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Are you feeling stuck with your English?
We'll show you how to become fearless and fluent by focusing on connection, not perfection, with your American hosts, Lindsay McMahon, the English adventurer, and Michelle Kaplan, the New York radio girl coming to you from Colorado and New York City, USA.
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Hey there, Michelle.
How's everything going?
Everything is good over here.
Lindsay, how are you?
I'm feeling good.
Shall we get into it?
What do you think?
Yeah.
So, Lindsay, we've been doing some long recording sessions, right?
Yeah, we've been recording a lot of podcast episodes for our listeners.
We basically live on the microphone.
Yeah, exactly.
I'm just going to put it next to my bed while I'm sleeping and see, maybe we can get an episode out that way.
But it's a good thing.
Guys, we absolutely love it.
But Lindsay, how do you prepare for the start of a long recording session?
Well, you know, it really matters what you say.
I mean, that's why we host a language podcast, right?
We believe here that language can set the tone for connection, for fun, for enjoyment, for just really focusing in on a task.
Right.
And so, especially when you know you're staring down a long recording session, like we do sometimes, we sit down and we record eight episodes at a time, which takes two or three hours, maybe three.
Right.
So what do we say?
Something like what I just said let's get into it with a little bit of energy in my voice can motivate my co-host.
Right.
Yeah.
Yeah, exactly.
You want to sound like you have energy behind it.
You're ready to go.
You're excited rather than like, okay.
Yes.
Yeah, let's.
Really how you like you, you want to, you know, show how you need the energy of the of the activity to be.
Yeah.
And on podcasting.
When it comes to podcasting, you need to feed off the energy of your co-host as well, which is what we do here.
Right.
I mean, it would never be the same for me at least if this were a solo hosted podcast.
I would have no energy to work off of.
I need your energy, Michelle.
I need that back and forth.
I'm giving it.
Here you go.
Here's my energy.
Yeah, no, but it's true.
It would be totally different.
It was just. if it was solo.
But today, we're going to talk about these kinds of expressions, right?
How to say, basically, let's get started in idiomatic and fun ways to get that energy up.
Yes, get the energy up.
Because sometimes you can also transform someone's energy.
If the person you say this to at the beginning of what might feel like a daunting task daunting is a good bonus word for today, Michelle a big, heavy task.
It might shift their energy right.
They might have been tired, but now they see that you're excited.
So now they're perking up a bit and they're ready to go.
Sometimes just a simple comment like this could do it.
Yeah, yeah, definitely.
Um yeah, we also might do this, even even after we've started recording.
We might do this when we're getting into the meat of the episode, right?
After the intro.
And then we're like okay, we're like, now that we've spoken a little bit, we've warmed up.
Now, you know, let's get started.
It could be anything.
It could be starting a recording day.
That's looking like it's going to be like long, right?
It could be starting an episode.
It could be, like you said, getting into the meat of something.
Right in the beginning of our episodes it's a little lighter.
We're greeting each other, we're talking about why are we talking about this, but then at some point we got to get into the real meat of the stuff, which is going to be a little harder.
So these phrases are fantastic for our listeners, maybe at the beginning of a meeting right, a big meeting that maybe some of their team members might not be excited about.
How do you get them ready mentally?
Okay yeah yeah, exactly.
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Yes.
Yeah.
Let's get into it.
Let's get into it, Michelle.
So, again, the first thing you could say is exactly that.
Let's get into it.
Yeah.
I know.
I feel like I say that a lot when we really get into that.
Yeah. the meat of the episode.
Like I might say, okay, Lindsay, let's get into it.
What's the first word?
Yeah.
And it's signaling it's, and this is important.
It's benchmarking signaling, Hey, it's time to pay attention.
Right.
We've been bantering a little bit so far, but now for our listeners, like let's write these down.
Right.
Let's pay extra attention because we're going to learn something now.
Right.
Yes, exactly.
It's a signal to everyone.
Okay.
Yeah. pay attention closely in a different way.
And you know, like maybe you're, maybe you're listening just, Oh, like, Oh, nice, nice podcast.
And now it's like, okay, I have to get my learning brain.
Let me put in my learning ears now, right?
Yes, exactly.
Exactly.
So some examples.
Do you have any examples?
Sure.
So let's say you're at the start of a meeting at work.
Should we get started with the meeting?
All right, let's get into it.
Yeah.
Or open up your books to chapter one.
Okay, let's get into it.
Maybe you're a teacher in a high school or something there, right exactly, and then you're not just limited to that one.
That one is a little bit.
You know it's standard right, but there are other ways you could actually express your personality and have a little more fun with what you say.
And what would be one of the ways?
Michelle, this one is really fun.
You thought of this as uh, let's rock and roll.
So are we about to take our drum, set out michelle, and start playing rock music here?
No, this is just about something bigger, something that you need energy for, right.
So it is pretty casual sounding, but it's really just about that energy, that rock and roll energy, right.
