1 00:00:00,800 --> 00:00:04,639 Speaker 1: Just think a year ago you were at a totally 2 00:00:04,919 --> 00:00:09,240 different place along your English learning journey. And if you 3 00:00:09,400 --> 00:00:14,839 think that reaching your language goals is impossible, well think again. 4 00:00:15,519 --> 00:00:18,399 When it comes to goals in life, you have to 5 00:00:18,679 --> 00:00:19,960 think big. 6 00:00:23,480 --> 00:00:27,199 Speaker 2: Welcome to another Happy English podcast, coming to you from 7 00:00:27,239 --> 00:00:31,000 New York City, and here's your English teacher, Michael. 8 00:00:31,719 --> 00:00:36,280 Speaker 1: All righty, thank you John, and thanks everyone. It's Michael 9 00:00:36,320 --> 00:00:40,960 here from Happy English and I help people speak English better. 10 00:00:41,520 --> 00:00:48,320 This is Happy English Podcast, Episode eight thirty. Hello and welcome. 11 00:00:48,799 --> 00:00:52,439 Thanks for joining me for another episode of the Happy 12 00:00:52,479 --> 00:00:56,719 English Podcast. I'm your English teacher, Michael, and I'm glad 13 00:00:56,799 --> 00:01:00,119 you're here because today I want to talk about a 14 00:01:00,200 --> 00:01:04,200 word that we use all the time, but we don't 15 00:01:04,280 --> 00:01:10,000 always stop to think about how we use it. Yep, 16 00:01:10,680 --> 00:01:15,560 you guessed it. That word is think. Now, I know 17 00:01:15,640 --> 00:01:19,599 what you're thinking. I think I know how to use 18 00:01:19,879 --> 00:01:24,920 think right, and yeah, you probably do. But English has 19 00:01:24,959 --> 00:01:29,400 a bunch of fun phrases with think that go beyond 20 00:01:29,640 --> 00:01:33,719 just I think it's going to rain. So let's explore 21 00:01:33,879 --> 00:01:38,640 those together. Let's start with a classic I think so, 22 00:01:39,519 --> 00:01:44,280 I think so, Yeah, I think so. This is probably 23 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:47,920 one of the most common ways we use think in 24 00:01:48,079 --> 00:01:52,959 everyday conversation. Like my friend asked me yesterday, do you 25 00:01:53,159 --> 00:01:57,719 think this sushi place is open late? And I said, yeah, 26 00:01:57,760 --> 00:02:02,599 I think so. It just means you believe something is true. 27 00:02:03,079 --> 00:02:08,319 You're not one hundred percent sure, but you're pretty sure. Now. 28 00:02:09,319 --> 00:02:14,879 Compare that to just think. This one is more dramatic, 29 00:02:15,360 --> 00:02:20,120 more emotional. Let's say your friend wins the lottery. You 30 00:02:20,199 --> 00:02:26,080 might say, just think yesterday you are stressing overpaying the rent, 31 00:02:26,120 --> 00:02:30,840 and today you're a millionaire. It's a great way to 32 00:02:31,039 --> 00:02:34,879 get someone to reflect on how big or wild a 33 00:02:35,039 --> 00:02:40,240 situation is. And like I said before, just think your 34 00:02:40,280 --> 00:02:43,360 English right now is much better than it was a 35 00:02:43,479 --> 00:02:47,280 year ago. Right. And on the opposite end of that 36 00:02:47,400 --> 00:02:53,800 emotional spectrum, think again. That one's a warning, a challenge. 37 00:02:54,400 --> 00:02:58,039 Let's say someone says I'm gonna bar your car for 38 00:02:58,080 --> 00:03:04,000 the weekend without asking. You'd say, think again, buddy. It 39 00:03:04,159 --> 00:03:10,280 means no, that's not happening. Here's what I use a lot. 40 00:03:10,919 --> 00:03:16,159 Think back. We use this to help people remember something. 41 00:03:16,479 --> 00:03:19,520 Like I was talking with an old college friend and 42 00:03:19,599 --> 00:03:23,639 I said, think back to that trip we took to Miami. 43 00:03:24,159 --> 00:03:29,680 Remember that crazy boat ride. Or you might hear someone say, 44 00:03:30,080 --> 00:03:34,680 think back on your childhood, what made you feel happy 45 00:03:34,759 --> 00:03:39,879 and safe? Think back is all about remembering moments from 46 00:03:39,960 --> 00:03:46,000 the past. Then there's think big, Think Big. I love 47 00:03:46,120 --> 00:03:51,759 this one because it's so positive. It's about dreaming big, Like, 48 00:03:52,360 --> 00:03:56,400 don't just open a coffee shop, think big, Maybe you 49 00:03:56,479 --> 00:04:01,599 can open a whole chain. It's great encouragement for people 50 00:04:01,639 --> 00:04:05,560 with goals. Do you like to think big when it 51 00:04:05,560 --> 00:04:09,840 comes to your English? Now, sometimes you don't have the 52 00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:15,639 time to think big. You have to think fast. Picture this, 53 00:04:16,920 --> 00:04:20,720 Someone tosses you the car keys and says heads up, 54 00:04:21,360 --> 00:04:25,959 and you catch them without missing a beat. Boom, You 55 00:04:26,240 --> 00:04:30,600 thought fast. Or maybe you're in a job interview and 56 00:04:30,680 --> 00:04:35,279 the person throws a surprise question at you. Thinking fast 57 00:04:35,399 --> 00:04:41,480 means reacting quickly and intelligently. And now here's a related phrase. 