Speaker 1: Have you ever heard people say things like this really
get ati here? Seriously? No way. When something surprising happens
in an English conversation, we have a number of different
ways we can express our surprise or disbelief. And in English,
reacting naturally when you feel surprised or disbelief is not
just about vocabulary. It's about tone, it's about intonation, and
sometimes it's even about your relationship with the other person.
And that's what this podcast English Lesson is all about.
Speaker 2: Welcome to another Happy English podcast, coming to you from
New York City, and here's your English teacher, Michael.
Speaker 1: All right, thank you John. Thanks everyone. It's Michael here
from Happy English and I help people speak English better.
And this is Happy English Podcast, Episode nine to ninety three,
How to show surprise or disbelief naturally. Today we're going
to look at four very natural reaction phrases that native
speakers use all the time, and we're also going to
practice the pronunciation and intonation that make them sound well real.
The first one is really really is probably the most
flexible surprise reaction in English, and the meaning change is
depending on your tone. So if someone tells you I
just got a new job, you might say really. That
rising tone shows genuine surprise and interest. But on the
other hand, if someone tells you something you don't quite believe,
you might say really with a flatter, slightly falling tone. Really.
Like if your friend says I've decided to invest one
hundred bucks a month play in the lottery, you can
reply really, which shows doubt with this intonation, or you
can say the lottery, Oh really, With this intonation it
has more of a skeptical tone. Listen to the difference
one more time with these three situations, Uh, did you
hear Jenny finally got engaged? Really awesome? Yeah, she said
her boyfriend is a millionaire. Really what does he do?
Oh he plays the lottery every week. Oh really? The
intonation and tone gives the word really its meaning. The
next one is seriously said with a rising intonation. Seriously
is stronger than really. Like if your friend says I
decided to quit my job and start my own business,
you can reply seriously, that's awesome. Saying seriously with rising
intonation shows stronger surprise and joy than really. But on
the other hand, if your friend says, oh, I ran
into my ex at the supermarket and now we're getting
coffee tomorrow. You might respond seriously again with slow rising intonation.
Using seriously with this intonation shows disbelief, and you can
stretch it a bit seriously to show stronger disbelief. Like
Jenny said her boyfriend is planning to get a Lamborghini. Seriously,
shouldn't he get a job first? Now let's talk about
how you can show stronger surprise. The first one is
no way, and we say it like that, no way.
Notice the pause between words no way. It's like saying wow.
Like if your coworker says I just want two tickets
to Hawaii, you might say no way, and you can
even stretch it no way. The longer you stretch it,
the more excited or happy you sound. No Way, but
here too, change the intonation and the meaning changes. Like
if a friend who's always complaining that he's broke says
I think I'm gonna fly business class to New York,
replying with no way, we'll let him know you have
some doubts. No way shows your excitement and joy. No
way shows disbelief. It's the intonation, not the words, that
tells the story. The last for today is the phrase
get out of here. Which in this context doesn't mean
go away. When you pronounce it as get out of here,
get out of here, you're showing your surprise and excitement.
The stress is on outa get out of here. Like
if your friend says I saw up by Jovi at
the airport, you might react with get out of here.
Or if another friend says I passed the interview and
I got a job at YouTube, you can reply, get
out of here, that's awesome. This intonation get out of here,
shows excitement for the other person's good fortune. But on
the other hand, if you doubt that your friend saw
someone famous, just change the intonation, like uh, saw up
on Jovi at the airport, you might react with get
outa here. Stretch the word get pause, and then say
out of here, get outa here, and that changes the
meaning from joyful surprise to total disbelief get outa here.
In all of these cases, the intonation is what gives
the words their meaning and feeling. We're reacting emotionally, and
that's why intonation is everything. Really, that's great. Really, are
you sure? Seriously? That's awesome? Seriously you're joking right, No way,
I'm so happy for you. No way, I don't believe it.
Get out a here that's wonderful, Get at it here
that's not true. The way you speak changes the meaning
of the words. Why not try one of these phrases
in your English conversations this week. That's how you sound
more fluent and more real. 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. 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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