This is an All Ears English podcast, episode 2542.
Take in phrasal verbs to connect in English.
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Slash subscribe verb take in.
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Hey there, Aubrey.
What's shaking?
What's going on?
Hey, Lindsay.
How are you doing?
Feeling great.
Yeah, we are getting into the very beginning of the year, I believe, here.
So ready for 2026.
Oh my gosh.
Yes, absolutely.
I have a question for you, Lindsay.
Have you ever been to Le Pain Quotidien?
Wow, good accent.
I usually don't say it nearly so gracefully, but yeah, I've been there.
Yeah, I like their soups.
I like their bread.
How about you?
Have you been?
Yeah, this means daily bread in English, but they keep this French name.
I went first in Belgium when I was a nanny and it was the only one.
And then I remember when it franchised and it was in France.
And then when I was in New York, I just was walking down the street and I saw one.
I was like, oh.
It took me back to when I was in Belgium.
I didn't realize it was in the States.
I didn't realize it started in Belgium.
California, New York.
Okay, I would have thought it started in France, but I am naive.
Yes, it actually started in Brussels, the first one, the flagship store.
So yeah, they have these long communal tables with a really cool atmosphere.
You just walk in and take it all in.
Nice.
But I wanted to ask you about this today, because the question we were sent was they used this word quotidien, which we do use in English, but not very often.
So I was very impressed with the vocabulary.
Yeah, that's really interesting, right?
We don't use it on a regular basis, but it's good to know it as an English word.
It's very high level, right?
Yes.
And I also used this phrasal verb there saying you walk in and take it all in that they asked about.
I'm excited to dive into these phrasal verbs today that we use a lot in English.
Okay.
So should I start by reading the questions?
Yeah, let's do it.
All right.
This question is from Sadam Sarhan from Jordan.
Here we go.
First, I'd like to thank you for your unequaled educational content.
I've been listening to your podcast for a while, and honestly, it's so useful for me.
We love that.
Thank you, Sadam.
Yes, absolutely.
Thank you for letting us know.
Yeah, that makes us very happy, for sure.
So I have a request related to phrasal verbs, which I believe that learning phrasal verbs is really essential to sound more natural and speak like a native.
So, without further ado, my request is would you kindly talk about the different meanings of the phrasal verb to take in and how we can use it in real quotidian situations?
Wow.
Yes.
Right.
Yes.
Have a good day.
And thanks again to all members of AEE.
Yes.
Yes.
Shout out to all the members of our community, everyone out there listening.
But this is a fantastic question.
I first want to just congratulate AEE. sit on for this amazing vocabulary.
Unequaled is such an impressive adjective and quotidien, which means daily, but we have adopted this from French.
We don't hear it often, but I'm always impressed when I hear someone use this adjective.
I know.
I know we did an episode a while back about words we've adopted from French, but we could probably do an updated one Aubrey.
We probably could.
And I don't think we mentioned that one.
And I'm sure there are more.
So yeah, that would be fun.
Amazing.
So guys, before we go any further in the episode, make sure you hit that follow button.
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All right.
Absolutely.
And Saddam is so right that phrasal verbs are one of the things that makes you sound more natural, and There are so many verbs that in casual conversation we replace with phrasal verbs.
So we're going to dive into take in today, which has five different meanings in English.
Wow.
Oh, my gosh.
Yeah.
Phrasal verbs are crazy.
So let's go into some of the more common ones.
The first one is allowing someone to stay in a place, especially because they're in difficulty.
Aubrey, tell us a little bit more about this.
Yeah.
So, for example...
They couldn't find a host for the exchange student, so my neighbor took her in.
This actually happened not that long ago.
There was someone who had come from Spain as an exchange student.
And there was some kind of situation and the host family no longer could host her.
And so my neighbor took her in.
So it's this sort of implication that they don't have anywhere else to stay.
They're in difficulty.
So you're not just saying like, she's going to come live with us.
You say we take her in, we take him in, meaning they were in dire straits.
They needed a home.
They needed shelter.
So we provided that.
Or if your car breaks down in a big snowstorm and maybe you need a place to stay for the night, you knock on someone's door or something.
That's how a lot of good horror movies start.
I need a place to stay.
Can you take me in?
I know.
It sounds like a horror movie.
Oh, my God.
Or taking in a dog, of course.
We took in a dog that was on our street and are trying to find its owner.
Oh, sad.
Sad.
I hate that idea.
Yeah.
So this, right.
It's like if there's a dog, a pet that doesn't have anywhere else to be, we would say this.
We took him in.
It means you're taking care of them.
You're giving them shelter until you find them a home.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Hopefully we find the dog's parents.
Yeah.
Definitely.
What's the second one, Aubrey?
All right.
So this is to visit or attend a place or an event.
So for example, you might say to someone, we could take in a movie tonight if you're up for it.
So it sort of means the same as go to a movie, see a movie, but we'll use this phrasal verb.
Let's take in a movie tonight.
Yeah.
It's kind of a cool use of take in.
