Speaker 1: I came up with this podcast yesterday. I even wrote
some of it in the car. And even though I
touched on this topic in another podcast like ten years ago,
this lesson is even better.
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, 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 eighty seven.
Ways to use even in English. Hey, thanks for tuning
in and welcome back to the Happy English Podcast. So
let me ask you. Have you ever heard someone say
something like it's even hotter today than yesterday, or he
even brought his cat to the party and thought what's
going on with that little word? Even? It's just four letters,
but even does a lot of work In English. Native
speakers use it all the time in comparisons, for contrast,
for emphasis, and in a few fixed phrases too. So
today let's break it down. I'll show you how to
use even naturally, and of course we'll look at plenty
of real examples. So let's get started first. What does
even do? Basically in a nutshell, even adds emphasis, It
shows something is unexpected, surprising, or extreme in some way,
and depending on where it appears in a sentence, it
can have a few different meanings. First of we use
even for surprise or emphasis. Let's say you're at a
party and your coworker shows up with his cat in
a little outfit. Yeah, that's surprising, so you might say, wow,
he even brought his cat to the party. That's how
we use even to show surprise or to highlight something
that's a little extra, Like I can't believe you remembered
my birthday. You even baked me a cake. You even
baked me a cake. It wasn't just a card, it
was a cake. That's a surprise, and even also works
in a negative situation. They canceled the meeting without even
telling me. That has a hey, not cool feeling, right.
It's like they didn't even let me know about the meeting.
So when you want to highlight something that's unexpected or
surprising in a good or bad way, even is your
go to word. Next up, we use even with comparative
adjectives to make the comparison stronger or more extreme, Like
the exam I had this morning was even harder than
last week's exam. Last week's exam was tough, but this
one whew even harder. Or it was hot yesterday here
and it's even hotter today more than yesterday. Or maybe
you have that one lazy coworker who doesn't quite get
the concept of punctuality. You can say to him, you're
late again. The boss is going to be even more
frustrated with you than he was on Friday. This little
word even just pushes the comparison further. It's like turning
up the intensity. I mean, do you think this podcast
is even better than the one I put out last Monday?
All right, let's talk about even though and even if
even though. This is a great way to show contrast
between two ideas, kind of like although but stronger. Remember,
even gives emphasis even though it was raining, we went hiking.
Rain usually means no hiking, right, So the contrast here
is strong. That's why we use even though even gives
emphasis to though, like even though Tommy studied a lot,
he failed the exam, and about my friend Anna, even
though she's rich, she still shops at discount stores. In
these cases, even though helps show that what happened isn't
what you'd expect, And By the way, be careful not
to mix up even though with even if. We use
even though to talk about something real or true. Even
though Tommy studied a lot, he failed the exam, But
we use even if when we talk about situations where
no matter what happens, the result will be the same
to understand even if. Let's review if for a moment,
if it rains tomorrow, we're gonna cancel the picnic. This
is the first conditional, and we use if to talk
about what's likely in the future. I don't know what
the weather will be like, but if it rains tomorrow,
we're gonna cancel the picnic. So even gives a special
emphasis to the if clause, which is like that condition
doesn't matter. Like I really enjoy going to the beach,
So even if it rains tomorrow, I'm gonna drive down
to the beach. This means, regardless of the weather, I'm
gonna go to the beach. Here's another example. Even if
I study all night, I don't think I'll pass the test.
Even if I study. This means I'm so far behind
in my studies that studying all night is not gonna
help me pass the test. That's why I say, even
if I study all night, I don't think I'll pass
the test, see what I mean? Even if adds this
feeling of I don't care what happens, the result is
gonna be what it's gonna be. By the way, we've
also got a few fixed expressions that use even These
are super common and they sound really natural. The first
one is even so even so means despite that, or
but still like I told her it was gonna rain,
even so she forgot her umbrella. It's like saying she
did it anyway. Or the jacket was expensive, even so
I bought it. In other words, despite the price I
bought it, That jacket was expensive, even so I bought it.
Next is even now, which gives emphasis to now even
now is about time, and it means still or at
this moment. Jack suddenly quit the job last month, even
now I don't understand why he left the company. Or
I tried texting her a few times last weekend, but
even now she hasn't replied to my message. There's a
nuance of surprise or frustration, like wow, really, still even
now I don't know why she hasn't replied to my message.
The last one is really common in conversation even better.
You're gonna love using this one. It's perfect for when
something turns out to be more awesome than expected. Like
your friend just got a new job and they gave
her a bonus for joining the company. You can say
you got the job and a signing bonus. Even better.
Or your friend invites you to dinner and surprises you
with something homemade. You can say, like, wow, an awesome
homemade meal, and you made crembrulet for the dessert. Even better.
That concert was amazing last night, and when the band
introduced Elton John as a special guest, even better. Even
Better is a short way to say that extra thing
made a good situation even better than it was. It's
great for everyday conversations. All right, Let's wrap up with
a quick review. We use even to show surprise he
even brought his cat. We use even, followed by a comparative.
For strong comparisons. This exam is even harder than the
last one. We use even though. For contrast, even though
I was tired, I kept working. We use even if
to say that regardless of the condition, the result won't change.
Even if it rains tomorrow. I'm going to the beach.
And then we looked at three fixed phrases. Like even
so means despite that the jacket was expensive, even so
I bought it. Even now means like a strong still
even now she hasn't replied to my message. And even
better means more awesome than expected. She made dinner and
my favorite dessert even better. Okay, here's your challenge. Try
using one or two of these even phrases in your
own English this week. Think about something surprising that happened,
or a time you did something even though it was difficult.
Try using those sentences in your conversations or your right
and Hey, if you want to practice these with me
and a group of other awesome learners, come check out
my podcast Learner's Study Group. We meet once a week
and go over the language from these podcast lessons together.
It's a great way to build confidence and improve your speaking.
Just check the link where you are listening to this
podcast right now, or visit Myhappy English dot com and
choose podcast lesson eight eighty from more Info. 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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