Hello, this is Jack from To Fluency.
Now, in this English lesson, you're going to learn 30 phrases all about emotions.
Some of these emotions are happy and exciting.
Some express sadness, while others talk about fear and even relief.
And this is a super useful lesson, because often in English we talk about our emotions and how we're feeling.
And a lot of learners don't know how to do this properly.
So I'm going to break this down for you.
I'm going to explain these phrases and also talk about if they're used in the UK or the USA because, as you're going to see with the first one, this is very USA specific.
But before we get started, know that I have left all of these phrases in the description for you, so that you can read the different phrases and see the different examples.
And, while you're down there, also check out the resources that I've left to help you improve your English.
Let's start in a happy space by talking about phrases you can use to express happiness and excitement.
Like I said before, the first one is very American and I'm going to try my American accent here.
And it's this.
That's awesome.
That's awesome.
After 15 years of living in America, my American accent still needs a bit of work.
But I'm sure you've heard the word awesome before.
And it's used all the time here.
People use it, maybe even overuse it.
Now, a British equivalent is brilliant.
That's brilliant.
And this is something that I still say here in the US.
So we can use it to describe something that we're really enjoying or that we really like.
For example, this restaurant is awesome.
Or responding to somebody who might say, by the way, I just got a new job.
You can say, that's awesome.
That's awesome.
It is a little bit more informal.
So responding to formal types of news or use it in a work environment doesn't work as well.
But again, you're going to hear this all the time.
The next one is often used when someone shares some good news and you want to respond to that.
Let's say it might be an engagement or pregnancy, or somebody got a new job.
And it's this, I'm so happy for you.
I'm so happy for you.
So you are explaining that you have this positive emotion because of somebody else's good news.
And it's often used with a little hug or something like that, especially between close friends.
So someone might say, we're going to have a baby in a few months.
You can say, oh, I'm so happy for you.
That is great news.
I'm so happy for you.
The next one is used when you want to say how something has affected you.
So let's say you are at home and somebody knocks at your door and you think okay, who's this?
Right now, who is knocking at my door?
You go to answer the door and you open it and a neighbor has brought around some cookies and you think ah, this is amazing.
This is exactly what I want right now.
This has made my day.
This has made my day.
So this is used for something that brightens your mood and makes you feel better.
It could be like the last one as well.
For example, that news has really made my day.
That news has made my day.
Now the next one is all about showing happiness in a physical way.
Because often after good news or some type of special event, you have a smile on your face.
You smile and the phrase to be used here is I can't stop smiling.
I can't stop smiling.
Or if you're talking to somebody else, you might say you seem so happy, you can't stop smiling.
You can't stop smiling.
And let's talk about something in the past here.
You might say, I couldn't stop smiling after hearing the news.
I couldn't stop smiling after hearing the news.
The next one is an idiom.
And this is before we move on to the next set of emotions.
From what I know, I think this is British.
It's very British, in fact.
And it means to be extremely happy.
And it's this, to be over the moon, to be over the moon.
So this is a very strong phrase to say that you are extremely happy about something.
So it could be, I'm over the moon about my new job.
I'm over the moon about my new job.
Or she was over the moon when she found out she got the house.
She was over the moon.
The next set of phrases are all about surprise and shock.
When you are genuinely surprised about something, and they're more or less in a happy way.
But you can also use these sometimes, depending on the intonation, if something is shocking in a negative way.
But let's look at the first one, which is used for surprise, and it's this no way, no way.
It's often said loudly and you might have seen this in movies as well, so people responding to some surprising news will say no way, I can't believe that, no way.
The next one is very American And it's used when something sounds unbelievable.
And it's this.
You're kidding.
You're kidding.
And to kid means to joke.
But if you use you're kidding, this is slightly stronger than you're joking.
Because you'll also hear people say, you're joking.
You're joking.
So if you're on the phone to a friend and they say, I met Taylor Swift last night at a restaurant.
You can respond with, you're kidding.
Really?
You're kidding?
So that's quite a strong way to react to something that sounds unbelievable.
The next one is a little bit more neutral and not as strong, and it can be used for both positive and negative surprises.
And it's a simple one.
I wasn't expecting that.
I wasn't expecting that.
So this is a very neutral way to react to some type of surprise or some type of situation.
For example, let's say you didn't think you did well on a test, but the test results come back and it says that you did really well and you passed the test.
You might say, I wasn't expecting that.
I thought I was going to fail.
I wasn't expecting to pass.
The next one is used for emotional or genuine surprise.
And it's more a matter of statement rather than being really emotional and using strong intonation, a little bit like the last one.
And I'll just give you an example.
The ending of that movie really took me by surprise.
The ending of that movie really took me by surprise.
But if you want to make it stronger, you can use the next one, which is to be blown away by something.
To be blown away by something.
So this is used for being amazed or deeply impressed by something.
Let's say you go to a restaurant and you have incredible food.
You might say something like, I was blown away by that restaurant.
I was blown away by that restaurant.
Meaning that you were deeply impressed by this.
So it's used a lot to talk about things that you are impressed by.
