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Ding, buzz, beep.
Which word should you use when you hear a sound?
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What can you say when your phone goes off or when someone calls or when someone rings your doorbell?
There are so many moments in life when we need these words.
Listen in to get them today.
Hello there, Michelle.
How's everything today?
How are you feeling today?
Feeling good.
How are you?
I'm pretty good.
I'm pretty good.
Michelle, I got a question for you.
You ready?
So are you good about putting your phone on silent when you actually need to?
Like is your phone on silent right now?
That's a good question.
I should check that.
Yeah.
Or does it ding or ring a lot?
Maybe when you're recording a podcast, or when you're in public or in awkward places where it's really rude to
Phone ring.
Yeah, it's always.
I mean it definitely has.
You know, I've had an alarm go off when we're recording or something like that.
So it can happen.
I try to be pretty careful about it.
Actually, I think I have more the opposite issue.
I think it's, I mostly have it on silent and then I can't find it.
I know that that happens to me all the time.
And then you're calling and you're like, well, it's on silent.
Oh my gosh.
And so I would always have these missed calls.
I would have like three missed calls from my partner.
And I was like, this person's kind of a stalker.
You know, why are they calling three times?
Like one's enough.
One missed call is enough.
And I didn't realize until later that it was actually on silent for a long time.
So funny, yeah.
So yeah, sometimes you can go too far with being on silent.
That's hilarious, but I feel that Dan is always having things go off and I'm like turn it off, like so annoying.
That is really annoying, Right.
Yeah.
Dings and rings.
Dings and rings.
Who knows what else, right?
Yep.
So today we're going to go over words that deal with everyday sounds.
So actually a long time ago, I think we did an episode on onomatopoeias.
Right.
But that was over a thousand episodes ago.
And today we're focusing on these words because of a recent episode we did on the word ding, dealing with Mostly with cars.
Yeah, right.
You got a ding in your car, more of a dent type of thing.
But these sounds, like what do they sound like?
I know the sound of a dog barking is articulated differently in French versus Japanese versus English right.
We know this.
We learn this when we learn different languages.
We talk about these fun little aspects of the language. right?
So it's kind of similar.
We assume the same thing is true about a car horn or a phone voicemail, right?
So we're going to get into it today.
Yeah, exactly.
So this is going to be fun.
So guys hit the follow button wherever you're listening to the All Ears English podcast so that you never miss an episode.
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Let us drop right into your queue so you don't have to go searching around for us.
Exactly.
So let's start with the most common thing we hear, which I feel like now my phone's going to ding while we're recording.
I'm going to feel very self-conscious about it.
My WhatsApp or something is going to ding for sure.
What is it?
What is the word, Michelle?
It is ding.
Yeah.
So I would say this sound is the sound an iPhone's text message makes.
Specifically iPhone.
I feel like it's a ding, right?
It's a cute little ding.
I think WhatsApp makes that sound.
But yeah, like I feel like you could.
Well, there are standard baked in like automatic default settings for iPhone, which I think is usually a ding.
Right.
Yeah.
Or you might hear someone say ding. ding, ding, ding, like saying someone is right, right?
Possibly sarcastically, oh, ding, ding, like ding, ding, ding, you got it, right?
Being sarcastic.
No, I even said this last night.
I had a theory.
We have a contractor working in our house and I had a theory about the contractors, something.
And then I said the theory and then I said to myself, ding, ding, that's it, right?
That's the missing piece that we haven't understood about this person, right?
Right.
It's like you figured it out.
Yeah yeah, so we can.
You might also hear it like on a game show or now that i'm, now that i'm talking about it i, i think also maybe like the sound of like um, like a oven, like a, i think of like an easy big oven right, like you know.
Oh yeah yeah sure, opening it's ready.
Whatever you've baked is ready right yeah yes, Yeah.
Love it.
So you say something like ding, ding, ding.
That's the correct answer.
Right.
Or I just heard a ding.
Was that your phone?
Right.
So the difference here, here, you're using the word as the thing.
