This is an All Ears English podcast, episode 2452.
How to let others relax with one simple phrase.
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You always worried about time.
In today's episode, you'll get one common but simple way to let others know that they don't have to rush.
This can allow us to live in the present and enjoy life together.
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Expires at midnight on Friday. allersenglish.com slash blackfriday Hello, Lindsay.
How are you today?
Hello, Aubrey.
I'm doing well.
How are you?
What's going on today?
Not much.
I'm getting ready to head up to Idaho for a month.
It is too hot in Phoenix.
I can't stay.
I got to get up north where it's cooler.
Yeah, it's going to be a great summer up there.
I hope you have a good time.
Yes, I'm excited.
But I have a question for you to start us out.
Okay.
Do you ever rush things or are you good at taking your time?
I usually am good at taking my time, but honestly, some things I have to rush.
Like when we bought a house back in 2021.
It was a really crazy hot housing market and the favor was with the sellers, not the buyers.
There was a lot of competition.
So we saw this house and we had to make a bid on it almost right away.
It's not like you could go home and just think for a week.
Maybe now you could in this housing market, but not then.
That's a really good point, right?
Something like that, you don't have a choice.
If you take your time, someone else is going to snatch up the home that you're looking at, right?
You can't.
You have to rush sometimes.
Yeah, unfortunately.
So we don't know if we got a lemon or what we got, but we're here.
Right?
Hey, we make the most of it.
We make the most of it.
It's our house, so it's okay.
This is a great question today, right?
Taking our time.
How does this come into English?
So should I read the student question that this episode is inspired by?
Yeah, let's do it.
Hello, lovers of All Ears English and the best hosts.
I love so much this program.
Thank you for coming up with such wonderful topics.
Well, thank you to this listener for sending our topics in, right?
Absolutely.
Thank you for your questions, everyone.
Yeah.
I have a question for you.
To be honest, I've recently been curious about the meaning of take your time.
If I translate it into my native language, it doesn't make sense.
Could you make it clear for me?
Thanks in advance.
Kota Bakash Husaini from Afghanistan.
And this question was asked on YouTube.
Great place to ask a question, Aubrey.
Absolutely.
And oh, this is such a great question.
This happens to me all the time.
If I try to translate directly into the languages I'm learning and things just won't make sense.
Because it's interesting, right?
If you think about the actual meaning of the verb take, and then you're talking about time, like how do you take time?
What does that mean?
It's actually quite idiomatic.
You know, how do we take time?
Where do we take it?
Yes, 100%.
And before we get any further into the episode Aubrey, I do want to shout out a couple of amazing listeners who left us a review wherever they listen to the show.
So a special, yeah, a special thank you to Wooju, Olivia Lemons.
A Crescent reviewer who wrote a five-star review, a really long one, entitled Why Your Podcast Feels So Real.
You'll have to read that one, Aubrey.
It is very special.
Very special review.
And Joy Boy 5 from Ghana.
So huge thank you to these reviewers.
Guys, leave your review for the show.
Aubrey, how do you feel when I send you these reviews that come in from students, from listeners?
I know.
Lindsay will send them in an email to Michelle and I sometimes, and I love reading them.
It really is like a gift to see how much we're able to affect people's lives, how much joy we can bring.
And I love it.
I'm grateful for Um.
Every time you guys leave a review, rate the podcast and let us know that you enjoy what we're doing.
Yeah.
We put in our whole heart into the show.
It comes from a really deep place, deep inside of us, what we put into the show.
And so we love to know that it's affecting you all and hitting you in the same way.
So leave us a review wherever you're listening, and I will send I'll be sure to send you that review.
Those reviews from today, Aubrey, when we get off the show so you can read them too.
Love it.
All right good, so let's dive into this.
This is a fantastic question and we use this a lot in english.
Take my time.
Take one's time right yes, so first i have a question for lindsay how many meanings do you think there are in english of the verb take and i'm not talking phrasal verbs oh, the actual verb take.
How many minutes?
Okay, if we take phrasal verbs out entirely, then we just look at the verb take.
I would guess 15 to 20.
You're pretty close.
Actually less.
I'm amazed you went high.
I went high.
I went high.
There are 10 verbs, but then also four nouns, several idioms, and many phrasal verbs.
So this is so tricky that whenever you see the word take in an expression, it could mean any number of things.