Before we move on to sadness and disappointment, just a reminder all these phrases are in the description for you, and be sure to follow me on youtube, on spotify or apple itunes, wherever you are taking this lesson.
So let's now start with disappointment and sadness and start with a british example, and it is this that's such a shame.
That is such a shame.
Now, with these, it's important to know that your tone and your intonation makes a big difference, because you might sound sarcastic or you might sound like you don't really care, which can be used in a fun way with friends and people, you know, but tone really matters here, especially if you want to express disappointment.
For example, it's such a shame they can't make the party.
It's such a shame that they can't make the party.
An American alternative here is to say, that's too bad.
It's too bad you can't make the party.
Now this next one is very common, to talk about the way that you feel, if you're feeling sad or if you're not feeling very energetic.
And it's this, I'm feeling a bit down today.
I'm feeling a bit down today.
And it's very common to use bit here as well.
Instead of I'm feeling down today, I'm feeling a bit down today.
An example here is that everyone feels a little bit down after the holidays, especially in January, when the weather is terrible and the holidays have finished.
Everybody's back to work.
The weather's terrible.
It's grey.
It's common to feel a little bit down at this time of the year.
The next one is a lot stronger to express sadness and disappointment.
So think about this for using deep sadness.
When you're really down about something or something makes you feel really sad or disappointed.
And it's this.
It broke my heart.
It broke my heart.
For example, it broke my heart to see him leave.
This might be a really close friend who has moved away from where you currently live.
You're saying it broke my heart to see him leave.
This is very common in love songs and movies as well, because you can talk about it in a way as somebody broke your heart in a relationship.
Let's say
It might be after she left him she broke his heart.
Now before we talked about how food blew you away at a restaurant.
Now we're going to look at an example of when food isn't up to standards, when you don't like it.
A good way to think about this one is when something doesn't meet your expectations and you can say this i was a bit disappointed with the food at the restaurant.
I was a bit disappointed with the food at the restaurant.
Now we can also use disappointed in when we're talking about people.
You might hear a teacher or a parent say to the child I'm disappointed in you recently.
I'm disappointed in you recently.
Which means that you're not meeting the expectations that we are setting.
But another example we're disappointed with is the weather.
So you might say, why are you on vacation?
I'm really disappointed with the weather while we're here.
I'm really disappointed with the weather.
And the last one in this category is British slang.
You might have heard this before.
I use this quite a lot and it's to be gutted.
I'm gutted.
This means to be very upset or disappointed about something.
Let's use a sports example now.
You might say, after your team loses again, I'm gutted we lost today.
I'm gutted we lost today.
Or he was gutted he didn't get into that university.
He was gutted he didn't get into that university.
So we've done sadness and disappointment.
Let's go into frustration and anger now.
Frustration and anger.
Let's start with a strong one. when you're saying that you can't tolerate something any longer.
And this is a good one with teachers and parents.
You might hear them say, I've had enough.
I've had enough of you.
I've had enough.
And this can be quite serious.
And the tone shows the level of anger that someone is showing.
For example, a bus driver in the US might say, I've had enough of this noise.
I've had enough of this noise.
It has to stop.
But you can also use it in a playful way like I've had enough of this weather.
We need to go somewhere.
I've had enough of this weather.
A very common one that I'm sure you've heard before, but we've got a good example of using it with a conditional is annoy.
Used for mild irritation or repeated habits.
So you might say this to someone like this example.
You're really annoying me.
Or what you're doing is really annoying me.
This is quite direct and telling someone that what they're doing is irritating you.
But we can use it with conditionals like I mentioned.
An example is, it really annoys me when people are late.
It really annoys me when people are late.
The next one is common in the UK.
I've also got an American version for you as well.
We can use this for frustration or sometimes boredom too.
And it's to be fed up with something.
I often use this if I have to wait too long for something.
I might say, I'm fed up of waiting.
I'm fed up of waiting.
Or I'm fed up of always having to wait here.
I'm fed up of always having to wait here.
In the US, you might hear sick of, to be sick of something.
I'm sick of waiting.
I'm sick of waiting all this time.
Now, the next one is when you want to think back on something.
But it can also be used in the present as well.
The main thing to know is that this one is useful for when somebody loses their temper or becomes too emotional.
If someone gets really angry and you're talking about the story, you might say he completely lost it when he found out.
He completely lost it when he found out that bad news.
So to lose it is when you don't have control over your emotions, especially your anger.
Again, it can be used in a funny way or not such a serious way like I completely lost it when my phone broke.
I completely lost it when my phone broke.
And the last one in this category is used for when you're feeling too overwhelmed or too stressed to continue.
And it's common in casual speech as well.
So it's not just used in terms of when things become serious.
And I'm going to share a little slang phrase as well that Americans use here.
But the phrase is this.
I can't deal with this right now.
I can't deal with this right now.
I've heard parents use this before.
If the parents have a lot of things going on and the children are coming to them and saying, can you do this?
Can you do this?
Can you help?
They're arguing, they're arguing.
You'll hear parents say, can't deal with this right now.
Stop what you're doing.
I can't deal with this right now.
