This is the Business English podcast episode 392.
Does your business English add up?
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Hey, Aubrey, how's it going today?
I'm great, how are you Lindsay?
Good question for you.
All right. So when's the last time you were in a situation when something just wasn't adding up?
Oh, not long ago, one of my children lied to me and I was sort of, sort of finding out other little details and realized, oh, these details aren't adding up.
So then I went back and I was like, all right, let's get something straight.
Let's clarify some of these details.
Oh yeah, that's a great example for sure.
So things, just as they were telling, and giving their story, right?
Things just weren't adding up.
The details didn't make sense, yeah.
Mm -hmm. Exactly. Today's episode is inspired by, on a recent All There's English episode, you and Michelle taught nonsensical, which is such an impressive word, and we use this a ton at work as well, and some related phrases that have math terms. Yeah, we've done an episode on business English about accounting terms that come out in our real life, Right, in our business world and also just everyday life, but math today.
So related but different.
Yeah. And stay to the end, we'll share which episode on the AllersEnglish podcast this was inspired by, so you can go check that one out.
Be sure you're following both AllersEnglish and Business English.
Yes. But just in case our listeners missed it, the word nonsensical.
Let's start there today.
It doesn't make sense, is what it means, Aubrey.
Exactly. But it is a pretty impressive word. We use it a lot at work.
It could say, these numbers are nonsensical.
There may be an error somewhere.
Mmm, yes, I like that.
Or I feel like my presentation was nonsensical.
Were you able to follow it?
Yeah, so imagine you've given a presentation and you saw maybe some looks of, like, people weren't quite following and you worried, oh shoot that's a little nonsensical.
And then sometimes, you know, we are making sense but maybe something's going on with the audience members, right?
Who knows what they're thinking about.
Right, so I kind of love this question, to ask a a trusted coworker, like, ooh I'm a little worried about that, were you able to follow it?
And to get that reassurance, like, yes, it was clear, you're good.
Yeah, I love that one, does not compute.
Now, what does it mean to compute?
Yeah, so this is any, you know, math equations that are usually done by a computer.
But we also would say, you know, my brain is computing.
So, but we use it idiomatically.
Same as nonsensical, just means this doesn't make sense, this doesn't compute.
Yeah, makes me think every once in a while I'll watch a movie that was from the 70s and they're talking or based in the 70s and they're talking about computers and large, you know, huge computers in rooms where you have to go to this room and only the scientists could use the computer and they would predict that eventually everyone would have their own PCs.
Really interesting.
And everyone's like, no, imagine, no way.
Imagine if they could have predicted that we would each have our own computer that would fit in our hand and we would use it for everything.
Exactly. It's a crazy, it's amazing how fast technology has progressed, right?
Yeah, but some examples here we would use at work maybe, these slides don't compute I feel like maybe they're out of order.
Do they make sense to you, right?
You're going through a slide deck and this instead of saying these don't make sense you could say this doesn't compute.
Yeah, and it's not like the slides are trying to do some mathematical equation here, it's not that, right?
It's just that's why they make sense.
They don't make sense, because they don't flow together, they're not logical together as a unit, all right?
Exactly, or some of the questions asked during the interview did not compute.
So maybe you were in an interview and you had a really hard time knowing exactly what they were asking, instead of saying, I really didn't understand some of the questions.
This is another way to say it, some of the questions really did not compute.
Yeah, I recently had an experience like this.
I was on a podcast and the questions I was asked just sort of didn't really make sense.
They weren't... they were almost too abstract, in a sense.
And I love abstract thought, I love doing that, but for some reason they were just too abstract.
Oh, so you'd almost feel like you'd ask clarifying questions to make sure that you're answering what they're asking.
Yes, exactly. And then we might also use the phrase, does not add up.
Something... I use this a lot, personally.
I do too. This is the one I used at the top of the episode, right?
But also it's interesting.
we use this more literally if we're looking at like spreadsheets, these numbers aren't adding up, are you sure they're correct?
That's more like they're not literally adding up correctly, but we also use it idiomatically.
Right. I mean, we're getting into tax season here pretty soon, so if you do your own taxes if you… You might say this, oh no, something's not adding up.
Sitting there, pulling your hair out on a Sunday afternoon in early April, trying to figure out what's wrong with the tax return, right?
These numbers just aren't adding up.
Yeah. But idiomatically we might say, something doesn't add up.
She said she was here at 8pm, but the security guard said no one was here after seven.
So this is very different.
This is not about numbers adding up.
This is the same as, you know, it just means something doesn't make sense.
Yes, often. And again, the example of your kid lying makes total, it's a perfect example, right?
Often when someone does something wrong, they'll try to cover it up, and their story won't be that good and what they're saying just doesn't add up.
That's a really common use of this phrase.
You're going to see this a lot on legal shows, right?
Law and order, you might hear a lawyer or a judge say like, something doesn't add up.
Cause you're sort of saying something doesn't make sense about their story.
You think someone might be lying.
What's your favorite legal show these days, Aubry?
Do you have any true crime?
