Speaker 1: I just got the idea that just is one of
those words that has a number of different uses in
everyday English. Just a sec let me think about that.
Speaker 2: Welcome to another Happy English podcast, coming to you from
New York City, and here's your English teacher, Michael.
Speaker 1: Alrighty, thank you John, and thanks everyone. It's Michael here
from Happy English and I help people speak English better.
And this is Happy English Podcast Episode eight oh eight.
Six ways to use just. Let's dive in. First of all,
just means exactly, like on a cold day, a cup
of hot cocoa is just the perfect thing to warm
you up. And speaking of cold day, the weather today
is just as bad as it was yesterday. You know,
I'm just wondering what to have for lunch today. And
since just means exactly, you can use just about, which
means almost exactly, like it's just about lunchtime, or I'm
just about ready to move on to the next part
of this lesson. And you know what, it's just as
well too, because I'm out of examples. It's just as well.
This means it's a good thing, or it's a fortunate thing,
like it's just as well I didn't invest in bitcoin
last month, it's really gone down. We also use just
when we talk about time, and when you use just
followed by a verb, it means very recently or in
the immediate past. Like I just got a phone call
from my sister in New York and she told me
that she just bought a new car, lucky her. And
did you know I just moved to Japan. Yeah, true story.
Speaking of time, we use the phrase just now to
mean at this moment or a little while ago. I
just now finished eating lunch since I got home just now,
I didn't have a chance to open the mail. And
if you want to ask someone to wait, you can
say just a minute or just a second. Like if
someone calls your office and asks to talk to your coworker,
you can tell that person just a minute, let me
see if she's available. Oh just a second, I want
to tell you something important. The Business English Podcast is
just what you need to feel more confident with your
business English. My friends Lindsey, Michelle and Aubrey show you
real business English vocabulary for the global economy. In the
Business English Podcast, you can learn vocabulary for socializing and
making small talk with colleagues. Why just in the last
few weeks on the Business English podcast, they taught you
four ways to successfully compliment someone in English at work
and what to say in English when you make a
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Ears English. Just type Business English into your search bar
wherever you are listening right now, find the yellow cover
and hit follow. It's just what you need. And speaking
of just, we also use just to mean barely or
buy a very little amount, like they had just one
package of my favorite cookies at the story yesterday. My
friend Sean's son is just ten years old, but he
can play the guitar and drums pretty well. And not
just those two instruments. Why, in fact, he can also
play the piano and sing. I'm just amazed at how
musical he is. And he's just ten. I'm just amazed.
Which brings us to the point that you can use
just before adjective to mean really or very or absolutely,
like my new office space is just perfect. I'm so
happy working here and helping you speak English better. Well,
it's just the best feeling in the world. So just
means exactly, just means very recently, and just means barely.
That's just amazing, isn't it. Finally we have the phrase
just the same, which means nevertheless or in spite of that,
like I put on my raincoat and a hat, but
I got soaking wet, just the same. 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. And you know 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, just
visit Myhappy English dot com and choose podcast lesson eighth eight. 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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