Speaker 1: I'm so hungry. No time for lunch today, No wonder
my stomach is grumbling. That's why I decided to order
a double cheeseburger and some fries at the diner.
Speaker 2: Welcome to another Happy English podcast, coming to you from
New York City. And here's your English teacher, Michael all Rye.
Speaker 1: Thank you John, and thanks everyone. It's Michael here from
Happy English and I help people speak English better. And
this is Happy English Podcast episode eight ninety two. Had
to say because without saying because. Thanks for tuning in
and welcome back to the Happy English Podcast. Now. Because
is a great word, and it's totally correct, but when
it comes to speaking naturally, we often don't use because directly.
Instead we give the reason in a more casual, fluent way.
So today I'll show you how native speakers give reasons
in conversation without actually saying because. So let me start
with a basic sentence. I didn't go to the party
because I was tired. That's fine, it's clear, it's correct,
But in everyday conversation we often drop because completely. We
just say I didn't go to the party. I was
way too tired. The tone and the context make the
reason obvious. It's the same message, but it sounds more natural,
more conversational. You'll hear people saying things like I skipped
the gym tonight, long day at work. That means because
I had a long day at work. Again, we don't
always say the because part. The reason is just implied.
Here's another example. Let's say your friend asks why didn't
you text me back? You could say I was busy
because of work, but most people would just say, sorry,
crazy day at work. That's the reason. No, because needed Okay,
let's move on to another connector we use instead of because,
and that's so. Now so doesn't mean the same as because,
but it shows the same connection between two ideas. Like
it was raining, so I stayed home. It's like flipping
the sentence around. I stayed home because it was raining.
Same just a different structure. You might say I was
really hungry, so I scarfed down a whole pizza. Again,
that's a result, but it gives the reason, right, so
gives us the reason By focusing on the outcome, You'll
hear people say things like, yeah, I skipped lunch, so
I was hungry all afternoon, or she missed the bus
so she got to class late. No need to say,
because the logic is built into the sentence. Now, sometimes
we give the reason in short phrases, just a few words.
That's what native speakers do. In a lot of casual speech,
you'll hear conversations like this, why are you so tired
early flight this morning? H how come you didn't come
out last night? Deadline? I had a wish your report? Uh?
Why are you all dressed up? Job interview? Baby gotta
look my best. We're not saying because I had an
early flight or because I have a job interview, but
the reason is clear. These little short answers make your
English sound more natural and more fluent. Now Here are
some set phrases that we use instead of because. The
first one is that's why. Let's say your friend says, hey,
you look really tired today. You can reply, yeah, I
was up until two. That's why it replaces because, but
adds emphasis to the result. Or I forgot to charge
my phone, that's why I didn't text you here. That's
why shows a reason, but in a smooth conversational way.
Next up is no wonder. Let's say your coworker shows
up with wet hair and says, I got caught in
the rain walking here, you can say, ah, no, wonder
you're soaked. That's like saying I understand why you're soaked.
You'll hear this one a lot when people suddenly realize
the reason for something like you haven't eaten all day.
No wonder you're grumpy. Wait you had four espressos? Huh,
No wonder you're so wired. Another one is so that
explains Let's say your friend is in a bad mood
and finally says I didn't sleep at all last night.
You can say, ah, so that explains why you're so cranky.
Or you've been studying every night this week, so that
explains the dark circles under your eyes. These phrases all
help you connect ideas in conversation without having to use because.
Now here's one more tip. Sometimes we use formal connectors
instead of because, like due to or owing to. These
are common in writing or formal speech, like due to
the weather the concert was canceled, or owing to technical issues,
the flight was delayed due to an owing to tend
to be used in public announcements or written notices. That's
why you probably won't hear these as much in casual conversation.
Did you see how I just use that's why. All right,
let's do a quick recap. We can say because, but
native speakers often skip it, especially in conversation. You can
just say the reason directly, like skipped the gym, too tired,
or use so to connect the cause and result I
was late, so I missed the meeting. You can also
use that's why, no wonder, or so that explains to
give the reason in a more natural way, like I
skipped lunch today, no wonder, I'm hungry. And in public
announcements or written notices, we've got due to or owing to,
like on the subway, they might say.
Speaker 2: Attention, passengers, we are being held at this station due
to signal trouble ahead.
Speaker 1: So here's your challenge this week. Try saying because without
saying because. Talk about your day using these patterns like
didn't sleep well, three cups of car you already, or
I didn't need lunch today so I had a huge dinner.
Practice giving the reasons the way native speakers do, and
you'll sound more fluent. And hey, if you want to
practice the English from this and all of my podcasts
with me and a group of other awesome English learners,
come check out my podcast Learner's Study Group. We meet
once a week and go over the language from these
podcast lessons together. It's a great way to build confidence
and improve your speaking. Just check the link where you
are listening to this podcast right now, or visit Myhappy
English dot com and choose podcast episode eight ninety two
for more info. Thanks for listening, and remember learning in
other language is not easy, but it's not impossible, and
I'm here to help you on your journey.
Speaker 2: This podcast was brought to you by Happy English. Please
visit Myhappy English dot com show your support for Happy
English by leaving us a review. Get English, Get Happy,
Happy English.