951 - Does "I hear you" mean "I can hear you?"

Have you ever been in this situation? You’re venting to a friend about having a long and tough day, and your friend’s response is  something like, Yeah, I hear you.”  That little phrase - "I hear you"- has nothing to do with your friend's ears. So - let’s talk about those moments when someone is telling you about a bad day, a tough situation, or something that’s just not going well. You want to respond in a way that shows you care, right? That you’re listening. That you understand. There are actually a bunch of phrases like that in everyday English that help you sound more natural when someone is complaining, venting, or just needs to feel heard. That’s what we’re going to look at today!Watch video versions of the Happy English Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HappyEnglishNY/podcastsBuild Vocabulary With My Free Vocabulary Workshop: https://learn.myhappyenglish.com/vocabulary-workshop-signup

Hey there! It’s Michael here - and welcome back to Speak Naturally in a Minute from Happy English. I’m here every Sunday with a quick one-point lesson to help you improve your pronunciation, rhythm, and intonation.  And if you want to watch this lesson, just look for Happy English Podcast on YouTube.Sometimes, in everyday spoken American English,  we use stress, to show meaning. That means saying certain words louder or stronger to give emphasis in a sentence. A great example of this is when we use do or did for emphasis. When we really want to strongly confirm something, we put the stress on do or did. Like if someone says, how come you didn’t finish that report? You can say “I did finish the report.” And I sent it to you.Or if you got a bad grade on an exam, and someone accuses you of not studying. You can tell them, “I did study. That was just a really tough exam”Or maybe someone has the wrong idea about you. Like if your friend says, “we can’t go to that new sushi place, because Michael doesn’t like sushi. You can say, “I do like sushi.”When you use do or did this way, the meaning becomes stronger and clearer. That’s how native speakers show emphasis.  So next time you want to correct someone or strongly confirm something, try saying things like, “I did do it.” OR “I do wanna do it.”  That’s the music of natural American English.Hey, thanks for listening! And remember to follow and subscribe so you won’t miss the next Happy English Podcast and next Sunday’s Speak Naturally in a Minute.  Until next time, keep learning and keep it cool.Watch video versions of the Happy English Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HappyEnglishNY/podcastsBuild Vocabulary With My Free Vocabulary Workshop: https://learn.myhappyenglish.com/vocabulary-workshop-signup

Hey there! It’s Michael here - and welcome back to English Tips in a Minute from Happy English. I’m here every Saturday with a short, simple tip to help you speak English more naturally and confidently. And by the way, if you want to watch this lesson, just look for Happy English Podcast on YouTube.Today, let’s look at a really natural conversational expression - “sure enough.” Sure enough means, “as expected.” We use sure enough to talk about something that happened exactly the way we thought it would.Like,  “I was wondering if Jack would come late to the meeting - and sure enough, he did.”And yesterday, on the way to the bakery, I was wondering if they would still have sesame bagels left, and when I got there, sure enough, they were sold out. Here’s one more. The weather looked iffy all morning and sure enough, it started pouring during lunch.Again, sure enough is not negative or positive. It just means, “Yep… that’s exactly what I thought would happen.”Try using this phrase in one of your English conversations this week. And hey - sure enough, I think you’re gonna sound even more natural when you do. Lemme know in the comments how it goes, and remember to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss the next Happy English Podcast and next Saturday’s English Tips in a Minute. Hey, thanks for listening - and until next time, keep learning and keep it cool.  Watch video versions of the Happy English Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HappyEnglishNY/podcastsBuild Vocabulary With My Free Vocabulary Workshop: https://learn.myhappyenglish.com/vocabulary-workshop-signup

Hey there! It’s Michael here, and welcome back to Phrasal Verbs in a Minute from Happy English. I’m here every Friday with a quick one-point lesson to help you learn a new phrasal verb and sound more natural when you speak. By the way, if you want to see the video version of this lesson, just look for Happy English Podcast on YouTube.Today’s phrasal verb is bang out. When you bang something out, it means you produce it quickly - often a lot of it - without spending too much time on perfect details. It’s all about speed and getting things done fast.Like, the other day, I had so many emails to answer that I just banged them out one after another.And in my neighborhood, my friend Atsuko bangs out a lot of bagels at her bakery Cocon.Yesterday, I banged out a quick pasta dish using whatever I had in the fridge.And here’s a pronunciation tip: The G at the end of bang links with out. So it sounds like ban-goutSo how about you? What’s something you can bang out quickly - homework, ideas, or maybe dinner?Let me know in the comments, and remember to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss the next Happy English Podcast and next week’s Phrasal Verbs in a Minute.  Hey, thanks for listening. And until next time, keep learning and keep it cool.Watch video versions of the Happy English Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HappyEnglishNY/podcastsBuild Vocabulary With My Free Vocabulary Workshop: https://learn.myhappyenglish.com/vocabulary-workshop-signup

