Hi, and welcome to the Espresso English Podcast, where you can improve your English in just a few minutes a day.
My name is Shayna and I'm the teacher at Espresso English.
Make sure to visit the website, EspressoEnglish .net, where you can get online courses and e -books that will help you learn English even faster.
Let's get started with today's lesson.
Are you an intermediate English learner?
You know the basics, but conversations still feel a bit awkward. Well, I've got some good news!
Today you'll learn a hundred intermediate English phrases that will help you sound smoother, more natural, and more confident in many different everyday situations.
Make sure to download everything from today's lesson and more by clicking on the link in the video description to get my free ebook, 500 Real English Phrases To Help You Improve Your Speaking.
Click on the link, enter your email and I'll send it to you right away.
All right, ready to boost your speaking skills?
Then let's learn these phrases.
We'll begin with five ways to ask for clarification.
You can say, pardon if you didn't hear or understand what the person said.
Would you mind repeating that?
What do you mean? This one asks for more information.
I'm not sure I follow you, means I don't understand.
Could you explain? How can you check if the other person understands you?
Here are five phrases for that.
Do you understand what I'm saying?
Does that make sense?
Do you know what I mean?
Are you with me so far?
That one's often used in the middle of a long explanation or instructions.
Is that clear? That's often used after giving orders or expressing disapproval or negative attitude.
Sometimes you need to ask for help.
Here are five ways to do so.
I need a little help.
Could you help me out?
Could you give me a hand?
That's usually used for physical tasks.
Could you spare a couple minutes?
Could you do me a favor?
When you want to ask someone else to do something, use these phrases.
Would you mind opening the window?
Could you please turn off the lights?
Can you Pass me the chicken.
Please, send me the information.
I'd appreciate it if you could wash the dishes.
How can you interrupt someone in English?
Use these phrases. Sorry to interrupt but excuse me could I talk to you for a minute?
Or excuse me do you have a minute?
We use that to interrupt a conversation between two other people to talk to one of them.
Could I jump in here?
Use this when interrupting a discussion among many people.
Sorry, I just want to say that.
May I have a word? That one's more formal.
Now let's learn 10 phrases for encouraging someone.
Keep up the good work!
That was a nice try.
Say that after someone made a good effort but failed.
That's a real improvement.
You're on the right track!
You've almost got it!
You're doing great!
Don't give up or hang in there, say those when someone is currently having difficulties.
You can do it. Give it your best shot.
That means your best try or best effort.
Nice job, you did great!
After the person has done something good.
On the negative side here are five phrases for complaining.
I'm not happy about this.
I'm sorry but this is unacceptable.
I'm not very satisfied with this product or the situation.
I can't stand it when the internet is slow.
This sucks. That one's informal.
You can talk about remembering, reminding and forgetting with these 10 phrases.
I'll always remember.
I'll never forget. If I remember correctly as far as I can recall I have a vague recollection of it's on the tip of my tongue.
That means My mind went blank.
That means I couldn't remember, I couldn't think of anything.
It doesn't ring a bell.
That means it doesn't sound familiar.
Please remember to…or please don't forget to… I'd like to remind you about… You haven't forgotten to…or about…have you?
It completely slipped my mind.
That means I completely forgot about it.
To say something is easy.
You can say, It's a piece of cake.
It's a cinch. It's a breeze.
Anyone can do it. There's nothing to it.
To say something is difficult, say it's hard. It's a bit tricky.
It's really tough. It's not a walk in the park.
It's very demanding.
That means it takes a lot of time and energy.
How do we talk about age in English?
Use these phrases. She's in her early 20s.
That means 20 to 23 years old.
He's in his late 30s.
would mean 37 to 39 years old.
She just turned six.
Act your age. Say this when an adult is being immature and acting like a child.
I'm not as young as I used to be.
I'm not over the hill yet.
Over the hill is an informal expression to say old.
He's no spring chicken that means he's not young.
She's wise beyond her years that means she is young but she has the wisdom of an older person.
I'm having a senior moment.
That means I'm being forgetful.
He lived to a ripe old age.
That means a very old age.
Let's get practical.
Here are 10 phrases for shopping.
Do you have, where can I find I'm just browsing browsing means looking casually.
I'm looking for how much is this?
Is this on sale? Can I try it on use this to ask if you can put on clothing to see if it's the right size.
I'll take it. Do you take credit cards?
I'd like to return or exchange this for talking about food.
Use these phrases. I'm starving that means I'm very hungry.
Let's grab a bite to eat.
How about eating out tonight?
That means eating at a restaurant.
I brought some snacks.
