This is an All Ears English podcast episode 2106.
Let's just say you'll learn a lot today.
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When you want to drop a hint or give the most essential piece of information in English, what can you say?
Today, get a native and natural way to do it to add personality to your English.
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Hey there, Michelle.
How's everything going?
Hey, Lindsay.
Good.
How are you?
Feeling fine.
Feeling fantastic.
Oh, man.
I'm excited for the weekend, though.
Let's just say I'm finally going to get to relax because i'll be back in denver this weekend and i'm traveling for the last month michelle, it's just been insane.
Yeah, i know you've had quite a, quite a busy schedule, so i'm excited for you to get home and finally just like kick back on your couch for a little bit.
Let's just say it's going to be amazing perfect, perfect.
So guys, you may have heard that we've been throwing around one special expression, one phrase um lindsay, what is it?
It is.
Let's just say and i said that twice in our little conversation i'm excited about this today michelle, because we, like you said, we're going to clue our listeners in to a native secret.
Yes,
So I came up with this idea because I was on Instagram.
Guys, if you don't follow our Instagram, make sure that you follow our Instagram.
We have a lot of fun over there.
We do.
But I was looking at someone else's who I follow and she said oh, there's something exciting coming up.
I can't wait to share it with you.
Let's just say.
Then she gave a clue um, and i thought that is a really natural way uh expression to use.
So i wanted to talk about this today.
That's really interesting.
So she didn't really like give away the whole thing.
She kind of just gave a clue.
She gave a tiny clue okay yeah yep, okay.
So let's just say is a very useful expression.
And we did another episode about um uh, very relevant expression.
Uh, it was episode 2096.
Nothing says connection like a relevant expression, and that one kind of reminds me of this like we were teaching, remember.
Nothing says blank like oh yeah, that's right, that was also a really good one, just like this one, super natural and not something our listeners are going to learn in any test, textbook or classroom.
Definitely not, definitely not.
So these kind of remind me of each other just because they're so natural and native and good to learn um.
So yeah lindsay, do you hear people say, let's just say, do you say it?
What do you think?
Oh yeah, for sure, i absolutely do.
You know.
Um, and again, it does have a bit of that vibe of i don't want to give all the information, or i don't or, in the case of how i was explaining being home in denver, i don't need to say everything about how that's going to feel being at home.
I just need to say one thing, and that's let's just say this it's going to be right, Right.
Right.
So it could be either maybe you want to maybe you actually have something you're hiding.
You don't want to share everything or like this woman that I follow, you know, she has a surprise.
But it could also just be to kind of shorten something, shorten something, like people say long story short.
Right.
It's kind of similar to that.
And we could do another episode on that one.
By the way, we should totally do that.
Guys, hit that follow button.
If you are loving these super native and natural expressions.
And then on our other episodes.
This fall we're going deep into grammar, complicated grammar for you guys.
To simplify it
So, if you like this combination of tough grammar combined with fun expressions, this is what we do here, Michelle.
It's what we do.
Definitely.
Definitely.
Okay.
So um Lindsay, could you give an example and we'll talk it through?
So she's not doing too well in school.
Let's just say she may need to repeat the 10th grade.
Not good yeah, yeah.
So this is giving away all the information, but it's more of like a summary.
You're not gonna like, you don't need to say she's not doing too well in school she, she failed her biology test she she, you know, hasn't been in school you yeah yeah, you don't need to go into everything.
So it is more of a way of saying like, in a few words, or to sum it up, or like lindsay said, long story short, long story short.
I love that one and that one.
Uh, i was just on a business call yesterday and someone used that with a big, famous business that we were talking to and it's totally valid in business or everyday life.
So we'll do that one again in another episode, for sure.
But let's just say great way to shorten things.
It's good to be concise in life.
Don't you think Michelle?
Yes, absolutely.
We, no one has time for a big long stories.
Um, so yeah, this is a great way to do it, but also then there is the way of kind of having a secret, not wanting to give away everything.
So let's see, let's, I'm going to do an example of this one.
So we're going on an exciting date this weekend.
Let's just say there's pasta involved.
Ooh, pasta.
So maybe I'm taking a class.
Maybe I'm going to a restaurant, you know, it's just kind of a way to keep things.
I don't know.
It's just cute.
And also too.
And it's, it's also kind of pointing to the fact that it's, it's special.
It's something special.
It's kind of a little bit of a surprise.
It's fun.
It's different.
Like you're not going to say, like let's just say I'm going to take the trash out tonight, and then I've got to clean the kitchen.
Yeah no no, for the special moments when you want to hint at something.
You know.
There's some magic in life that we want to highlight through our words right yeah, yeah.
Well, this next one is about me, so could you read this?
Well, she lost her phone.
Let's just say this isn't the first time this has happened.
