1
00:00:00,480 --> 00:00:05,480
Speaker 1: I'm so hungry. No time for lunch today, No wonder

2
00:00:05,519 --> 00:00:10,359
my stomach is grumbling. That's why I decided to order

3
00:00:10,400 --> 00:00:14,880
a double cheeseburger and some fries at the diner.

4
00:00:18,199 --> 00:00:21,920
Speaker 2: Welcome to another Happy English podcast, coming to you from

5
00:00:21,920 --> 00:00:27,399
New York City. And here's your English teacher, Michael all Rye.

6
00:00:27,440 --> 00:00:31,839
Speaker 1: Thank you John, and thanks everyone. It's Michael here from

7
00:00:31,879 --> 00:00:36,719
Happy English and I help people speak English better. And

8
00:00:36,880 --> 00:00:42,280
this is Happy English Podcast episode eight ninety two. Had

9
00:00:42,320 --> 00:00:47,359
to say because without saying because. Thanks for tuning in

10
00:00:47,560 --> 00:00:52,200
and welcome back to the Happy English Podcast. Now. Because

11
00:00:52,679 --> 00:00:57,200
is a great word, and it's totally correct, but when

12
00:00:57,240 --> 00:01:02,399
it comes to speaking naturally, we often don't use because directly.

13
00:01:02,920 --> 00:01:08,120
Instead we give the reason in a more casual, fluent way.

14
00:01:08,480 --> 00:01:12,840
So today I'll show you how native speakers give reasons

15
00:01:13,280 --> 00:01:19,959
in conversation without actually saying because. So let me start

16
00:01:20,040 --> 00:01:23,879
with a basic sentence. I didn't go to the party

17
00:01:23,959 --> 00:01:29,480
because I was tired. That's fine, it's clear, it's correct,

18
00:01:30,319 --> 00:01:36,079
But in everyday conversation we often drop because completely. We

19
00:01:36,359 --> 00:01:39,959
just say I didn't go to the party. I was

20
00:01:40,200 --> 00:01:45,640
way too tired. The tone and the context make the

21
00:01:45,719 --> 00:01:51,879
reason obvious. It's the same message, but it sounds more natural,

22
00:01:52,280 --> 00:01:57,920
more conversational. You'll hear people saying things like I skipped

23
00:01:57,959 --> 00:02:03,200
the gym tonight, long day at work. That means because

24
00:02:03,239 --> 00:02:06,760
I had a long day at work. Again, we don't

25
00:02:06,799 --> 00:02:11,080
always say the because part. The reason is just implied.

26
00:02:11,639 --> 00:02:15,360
Here's another example. Let's say your friend asks why didn't

27
00:02:15,400 --> 00:02:19,240
you text me back? You could say I was busy

28
00:02:19,360 --> 00:02:24,000
because of work, but most people would just say, sorry,

29
00:02:24,479 --> 00:02:31,159
crazy day at work. That's the reason. No, because needed Okay,

30
00:02:31,759 --> 00:02:35,919
let's move on to another connector we use instead of because,

31
00:02:36,520 --> 00:02:42,400
and that's so. Now so doesn't mean the same as because,

32
00:02:43,039 --> 00:02:48,319
but it shows the same connection between two ideas. Like

33
00:02:49,039 --> 00:02:54,240
it was raining, so I stayed home. It's like flipping

34
00:02:54,280 --> 00:02:59,000
the sentence around. I stayed home because it was raining.

35
00:02:59,599 --> 00:03:04,439
Same just a different structure. You might say I was

36
00:03:04,560 --> 00:03:09,960
really hungry, so I scarfed down a whole pizza. Again,

37
00:03:10,439 --> 00:03:14,120
that's a result, but it gives the reason, right, so

38
00:03:14,719 --> 00:03:19,159
gives us the reason By focusing on the outcome, You'll

39
00:03:19,159 --> 00:03:23,000
hear people say things like, yeah, I skipped lunch, so

40
00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:28,039
I was hungry all afternoon, or she missed the bus

41
00:03:28,400 --> 00:03:31,840
so she got to class late. No need to say,

42
00:03:31,879 --> 00:03:37,319
because the logic is built into the sentence. Now, sometimes

43
00:03:37,360 --> 00:03:41,719
we give the reason in short phrases, just a few words.

44
00:03:42,360 --> 00:03:45,599
That's what native speakers do. In a lot of casual speech,

45
00:03:46,240 --> 00:03:51,120
you'll hear conversations like this, why are you so tired

46
00:03:52,120 --> 00:03:56,759
early flight this morning? H how come you didn't come

47
00:03:56,800 --> 00:04:02,960
out last night? Deadline? I had a wish your report? Uh?

48
00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:07,680
Why are you all dressed up? Job interview? Baby gotta

49
00:04:07,680 --> 00:04:12,400
look my best. We're not saying because I had an

50
00:04:12,400 --> 00:04:16,439
early flight or because I have a job interview, but

51
00:04:16,839 --> 00:04:21,519
the reason is clear. These little short answers make your

52
00:04:21,519 --> 00:04:27,120
English sound more natural and more fluent. Now Here are

53
00:04:27,120 --> 00:04:31,519
some set phrases that we use instead of because. The

54
00:04:31,560 --> 00:04:36,680
first one is that's why. Let's say your friend says, hey,

55
00:04:36,720 --> 00:04:41,279
you look really tired today. You can reply, yeah, I

56
00:04:41,399 --> 00:04:47,079
was up until two. That's why it replaces because, but

57
00:04:47,319 --> 00:04:52,199
adds emphasis to the result. Or I forgot to charge

58
00:04:52,240 --> 00:04:57,000
my phone, that's why I didn't text you here. That's

59
00:04:57,079 --> 00:05:01,759
why shows a reason, but in a smooth conversational way.