If it's part of an idiom, part of a phrasal verb, and then just even the verb on its own has so many meanings but so important for connection right, if we talk about the phrase take your time, i mean this can do so much in the vibe, in the, in the interaction and how stressed people feel or don't feel in a moment around you.
Right absolutely, what a connection skill.
If you see that someone is stressed out, they know that they're taking your time and they're feeling anxious about it, to say it's fine, take your time is such a great way to decrease the stress in a situation.
It's a really uncomfortable feeling if you're someone that has a lot of empathy, which I think both you and I probably do, Aubrey to see someone rushing around us because they feel like they're burdening us or something like to leave a room or something.
It's really powerful to be able to just say, relax, take your time.
There's no rush.
Just take your time, gather your stuff, whatever it is, right?
Exactly.
You actually just did this for me, Lindsay.
I don't even know if you noticed it.
We were prepping for an episode.
I had to do something quickly and you were like, take your time.
No problem.
I've got to do this other thing anyway.
It's such a great way to connect with colleagues, to support really, instead of all of the things you could say that would make them even more stressed out that you're making someone wait.
Instead, you can use a phrase like this to support them and decrease.
The stress.
Yeah.
And ultimately, as human beings, we don't want people to be stressed around us.
Right.
We want people to feel relaxed so we can connect on that level.
So super important.
Where else should we take this episode?
Well, let's dive into we're going to focus on take one's time today and related phrases.
There are quite a few ways that we say this.
So first of all, let's dive into this one.
It just means not hurry.
Like you're letting someone know they don't have to hurry.
They don't have to be stressed out if you say take your time.
Yeah.
For example, the concert doesn't start until 10.
So take your time.
Right.
Yeah.
Maybe someone's getting ready quickly.
They're stressed out and you're like, oh, we have until 10.
Take your time.
Yeah, exactly.
What else, Aubrey?
Is there another one?
Or you might say, oh, we're in no hurry.
Take your time.
Right.
These are similar phrases where you can give someone sort of the gift of if they're assuming they're in a rush, they're assuming they don't have time.
And you use this phrase to let them know you can take your time.
We often say it as a response, right?
What do we mean by that, Aubrey?
As a response to what?
To something else.
Let's show a role play to see how this looks as a response.
I'll start us out.
Okay.
I'll try to get ready quickly.
I know we're supposed to be there by five.
Oh, take your time.
Okay.
Yeah.
So I'm responding to you because you've said that you believe there's some kind of time constraint.
Exactly.
Right.
And so often it's this is how we just use it to respond to someone to let them know.
And we might be agreeing they need to rush.
You know, you're not saying no problem.
I don't mind being late.
We can be there till seven.
But you're just saying take your time, just to make sure that you know you shouldn't be stressed out.
Right.
And this is the fun part.
Sometimes it's used in a sarcastic way.
Yes.
To imply if you want to tease someone or you actually are impatient.
Um, and someone is being slow with something.
Tell us more about that.
Aubrey.
Yeah.
So let's show this in our little mini role play here.
Cause.
Yes, we use this a lot sarcastically to be funny sort of tease, but also to let someone know like you're being slow, right.
Yeah.
A little passive aggressive.
All right.
I'll start us out with a little role play here.
Uh, the flight boards in 20 minutes and you're stopping for coffee.
Oh, it'll be quick.
Okay.
Sure.
Take your time.
And i got it from your tone of voice too.
Right, take your time.
Right, there's a little bit of a warning in that tone of voice of we could miss the flight and it could be your fault, right?
Exactly, like you're saying a lot with the tone and the words right, i'm saying like i really am not okay with this.
You're going to make us late.
It's all there in just the tone okay well, take your time, exactly.
And what else do we need to know here when we're using it without sarcasm, opry?
Yeah so, because this is used often sarcastically.
If you do mean it, if you really want to let them know, it's fine, take your time.
You need to provide more information so that no one assumes you're being sarcastic, right?
The context will be important.
Often you can tell from context.
So if I wanted to let you know oh actually, we have time for you to get coffee I would say something else.
Let's look at this role play. how it could look if I'm not being sarcastic.
Okay, so you're being genuine here, like you're actually not worried about the time, right?
Exactly, exactly.
So same situation, our flight is boarding pretty soon, you get in line at Starbucks maybe, right?
And so then I would say, oh, you're stopping for coffee?
Oh, I'll be quick.
Okay, take your time.
The security line is short, so we're fine.
Yeah, I 100% agree with that.
I think it's really important to add, and even to the extent that when we did the last role play, I felt a little awkward just saying take your time.
