcasts or podcast episodes like this one. And what made me want to record one today was… I was thinking about this little expression that I’ve been hearing a lot lately, actually in the past- the past couple of years, I’d say… Cause here in London I do a kind of freelance work for this company- as you guys know I live in London, so the people I work with… They live all over Europe so we talk on Skype all the time. I end up hearing, y’know just a lot of business language… whatever people are saying.

So, I’ve been hearing this expression a lot moving forward which means basically in the future or from now on or from here on out. So, moving forward, you maybe thinking, well, moving forward these are two, y’know, normal, regular words of the English language, yeah that’s true, moving and forward, but I can tell you that, like a few years ago, if I had to say in the future I would say, in the future or from now on, I wouldn’t say moving forward, but now, I’ve heard this expression so many times that if I want to say, If I want to talk about something that, for example, we are gonna be doing differently from now on I would use moving forward.

So for example, let’s say me and my team… we did some work and y’know we completed a report and one of the sections of the report… let’s say we used the color green on a chart and let’s say our manager looks at it and says: Oh, ok, you know what, our client doesn’t like the color green, so we actually we can’t use the color green cause that’s in the contract, y’know we can’t use the color green, so moving forward we are gonna use yellow or blue or red or orange not green. So that’s how it’s gonna be, moving forward.

So, I just wanted to pass that on to you guys cause it’s a very simple… I mean, it’s a combination of two very common words in the English language, but it’s just something that people started using a little while ago, so I just wanted to share this with you guys. Please leave your comments, let me know what are the expressions you have been hearing lately in case you have been doing your listening or in case you are fortunate enough to work with people who speak English on a daily basis. Leave me a comment, or just say hi and speak to you soon. Bye!

Key expressions

Vocabulary

there has been a break = houve uma pausa

behind the scenes = sem ninguém ver, sem ninguém ficar sabendo, por trás dos bastidores

impromptu podcasts = podcasts de improviso

I end up hearing = eu acabo ouvindo

you know what? = quer saber?

in the future = no futuro, futuramente

from now on / from here on out = de agora em diante, daqui para frente

that’s in the contract = está no contrato

pass something on = passar, retransmitir, repassar uma informação

in case you are fortunate enough = no caso de você ter a sorte/ser sortudo o bastante

on a daily basis = diariamente, todos os dias

How are you? Hoje eu falo sobre a estrutura “self-stirring” em inglês. Não perca!

How are you? You’re listening to the new episode of the Inglês Online podcast. Download the Inglês Online app at the Google Play Store or the Apple Store – search for “inglês online Ana”. Thank you for telling everyone you know about this podcast and, enjoy!

Alright, so let me show you something – and if you’re just hearing my voice and not looking at the episode page at Inglês Online, you can head over there and check out this photo I’m going to talk about.

This is a photo of a self-stirring mug. So, I found this product in a shop here in London and this shop is just full of novelty products. It’s got all kinds of funny, interesting and unique products and sometimes they come up with some pretty useful stuff.

Yes, I’m talking about this self-stirring mug. What is that? It’s a mug that stirs itself. So, let’s break this down: say it’s 3PM and you feel you need that boost of energy only instant coffee can give you. You head over to the kitchen, grab a mug, put in a spoonful of Nescafe or whatever brand of coffee you prefer, pour some boiling water and sugar in the mug and then you use a spoon to stir the water and everything in it. So, there you go: with a self-stirring mug, you don’t have to worry after adding in all your ingredients – it will give your beverage the perfect stir and all you have to do is enjoy it.

Ok, so what is a self-stirring mug? It’s a mug that stirs itself. Probably at the press of a button, this little mug will stir itself. It’s a self-stirring mug. Notice that this is a perfect example of a sentence structure that can’t be literally translated word by word into Portuguese.

Have you heard of self-cleaning ovens? What are they? A self-cleaning oven is an oven that cleans itself. I’d love to have self-washing clothes and a self-cleaning home but apparently we’re not there yet. So, let’s hear the structure again: self-washing clothes would be clothes that wash themselves. A self-cleaning home would be a home that cleans itself. You wouldn’t need to, you know, dust the furniture, sweep the floor, do the dishes – I mean, can you imagine? A self-cleaning home would clean itself.