58 00:04:41,839 --> 00:04:45,720 Think on your feet. Think on your feet. This is 59 00:04:45,839 --> 00:04:50,319 one of those phrases people love to use in job interviews. 60 00:04:50,959 --> 00:04:53,439 Tell us about a time you had to think on 61 00:04:53,480 --> 00:04:58,079 your feet. It means tell us about a time you 62 00:04:58,160 --> 00:05:02,439 had to make a quick decision without any time to 63 00:05:02,600 --> 00:05:08,319 plan or consider. Maybe your presentation slides didn't load, so 64 00:05:08,480 --> 00:05:12,519 you just spoke without them and you nailed it. That's 65 00:05:13,079 --> 00:05:18,439 thinking on your feet. Okay, let's shift gears a bit. 66 00:05:19,120 --> 00:05:24,600 There's think little of something or think little of someone, 67 00:05:25,160 --> 00:05:28,519 which has kind of a negative meaning. So if I 68 00:05:28,600 --> 00:05:33,160 say she thought little of her ex's new business idea, 69 00:05:33,839 --> 00:05:37,439 I mean she didn't respect it or didn't believe in it. 70 00:05:38,560 --> 00:05:42,079 Think little of shows a lack of value or a 71 00:05:42,199 --> 00:05:48,360 lack of belief in something. On the other hand, sometimes 72 00:05:48,399 --> 00:05:52,879 people say think nothing of it. Think nothing of it. 73 00:05:53,600 --> 00:05:57,560 That's what you say when someone thanks you and you 74 00:05:57,639 --> 00:06:04,800 want to sound modest, like, hey, thanks for helping me move. Oh, 75 00:06:05,079 --> 00:06:09,959 think nothing of it. I'm happy to help. It's like saying, hey, 76 00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:13,399 it was no big deal, my pleasure, and before we 77 00:06:13,439 --> 00:06:18,360 wrap it up, don't forget this phrase. Think twice. That's 78 00:06:18,439 --> 00:06:21,639 what you say when you want to warn someone to 79 00:06:21,680 --> 00:06:27,720 slow down and consider something carefully. Like your brother is 80 00:06:27,800 --> 00:06:32,079 asking you to lend him money again, you should think 81 00:06:32,160 --> 00:06:36,879 twice about that. Think twice. It's another way to say, hey, 82 00:06:37,319 --> 00:06:43,839 be careful. So, whether you're thinking fast, thinking big, or 83 00:06:44,079 --> 00:06:48,000 just thinking back to good times, English has a lot 84 00:06:48,040 --> 00:06:52,120 of useful ways to use this little word, and I 85 00:06:52,160 --> 00:06:56,959 hope today's podcast gave you some new ideas for how 86 00:06:57,000 --> 00:07:01,519 to sound more natural and confident when you use them. 87 00:07:01,959 --> 00:07:05,040 By the way, the best way to remember English like 88 00:07:05,079 --> 00:07:08,360 this and any other word or phrase in English, is 89 00:07:08,399 --> 00:07:12,120 to take that word or phrase yep, write it in 90 00:07:12,199 --> 00:07:16,639 a sentence that's true for you or true in your world, 91 00:07:16,680 --> 00:07:21,759 and then memorize your sentences and think about this. You 92 00:07:21,759 --> 00:07:25,319 can get more practice using your English when you join 93 00:07:25,439 --> 00:07:30,639 my podcast Learner's study Group. There you can make new friends, 94 00:07:31,199 --> 00:07:34,439 join us for live group lessons every week where we 95 00:07:34,560 --> 00:07:39,720 practice these podcast lessons together. Plus you get access to 96 00:07:39,759 --> 00:07:44,360 the pdf, transcript and audio download for every Happy English 97 00:07:44,399 --> 00:07:48,600 podcast in the past and in the future. And on 98 00:07:48,639 --> 00:07:52,639 top of that, each episode has exercises where you can 99 00:07:52,680 --> 00:07:57,519 practice this English point with speaking and writing checked by me. 100 00:07:58,160 --> 00:08:02,279 To learn more, well, just visit Myhappy English dot com 101 00:08:02,560 --> 00:08:08,199 and choose podcast lesson eight thirty. Remember, learning another language 102 00:08:08,240 --> 00:08:11,879 is not easy, but it's not impossible, and I'm here 103 00:08:11,920 --> 00:08:15,000 to help you on your journey. 104 00:08:15,879 --> 00:08:19,000 Speaker 2: This podcast is brought to you by Happy English. Please 105 00:08:19,079 --> 00:08:23,600 visit Myhappy English dot com show your support for Happy 106 00:08:23,639 --> 00:08:27,399 English by leaving us a review. Get English, Get Happy, 107 00:08:27,600 --> 00:08:41,519 Happy English.