Right.
The first one that we feel like you should say more to make sure they know you're not being sarcastic.
Yeah, exactly.
Yeah, that's right there.
If I just said, take your time, right?
You're shopping for coffee.
I'll be quick.
Take your time.
You might wonder if I'm being passive aggressive.
Is she being sarcastic?
Because the tone, if it's not obvious, then there's ambiguity.
You're not sure.
But the more context you can provide this where I say like, oh, security line short. we're fine.
Then, you know, I'm not being sarcastic.
Yeah.
Aubrey, are you someone who's very time conscious, in the sense that you're always kind of aware of the time, or are you someone who could just I don't know maybe show up to a party late and not realize it, kind of because some people just don't have that much of an awareness in their, in their personal lives, of time.
Which I had to sort of think about this while you're asking.
Usually I am very time conscious.
I don't want to be late.
I don't want to make people wait on me.
I feel really terrible if ever I'm late to a meeting or miss an appointment.
I feel badly.
So I try to really be cognizant of the time.
But lately more and more.
If I don't have an alarm on my phone or check my calendar every few minutes,
Without even meaning to, I'm going to miss things.
There's just so much going on with all my kids and everything.
So I've started to keep my phone with me and I'm setting alarms all day long so that I don't miss anything.
I don't want to be late.
Yeah, for sure.
I mean, there's also a cultural element here too, right?
In American culture, we're told that time, well, there's a lot we could say about this, right?
That life is ruled based on time and schedules, whereas other cultures it's ruled based on relationships a bit more.
The time of a meeting can be flexible depending on how much of the relationship we need to build and that could affect the next meeting.
But that's okay in some places, right?
Whereas it's not okay here.
And there's a whole lot we could talk about with time.
That's such a good point.
This is really fascinating, because often in the United States relationships are built because you are respecting someone's time.
And when we feel that from someone that creates the connection, like okay, they're respecting my time.
Yes, very interesting.
Versus in another place in the world, it might be more about not adhering to the time, right?
There's not a strict schedule in which we can have this meeting.
It's more flexible.
Wow.
Okay.
And that might create a bond, or it's like oh they know, they can count on me to not be worried if we're late.
So yeah, that's very cultural.
Interesting.
I wanted to share a couple of similar phrases.
Really quickly, we also say no rush.
Same thing, right?
No rush.
We got plenty of time.
Same meaning.
Yeah.
Love that one.
So, for example, I know you said you'd submit the draft by today, but no rush.
Yeah.
So if ever there isn't a hard deadline, if at work or in everyday life, it's always.
This is such a great way to alleviate stress for people.
We all have so much going on.
Anytime you can let someone know that you don't need it urgently.
There's no rush.
Take your time, let them know.
It's amazing.
Totally.
That helps people to understand what's really important and what's more flexible.
Even though we have timelines and deadlines for everything, it's never that everything has to be done on that date that we say it does right.
Some things are more flexible than others.
And then sometimes there are things that really do need to be done on that date, because someone else is waiting for it or something.
So if we're prioritizing everything at the same level, we don't know what needs.
So this is always really valuable.
If you can let someone know, no rush.
Take your time.
Do right.
Another one is no hurry.
If you say like, oh, I got to the restaurant.
There's an hour wait.
So no hurry.
Maybe you text this to someone.
You don't know.
They might be rushing.
They might be worried or they're in traffic.
If you can let someone know this, it's just like a gift you're giving them to no longer be stressed about the time to sit back and relax and exhale for a second right.
Yeah, or just no hurry, take your time.
Totally.
Okay, Aubrey, we are back.
And is there one other little phrase that our listeners should know today?
Yeah, this is sort of a bonus phrase.
We're gonna add that when you're saying take your time, take one's time often, we'll add the word sweet.
It's sort of an expression.
To take one's sweet time means to do something slowly or leisurely, without rushing or feeling pressured.
We also sometimes use this sarcastically.
So you have to be careful, right?
I'll take your sweet time.
Why are you being so slow?
Loaded meaning there, right?
Loaded meaning for sure.
Here's an example.
They're always late.
So I'm going to take my sweet time getting ready.
Yeah, it's interesting how adding sweet adds a little more.
There's something there of like you're either annoyed or like you're intentionally being slow for some reason.
Yeah, it's a little sassy, isn't it?
Yes, it is sassy.
I'm going to take my sweet time.
Any other sample sentence, Aubrey?