I mean, imagine how much free time you would have to do other stuff. Now here’s one that is pretty common everywhere: self-locking doors. If you got one of those at home, especially if it’s the main entrance to your place, chances are you’ve locked yourself out at least once. How would that happen? Well, a self-locking door will lock itself behind you, right? As soon as it shuts behind you – that’s it. It’s locked. The locking system doesn’t require you to insert a key and turn the key and so on. Nope, it will lock itself upon shutting. So, you if you forgot to take the keys with you and the door locked itself, that means you’re locked out and you’ll need to call a locksmith to get that door open.

Have you ever locked yourself out because you forgot to get the keys, and the door locked itself? Let me know in the comments! See you soon.

Key expressions

Vocabulary

head over there = vai/ir até lá

novelty = algo novo ou interessante, novidade

come up with = inventar, criar

brand = marca

beverage = bebida

chances are = é provável que

locksmith = chaveiro

Hi, there. Hoje eu falo sobre dois idioms muito diferentes, mas que significam a mesma coisa… e que são usados quando as aparências enganam. Não perca!

Hi, there. You’re listening to the new episode of the Inglês Online podcast. Download the Inglês Online app at the Google Play Store or the Apple Store – search for “inglês online Ana”. Thank you for telling everyone you know about this podcast and, enjoy!

So, today I was reminded of this really interesting expression, devil in disguise. If you can understand the words I just said then you know what the expression means. We use this expression to talk about something – it can be a situation, or an object, or a car, a house, whatever – or someone, who appears at first to be helpful or well-meaning but turns out to be the opposite.

So, let’s say you just moved into a new neighbourhood, ok. The reason you just moved is, you’ve been saving money for years and you decided to invest in your own flat. So, you bought this property and you’re really happy because now you’re a homeowner.

Your next-door neighbour comes around very quickly and introduces himself, and gives you lots of helpful tips on the neighbourhood. “So nice!”, you think, right. You invite him in for some coffee, a chat, etc. It’s always great to be friendly with neighbours.

The next morning, the doorbell rings and it’s a police officer. Yeah, a police officer came by for an official inspection. You JUST moved in, you thought everything was in order, and you have no idea why the police would show up at your door all of a sudden wanting to do an inspection! Weird.

Well, it’s not like you can turn him down so you let him in. He then explains to you that someone called the Police anonymously about you! What? You just moved in, but it doesn’t matter. Someone called the police and said you were in possession of illegal substances. As in, drugs. You’re freaked out when you hear that but there isn’t much to do other than let the policeman have a look around.

What if the previous residents left drugs stashed away in the flat and the officer finds them and thinks they belong to you? Damn, you’re weak in the knees now thinking about the possibility when the police officer comes back and tells you he’s finished looking and didn’t see anything, and he leaves.

And then you realise that only a couple of people have your new address, and these are people you really trust. You have known them all your life. Who else could have given your address to the police? Your real state agent? No, they’ll be profiting from you for a few months – they would not want to get you in any kind of trouble! You can only think of one person: you neighbour!

Could he be a devil in disguise? Could he be a person that comes across as really nice and helpful, but in time reveals himself to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing?

I’m going to leave the ending to this little story up in the air ’cause this is beginning to sound like the plot of a mystery novel or something. I think many of you will have had this experience – having your first impression of something or someone change drastically when you realise that person or situation is actually causing you some kind of harm.

So, that’s when people will say “This thing is a devil in disguise” or “That teacher was a wolf in sheep’s clothing”, for example. These are not nice expressions, of course. I mean, it’s totally OK to say them in any situation but we only use them when talking about something unpleasant.

So, can you think of any unfortunate experiences you’ve had that you can describe using one of these expressions? Let me know, and talk to you soon.