Whereas in the first example you're actually making the sound ding ding ding.
Right, that's the correct answer.
Right interesting, and you have to do a ding ding ding like you can't.
You can't just be like ding ding ding, that's what.
No, you have to, you have to sing it.
You really do kind of have to elevate your voice a little bit right, Right?
Or with a little bit of a snark, ding, ding, ding, you're right.
It is time for you to walk the dog.
Yeah.
And we can bake in sarcasm here, right?
There's a little sarcasm here, a little like, hey, I've been walking the dog every night.
It's your turn.
Right.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Like, oh, don't you think you should be doing something right now?
Oh, I don't know.
Oh, oh, the dog hasn't gone out.
Ding, ding, ding.
Exactly.
Exactly.
You're, maybe you're overwhelmed with all the work you're doing and your partner's just there watching TV.
You know.
Yep.
Yep.
Yep.
So that has some snark to it.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Well, then there's beep.
Yep.
Yep.
So when would you hear this?
Oh, you always hear this.
Leave a message after the beep.
Right.
You've reached Lindsay's voicemail.
Leave a message after the beep.
Beep right yeah, usually a beep.
Um, right or right, or maybe yeah, this is a big one.
Smoke alarms running out of battery, which always happens at three in the morning yes exactly, and then you have to find it, and then you have to get up on a ladder um, So yeah, that in my hair are like lots of electronics.
I mean the microwave beeps.
You know when you're pressing the buttons or when it's Your fridge beeps if you leave it open too long.
Oh, that's... Yes.
Yeah, I always leave the fridge open constantly.
Just...
Yeah, or your TV might beep, right?
Some sort of electronics.
But then there's also the car horn, right?
Beep, beep.
Yeah, it's always like the pitch of the horn is always commensurate with the size of the car.
I feel like
If you're driving a little mini, it's always like beep, beep.
And then right right trucks have a.
You know, they obviously don't have a horn like that right right, right right, or also not just honking the horn, but like maybe um, you hear, if you're describing like a, something backing up, like a big truck, like you can tell that they're.
They have that beep sound.
Come on beep beep beep yes, yes.
Or we might articulate beep, beep.
Right.
We might say that if we're trying to move through a group, either driving through or.
Yeah.
This is a funny episode.
Yeah, it is.
But it is funny.
Also.
I mean you made a good point, point Lindsay, because sometimes you just say it like oh, leave a message after the beep.
And sometimes you actually do the sound.
Yeah, you do the sound.
Exactly.
Right.
So some examples here.
We're not available right now, but please leave a message after the beep.
Okay.
Yes.
So that's a very common script for a voicemail.
Or I couldn't sleep because the smoke alarm was beeping all night, even when I replaced the batteries.
So that makes me think there's a Friends episode where they're looking for the beep.
Probably.
Yeah.
Sounds like a Friends scenario.
Yeah.
Or you'll know the microwave is done when you hear it beep, right?
The popcorn is ready.
Yes.
Yes.
And then there's buzz.
Yeah.
So this is more of like a vibration sound.
I mean, when you think about how it sounds, like buzz, it's a vibration.
Yes.
Um, so it could be like from a phone, right?
If you leave your phone on vibrate maybe not silent, maybe vibrate um or like an electric razor um right.
Anything else you can think of?
I mean, that's why they call it like a buzz cut, right?
Because when you get, when guys get a buzz cut they uh, i'm guessing.
That's why i'm guessing.
Yeah, i never thought about that.
Yep yeah yeah, that's interesting.
Um, anything else that buzzes hmm, i mean, sometimes certain doorbells can buzz right, like when you especially i don't know, maybe like mansions or something i'm imagining a fancy home might have a buzz doorbell, or an apartment they might have a ding dong.
Or like if you live in New York in a walk-up building, you have to buzz someone in.
Yes, to buzz someone in.
That's a great one.
And then also a device, right?
Like at the buzzer.
So like maybe at the end of a game, like, you know, somebody makes a shot.
Right at the end at the buzzer or in a game show.
Right.
So time's up.
Right.