Yeah, you might say, my dog is never in a rush when I take him outside to do his business.
He always takes his sweet time.
This is my neighbor.
She's always like, she's out there at least an hour.
An hour?
Oh, my gosh.
Yeah, they can take advantage.
They know what they're getting.
They know that it's better to wait for a walk because we're going to be outside a while.
They want to sniff everything first.
Yeah, it's so true.
Should we go into a role play, Aubrey?
Yeah, let's do it.
You and I are siblings on a family vacation at the Grand Canyon in this role play.
Oh, boy.
All right.
Here we go.
I'll start us.
Lindsay, we're all waiting on you.
Get a move on.
Relax.
Look at this view.
I'm taking my sweet time.
I want to enjoy every moment.
And mom said we're in no rush.
You know what?
You're right.
Who knows when we'll be here again?
Let's take our time.
And that's always a good reminder when you're with family or friends and you just snap into the present and you think hey, let's be present here, right.
Absolutely.
Yes, I find myself doing this where I'm like I'll have an itinerary and we need to get to the next thing.
So I'm not enjoying the moment.
You're like, look at this view.
Take time to be present.
Yeah, that's what concerns me about heavily scheduled trips where everything is planned out would yeah, you know.
So i like to strike a balance.
But then if you only have a week for a trip, you know, in in my 20s, when i traveled south america with a backpack, i had no agenda.
I was just okay, let's check in at the hostel, let's go do this, let's sit in a cafe for three hours.
But it's not as easy now, i know.
Right now you're more aware of what you're missing if you're taking your sweet time at one place because you only have so much time to pack everything in.
It's true.
All right, let's review the role play.
So first I said, relax, look at this view.
I'm taking my sweet time.
I want to enjoy every moment.
And mom said, we're in no rush.
Yeah.
So if I said to you, like, take your sweet time, Lindsay, that's for sure being sarcastic, right?
I'm really saying, can you please be faster?
But when we say this about ourselves, like you did here, we're just saying like I'm going to take time to enjoy this moment.
You could say either I'm taking my time or I'm taking my sweet time.
Yes, I love it.
And then what did you say, Aubrey?
And then I said, you know what?
You're right.
Let's take our time.
I also wanted to highlight.
When we first started the role play and I said, get a move on.
Do you say this, Lindsay, to tell someone to hurry?
Get a move on.
I do sometimes.
Yeah.
Get a move on.
Get moving.
Let's go.
Yeah.
It's kind of a fun expression, right?
Like, okay, we're in a hurry.
Get a move on.
Four words, guys.
Separate.
Get a move on.
Kind of a weird chunk.
It's a good one.
It's a good one.
And then at the end, yeah, again, you said, let's take our time.
Yes.
Yes.
Love that.
I think I love it when I meet someone who embodies this fully.
People who just live a little bit of a slower life or a more mindful life.
I feel like just being around them, I can learn a lot.
Yeah.
My grandma was really this way.
Her name was Lova.
She passed away, but she really took time to enjoy the little things, the little moments, and she would name them.
Right.
She would be like, look at this beautiful flower or look at this adorable baby.
And she would sort of bring you into the moment with her.
She was really amazing about that.
Or she'd be like, sit down with me and enjoy this cookie.
She's like, this is delicious.
Instead of letting things pass her by.
That's so smart.
That's mindfulness 101.
She was a Buddhist.
I can tell she was a Buddhist at heart for sure.
I love it.
That's beautiful.
That is something to learn.
I mean, I feel like that's my takeaway for today.
Now our listeners have this phrase, but what's really important is not the words or the grammar.
It's how we make people feel when we say that to them.
Right, Aubrey?
Absolutely.
And if you have that opportunity to let someone know that they do have time or you don't mind waiting, if you can use one of these phrases you know, no rush, take your time.
That really is valuable.
It could really lower someone's stress about a situation, which is huge.
And it could change the way you see the world.
I mean you could rush past a rosebush or you could actually look at it right and really see, smell it and fully take it in.
Yeah, we say take time to smell the roses, right?
And it's so true.
If you're on a walk, take time to enjoy the beauty of the earth.
Don't just like rush because you're thinking about the next thing you have to do.
Exactly.
And take time to leave us a review.
Yes, leave a review for Rollers English.
Again, we want to see what you guys think of the show.
So let us know and I will share them with our team.
All right.
Good stuff, Aubrey.
You have a good day.
I'll talk to you soon.
You too.
See you next time.
Bye.
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