Key expressions

Vocabulary

well-meaning = bem intencionado, com boas intenções

homeowner = proprietário, dono da casa

you just moved in = você acabou de se mudar

show up = aparecer, chegar

you’re freaked out = você está assustado/apavorado

stashed away = escondido

you’re weak in the knees = tremendo ou com as pernas bambas sem saber o que fazer ou sem ação

real state agent = corretor/a de imóveis

comes across as = parecer ser, dar ou passar a impressão

it’s not like you can turn him down = não tem como você mandá-lo embora ou dizer não

How’s it going? Hoje eu falo sobre alguns idioms com a palavra BORN – aquela mesma palavra que aparece em I was born... Não deixe de ouvir!

How’s it going? You’re listening to the new episode of the Inglês Online podcast. Download the Inglês Online app at the Google Play Store or the Apple Store – search for “inglês online Ana”. Thank you for telling everyone you know about this podcast and, enjoy!

Ok, let’s get started. If you’ve read the title of this episode, well… that’s the first term we’re tackling today. Now, check this out: interestingly, in Brazil we say that someone who was born into a wealthy family was born in a cradle made of gold, right. So, we use the cradle, and gold, for a metaphor that expresses wealthy beginnings.

In the English language, however, we use a spoon and not gold, but silver, to talk about people who were born rich. A silver spoon. And there’s more: the silver spoon was in your mouth. And just like in Brazil, native English speakers don’t say that someone’s born with a silver spoon in their mouth to make a compliment. They’ll say that more in an insulting way, to express that that person always had it easy in life and so on.

Nowadays it’s not unusual to see people justifying themselves to others on social media, making sure everyone knows that they may be rich now but they weren’t born rich – they weren’t born with a silver spoon in their mouth. Listen to what this guy tweeted out: To those who say I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth, I ask you, please look at this photo and point out the “silver spoon” because I must have accidentally dropped it on my way to school.

https://twitter.com/SRobertsKRON4/status/1024316716342435840

You can see an image of the place where he grew up on the blog. So, there you go: he’s telling everyone “Hey, I wasn’t born rich. Just look at this place and you’ll see that I wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth.”

Before we move on, let me ask you: in your opinion, what’s the best image to represent wealth – a silver spoon, or a cradle made of gold? Let me know.

And here’s our second one for this episode – and this is a very easy one. It’s exactly the same as we say in Portuguese… However, it’s always useful to hear stuff – and you know why! The more you hear it, the more it’ll get in your head and add to your English fluency. So, here you go: I wasn’t born yesterday.

And this one’s pretty much used in negative sentences a hundred percent of the time. People will say it to communicate that they’re not naive, or gullible. If someone is gullible, that means they’ll believe anything you tell them.

Actually, wait: another very frequent way to use this one is by asking “Do you think I was born yesterday?” meaning, obviously, “Do you think I’m naive or stupid?” So, the question I just said and the negative form are basically how you’re going to hear this idiom.

Let me give you another great example coming from Twitter – check this out:

Just had a customer complain and ask for her meal free after eating it all plus boxing some up to take home???? Sorry darling but I wasn’t born yesterday

So, the customer ate the food, saved some of it to take home and then asked this lady for their money back, apparently. Her answer here is “Sorry darling, I wasn’t born yesterday.” I’m no fool, you’re not going to take advantage of me or get a free meal like that. I’m not that gullible – I can see you ate the food and you’re even taking leftovers with you! Some people have no shame…

Can you think of a situation in your life where you thought “Haha. I wasn’t born yesterday and I can see you’re not telling the truth”? I think for me it was the last time I talked to a real estate agent – she said a certain flat I was interested in was in a really good area but I knew she was lying because I had done some research prior to talking to her.

So, what about you? I’m sure you’ve got your own examples. Let me know, and see you soon!

Key expressions

Vocabulary

wealthy family = família rica

spoon = colher

make a compliment = fazer um elogio

cradle = berço (de bebê)

naive = ingênuo/a

I’m no fool = eu não sou bobo/a

leftovers = sobras, o que sobrou da comida

have no shame = não tem vergonha

real estate agent = corretor/a de imóveis

Hi! No podcast Inglês Online de hoje, falamos sobre mais um idiom daqueles que você não encontra no seu livro de inglês. Ouça bem o episódio e se familiarize…  Daqui a pouco, o idiom começa a sair da sua boca. True story! Não perca.