Oh michelle, how many times have you lost your phone?
Be honest with our audience.
Well, currently I just want to say my phone isn't lost, but I'm nervous even having this conversation because I feel like I'm going to jinx myself.
Yeah.
So let's see.
Well, I've dropped it in the toilet.
I have had it stolen twice, once out of a bathroom in New York and once right out of my pocket, which I've talked about.
Oh, my gosh.
A few times.
Oh, that happened when you were traveling, right?
Yeah.
You know, my dad tends to lose his wallet a lot.
Once he left it at the top of a mountain when we went mountain climbing.
Oh my gosh.
And so by the time he was like 50, he just resigned and said I'm just going to have multiple wallets.
So he has like three different wallets with versions of cards and cash, not too much cash.
Just... leaves it in different places, leaves these wallets so that he doesn't have to have one.
That's pretty cute.
That's pretty cute.
It's cute.
I like that.
So maybe it's time for multiple phones, Michelle.
I don't know.
Yeah, maybe, maybe.
So yeah, again, like Lindsay said, this is not something you are going to find in a textbook.
But there are other ways you can use this.
There are a lot of ways.
But we're focusing on kind of number one being concise um, and number two kind of not giving away all the information.
Um, something is kind of special perhaps.
Yeah, i love that.
What else do we need to know here, michelle?
Um well uh yeah, i mean this could be good for a surprise and i mean what?
But what do you think it does for the conversation?
What does it do for the conversation?
I'd say it's a nice little filler, right?
Again to show you are giving a piece of information and to show that it's really just a piece and that there probably is more.
I think it's a little quirky sounding, especially depending on what you say, right?
It just adds flair and personality and zippiness to your overall character, guys.
And I know for you guys, for our listeners, you want to be able to show who you are in English.
And if this is who you are someone who likes surprises or wants to summarize things in kind of a little bit of a mysterious way this is the way to do it, Michelle.
Definitely.
Well, and Lindsay, I'm excited to talk about something special today.
Today, right?
What is it?
What is it, Michelle?
Well, let's just say it involves learning.
Oh, nice use of that expression, Michelle.
That was perfect.
Thank you.
So, well, Lindsay, are you a visual learner?
Yeah, Michelle, I'd say I really like to be able to see what I'm learning.
It helps me absorb the information for sure.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Well, I learn visually, but I also learn a lot by listening.
So, as an ESL teacher, I always try to incorporate different learning styles into the mix of my classes.
Yeah, that's really smart, Michelle, because not everyone learns in the same way.
Right.
And you know that.
Right.
Right.
Yeah.
And you know what?
That is one of the reasons why I love the Rosetta Stone app, because they use pictures and they include text and you can hear the text.
So lots of different ways to learn.
Yeah.
Perfect for so many different styles of learning that you might have in your class, or just for our listeners, who might have different ways of absorbing a language.
Right.
Right.
You know, cause I can, I can actually visualize the pictures when I'm practicing later on.
So that really helps me remember the vocabulary um, when i work on my french.
Yeah, that's how i would learn too.
It's super helpful, guys.
Rosetta stone is also really user friendly right, so i love that i'm able to navigate my way easily around that app, and that makes a big difference for learning.
It definitely does, because a lot of times I get really frustrated.
I don't know about you, but I get really frustrated when apps are confusing, not very user-friendly.
It kind of takes away from the experience.
And sometimes I end up just deleting them.
Right, definitely.
So I bet our listeners have probably experienced this frustration too with other apps that might be confusing, unclear or just a busy kind of UX experience, right.
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Perfect.
All right, Lindsay, I'm so glad we talked about this.
Yeah, me too.
It's all about learning with the right tools in the right ways, Michelle.
So now let's come back to Let's Just Say.
And I guess there's probably other ways to say Let's Just Say for each usage.
We've talked about two uses.
What are they again?
Well, we've talked mostly about this idea of something maybe hiding some information, keeping it special, keeping it a little bit of a surprise.
Right.
And we've also talked about summing something up.
Summing it up.
Long story short, you know, so those are really the two ways we're focusing on today.
So if you want to do maybe the surprise way, what's another way you could say it?
So this one's a little more blatant, a little more clear.
Yes.
Right.
So I say, I'll give you a clue.
Right.
So, for example, a special day is coming up.
I'll give you a clue.
It's about our mom.
Right.
So maybe we're sisters and there's going to be a big event for our mother's 60th birthday or something.
Right.
Right.
Yes.
Right.
Right.
Right.
And again, like Lindsay said, that one is really more like I want to say I'm going out for my pasta dinner.
No, I'm going out for a date tonight.
I'll give you a clue.
It involves pasta.
You know, in that one it's better for just let's just say.
Let's just say is a little bit more versatile.
I'll give you a clue is really more specific, but it's another thing you could say.