It's not just, okay, let's start, you know.
Right.
I don't know.
Let's I don't know something.
It's something that maybe you're about to face like maybe it's sarcastic, and you're about to face a lot of traffic on your way to the airport.
Right.
Right.
Yeah.
So you could say almost ready to head to the airport.
All right.
Let's rock and roll.
So there could be a little tone of sarcasm here.
If the thing is slightly negative, going to be hard in a negative way.
You could do that too, don't you think?
Right.
And sometimes, yeah, like sometimes it is about something bigger and more exciting.
And sometimes it's actually just used to lift the spirits of the room, right?
So we only have one more page to get through before we can head to bed.
Let's rock and roll, right?
It's not, that's not exciting, but you know, it's just saying, OK, we can do this.
Let's get started.
Yes.
A little energy.
Yeah.
And this next one I like because it sort of has a slightly different meaning that something is going to be a little crazy like this.
You're going on a wild ride now.
Right.
So what's the first thing you do, Michelle, when you get on a roller coaster?
You buckle up.
I hope so.
Oh, my God.
I have.
I have the worst fear that, like a recurring nightmare, that I'll get on a roller coaster and like, for some reason, my thing won't lock.
And like everyone else's locks.
And then I fall out of the roller coaster.
Isn't that horrible?
That is horrible.
Well, I remember.
So when's the last time you went to Disney?
Oh, when I was really young.
Disneyland.
Never been to Disney World, actually.
So we were in when when my daughter was just about a year old, we did a Paris London trip.
Oh, and we.
So we went to Disney Paris and we were on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and we didn't realize that at the end you're barely buckled in and then there's a giant drop.
Oh, my gosh.
Is that the boat that goes back and forth?
You're on the boat, or no?
You're on a boat, but you're going through...
I don't know.
It's scary.
I scare easily, but there was this giant drop and I didn't realize it.
And Dan is carrying, I mean, she's a baby.
And I was like, oh my God, this is really scary.
Yeah.
It can be really jarring sometimes these rides for sure.
But that's why we need to always buckle up or buckle in.
So this is the next expression.
This is when something is going to be a been presenting some phrases or reading a chapter, right?
This is more for something that might be a wild ride.
Yeah.
Right.
So yeah.
What is the first example?
So buckle up because it's going to be a wild ride, right?
Right.
Yeah.
And that doesn't have to mean that you're actually going on a ride.
Exactly.
This is supposed to be used for other things.
This is going to take a long time.
Buckle up. it's just kind of signaling the thing maybe might have a little bit more of a scary connotation, what you're about to do, right?
Risky.
Intense in some way.
Intense is the word.
It's just, it's, it's like that idea.
I think we've taught this expression before.
Brace yourself, right?
It's just yourself.
Okay.
You have to prep, like buckle up.
It implies that there is some sort of preparation for your body for whatever.
Um, yeah.
In your mind that you have to really, um, like kind of Lock in.
Right, right.
You got to lock in.
Yeah.
So this one is the most expressive, I guess.
So I would reserve this for the fewest situations.
But hey, it's good to have some, I don't know, some intense languaging, don't you think?
Yeah, exactly.
I mean, what about buckle in?
I feel like I hear buckle up more, but you might also hear buckle in.
Honestly, I feel like when I say this, I might say both sometimes.
I might say, come on, let's buckle up, buckle in, let's go.
I might throw two or three of them together.
Oh, really?
Interesting.
I think I do.
I don't know.
Maybe I'm just weird.
No.
But it is more rare for sure.
Buckle in.
You think it's more rare than buckle up?
Is that what you're saying?
I think so.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Potentially.
But, you know, I mean, in this kind of context.
But I think they're both used.
Or like if you're taking someone to do something they've never done before.
Like I remember...
My niece took me to go indoor skydiving once.
Why do we have the same mind?
Did you predict that I was going to say that, Michelle?
Well, I was thinking of indoor skydiving because Dan took me to do that once.
And so when you were like, oh, it's going to be, you know, something more intense.
That was your example.
That's hilarious.
That went into my head.
And then you said it, Lindsay.
That's so weird.
That's really weird, Michelle.
We've been podcasting together for 12 years.
So that's why.
But that's a good example because it's like a little scary, a little dangerous.
My niece did not say that to me.
She would say, come on, buckle up.
Let's get in.
Like, let's do this.
Put on your suit.
We're going.
But she could have.
Right.
If she were older and, you know, just when she was young at that time, she was like eight.
So I don't think she had that vocabulary.
Did she do the skydiving of that?
Yeah, she did it first.
And then I went after it was.
What did you think of it?
Indoor skydiving i liked it actually, and i'm and i'm terrified of everything of any sort of speed past, you know yeah, 30 miles per hour in a car, i know, because you've been stopped for for going too slow.
We know, that's right.
I have very good, that's right, you know yeah, but um, so you liked it too.
I thought it was fun.
It was different.
It wasn't as scary once I got up there.