Yeah, exactly.
So here's an example.
My phone was buzzing, so I had to leave it outside.
Yes.
Or he made a goal right at the buzzer, meaning right at the last minute of the game.
Right?
Yes.
So it was a valid goal.
Okay.
Exactly.
All right, Michelle, there's a few more here that we want to share with our listeners.
What is click?
So a click.
Yeah.
This is more like a tapping sound.
Okay like, like it could be like a short sound, something like a button you're pressing or a door you're locking right um so uh, or it could be the sound you hear not so much anymore, but it used to be the sound you hear if somebody hangs up on you um, you know, pressing the actual, you know the little button.
Yeah, because you can't hear that anymore.
Now it's just blank, right?
If someone hangs up on you but it used to be yeah, it would just be the click.
Until you hear the click.
I heard this weird clicking sound.
Turns out my son kept locking and unlocking the door.
Right.
Or, uh-oh, I heard a click.
She definitely hung up on me.
Lindsay, have you ever thought someone hung up on you, but they just lost the connection?
Yeah, sure.
All the time.
And we've done episodes on this too before.
What to say when the connection's going out, you're going into a tunnel or something.
Right.
Yeah.
But yeah, the click.
Yeah.
I feel like this is just about the function of something.
So this can really depend on what you're talking about.
If there's some kind of an item that has to latch, usually you would talk about a click, because you would hear that right.
Right, right.
Or then there's alarm.
So that's loud, right?
Like the warning of something.
So a smoke alarm or a security alarm.
Very loud.
Or your alarm clock, of course.
Sure, yeah, yeah.
Do you use your phone as your alarm clock or do you have a special alarm clock, Michelle?
I use my phone.
I know you have an alarm clock because you're putting your phone away.
How has that been working out?
Well, these days we've been moving around because of our renovation project.
So I have been, we've been in different condos and Airbnbs, all sorts of things.
Life is chaotic right now, Michelle.
It's crazy.
So I am now using my phone, but when I get back into my home soon I will go back to that nice Zen alarm clock.
It's great.
But has it made you look at your phone a lot again before bed?
No, I would actually say, as long as I have a book that I can read that I'm interested in, I'm pretty good at still letting the phone sit next to the bed and leaving it.
I don't feel that same pull that I used to feel quite as much.
That's really incredible.
Yeah, small wins, small wins, small wins.
And then we're gonna do one more it and that's the ring.
Right, so more just like what you say.
Oh, my phone is ringing um, or a bell ringing Yeah.
I mean, sometimes you might hear like church bells.
I grew up in New England, a place where every little town has a town square and has a church at the head of the square.
It's very cute scenery.
You'd see in a postcard.
Right.
And sometimes the church bells will ring.
Right.
At certain times.
Mm hmm.
Yep.
Yep, exactly.
So you might hear your phone is ringing.
I hear it in another room.
Yeah.
Or did someone ring the doorbell?
Yeah.
Okay.
So we got a lot of sounds, rings, clicks, dings.
We got a nice role play here.
So let's go through it, Michelle.
You are telling me why you're so tired today.
So tell me.
All right.
So I was almost asleep and then I heard this beeping sound.
So I figured it was a smoke alarm.
Oh, that's the worst.
I hate when that alarm goes off.
Yeah, but then it stopped out of nowhere.
So I was relieved.
So I went to sleep and then I woke up to my phone dinging at 3 a.m.
So my friend was texting me who lives in California.
So she thought I was still awake.
Oh, no, you have to put it on silent.
I should.
So then it started to ring and I picked it up and it was just a butt dial from the same friend.
Oh, not the butt dial.
That's the worst.
Yeah.
Oh, gosh.
Don't want to put your phone on silent.
You could put it on vibrate.
So it just buzzes.
Yeah, true.
That would be less disruptive.
But so then I heard a clicking sound from the other room.
That's creepy.
What was it?
Of course it was Charlie, just standing outside my door tapping on it, waiting for me to let him come into my room.
Oh, I guess he wanted an early walk.
Ding, ding, ding.