This soup is delicious.
Could I have another helping of potatoes?
Another helping means another portion.
I'll have, use this phrase for ordering in a restaurant.
Can we get the check, please?
I'm full. That means I'm satisfied.
I'm stuffed. That means I ate a lot of maybe too much. To talk about TV, use these.
Where's the remote?
The remote means the remote control.
Is there anything good on?
Can I change the channel?
I've already seen this episode.
I love this show. There are too many commercials.
Stop channel surfing.
That means changing the channel quickly.
It's the season finale.
That means the final episode of the season.
When you're traveling, you might hear these phrases at the airport.
Do you have any bags to check?
Would you like a window seat or an aisle seat?
The aisle is the corridor.
Here's your boarding pass.
That's the paper that permits you to enter the plane.
Your flight leaves from gate 15.
Your seat number is 8F.
Flight 800 is now boarding.
Boarding means that passengers are entering the plane.
Your flight has been delayed.
Your flight has been canceled.
This is the final call for flight 800.
What is the purpose of your trip?
To talk about price, use these phrases.
It cost a fortune. It cost an arm and a leg.
That's a rip off. That means it's overpriced.
It's far more expensive than it should be.
I can't afford it. That means I don't have enough money to buy it.
That's a bit pricey.
That's quite reasonable.
That means it's a good price.
It's twenty percent off.
That's a good deal.
That means a good value for the amount of money.
It was a real bargain.
It was dirt cheap. That means extremely inexpensive.
Whether is a very common topic for small talk.
Comment on hot weather with these phrases.
It's nice and warm today.
It's absolutely boiling.
That means extremely hot.
We're having a real heat wave. That's many consecutive days of hot weather.
The sun's really strong today.
It's hot and humid.
For cold weather, you can say, It's a little chilly.
It's freezing. That means extremely cold.
The temperature is dropping.
Make sure to bundle up, that means put on warm clothes for protection against the cold.
We're expecting some winter weather.
That refers to snow, hail, sleet, ice, et cetera.
What if it's raining?
Use these phrases. It's drizzling, that means raining lightly.
It's pouring, that means raining heavily.
It's raining cats and dogs.
That also refers to heavy rain.
I got caught in a downpour.
I think the letting up.
That means it's getting lighter and stopping.
When you're tired you can say, I'm exhausted.
I'm dead tired. I'm pooped.
I'm spent. I'm beat.
I'm running on fumes or I'm running on empty.
I can hardly keep my eyes open.
I'm off to bed. I'm gonna hit the sack.
That means go to bed.
It's bedtime for me.
When you want to make a promise or resolution use one of these.
I really should. I promise that I'll.
I swear I'll or I swear I won't.
That's for a very strong promise.
No matter what happens I'm going to.
Come hell or high water I'll.
That expresses your determination to do something even if obstacles appear.
Here are some great phrases to use when you're late.
Sorry I'm late. I overslept.
That means I slept longer than I should have. My alarm didn't go off.
I had to wait ages for a bus.
Ages means a very long time.
The bus was late. The traffic was terrible.
I couldn't find a parking spot.
I got lost coming here.
I was tied up in a meeting.
Tied up means you were occupied and it was impossible to escape.
I just lost track of time.
That means I didn't notice what time it was.
To say someone is correct, you can say, that's right.
That's spot on. You've hit the nail on the head or you've nailed it.
I suppose so. Use this when you agree but you are not completely convinced.
I'm afraid you're right.
Use this in response to bad news to say the bad news is correct.
If someone is wrong, you can say I'm afraid that's not quite right.
I'm afraid you're mistaken.
No, you've got it wrong.
No, that's all wrong.
To say someone is stupid we have these phrases.
He's not the sharpest tool in the shed.
She's a few cards short of a deck.
He's a bit slow. She's a complete idiot.
He's really dumb. Careful with those, as they're considered rude and insulting.
For describing someone as smart, we can say, He's really sharp.
She's brilliant. He's very bright.
She's a genius. He's a smart cookie.
Now you know a hundred intermediate English phrases make sure to download your free gift the five hundred phrases ebook by clicking on the link in the video description and if you want to level up your speaking even more check out my everyday English speaking courses where I teach you practical phrases through conversations you can even record your speaking and send it in for feedback you can find these courses on my website espressoenglish .net or again in the description.
If you want more great English lessons, visit espressoenglish .net where you can sign up by email to receive a free ebook with 500 plus real English phrases.
You'll also find online courses to help you improve your English fast, even if you don't have much time to study.
Keep practicing your English, and I hope you have a wonderful day.
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