Hi! You’re listening to the new episode of the Inglês Online podcast. Download the Inglês Online app at the Google Play Store or the Apple Store – search for “inglês online Ana”. Thank you for telling everyone you know about this podcast and, enjoy!

So, we start today with a term that will make total sense to you – I’m sure of it. Check this out: “If anybody knows how to make a great cappuccino, it’s Bruno”. See? Even the name is Italian. So, obviously you say that when you want to highlight that Bruno is very skilled at making cappuccinos. He’s better than all the other people you can think of.

So, when your coworker Elizabeth says “Hey, I’m throwing a party this weekend and the theme is Italian-Japanese fusion. I’m going to have sumo wrestlers and lasagna.” Yeah, and also, Elizabeth wants to serve great cappuccino to her guests. That’s the only missing piece for her – she’s got the sumo wrestlers sorted, she’s making the lasagna herself because she’s really good at it, but she doesn’t know anyone who can make great cappuccino.

So, you say to Elizabeth “You have to meet my friend Bruno. If anybody knows how to make great cappuccino, it’s Bruno.” So, your friend Bruno makes the most delicious cappuccino you have ever had. I mean, even Starbucks (the coffee shop chain) has been trying to hire him, but Bruno likes to work independently. Even Starbucks knows that if anybody can make a good cappuccino, it’s Bruno.

So, let me give you some other examples: if anybody knows how to make delicious lasagna, it’s your friend Elizabeth. If anybody knows how to solve hard Math problems, it’s Tommy. In the past: when you were still in school… if anybody knew how to have a good time it was your friend Chris. If anybody knew how to hold students’ attention, it was teacher Marcos with his History lessons.

So, listen to this example from Twitter, from Los Angeles Valiant:

If anyone knows how to party, it’s #VALLA fan, @TPAIN.

Get tickets now 🎟️ https://t.co/tZEqWSpk7Q pic.twitter.com/KKzlbLnbUM

— Los Angeles Valiant (@LAValiant) July 20, 2018

Do you have that friend, or that relative, who could be a professional party person – if such an occupation existed? They feel at home when they’re in a party. They always look happy, they show everyone a good time, they’re first on the dance floor, they seemingly know every single person on the guest list – you know the type. Are you one of these? Can we say “If anybody knows how to party, it’s you”? Well, if it’s not you it’s probably somebody you know.

And by the way, how could someone describe YOU using today’s expression? “If anybody knows how to remove stains from a used shirt, it’s X”. Or, “If anybody knows how to hit the high notes in “I will always love you”, it’s Z”. So, how would the people who know you describe you? Let me know! I’m curious. See you soon!

Key expressions

If anybody knows how to (do something), it’s (someone)

Vocabulary

feel at home = se sente em casa, se sente a vontade

she’s got the wrestlers sorted = ela já “organizou”, já tem os lutadores

Hello! No podcast Inglês Online de hoje, você me ouve falar sobre dois idioms relacionados ao que vai acontecer mais adiante… Ouça já!

Hello! You’re listening to the new episode of the Inglês Online podcast. Download the Inglês Online app at the Google Play Store or the Apple Store – search for “inglês online Ana”. Thank you for telling everyone you know about this podcast and, enjoy!

So, let’s say you’re walking sort of aimlessly on the streets of some American city – just picture that, in your imagination. Then, all of a sudden, you feel like having ice-cream. You don’t know if there’s an ice-cream parlour or a supermarket in the neighbourhood, so you ask a local: “Excuse me, sir? Do you know where to go for an ice-cream?”

The man replies “Oh yes, there’s a bakery just down the road – it’s a two-minute long walk. They have great ice-cream.” OK, problem solved. There’s a bakery that sells ice-cream just down the road. So, you keep going straight on, after a minute or so you’ll find it.

