Speaker 1: Do you ever feel like people use the word like
all the time and you're not really sure why. You
hear things like I was like it was like, he's
like fifty, And sometimes it feels like that word is everywhere.
So if you're wondering what does like actually mean in
these situations or how can I use like like that,
you've come to the right place. By the end of
this podcast English lesson, you'll learn several practical ways you
can use like.
Speaker 2: Welcome to another Happy English podcast, coming to you from
New York City, and here's your English teacher, Michael.
Speaker 1: Alright, thank you John, and thanks everyone. It's Michael here
from Happy English and I help people speak English better.
This is Happy English Podcast Episode Oney twenty three. Practical
uses of like in every day English. Let's start with
one very common way we use like in everyday English.
We use like to mean about or around, especially when
we talk about numbers. For example, imagine you just meet
someone new. When you're talking about your boss, you might say,
you know, I met the new boss yesterday. He's like fifty.
That means you're not giving an exact number, you're estimating
how old he is. Or maybe you're talking about the weather.
You might say it's like twenty two degrees outside today.
And here's another example. You go to the doctor and
later you tell your friend, yeah, the doctor said I
should lose like five kilograms. So in these situations, like
means approximately, but with a much more casual, informal sound.
And did you notice how I said that? We usually
pause after like he's like fifty or it's like twenty
two degrees out. You know, the doctor said I should
lose like five kilograms. That pause helps the listener understand
that you're estimating. Another very common use of like followed
by a pause is to add emphasis and make your
story more expressive. For example, imagine you had a really
long day. You could say, ah, I was like so
tired last night, I fell asleep on the sofa with
my clothes on. That like ads feeling. It makes the
story more vivid. Or maybe you're talking about a friend,
you might say he seemed like a little quiet today. Again,
you're drawing attention to that feeling. In a similar way,
we also use like before a verb to emphasize what
we're about to say. For example, imagine you're talking to
a friend after a long day. You might say you know,
I think I'm gonna like go home and just relax tonight.
Or maybe you're eating at a great restaurant and you say,
don't you like love this place? In these cases, like
adds a casual, conversational feeling and helps emphasize or highlight
the action. Now, let's look at a very important and
common use of like in conversation, and that is when
we use was like to report what someone said. In
textbook English, you learn to say things like he said
blah blah blah, she asked blah blah blah. But in
everyday American English, people often say was like. For example,
imagine you saw your friend yesterday, you might say I
saw Paul yesterday and I was like, where you go in?
And he was like, I'm late for a meeting And
I was like, well, you better hurry, and he was like,
that's why I'm running. This is a very natural, casual
way to tell a story. It makes the conversation feel
more alive and more direct. And here's another important point.
When you say he said, it sounds more neutral, but
when you say he was like, it feels more expressive.
It shows emotion, tone, or attitude. Here's another very common
use of like that you hear all the time in
modern English, and that is as a kind of thinking
or filler word. For example, you might hear someone say
I was like I don't know what to do, or
it was like kind of strange. In these situations, like
gives the speaker a moment to think, or it softens
what they're about to say. Using like like this is
pretty common in casual conversation, especially when people are telling
stories or thinking out loud. Now, keep something in mind.
People do use like a lot, but that doesn't mean
you should use it everywhere. In casual conversation sounds totally natural,
but in formal situations like business meetings or presentations, using
too many likes can make your English sound less clear,
or less perfect, or more like a teenager. So it's
good to understand it and use it naturally in casual English.
But it's also good to know when to keep your
language a bit more direct. So let's recap. Native speakers
use like in several very practical ways in everyday casual English. First,
we use like to mean about or around. When we
talk about numbers, it's like twenty two degrees outside. Next,
we use like to add emphasis and make our stories
more expressive. Huh, I was like, so tired. We also
use like before a verb to highlight an action. Oh,
I'm going to like go home. We usez like to
report what someone said in a casual conversational way. The
teacher was like, please study every day. And finally, we
use like as like uh thinking or filler word when
we speak. Yeah. Like that. So here's your challenge this week.
Pay attention to how people use like in movies, TV shows,
or conversations, and try using it in one or two
of these ways when you speak. That's how your English
starts to sound more natural. And keep in mind the
best way to remember English like this and any other
word or phrase in English is to take that word
or phrase, write it in a sentence that's true for
you or true in your world, and then memorize your sentences. Hey,
thanks for listening, and remember learning another language is not easy,
but it's not impossible, and I'm here to help you
on your journey.
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