And then the next thing for summing something up is the word basically.
She thinks she may move.
Basically, she's unhappy in her current location.
You know, sometimes it's great to just use one word to convey anything.
This fancy thing which is I'm trying to shorten everything.
I'm giving you the most essential piece of information here.
Yeah.
And if you're trying to shorten things, what better way to do it than using one word?
Yeah.
Why create a whole thing and then give the short version?
Yeah.
You might as well just say the other thing.
Just say it after all.
But this is a good one.
So Yeah, those are a couple other things you can say.
So, Lindsay, should we try it out in a role play?
Yes.
I know our listeners love role plays as a good way to learn.
So here we are, friends, and we're talking about an upcoming trip.
All right.
Well, who's planning this trip, Michelle?
Because I know neither of us are planners.
It looks like I'm planning it.
So, yeah, here we go.
Here we go.
All right.
So I found some awesome activities we can do.
Like what?
I don't want to tell you.
Let's just say you'll need your bathing suit.
Oh, OK.
OK, so I found another hotel.
Let's just say this trip won't be cheap.
Oh, I know.
How much is it?
I'll give you a clue.
It's more than we spent on our past two hotels combined.
Yikes.
Yeah, basically, we have to make some decisions about our priorities for this trip.
OK, got it.
I'm laying down the law here, Michelle.
I'm making a very clear time to make some decisions. nice.
Yeah.
So I guess we're both planning this one.
Yeah.
When it comes to travel.
The best way to understand what your true priorities are is to have a budget right.
Yes.
And that forces you to make real decisions, right?
What are you going to prioritize?
Yeah.
Good stuff.
Definitely.
All right.
So I said I have some activities and then you said like, what?
I said, I don't want to tell you.
Let's just say you will need your bathing suit.
So maybe there's Obviously, there's probably a water activity involved, but maybe it's something special and I think you would really like it.
Or maybe I think you might say no to it.
So I don't want to tell you.
Right.
You just want to get me there and then that's it.
Right.
To participate.
So this is kind of cool because this is the first use, right?
Giving a clue and it's kind of a secret.
So let's just say you'll need your bathing suit, right?
And then you use it again.
We might not do it like this, but we just wanted to give another idea of how to use it.
So what did you say?
I said okay, i found another hotel.
Let's just say this trip won't be cheap.
And that is the second use, which is essentially.
I'm not going to tell you about all the expensive amenities at the hotel.
Instead, i'm going to tell you the most important thing is that we're going to spend a lot of money on this trip.
Okay right, And it's almost like a combination of the first and second use, because I feel like saying let's just say this won't be cheap.
It's also kind of you're hiding something, but not in a good way.
Yeah, like you haven't seen the balance sheet yet, right?
Yeah, don't.
It's like, oh, you know, let's not like, yeah, we'll have to talk about that.
So it's kind of a little combination, actually.
I'm like our trip accountant.
I'm working the formulas in the spreadsheet.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
And I know it's going to be very expensive, but you don't know yet.
And maybe you don't need to know yet.
It's a secret.
Right.
Right.
Yeah.
All right.
What else?
And then, then you said, I said, how much is it?
And then you said, I'll give you a clue.
So you don't want me to know.
You said it's more than we spent on our past two hotels combined.
So you're not telling me exactly, but now I have a measurement.
Okay.
And then I said, yeah, basically we have to make some decisions about our priorities for the trip.
And again, that is the same thing as saying long story short, or this is the most important thing to say is the final conclusion.
I like it. clean and clear.
That's right.
All right.
Well, this was fun, Lindsay.
What's the takeaway for today?
Yeah.
Well, this is getting me thinking about my trip to Portugal, coming up here and making choices right.
We got to make choices when we travel and we need to be able to communicate.
I like the second usage because I think it's more common.
I really like the idea of, Because I'm someone that can get into the details, but I don't do well with details.
Like I will get into details, but I get overwhelmed with them.
I don't know how you are with details, Michelle.
I... What, you get overwhelmed with them?
I do get overwhelmed.
Like I will deal with details, but I get very kind of stressed out and like, oh my God, there's like I don't.
It's good to be able to pull out the most important thing and communicate that with clear words is what I'm trying to say.
Yeah.
No, that makes sense.
Yeah.
I can...
I would say I'm kind of similar.
Yeah, good stuff.
So guys, use this expression, let's just say, to do two things, right?
To talk about a secret, give a hint and then to sum things up in a very clean and summarizing way, right?
Good stuff.
Any other takeaways for our listeners here, Michelle?
I think you got it, Lindsay.
I think that's it for today.
And thanks, guys, for listening.
And let us know how you end up using this expression.
Yeah.
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All right, Michelle.
Perfect.
I'll talk to you soon.
All right.
Bye, Lindsay.
Bye.
Take care.
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