So, that is, of course, the most physical or literal meaning of the expression down the road. And there is, of course, a figurative meaning for down the road (I mean, why wouldn’t we have that?) and it means in the future, after something progresses a little bit, or after some time goes by.

Example: let’s say we’re hiring a new employee to work in our shop and, if we don’t check their references now (before hiring) we may have problems down the road. I mean, that person could be someone who steals. They could be a fugitive – someone on the “most wanted” list. Better check who they are now, because you never know – if we don’t we could be in for a surprise down the road.

So, if you’re someone who’s pretty used to listening to podcasts in English (and I’m winking at you if Inglês Online is one of those podcasts!) you’ve probably had no difficulty at all to understand what down the road means. That’s great. However, you’re the person I want to talk to right now. Is the term “down the road” on the tip of your tongue? Does it come to your mind when you want to express that exact idea? If it does, again – that is great. I’m guessing, though, that for most people this idiom is not on the tip of their tongue. It can and it will be – if you listen to it enough times.

And that’s why I’m going to read you another example, from a tweet by the Hoop Central

https://twitter.com/TheHoopCentral/status/1024042495980662785

So, Lebron James, American star basketball player, said that he wouldn’t close the door on (meaning, he would not refuse) a possible return to Cleveland down the road. In the future… Not now, but maybe down the road. In… some time. Who knows when? Just down the road.

Here’s another very relatable example: if you never brush your teeth growing up… oh boy. You’ll most certainly have teeth problems down the road. So, you know this sentence I just said – you’ll most certainly have teeth problems down the road? Here’s another way of saying it: You’re bound to have teeth problems down the road.

It is bound to happen. That means, it will happen for sure. It’s a natural consequence of what’s going on right now. If you’re single and you sign up to an online dating site, you’re bound to meet some people. It’s bound to happen. I don’t know if you’re going to end up with one of them, but you’re bound to meet a few different people.

If you study a lot for your exams, you’re bound to do well. If you prepare poorly, you’re bound to fail. If you never, ever leave home carrying an umbrella, you’re bound to be caught in the rain eventually. Unless you live in a place where it never rains… of course. If you listen to a lot of comprehensible English regularly, you are bound to improve your fluency. It’s a law of the Universe. I’m serious! It is.

So, let me know what you think is going to happen with you down the road. See you soon!

Key expressions

Vocabulary

aimlessly = sem rumo

sort of aimlessly = meio que sem rumo

ice-cream parlour = sorveteria

could be in for a surprise = poderá passar por uma surpresa desagradável, não muito boa

winking = piscando

How are you doing? Hoje, no podcast, eu falo sobre mais duas expressões super comuns do inglês do dia-a-dia. Não perca!

How are you doing? You’re listening to the new episode of the Inglês Online podcast. Download the Inglês Online app at the Google Play Store or the Apple Store – search for “inglês online Ana”. Thank you for telling everyone you know about this podcast and, enjoy!

So, imagine you’re working with your boss on a sales proposal for a new client. The two of you have worked on it for a couple of days, and you both agree that it looks alright. So, now you’re both presenting the proposal in the client’s meeting room, and the client people don’t look like they’re buying it. They look kind of suspicious… or just a bit unconvinced.

So, by the end of the presentation, the head of Strategy for the client is saying “You know, we were expecting better terms, and a better offer in general. We have cheaper offers from other companies that do exactly the same thing you offer, but we were hoping you would be able to take it a step further and give us the kind of top-notch service we expect for this price.”

Yikes! Your boss tells the client that you will take that into consideration and evaluate how you can revise the order, and get back to them. He says to you “We need to step up our game”. When you step up your game, you improve something. You make it better quality, or you improve the quality, or you develop a skill, or something. So, that’s more or less what your boss is saying: we’re going to have to improve our proposal and come back with something that is higher-caliber if we want to get this client.

