Speaker 1: Just think a year ago you were at a totally
different place along your English learning journey. And if you
think that reaching your language goals is impossible, well think again.
When it comes to goals in life, you have to
think big.
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 righty, 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 eight thirty. Hello and welcome.
Thanks for joining me for another episode of the Happy
English Podcast. I'm your English teacher, Michael, and I'm glad
you're here because today I want to talk about a
word that we use all the time, but we don't
always stop to think about how we use it. Yep,
you guessed it. That word is think. Now, I know
what you're thinking. I think I know how to use
think right, and yeah, you probably do. But English has
a bunch of fun phrases with think that go beyond
just I think it's going to rain. So let's explore
those together. Let's start with a classic I think so,
I think so, Yeah, I think so. This is probably
one of the most common ways we use think in
everyday conversation. Like my friend asked me yesterday, do you
think this sushi place is open late? And I said, yeah,
I think so. It just means you believe something is true.
You're not one hundred percent sure, but you're pretty sure. Now.
Compare that to just think. This one is more dramatic,
more emotional. Let's say your friend wins the lottery. You
might say, just think yesterday you are stressing overpaying the rent,
and today you're a millionaire. It's a great way to
get someone to reflect on how big or wild a
situation is. And like I said before, just think your
English right now is much better than it was a
year ago. Right. And on the opposite end of that
emotional spectrum, think again. That one's a warning, a challenge.
Let's say someone says I'm gonna bar your car for
the weekend without asking. You'd say, think again, buddy. It
means no, that's not happening. Here's what I use a lot.
Think back. We use this to help people remember something.
Like I was talking with an old college friend and
I said, think back to that trip we took to Miami.
Remember that crazy boat ride. Or you might hear someone say,
think back on your childhood, what made you feel happy
and safe? Think back is all about remembering moments from
the past. Then there's think big, Think Big. I love
this one because it's so positive. It's about dreaming big, Like,
don't just open a coffee shop, think big, Maybe you
can open a whole chain. It's great encouragement for people
with goals. Do you like to think big when it
comes to your English? Now, sometimes you don't have the
time to think big. You have to think fast. Picture this,
Someone tosses you the car keys and says heads up,
and you catch them without missing a beat. Boom, You
thought fast. Or maybe you're in a job interview and
the person throws a surprise question at you. Thinking fast
means reacting quickly and intelligently. And now here's a related phrase.
Think on your feet. Think on your feet. This is
one of those phrases people love to use in job interviews.
Tell us about a time you had to think on
your feet. It means tell us about a time you
had to make a quick decision without any time to
plan or consider. Maybe your presentation slides didn't load, so
you just spoke without them and you nailed it. That's
thinking on your feet. Okay, let's shift gears a bit.
There's think little of something or think little of someone,
which has kind of a negative meaning. So if I
say she thought little of her ex's new business idea,
I mean she didn't respect it or didn't believe in it.
Think little of shows a lack of value or a
lack of belief in something. On the other hand, sometimes
people say think nothing of it. Think nothing of it.
That's what you say when someone thanks you and you
want to sound modest, like, hey, thanks for helping me move. Oh,
think nothing of it. I'm happy to help. It's like saying, hey,
it was no big deal, my pleasure, and before we
wrap it up, don't forget this phrase. Think twice. That's
what you say when you want to warn someone to
slow down and consider something carefully. Like your brother is
asking you to lend him money again, you should think
twice about that. Think twice. It's another way to say, hey,
be careful. So, whether you're thinking fast, thinking big, or
just thinking back to good times, English has a lot
of useful ways to use this little word, and I
hope today's podcast gave you some new ideas for how
to sound more natural and confident when you use them.
By the way, the best way to remember English like
this and any other word or phrase in English, is
to take that word or phrase yep, write it in
a sentence that's true for you or true in your world,
and then memorize your sentences and think about this. You
can get more practice using your English when you join
my podcast Learner's study Group. There you can make new friends,
join us for live group lessons every week where we
practice these podcast lessons together. Plus you get access to
the pdf, transcript and audio download for every Happy English
podcast in the past and in the future. And on
top of that, each episode has exercises where you can
practice this English point with speaking and writing checked by me.
To learn more, well, just visit Myhappy English dot com
and choose podcast lesson eight thirty. Remember, learning another language
is not easy, but it's not impossible, and I'm here
to help you on your journey.
Speaker 2: This podcast is 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.