It feels kind of old fashioned, but we still use it.
It feels like it's been around for a long time.
Yeah.
I kind of like it.
It's kind of cool.
It's kind of antique.
It feels antique.
On our trip to New York, we took in a Broadway show and walked through Central Park.
Wow.
Sounds beautiful.
I know.
Sounds like a lovely evening.
It really does.
Take in a Broadway show, go on a walk through Central Park.
Yep.
Yep.
Okay.
That's not it though.
There are still three more meetings for Take In.
Aubrey, what's number three?
All right.
Number three is to make clothing tighter by altering seams.
So, for example, if we take in the waist of this dress, it'll fit.
So that means it's too like the waist is too wide, too big.
You have to take it in, meaning you make the seams smaller so that it fits.
Right.
Or you know, if you buy your wedding dress, most people need to take it to a tailor and they'll take in the dress or do alterations of some of some sort.
All right exactly, or a suit you take a suit to this tailor, maybe they take in the shoulders or the pant seams right, it just means there's some kind of alteration, but it doesn't ever mean the alteration of adding or like making it wide.
It means you're making it smaller.
That's a good point.
That's important, right?
Yeah, you're not.
Well, i think the phrasal verb for that would be letting it out, or is it take out or let out?
I think let out right, Let out probably.
Yeah.
Ooh, this is a very specific vocabulary today.
All right, let's move on to number four is cheat, fool, or deceive someone.
Okay.
The scalper managed to take in several tourists with his fake tickets.
This one I don't know as much.
You don't use it.
And it's it feels a lot like what you were saying about the, you know, visiting a place a little old fashioned.
Like I still do hear it sometimes, but I do think you would be more likely to hear it in an older film.
Yeah.
Like, oh, the thief took in several people.
Now we have kind of replaced it with scammed.
OK, they got scammed.
Somebody scammed them.
And this was a little of an old fashioned way, but I'll still hear this like don't be taken in by scams.
And they mean don't be fooled by scams.
So you're saying nowadays someone might be more likely to say don't be scammed.
Don't get scammed.
Right.
Exactly.
OK.
And then the last one, take it in.
Take it all in is to understand something completely meaning.
Understanding the meaning or the importance of something.
Yeah.
This is the one I used at the top of the episode, saying Le Pain Quotidien has this amazing atmosphere.
You walk in and just take it all in.
And yes, you might say, after the shocking news he needed a moment to take it in before reacting.
Sort of absorb.
You're needing a moment to completely absorb or understand something.
Yeah, I think this one is a little bit related to the evening in Manhattan that we just talked about taking in a Broadway show, because you're kind of consuming something and you're sort of chewing on it in a sense not literally,
Yeah, a little bit, a little similar for sure.
Yeah, we need to spend at least three days in Rome so we can take it all in.
So you can essentially absorb, you're kind of absorbing something.
Right, exactly.
And it's interesting how we add that all, which...
It's a slight change.
They really have the same meaning, but just to say so we can take it in.
If you say take it all in, you're implying that there's a lot to take in.
There's a lot to see or do.
Yeah, exactly.
How do you feel when you travel to a place, Aubrey, when it is kind of overwhelming like that?
Do you like that, or is it like you'd rather go to more low-key places where there's maybe one or two things to do?
I do like that.
Yeah, I love being able to see lots of different things.
And then you maybe go home and take it all in and think about everything you saw, the amazing things you did, as opposed to you know someplace where there's not much to do.
There's not much to take in here.
Right.
But sometimes though, I like it when I can go to a place and just focus on like, the food or, you know, the wine or something, and not feel like I have to run all over the place and go to every museum.
Definitely advantages to both.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
But we do want to share there are a lot of other ways to say this fifth meaning, right?
Soak it in, drink it in.
There are quite a few.
So hit follow.
We're going to do a part two covering all of the different ways that we say that in English.
Great.
We love part twos.
All right.
Well, we'll take a quick break and then we'll come back with a role play.
All right, Aubrey.
Role play time.
Here we are, college kids.
We're traveling in Europe, which we both did in college, right?
Yes.
Absolutely.
I'll start us out here.
This city is amazing.
I'm trying to take it all in.
There's so much to see.
It's difficult to know where to head first.
And I don't want to just see the sights.
I'd love to take in a play or a concert tonight.
Absolutely.
Hey, do you think I got taken in spending $20 on this souvenir mug?
No, I think that was a steal.
Okay, good.
I almost bought that dress, but I could tell it'd need to be taken in at the waist.
I'm glad we didn't stay with my aunt.
It was nice of them to offer to take us in, but I wouldn't want to disturb them when we get in late.
This sounds like a typical conversation of college kids traveling in Europe, right?
Right.
I guess she's a great aunt that lives in Switzerland and offered to let us stay with her.
And I'm like, I really wanted to, to save money. money and to spend more time with them.
But I'm like, well, then what if we get in late and we're like disturbing them?
Yeah, it's true.
It's true.
Maybe you can go back and visit her another time, right?
Yes, definitely.