60
00:05:02,920 --> 00:05:07,879
Next up is no wonder. Let's say your coworker shows

61
00:05:07,959 --> 00:05:11,079
up with wet hair and says, I got caught in

62
00:05:11,120 --> 00:05:15,720
the rain walking here, you can say, ah, no, wonder

63
00:05:15,759 --> 00:05:21,120
you're soaked. That's like saying I understand why you're soaked.

64
00:05:21,720 --> 00:05:24,759
You'll hear this one a lot when people suddenly realize

65
00:05:24,839 --> 00:05:28,680
the reason for something like you haven't eaten all day.

66
00:05:29,240 --> 00:05:35,560
No wonder you're grumpy. Wait you had four espressos? Huh,

67
00:05:35,959 --> 00:05:41,360
No wonder you're so wired. Another one is so that

68
00:05:41,560 --> 00:05:45,480
explains Let's say your friend is in a bad mood

69
00:05:45,920 --> 00:05:50,040
and finally says I didn't sleep at all last night.

70
00:05:50,879 --> 00:05:55,959
You can say, ah, so that explains why you're so cranky.

71
00:05:56,600 --> 00:06:00,800
Or you've been studying every night this week, so that

72
00:06:00,959 --> 00:06:05,879
explains the dark circles under your eyes. These phrases all

73
00:06:05,920 --> 00:06:11,759
help you connect ideas in conversation without having to use because.

74
00:06:12,519 --> 00:06:18,360
Now here's one more tip. Sometimes we use formal connectors

75
00:06:18,800 --> 00:06:24,079
instead of because, like due to or owing to. These

76
00:06:24,079 --> 00:06:29,199
are common in writing or formal speech, like due to

77
00:06:29,240 --> 00:06:34,720
the weather the concert was canceled, or owing to technical issues,

78
00:06:34,759 --> 00:06:40,360
the flight was delayed due to an owing to tend

79
00:06:40,399 --> 00:06:45,600
to be used in public announcements or written notices. That's

80
00:06:45,680 --> 00:06:50,639
why you probably won't hear these as much in casual conversation.

81
00:06:51,480 --> 00:06:54,560
Did you see how I just use that's why. All right,

82
00:06:55,199 --> 00:06:59,360
let's do a quick recap. We can say because, but

83
00:06:59,639 --> 00:07:04,639
native speakers often skip it, especially in conversation. You can

84
00:07:04,879 --> 00:07:10,160
just say the reason directly, like skipped the gym, too tired,

85
00:07:11,120 --> 00:07:15,759
or use so to connect the cause and result I

86
00:07:15,839 --> 00:07:19,560
was late, so I missed the meeting. You can also

87
00:07:19,680 --> 00:07:25,240
use that's why, no wonder, or so that explains to

88
00:07:25,360 --> 00:07:29,040
give the reason in a more natural way, like I

89
00:07:29,160 --> 00:07:33,519
skipped lunch today, no wonder, I'm hungry. And in public

90
00:07:33,560 --> 00:07:38,319
announcements or written notices, we've got due to or owing to,

91
00:07:38,920 --> 00:07:41,040
like on the subway, they might say.

92
00:07:41,120 --> 00:07:45,519
Speaker 2: Attention, passengers, we are being held at this station due

93
00:07:45,560 --> 00:07:47,040
to signal trouble ahead.

94
00:07:47,319 --> 00:07:52,560
Speaker 1: So here's your challenge this week. Try saying because without

95
00:07:52,639 --> 00:07:56,920
saying because. Talk about your day using these patterns like

96
00:07:57,480 --> 00:08:01,720
didn't sleep well, three cups of car you already, or

97
00:08:02,199 --> 00:08:05,800
I didn't need lunch today so I had a huge dinner.

98
00:08:06,639 --> 00:08:10,360
Practice giving the reasons the way native speakers do, and

99
00:08:10,600 --> 00:08:14,439
you'll sound more fluent. And hey, if you want to

100
00:08:14,480 --> 00:08:18,279
practice the English from this and all of my podcasts

101
00:08:18,800 --> 00:08:22,519
with me and a group of other awesome English learners,

102
00:08:22,959 --> 00:08:27,240
come check out my podcast Learner's Study Group. We meet

103
00:08:27,399 --> 00:08:30,040
once a week and go over the language from these

104
00:08:30,120 --> 00:08:34,360
podcast lessons together. It's a great way to build confidence

105
00:08:34,519 --> 00:08:38,080
and improve your speaking. Just check the link where you

106
00:08:38,120 --> 00:08:42,360
are listening to this podcast right now, or visit Myhappy

107
00:08:42,360 --> 00:08:47,120
English dot com and choose podcast episode eight ninety two

108
00:08:47,519 --> 00:08:51,480
for more info. Thanks for listening, and remember learning in

109
00:08:51,559 --> 00:08:55,320
other language is not easy, but it's not impossible, and

110
00:08:55,399 --> 00:08:59,080
I'm here to help you on your journey.

111
00:09:00,080 --> 00:09:03,120
Speaker 2: This podcast was brought to you by Happy English. Please

112
00:09:03,200 --> 00:09:07,759
visit Myhappy English dot com show your support for Happy

113
00:09:07,799 --> 00:09:11,519
English by leaving us a review. Get English, Get Happy,

114
00:09:11,759 --> 00:09:24,600
Happy English.