This is an All Ears English podcast, how to round out your responses in English conversations.
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We'll show you how to become fearless and fluent by focusing on connection, not perfection with your American hosts Lindsey McMahon the English adventurer and Michelle Kaplan the New York Radio girl coming to you from Colorado and New York City USA and to get your transcripts delivered by email every week go to all ears English calm forward slash subscribe a A major key to connection is making sure people know that you're responding directly to what they say.
Today, find out how to use the word then to do exactly this for better English conversations.
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Hello, Michelle, how are you?
Good, good Lindsey, Lindsey, if we're all set up, what should we do then?
Start recording? Start the episode?
I guess we should just get started Michelle dive right into it.
Let's get started then You may have noticed Lindsay and I using the word then a lot just beginning of this episode today We are going to answer a great question from our listener Julia about this word that it's it's funny I love these episodes where they're about a teeny tiny word and there's so much to it And there's a lot we can talk about so this is such a good question.
I'm excited Yeah, it's a teeny tiny word, but it's everywhere in English.
All the time. Constantly.
It's one of those. Yup.
So this is the kind of episode that's going to get our listeners thinking after they listen today, Ooh, let's see all the different places I can find this word and how can I start to use it to, to link together ideas, to feel more natural in English.
Right. Um, what should our listeners do before we read our question of the day from Julia?
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Okay, Michelle, so today's question comes from Julia.
Shall I read the question?
Sure. All right, so Julia says, hi, how are you doing?
I'm Julia, and I really enjoy the podcast. Well, thank you Julia, that's great to know.
I've noticed that then is sometimes used to express surprise, disbelief, or emphasis, such as if you didn't take it, who did then?
Or well, then that's unexpected, or what do you want then?
How does then function in these cases?
Is it mainly for emphasis or does that have another role?
I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Thank you. Best. Julia.
Excellent. Yeah, great question.
This is going to help a lot of people, Julia.
So thank you for bringing this to our attention.
So this is an important focus of the word then, so let's start out by going through Julia's examples, okay?
So if you didn't take it, who did then?
What is the then doing?
Could we have just said who did?
it. In this case, it means in that case, uh, you could say if you didn't take it, who did and sometimes people do say that, but this kind of rounds it out.
I would say a bit more.
It makes it more emphatic.
Wouldn't you say? Michelle?
Yeah. I would say who did in that case.
Right? It's just, yeah, I like that.
I think it rounds it out.
It makes it a little bit more complete.
You could have left it the other way too, but we say things in different ways, right?
Yeah. And I think it also makes it a little bit more dramatic.
So we said emphatic, but also maybe dramatic.
dramatic. All the rhyming words.
Yeah, there are times in life when we want to be dramatic, right?
If you didn't take it, who did then?
Who did? Bring the drama.
don't bring it all the time.
But yes, bring it once in a while.
Yeah, but once in a while.
Right. So then the other example was well, then that's unexpected.
did. Hmm. Okay. And again, this comes back to in that I'm seeing a pattern developing here, Michelle.
Um, well in that case, right?
Hmm. So it comes back to in these examples, in that case, related to what you just said.
Yeah. Right. Exactly.
Or what about this?
What do you want then?
So this one to me is, it's like, yeah, in that case, in light of this, whatever is happening.
What do you want then?
Yeah. Um, yeah. Same idea.
Yeah. And of course these, this is always going to be spoken in response to what someone said to us.
Right? Um, Oh, there's a breakup happening.
Right? And I don't know, some kind of drama with the end of a relationship and what do you want then?
This person says, Oh, you don't make me happy.
What do you want then?
Right. Um, so just emphasize that we wouldn't have the then unless someone were saying something to us.
Right? Right. It's rounding out.
It's not, it doesn't, it's not just an isolation.
It's a full response connects to something else.
Yeah, very good point.
Um, and yeah, the question also was does it show surprise and disbelief?
Um, good question. What do you think Michelle?
Yeah, so, uh, maybe, but Not always.
But it does emphasize what you're saying.
So yeah, Julia mentioned that she's noticed that it shows surprise, disbelief or emphasis.
So yeah. Um, let's, let's kinda talk about that.
So not always. Um, I mean, this is not about time, right?
Yes. There are a lot of talking about it in a different context.
Yeah. Yeah. There are a lot of different ways to use then, which I think we're going to talk about maybe another day and we have before on the show than is such a, a common word in the English language.
We don't have time in one episode to cover all the uses of it.
Right, Michelle? Yeah.
It's very, very common. So, but let's give some more examples.
So, um, I'll see you tomorrow then.
So sometimes it's just used in that relaxed way.
Yeah. Yeah. This is really, really a marker of kind of native speaking here.
How we can, we can level up our, our English.
Um, now when we say it this way.
It's not adding the layer of drama.
Right. But it is rounding it out in a sense that it's responding to what someone has said, which is we're going to see each other again, soon, if that makes right, again, and I think that, to me the best When I think of what this word actually means, if you boil it down, it's, in that case, in light of Yeah, right.
So that connects to something else.
It's it's, that's what it means in my in my mind yeah and to throw a curve ball in here sometimes people say this and I've heard myself do this it's incredibly natural we say it not in response to what someone said for example I might get on the phone if you and I were meeting okay next week I'm going to a conference in California I may I might say to someone so where are you from then.
Sometimes it's just you just put it there.
You just put it there and it's not like there's anything that really came before that.
We've introduced it to ourselves and that is a very natural and what you're trying to do is make that question feel more natural and more smooth in a sense.
Right. It's less abrupt sounding.
It kind of, I don't know, it's like you're coming down smoothly from you're on the off -ramp, right?
Yes, really interesting.