Do you watch, you know, I just finished a book.
I can even show it on the video here because it's right here.
It's called When She Was Me.
And it was kind of a crime thriller that I like.
Oooh. Very nice. But I think my show, I really like Criminal Minds.
It's about like this FBI team, right?
That really goes into the psychology of a killer.
I've always found that really interesting.
I know that one. Are they making new episodes of Criminal Minds now?
I don't think so. I think the ones I watch are older seasons.
Okay. Yeah. I used to watch that show.
It's a great one. Yeah.
True Crime is always a very popular series, a type of genre, right?
Yeah, absolutely. All right, our last one is very informal and very new and trendy and it's to say something doesn't math or isn't mathing.
So this, we really just use for actual numbers in consistency or errors in calculations.
Yeah, and this is again like you said, it's trendy, it's new.
I just heard this for the first time and trying to remember the context, but here's an example, these numbers don't math, are you sure they're right?
Right, exactly, or you might say, the math isn't Mapping, and so there are a lot of ways this can be used at work.
Same thing if there are spreadsheets and the numbers aren't making sense.
You can say, hm, the math isn't mapping.
That just means there's some kind of error in the calculations.
Exactly, now are we more likely to say this if we're actually in the accounting department or more so if we're in another department and we're not directly responsible.
Is it used like seriously?
it is used some, seriously, right?
I think more and more it is being adopted and someone who is doing the taxes, who is looking at numbers would be like, the math isn't math thing.
It just means there's some kind of mistake with the math.
But we also see it a lot in everyday life.
If someone's talking about the prices of their flights and they were thousands of dollars cheaper than yours, you might be like, wait, the math isn't math thing.
You just mean those numbers don't make sense compared to what I paid.
That's a good example.
That's a good – when someone's paid so much more for something and it just doesn't make any sense, that would be a great way to use it.
Love it. Yeah, for sure.
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Term supply. OK, Aubree, let's do a role play.
So here we are, co -workers, and we're going over a spreadsheet.
Woo hoo. So fun. Yeah, so fun.
OK, something doesn't add up here.
I'm not sure what's off.
Yeah, the math isn't math -ing.
Let's rearrange these tables.
The order they're in is a bit nonsensical.
Good idea. this way of setting it up really doesn't compute.
If we make some changes, I think we'll be able to figure out the problem.
Nice. So we used all of them here.
And this is, right, we're at work, we're talking about numbers, but that seems to fit for me for you to say the math isn't mapping.
Yeah, it depends on your company culture, you might not want to say your costs, if you're responsible for the numbers, right, but you're working with it was a Yeah.
For sure. So I started with something doesn't add up here.
I'm not sure what's off.
And this could be literally the numbers aren't adding up to the number we expected.
Or it could be more general, just something doesn't make sense.
Yeah, figurative. And then I said, yeah, the math isn't mathing.
This is this trendy new phrase that we're hearing these days.
Yeah, and it is a good point that if I had done all of the calculations and it was my responsibility, this actually might be rude to be like, the math isn't mathing, because really what you're saying is like, you did the math wrong.
But if we're saying it about yourself or it's like, it's kind of seems like someone else did these spreadsheets and we're kind of trying to understand them.
Then, it would make sense to say that.
Yeah, that makes sense, that makes sense.
And then you said, let's rearrange these tables.
The order they're in is a bit nonsensical, doesn't make sense.
Yeah, it just doesn't, something's up.
And this is where nonsensical is not really used for specific numbers like that, but it could be about like the, you know, arranging the table, something else that like, It doesn't make sense as a good way to do it.
Yes, love it. And then what did I say, Aubrey?
You said, this way of setting it up doesn't really compute.
So you're sort of just saying the same thing another way.
Yes, I love it. I love the idea of bringing math into our work lives, even if we're not directly responsible for accounting or math, this is everyday English in the workplace.
Exactly, right? I say doesn't add up, doesn't compute.
I say this quite a bit.
And I don't deal very much with numbers.
Exactly. Not in spreadsheets all day, Aubrey?
No. No, not at all.
Not in spreadsheets all day, Aubrey.
No. That is not my area of expertise.
Yeah. There's a lot to learn when it comes to spreadsheets.
That's for sure. What's another episode?
Well, here's one. 2367, guys.
Does English feel like alphabet soup?
And that is where we did teach that word, nonsensical.
So go back. Exactly, right?
If you missed that, go to the Allers English podcast, check that one out, and be sure to hit follow there, because you are missing amazing episodes.
And while While you're at it, follow the Business English Podcast as well.
What's our takeaway for today?
Yeah, we often use math vocabulary, literally and figuratively at work.
So use today's phrases to connect over something not making sense.
This happens. It happens all the time.
All right. And let us know if you have any questions about today's episode or if you have an episode request, a topic request, so send your question into support at allearsenglish .com.
Right, Aubrey? Yes, awesome.
We love getting your questions.
Send them in. Alright, talk soon.
Bye! Bye. Thank you for listening to Business English, a podcast just for you, the high achieving global professional.
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