Right.
Um, and definitely nothing like outdoor skydiving.
I'm sure.
I mean, right.
Yeah.
But it was, it was fun.
And um so, actually it's interesting, cause I was just thinking of taking my son for something like that.
He's seven and I was like, I don't know if he's too young, but I think he would do it.
Um, yeah, for sure.
So so I mean, the point is like something that's going to be a little more intense, unless you're being sarcastic.
And then if your personality is like that, if you're about to go into a boring like exam or something or like, let's say, you have to monitor an exam and it's really boring, you might say that sarcastically.
Buckle up.
We have a three hour exam today, right?
Yeah, exactly.
So this one is really versatile and fun for sure.
Yeah.
All right, Michelle, there's a few more that are a little bit more standard.
So for our listeners who don't want to, maybe don't want to take a chance or something, we have options for you, right.
So let's go, let's go.
I mean, right.
I think our listeners probably know this one and it's, it's basic, but it's, it works, right?
Gets the job done, right?
I think I've heard recently more people being like let's go, you know, like or um, you know, just to motivate dragging the O out.
And interesting.
Yeah.
Um, I have heard that being more of a thing recently, specifically drawing that out.
Trendy thing.
Okay.
Interesting.
Yeah.
I love to know about language trends.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Um, so, but you could also say, let's go.
So here we go.
Okay.
It's time to get started.
Let's go.
Right.
Or by the end of this ride, you will be so much stronger.
Let's go.
I mean, you hear this in sporting events when someone makes a shot, the fans will stand up and say let's go.
Right.
You hear that.
Sure.
That that one works, too.
Or let's begin.
Now, this is much more measured and conservative, I guess.
Right.
This is more formal, more like for a meeting or for school.
So now that we are all here, let's begin.
Yeah.
Very stable, I guess, in the impression that you're giving.
So there's so many ways that we can say this.
But the important thing here is we'll talk about this at the end, but it's setting a tone.
Right.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Should we do a role play?
Yeah, let's do it.
So, Michelle, here you and I are working together on a project for graduate school.
All right.
OK, here we go.
I don't feel like doing this.
I know, I know, but we can do it.
Buckle up.
It's a lot of work, but we got this.
Okay, fine.
Let's rock and roll.
Yeah, let's go.
Okay.
So let's begin.
The first page is the easiest.
Okay.
So we're using a lot of these where it's kind of overdoing it here, but we're just playing off of each other or something.
We're having fun.
That can happen too.
Um, but yeah, unlike the, you'd hear so many at one time for the sake of the role play.
You guys know why we're doing this.
Um, but basically like we're being, are we being sarcastic here or being genuine?
A little bit of both maybe.
Right.
A little bit, a bit of both.
Yep.
Yeah.
Um, so yeah, I said, I don't feel like doing this.
And you said, I know, I know, but we can do it.
Buckle up.
It's a lot of work, but we got this.
I mean, It's like, get ready.
We're going for a ride.
This is not going to be over anytime soon.
Like we said, the context here is there's a big task ahead of us.
It's daunting, right?
It's going to be intense.
It's going to be hard.
So buckle up.
And then I said, OK, fine, let's rock and roll.
And again, this may not be in your personality to say this, but if it is, just have fun with it.
Right.
That's what language is for.
Just have fun with what you say.
Yeah, exactly.
And then you said, yeah, let's go.
I was trying to use that intonation you said is trendy right now.
I haven't heard that.
I haven't heard that before, other than at a sporting event when people you know, but I'll listen for it now.
Okay.
I mean, maybe I'm wrong, but I feel like I've heard it more.
Who knows?
And then more formal, just, okay.
So we're kind of playing off each other, having fun.
And now I'm saying, I'm getting serious.
Okay.
Okay.
So let's begin.
The first page is the easiest.
Yeah.
You might hear that too from like.
Again, if you're in an exam, like a standardized test, you might hear it on the recording.
Please begin.
Right.
Begin is a very textbook, standard, conservative, just plain phrase.
Right.
Right.
Yeah.
So we have a nice contrast of options for our listeners.
Guys, go over to 2575.
If you've loved this episode, you want to keep listening.
This is five English idioms that hit hard.
Go and check that out.
Yes.
Yes.
So takeaway again you know this is about setting the tone, as we talked about, and we gave you a lot of ways to do it.
Some fun, some sarcastic, some more dramatic, some more basic and serious.
Start to play with them and see what contexts these would fit in in your life.
Yeah, it's important to set the tone.
I mean, are you a leader at your work and do you feel like your team needs a little bit of motivation to get into something that's going to be hard in that moment?
Or are you co-hosting a podcast and you want to bring the energy level up before you hit record?
I mean, what are you doing?
What's the context and what's the appropriate phrase in that moment?
That's connection right there, right?
All right.
Love it.
Very fun.
Good stuff, Michelle.
You have a good rest of your day and we will talk soon.
All right.
Bye, Lindsay.
Bye.
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