But let's continue with these more direct examples and maybe we'll come back to that example just to throw a curveball in case our listeners have heard native speakers say that then at the end and don't know what it's connected to, right?
And then Julia also had talked about, Well then, so yeah, we have, Well then don't you I mean, it's more, uh, about surprise.
Well then let's blah, blah, blah.
Right. Yeah, I agree.
I agree. You think it's about surprise?
Yeah. Hmm. Well then it's not always in this at you in this, in this, uh, example, but it could always be, um, well then I think we should change what we're doing.
Right. Yes. I like that.
And then we have a quote here.
If he doesn't show up, what will we do then?
Well, this is more about time, right?
right? What will we do at that time?
To me, it's funny cause I could see it in that way, but I wasn't thinking about it in time.
I was still thinking about if what will we do in that event, in that scenario, not necessarily what will we do exactly, but that's really interesting, right?
Yes, and it serves kind of the same function.
It just matters what emphasis what intonation you use, right?
If he doesn't show up, what will we, what will What will we do then?" That's about time.
If he doesn't show up, what will we do then?
That's about the response in that case, right?
Wow. Interesting, right?
My brain is going in so many different directions.
What about another example, Michelle?
All right. This one is similar.
This one is very similar to what I already gave. So the restaurant says they may not have any tables.
So where will we eat then?
Hmm. Yeah. I think that one is clearly that one's a response in that case.
If that happens, where will we eat?
This is such a good question from Julia.
We're going to take a quick break and come back and keep answering this question.
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Now, when would we see ourselves throwing in, then?
Yeah. Right. So as we mentioned, here are some of the things that we kind of already talked about.
So changing plans, reviewing plans, kind of planning for another, maybe if you need to plan a backup plan, what will we do then?
If that doesn't work, what will we do then?
Yeah. Or ending conversations.
So like, see you tomorrow then.
Right. Exactly. In that case, in the case that we will come together tomorrow, I'll tomorrow then, right?
When you're stating surprise, well then I never knew XYZ, right?
Or saying in that case or in that scenario if that happens.
And to me that's for me, I think that's the biggest one that I'd love our listeners to walk away with is thinking of it in that case, because we're talking about a lot here and it might be a little a little bit intimidating here to hear all of this, because there's a lot of different situations.
So in our opinion, try thinking of it of, in that case, in that event, in that scenario, and see how you can put it on there.
If you're gonna pick up one thing from the episode and walk away without overwhelming yourself, start with that.
Yeah, I'm glad you said that, Michelle.
That's so true. That's gonna cover probably 80 % of the scenarios with the use of then in this way, not to talk about time or other things, right?
So, in that case is what we're trying to say here.
Let's see this in a roleplay, Michelle, shall we?
Let's do it. Here we go.
All right. So we are friends, planning for our friend's surprise party.
Okay, here we go. All right.
Okay. So we will tell her what?
That she has a meeting with her boss.
here. But isn't her boss away?
How would that help us then?
Oh, good point. We can just tell her I need help moving then.
Oh, good idea. Well, then I'm glad you like it.
Okay. All right. Nice.
So again, in any in the in that case, right using this as an example to mean in that case.
So first you said, well, I said that we could tell her that she has a meeting with her boss and you said, okay, but isn't her boss away?
How would that help us then?
And then here then means in that case in response to what, Michelle?
In response to you saying that we could say she has a meeting with the boss.
Yeah. Because her boss is away.
Because her boss is away, right?
So you're kind of responding to yourself.
You've said your boss is away.
Okay. So how would that help us in that case?
The case that our bosses away.
Right. And again, I could have just said, how will that help us?
But again, I think of this as an off ramp.
I just think of it as a way to smooth it out.
Just adding it on. I don't need it, but it just does make it sound a little bit more gentle.
I don't know. Is it like we're downshifting from fifth gear into fourth gear and getting off the freeway?
Nice. Slow down. Yeah, I love it.
Yeah. So it's not for him.
It's a response. It's rounding it out.
It's really responding because we've talked about on this show that a key marker of connection is actually responding to what the person has said.
In this case, you responded to yourself, right?
Right. Yeah. I'm talking to myself.
Okay. Um, then you said, oh, good point.
We can just tell her I need help moving then.
So you're making another suggestion.
and you're saying in light of what you said.
In light of is another way to say it.
Yeah. Exactly. Right and then you said, Oh good idea and now I brought out the different way the more dramatic way by saying what?
Well then I'm glad you like it and well then I don't wanna introduce another context necessarily but just really quickly sometimes you might hear well then I'm leaving.
It's a very different use here of then Right.
Yeah, but we talked about it earlier in the episodes.
We just want to show you an example here.
Good. Michelle, is there another episode or listener should check out?
Yeah, guys head on over to Episode 2380.
That was keep English straight with these idioms. Very nice and guys, don't forget to hit that follow button on the show.
And I think for our takeaway today, Michelle, it comes back to connection.
Like I said, as much as you can let the person know you've heard them and you are responding to them, because these days people don't listen, right?
They don't always listen.
So people like to make sure to know that you're listening to them.
Yeah. Yeah, exactly.
Very important. And again if you're walking, if you are overwhelmed at all by the information you learned today, try it in pieces.
I would say first just go with that in light of it.
Right? I would go with that and try it first in that way like using it in that case and then you you can move on to some of these other examples, but yeah, definitely give this a try.
It's very useful. It's so it, it sounds nice when you add then it sounds nice.
We want to sound nice.
I love it. Sounds nice.
All right. All right.
Sounds good, Michelle.
I'll see you the next episode.
You take care. All right.
You too. Bye. Bye. Thanks for listening to All Ears English.
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