You need a nap.
Oh, yeah.
Dogs will do that.
Some dogs are really smart.
They know how to open doors.
They know exactly what to nudge to make a sound right?
Yeah, does key forever wake you up for an earlier walk?
He like, he will stand right by the bed and he's a border collie, so he's used to moving things with his eyes.
Making things happen with his eyes, that's what border collies do, right?
Uh, when they're like originally, that's what they did is move sheep, and so he will stand there and just stare at me, But it's always right at the time that the alarm goes off.
If it doesn't go off, he'll get up at that time.
He knows what time we get up.
Yeah, he's so smart.
But yeah, he'll just stare.
He's got this stare.
Oh, yeah.
You said he gives you the side eye too, right?
The side eye.
Yeah.
Those dogs are incredible.
Anyways, I could go on and on, but I won't.
Let's go through the role play here, Michelle.
All right.
So I said I was almost asleep and then I heard this beeping sound.
Yeah.
And then I said, oh, that's the worst.
I hate when that alarm goes off.
Right.
And then I said I went to sleep and then woke up to my phone dinging at 3 a.m.
So I didn't say ringing.
Right.
So that sounds more like a text message.
Right.
I wouldn't say dinging if it was if it was somebody calling.
Right.
That's a really important distinction, actually.
Yeah.
I mean, that's a really big key with today's episode.
Ring is a call.
Ding is a noise, right?
Yeah.
Yes.
Kind of a buzz or... a kind of a, yeah, a beep.
Oh my gosh.
And then, and then he said, I should.
So then it started to ring and I picked it up and it was just a butt dial.
So now someone did call you, right?
Uh-huh.
Uh-huh.
Yes.
So then you made a suggestion.
You said if you don't want to put your phone on silent, you could put it on vibrate.
So it just buzzes.
Buzzes.
Right.
So a more maybe a different pitch of a sound.
Less disruptive.
Yeah.
And then you said, yeah, true.
That would be less disruptive.
Yeah.
Then I heard a clicking sound from the other room.
So this sounds like a door, right?
Trying to latch or opening or something.
Right, right.
Exactly.
And then, so it turns out, it was Charlie, my dog, standing outside of my door tapping on.
A tap is another one we could have done, but we'll save that for another day.
We've done a lot.
And you said, oh, I guess he wanted an early walk.
And I said, ding, ding, ding, which is the one we're saying that you're right.
Yeah, you're indicating a little sarcasm, a little exhaustion here, right?
Yes, not towards you, towards the dog.
Towards the dog, yeah.
Towards all your responsibilities at home, maybe.
Yes, exactly.
So it was a very noisy night.
Noisy night.
All right.
Chaotic evening.
Guys, go on over to 2606, scratch, sting, or dent.
How to talk about car damage in English.
This was the inspiration.
For today's episode, but it's a very different episode, we're talking about car damage.
So if you're driving a car in an English-speaking country or just want to know about this, cars are a big part of American culture.
I can tell you that for sure.
Right?
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
So, yeah, takeaway for today.
I mean this is just like a fun silly episode, but it's actually very useful because there are a lot of nuances between these words.
Right, Lindsay?
Yeah.
And we had a lot of fun recording it.
So that was fun.
Yeah.
Hopefully our listeners had fun listening.
Guys, this would be, I mean, you know.
This is not super sophisticated grammar today, but this is part of fluency, right?
Oh, my gosh.
So, as you're getting to the B2C1 level, think about mastering this, because you can say a lot here, right?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Exactly.
So knowing – I mean, it sounds so silly, but –
It's people are constantly talking about, oh, these noises, the ding, the buzz, the beep.
Right.
And if you don't know what to say, what do you say?
Right.
If you don't know what that word is in English, what do you even say?
Right.
Right.
Yeah.
So this is perfect.
Yeah.
All right.
All right.
All right, Lindsay.
Well, I'm trying to think of a creative way to end it, but I... Wait for the buzzer.
All right, guys.
Thanks for listening.
Bye, Lindsay.
Take care.
Bye.
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