So, how would that apply in your life? Let’s say you love volleyball but you’re not that great a player at the moment. So, you go ahead and join a group of people who play every Thursday. You realise they’re pretty strong, and you’d better step up your game so you won’t be too disruptive of the good game they play. So, what do you do? You start practicing a bit on your own, and the reason is… You want to step up your game and come up to their level – or at least a bit closer.

So, here’s another example of how it might apply to your life: you like cooking, but your lasagna is just average. However, a rumour was spread that you cook a mean lasagna… You, on the other hand, know that the person who spread the rumour is someone who only ever had frozen lasagnas before and that is possibly the reason why they loved yours so much. So, you decide that it would be a good idea to step up your game – you start practicing with some excellent recipes you found online.

You make lasagna following like five different recipes, and by the end of the week you’ve had so much lasagna you can’t even look at it – but you’ve certainly improved your lasagna-making skills. You have definitely stepped up your game. You’re confident now that when your friends come over they will leave satisfied and content.

So, I remember years ago when I was teaching English the traditional way and it was working out very poorly. I decided to step up my game and I did that whole research on how to actually improve fluency, and then I wrote my How-to-speak-English tips. I really stepped up my teaching game and it was a game-changer for me and lots of people – Inglês Online readers and others.

So, let’s wrap things up for now – and I will leave you with the question: When did you have to step up your game? Let us know and see you soon.

Key expressions

Vocabulary

head of Strategy = o “manda-chuva” de Estratégia

top-notch = de primeira, de altíssima qualidade

a mean lasagna = (informal) mean, aqui, é uma gíria usada para dizer “excelente”

What’s up? Hoje, no podcast Inglês Online, dois idioms do inglês relacionados a originalidade e inovação (veja também este episódio sobre inovação!). Um deles é uma das maneiras de dizer “vai quebrar/quebrou paradigmas” em português. Não perca este pod.

What’s up? You’re listening to the new episode of the Inglês Online podcast. Download the Inglês Online app at the Google Play Store or the Apple Store – search for “inglês online Ana”. Thank you for telling everyone you know about this podcast and, enjoy!

So, I’ll kick off this episode with a question: what is a cookie–cutter approach? What is a cookie-cutter way of doing things? First of all think of what a cookie-cutter is. It is a sort of mold with a round shape, or maybe shaped like a square, or a heart… It’s usually made of some kind of metal and nowadays we have lots of silicone molds as well.

So, one day you decide to bake some cookies. So, you go to the kitchen, you make cookie dough and you roll it out using a roller pin. Now it’s time to cut your cookies using your favourite mold. Let’s say it’s a star-shaped cookie-cutter mold. So you go ahead and you cut all your star-shaped cookies, and then you bake them.

You have now exactly twelve cookies shaped like stars, and they all look exactly the same. So, that’s the cookie-cutter’s job: to make all cookies look exactly the same. So, let’s say you decide to open a clothes store and you’re going to use a cookie-cutter approach. That means you’re going to do exactly the same things that every other clothes store does: you’re going to have shelves, and lots of racks with clothes hanging from them. You’re going to have a staff of sales attendants, and every time a potential customer walks in, one of the sales people will walk up to them and ask “Can I help?”

So, that’s what every other clothes shop you’ve ever been to does. And you think, “Well, there must be a reason why all those other shops do this. It must work!” So, that would be a cookie-cutter approach – it’s exactly the same as other shops – and I’m not saying it is necessarily a bad approach or a good approach, but it’s a cookie-cutter approach.

Now, let’s say you think about it for a couple of days and you have now actually changed your mind about opening a cookie-cutter shop! At this point, you’re thinking about opening a shop where all the clothes will be lying around on couches. You know, sofas. It will be like a messy bedroom and you think most people will feel at home – because most people you know are messy, anyway.

So, clothes will be lying around and there will be beautiful shopping baskets, and people will collect the pieces they’re interested in and then walk over to the fitting rooms, where they’ll be able to try the clothes on. Also, there’ll be no tills. Customer will have two options: they can pay using their cell phone, or they can use the self-scan stations inside the store. And instead of shop attendants, there will be fashion consultants to guide customers on what looks best on them.