All right.
So let's go through this.
I first use this fifth meaning.
I'm trying to take it all in, meaning just absorb and make the most of the experience.
Yep, exactly.
And I said, We said, I don't want to just see the sights.
I'd love to take in a play or a concert.
So you mean go to a play or a concert, right?
Yep.
And you definitely could say that as well, right?
Oh, I'd love to go to a play.
I'd love to see a play.
This is another way to say that.
And you will hear this every now and then, but it is a little old-fashioned.
We don't hear it as much.
You might not hear a Gen Zer who might be studying abroad right now saying that, right?
That generation.
Unfortunately.
I'm always kind of sad when these kinds of phrases start feeling outdated and get replaced, because that's kind of a beautiful way of saying it.
It is kind of, yeah, for sure.
And then I said, absolutely.
Hey, do you think I got taken in spending 20 for?
And you have the option to say that we're talking about getting cheated or scammed or robbed in a way?
Right.
But probably you'd be more likely to say, did I get scammed or did I get cheated?
Maybe.
Right.
Yeah.
We don't hear this as often.
I would know what someone meant if they said this.
Right.
Do you think I got taken in?
But it's true.
There are a lot more, especially in casual conversation, more likely to say, think I overspent?
Do you think I spent too much?
Sounds like maybe this person did spend too much, but I don't know.
$20 on a souvenir mug.
I hope it was a really nice mug.
All right.
What did I say after that?
And then you said I wanted to buy that dress, but I could tell it didn't need to be taken in at the waist.
So this will happen sometimes.
You're like, I love this, but I can tell it would need to be altered.
It would need to be an That's expensive.
So often you won't buy it.
Alterations are super expensive now.
Yeah.
Yes.
I had to have my wedding dress altered when I first bought it and it was worth it because I had found it.
You know it was quite inexpensive, but the alterations cost as much as the dress.
Yeah.
It's expensive.
That happens.
That happened to me too.
It didn't cost as much as the dress, but it cost a lot, maybe half the dress.
Yeah.
All right.
And then the last thing that you said was, I'm glad we didn't stay with my aunt.
I say aunt, you say aunt.
Both are acceptable, by the way.
I usually say aunt, but then I'm like, if other people are listening, I often will switch to aunt.
I know.
Well, this is a debate.
I feel judged for saying aunt.
No, this is like an ongoing debate I have with my partner all the time.
The running theory is that aunt is more West Coast or like Western US and aunt is more East Coast.
I think that might be true, because my niece will say to me, she calls me auntie.
But yeah, I don't hear aunt out here in the West.
Right, exactly.
But there's something about like.
I often will switch to aunt if I know anyone who's listening prefers aunt or hears aunt.
I don't know.
It's interesting.
I kind of feel like aunt is associated more with, like the country or rural language, maybe not, but so that's why i often will say aunt, even though i grew up saying interesting, we should.
I know we have talked about this in one episode at one point but um, we might have to come back to it because it's a real, it's an interesting topic um, so we said it was nice of them to offer to take us in meaning, you know, host us, let us stay with them yes, but i don't want to disturb them.
Right, gonna have crazy nights going to the, the discotheque, Yeah.
And this is interesting because this is why I made us young college students to be able to use take us in.
Because if we're our age now, a family member might offer to let us stay with them, but they wouldn't use this phrasal verb because it's sort of implying that you can't afford a hotel.
There's not another option, which would work for college students.
Yep.
Right.
We're staying at hostels.
We don't have a lot.
Oh, we'll take you in.
That's great.
We don't have other options, but most people can afford a hotel.
So you wouldn't say this.
Yep.
That's a great point.
So there's some connotation there for sure that our listeners need to be aware of.
Right.
Kind of means you're.
You don't have another option.
You're in dire straits.
You need shelter.
I mean, I know I remember and you probably resonate with this too.
What we would do is I studied in Paris and we would just take the night train to Italy instead of paying for a hotel.
So that would be it.
I absolutely did that.
Even to not have to pay the $10 for a hostel.
Like, let's see, I'll take the train from...
Italy to Denmark, that's about eight hours all to sleep on the train.
That's so funny.
And then, of course, you feel like garbage the next day, right?
You're like walking around like a zombie.
And people are coming in and out all night.
Yeah, it's so funny.
It's the silliest way to save $10.
Yeah, but anyways, that's the way a college kid thinks.
So, all right, guys, go check out episode 2537, Cozy Up with These Holiday Phrasal Verbs.
That was just recorded recently, so check it out.
Yes.
So many great phrasal verbs.
And thank you, Sadam, for the question.
It's so true that phrasal verbs really do make your speech sound more natural native, that we often will replace the verb which feels just a little more formal.
Yeah, this is so good.
Always look for more casual, more phrasal, verbish ways to say things, because that will bring you closer to connection with the person in front of you.
Absolutely.
Definitely.
Thanks for chatting with me today, Lindsay.
Very fun.
Of course.
Talk soon, Aubrey.
Have a good day.
You too.
Bye.
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