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Speaker 1: Do you ever feel like people use the word like

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all the time and you're not really sure why. You

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hear things like I was like it was like, he's

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like fifty, And sometimes it feels like that word is everywhere.

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So if you're wondering what does like actually mean in

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these situations or how can I use like like that,

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you've come to the right place. By the end of

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this podcast English lesson, you'll learn several practical ways you

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can use like.

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Speaker 2: Welcome to another Happy English podcast, coming to you from

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New York City, and here's your English teacher, Michael.

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Speaker 1: Alright, thank you John, and thanks everyone. It's Michael here

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from Happy English and I help people speak English better.

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This is Happy English Podcast Episode Oney twenty three. Practical

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uses of like in every day English. Let's start with

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one very common way we use like in everyday English.

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We use like to mean about or around, especially when

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we talk about numbers. For example, imagine you just meet

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someone new. When you're talking about your boss, you might say,

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you know, I met the new boss yesterday. He's like fifty.

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That means you're not giving an exact number, you're estimating

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how old he is. Or maybe you're talking about the weather.

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You might say it's like twenty two degrees outside today.

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And here's another example. You go to the doctor and

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later you tell your friend, yeah, the doctor said I

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should lose like five kilograms. So in these situations, like

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means approximately, but with a much more casual, informal sound.

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And did you notice how I said that? We usually

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pause after like he's like fifty or it's like twenty

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two degrees out. You know, the doctor said I should

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lose like five kilograms. That pause helps the listener understand

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that you're estimating. Another very common use of like followed

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by a pause is to add emphasis and make your

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story more expressive. For example, imagine you had a really

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long day. You could say, ah, I was like so

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tired last night, I fell asleep on the sofa with

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my clothes on. That like ads feeling. It makes the

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story more vivid. Or maybe you're talking about a friend,

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you might say he seemed like a little quiet today. Again,

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you're drawing attention to that feeling. In a similar way,

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we also use like before a verb to emphasize what

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we're about to say. For example, imagine you're talking to

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a friend after a long day. You might say you know,

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I think I'm gonna like go home and just relax tonight.

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Or maybe you're eating at a great restaurant and you say,

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don't you like love this place? In these cases, like

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adds a casual, conversational feeling and helps emphasize or highlight

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the action. Now, let's look at a very important and

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common use of like in conversation, and that is when

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we use was like to report what someone said. In

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textbook English, you learn to say things like he said

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blah blah blah, she asked blah blah blah. But in

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everyday American English, people often say was like. For example,

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imagine you saw your friend yesterday, you might say I

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saw Paul yesterday and I was like, where you go in?

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And he was like, I'm late for a meeting And

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I was like, well, you better hurry, and he was like,

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that's why I'm running. This is a very natural, casual

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way to tell a story. It makes the conversation feel

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more alive and more direct. And here's another important point.

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When you say he said, it sounds more neutral, but

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when you say he was like, it feels more expressive.

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It shows emotion, tone, or attitude. Here's another very common

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use of like that you hear all the time in

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modern English, and that is as a kind of thinking

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or filler word. For example, you might hear someone say

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I was like I don't know what to do, or

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it was like kind of strange. In these situations, like

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gives the speaker a moment to think, or it softens

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what they're about to say. Using like like this is

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pretty common in casual conversation, especially when people are telling

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stories or thinking out loud. Now, keep something in mind.

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People do use like a lot, but that doesn't mean

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you should use it everywhere. In casual conversation sounds totally natural,

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but in formal situations like business meetings or presentations, using

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too many likes can make your English sound less clear,

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or less perfect, or more like a teenager. So it's

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good to understand it and use it naturally in casual English.

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But it's also good to know when to keep your

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language a bit more direct. So let's recap. Native speakers

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use like in several very practical ways in everyday casual English. First,

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we use like to mean about or around. When we

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talk about numbers, it's like twenty two degrees outside. Next,

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we use like to add emphasis and make our stories

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more expressive. Huh, I was like, so tired. We also

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use like before a verb to highlight an action. Oh,

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I'm going to like go home. We usez like to

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report what someone said in a casual conversational way. The

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teacher was like, please study every day. And finally, we

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use like as like uh thinking or filler word when

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we speak. Yeah. Like that. So here's your challenge this week.

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Pay attention to how people use like in movies, TV shows,

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or conversations, and try using it in one or two

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of these ways when you speak. That's how your English

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starts to sound more natural. And keep in mind the

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best way to remember English like this and any other

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word or phrase in English is to take that word

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or phrase, write it in a sentence that's true for

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you or true in your world, and then memorize your sentences. Hey,

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thanks for listening, and remember learning another language is not easy,

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but it's not impossible, and I'm here to help you

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on your journey.

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Speaker 2: This podcast was brought to you by Happy English. Please

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