So, if someone thinks this sounds like a supermarket – nope! No way. It’s messy and self-serviced, but you’re thinking if you bring in some street performers and an oyster bar, customers will have a blast. In fact, you think this will be such a huge success… it will be a game-changer. Other shops will start copying what you did. You will win awards; your success story will turn into a business case and will be discussed in classrooms all over the world. It will be a game-changer.

Of course, you don’t need to achieve worldwide fame to do something that is a game-changer. You could ask the canteen at your school to make their potato mash using fresh potatoes instead of the powder mix they’ve always used, and, I mean… That would be a game-changer, at least for me if that’s where I eat lunch.

So, can you think of an example? What happened in your life recently, or a while ago, that was a real game-changer? GPS on cell-phones was a game-changer in my life, I can tell you that. I never got lost again. So, tell me yours! See you soon.

Key expressions

Vocabulary

kick off = começar, dar o pontapé inicial

rolling pin = (qual é o nome? Rolo de cozinha?)

fitting room = provador (UK)

till = caixa (de loja, onde o cliente paga pela compra)

have a blast = adorar, se divertir muito

How are you? Hoje, no podcast, eu falo sobre mais duas expressões super comuns do inglês do dia-a-dia. Não perca!

How are you? You’re listening to the new episode of the Inglês Online podcast. Download the Inglês Online app at the Google Play Store or the Apple Store – search for “inglês online Ana”. Thank you for telling everyone you know about this podcast and, enjoy!

So, check this out: if you’re receiving my message in your inbox (thanks for being a subscriber, by the way) then you probably keep an eye on your inbox for my messages, right? Otherwise, why would you be on the list…? So, when you keep an eye on something, that means you’re focusing a little bit of your attention on it.

It’s like… you’re aware that something’s about to happen; you’re aware that this cool newsletter you’ve subscribed to will be popping in your inbox shortly and for that reason you’re keeping an eye on your inbox. Every time you fire up that browser window there’s something in the back of your mind that tells you “There may be new mail from Ana” – or anyone, really, that you’ve subscribed to.

So, here’s the thing: I know you understand what I mean when I use the idiom “keep an eye on”. I know you got it; I’m sure you understood the little example I just gave you. Is this idiom coming out of your mouth as you speak English, though? That’s what this podcast is for: give you a lot of audio input. Listen to something you understand long enough, and before you know it you’ll be saying it like a pro. Or, in our case, like a native speaker. I’ve seen it happen countless times.

Let me get on, then, with more examples – this one, for a slightly different way to use “keep an eye on”. Same as we do in Brazil, in English we can use ‘keep an eye on’ someone or something with the purpose of watching that person or thing. As many of you know, I like going to cafés or coffee shops with my computer and getting some work done over a cup of coffee.

Sometimes when I want to go to the loo, I ask the person sitting next to me to keep an eye on my bag and my computer. I’m asking that person to watch my stuff for me – by the way, once, in Brazil, I asked a girl to do that for me and she said, point blank, “If someone tries to steal your stuff there’s nothing I can do”. Anyway, I’ve had some strange stuff happen here in London as well, regarding other people’s reactions to leaving stuff unattended in a café.

But back to our idiom: you get the point. You ask someone to keep an eye on your bags, on your groceries, on your wallet, on your new employee, on your kids, whatever or whomever you think needs a bit of vigilance! You can also say keep an eye out for something, “keep an eye out for something.” That has a bit more of a specific meaning – let’s say I tell you, Inglês Online subscriber, “Keep an eye out for my English course!” Here, I’m telling you exactly what to expect – my new course. I’m not asking you to watch or take care of my course – I’m telling you there is this new thing coming up – my course, and telling you to pay attention: keep an eye out for it, because it’s coming soon!

“Keep an eye out” is also useful to warn people that something or someone is going to show up soon. You can tell your colleagues at work “Guys, keep an eye out for the Health inspector visit – we got a letter from the Health Department today saying they’re inspecting every office in the neighbourhood this week”. Or maybe you’re at the bus stop with a group of people and you’re all chatting and having a laugh and your friend says “Everyone, keep an eye out for the bus or we’ll be stuck here for another thirty minutes.”