And then the slang term here that you might hear in movies and people in the US is, I just can't.
I just can't.
Or in American English, I just can't.
I just can't.
Okay, let's keep going because we have 10 more to go.
And the last one is one of my favorites, although it is overused a little bit.
But the next set are all about fear and nervousness.
When you're nervous about something.
Imagine you have an upcoming event, maybe a speech at a wedding or a speech at your school, and you're giving a presentation.
To express how you're feeling, you can simply say, I'm a bit nervous about it.
I'm a bit nervous about it.
Now, you've seen bit used before, and we use it again here, and it just softens this a little bit.
I'm a bit nervous about the speech.
I'm a bit nervous about the presentation.
We'll talk about it in the past.
I was really nervous about the presentation, but it went okay.
Let me know in the comment section if you get nervous about public speeches.
But then sometimes as well, when you're feeling fear and nerves about speeches.
You can use a phrase that describes a physical fear.
Because oftentimes when you have this feeling, your heart races.
Your heart beats faster and you can feel your heart.
And the phrase is, my heart was racing.
My heart was racing before the speech.
It can be used for both fear and also thrill.
But another example is, Imagine you're opening a letter and it's an important letter.
You might say, my heart is racing a little.
My heart is racing a little.
Now the next one, I've only heard it being used before a wedding.
And this is when somebody is feeling really nervous about getting married.
And I'll give you the example.
She almost cancelled the wedding because she got cold feet.
She almost cancelled the wedding because she got cold feet.
So to get cold feet means to have so much fear about doing something that you nearly cancel it.
Or in some cases you actually cancel it.
The next one is used a lot and we're moving on to embarrassment and awkwardness.
And this last word, awkward, is used all the time in British and American English.
So, it's a really important one to learn.
And the phrase is, that was so awkward, or this is so awkward.
And it's used when something feels uncomfortable or socially strange, socially weird.
An example might be, he forgot a name when he was introducing her to his friends.
It was so awkward.
It was so awkward.
So everyone felt uncomfortable because he couldn't remember his girlfriend's name.
Another one is the silence after that comment was so awkward.
It was so awkward.
The next one is embarrassed to be embarrassed.
A great example is that parents often embarrass their kids.
So if the parent is just doing something maybe singing dancing, asking their friends too many questions, the child might say you're embarrassing dad Dad, you're so embarrassing.
So it's like a feeling of self-consciousness and not a good feeling.
It's disagreeable.
For example, let's say you're in a busy restaurant and you stand up to go to the bathroom.
But as you stand up, you knock your drink over, it smashes on the floor and everybody looks at you.
This is an embarrassing moment and you feel, or you probably feel, embarrassed about doing this.
And you can say, it was so embarrassing.
Everyone was watching.
It was so embarrassing.
The next one is used in embarrassing, awkward or humiliating moments.
I often hear it in terms of soccer commentary.
When somebody makes a mistake on the field, let's say a goalkeeper lets the ball go in very easily.
You might hear the commentator say, he looks like he wants the ground to swallow him up.
This is when you feel so embarrassed by something or awkward about something.
You want the ground to swallow you up so then nobody can look at you anymore.
For example, when I called him by the wrong name, I wanted the ground to swallow me up.
We've got four more to go and you might be thinking, what a relief.
What a relief.
And this is said after stress or worry ends.
When something stops being stressful or stops being worrying, it's often said with a sigh or an exhale like what a relief, what a relief.
So you might be worried about some news coming up.
Let's say again going back to a test or an exam, about not passing.
So you're in fear.
You have all this worry for days and then you open the letter and it says that you passed.
You can say oh, what a relief, what a relief.
Something similar is this phrase That's a weight off my shoulders.
That's a weight off my shoulders.
And it's based on the idea of carrying emotional weight.
It's like you're carrying this weight on your shoulders that is emotional.
For example, I finally did my taxes.
That's a weight off my shoulders.
So it's used when a problem or a responsibility is finally gone and you've completed it.
The last two are about neutral or mixed feelings.
So the first one of these two is, I'm not sure how I feel about it.
I'm not sure how I feel about it.
So this is explaining that you have mixed emotions.
You're unsure about your feelings towards something.
And it's good for honesty, polite honesty in uncertain situations.
For example, I'm not sure how I feel about moving abroad.
You might be planning this trip to move abroad, but you have mixed feelings about it, because there are pluses and minuses for doing this.
I'm not sure how I feel about moving abroad.
And then finally, it is what it is.
It is what it is.
You hear sports people say this a lot, and it's used to accept something that you can't change or to talk about something without really describing what it is.
So a boxer might get interviewed and say, you lost that fight.
How do you feel about it?
They say, it is what it is.
I can't change it.
I have to deal with it now.
So what to do now is to go through the description and ensure that you've understood all of these different phrases, and then you can copy and paste them into your notebook to practice over the long term.
Or if you want to learn through space repetition software, then check out the resources in the description to learn how to do that.
Be sure to follow me on the platform that you are taking this lesson on.
My name is Jack from ToFluency and I'll speak to you soon.
Bye for now.