So, what is it that you’re keeping an eye out for at this moment? Let me know! See you soon.

Key expressions

Vocabulary

before you know it = antes que você se dê conta, quando você menos esperar

get work done over a cup of coffee = fazer o trabalho enquanto bebo café

loo = toalete, banheiro (UK)

point blank = de maneira direta

leave something unattended = deixar algo largado ou sozinho sem ninguém pra olhar ou cuidar

How have you been? No podcast Inglês Online de hoje eu falo sobre inovação, e um idiom relacionado a pensar pra frente! Não perca.

How have you been? You’re listening to the new episode of the Inglês Online podcast. Download the Inglês Online app at the Google Play Store or the Apple Store – search for “inglês online Ana”. Thank you for telling everyone you know about this podcast and, enjoy!

So, I’m sure you will understand the word ‘innovation’. When a person is prone to innovating or favours innovation in some way, that usually means this person is pretty open to new ideas. They’re interested in learning new things and testing new ways of doing old tasks ’cause… That’s one of the things innovation is about, I think. It’s not just coming up with a new electronic device no one’s ever seen before but it’s also finding new and better ways of doing stuff you already do.

I have to say, I love that concept. I’m all for finding new and better ways of doing things. And just to clarify, “new and better” to me means “easier and less time-consuming”. Don’t get me wrong, I’m pretty demanding, usually, as far as quality is concerned, but if you can find an easier and faster way of accomplishing something without compromising the level of quality that I consider necessary… hey, count me in and sign me up.

I mean, think of the company you work for (in case you have a job.) If you don’t have a job yet… Just wait. Your time will come :-) So, I think anyone who works for a company will be able to relate to this… There are things you do, that you have to do again, periodically… And sometimes you can just tell that there would be an easier way to get it done but – for whatever reason, that “easier way” never gets implemented and every time you have to do that task, you have that feeling of “What a time-waster” or maybe you just go through it mechanically, ’cause you’ve sort of tuned out… You know what I mean?

Maybe you haven’t said anything because any changes would depend on the approval of many other people; maybe it’s because you don’t think the people involved are particularly receptive to new ideas; maybe you just don’t have any spare time for making suggestions, or it may be that you know, you’re not a person who’s particularly inclined to speak up and offer your thoughts.

Let’s go with the opposite idea, though. Let’s say that, after doing this task for a couple of months, it’s pretty clear to you that there’s an easier, faster way of accomplishing it and let’s say you’re pretty fortunate to have a boss who is a very open person and is interested in hearing your suggestions. So, you walk up to your boss one day, when… Let’s say it’s a guy and his name is Gary. So, Gary is hanging by the water cooler and you just walk up to him and explain your idea of how to make this little process simpler and faster, without any compromise to the final result.

Gary says “What a great idea. I’m very pleased to work with someone who’s so forward-thinking. We have been doing things this way for years! Your idea introduces technological innovation to this process, and will make things easier for everyone when we launch our new range of products next year!”. Sounds like a dream boss, right?

So, Gary said you’re forward-thinking. That means thinking ahead but not just in terms of simply planning ahead… It’s more than that. It’s also about anticipating trends, you know… being able to predict that something is going to be useful or successful before that thing exists. In other words, being a bit of a visionary! I think it’s safe to say that people like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg – whatever your other opinions about them are – were or are pretty visionary.

Let’s wrap things up with this tweet:

https://twitter.com/JHGreenwoodCo/status/1025035260835315712

Who would you call “a forward-thinking person”? Do you have anyone in your family who is forward-thinking? Let me know and see you soon.

Key expressions

Vocabulary

I’m all for something = ser totalmente a favor de algo/alguma coisa

count me in and sign me up = me inclua, to dentro

you’ve tuned out = você “se desligou”, nem pensa naquilo, apenas faz mecanicamente

spare time = tempo livre

speak up = expressar uma opinião, dizer o que pensa sobre algo

water cooler = bebedouro