You know, English is funny sometimes. We’ve got a ton of verbs that go with “to + verb” - like want to do, like to do, plan to do - and most of them just talk about an action, right? I want to go. I like to cook. I plan to travel. That’s easy.  But! There are some verb + to do combinations that have a special meaning - a nuance - a deeper idea behind them. And that’s what we’re going to look at today.Watch video versions of the Happy English Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HappyEnglishNY/podcastsBuild Vocabulary With My Free Vocabulary Workshop: https://learn.myhappyenglish.com/vocabulary-workshop-signup

So, the other day, I was on the phone with my friend Ed. We had plans to meet at 1pm, and it was already 1:15. I said, "It’s time to go." And he goes, "It’s about time!" Ha! You ever hear that phrase? "It’s about time"? What does that even mean? Well, today, we’re going to talk about how to use a bunch of conversational phrases with “It’s time” in English. Watch video versions of the Happy English Podcast on YouTube: learnenglish,englishpodcast,englishconversation,phrasalverbs,americanenglish,englishgrammar,englishpronunciation,eslpodcast,speakenglishnaturally,englishlessons,englishforbeginners,englishlistening,englishspeaking,improveyourenglish,studyenglishonline,learnenglishusa,learnenglishcanada,learnenglishgermany,learnenglishbrazil,happyenglishpodcastBuild Vocabulary With My Free Vocabulary Workshop: https://learn.myhappyenglish.com/vocabulary-workshop-signup

Hey there! It’s Michael here - and welcome back to Speak Naturally in a Minute from Happy English. I’m here every Sunday with a quick one-point lesson to help you improve your pronunciation, rhythm, and intonation.  And if you want to watch this lesson, just look for Happy English Podcast on YouTube.Today, let’s continue our discussion of reduction in American English, you know, when we shorten or soften sounds when we speak. Can’t you, Aren’t you, and ain;t you are usually pronounced as can’cha, aren’cha, and ain’chaWhen we say can’t you, the T of can’t blends with the Y of you. Can’t you becomes can’cha.  “Can’cha see that?,”  “Can’cha hear me?,”  “Can’cha stay a little longer?”And when we say aren’t you, the T in aren’t also blends with the Y of you. Aren’t you becomes aren’cha. “Aren’cha coming to the party?,” “Aren’cha ready?” “Aren’cha going home soon?”And finally, It’s the same with ain’t you. The T in ain’t also blends with the Y of you. Ain’t you becomes ain’cha. “Ain’cha coming to the party?,” “Ain’cha ready?” “Ain’cha gonna tell me?”Can’cha, aren’cha and ain’cha. This is how it goes in spoken American English.  They help the rhythm stay smooth and make the whole sentence easier to say.And if you want to sound more natural yourself, try using them in casual conversation. Hey, thanks for listening! And remember to follow and subscribe so you won’t miss the next Happy English Podcast and next Sunday’s Speak Naturally in a Minute.  Until next time, keep learning and keep it cool.Watch video versions of the Happy English Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HappyEnglishNY/podcastsBuild Vocabulary With My Free Vocabulary Workshop: https://learn.myhappyenglish.com/vocabulary-workshop-signup

Hey there! It’s Michael here - and welcome back to English Tips in a Minute from Happy English. I’m here every Saturday with a short, simple tip to help you speak English more naturally and confidently. And by the way, if you want to watch this lesson, just look for Happy English Podcast on YouTube.Today, let’s look at a really casual, really conversational pattern you’ll hear in everyday American English - all + adjective. We use all before an adjective to mean very or totally, and it adds emotion to what we’re saying.  You’ll hear this especially when people are talking about feelings, reactions, or moodsLike, Maybe last night, you came home after a long day. You can say: “I was all hungry and tired when I got home last night.” all hungry and tired means very hungry, and  very tired.Or maybe your boss saw last month’s sales numbers and wasn’t happy. You could say: “The boss was all grumpy when he saw last month’s sales data.” Here's another example. “Jen was all excited about her vacation.” It’s casual, it’s expressive, and it sounds very natural in everyday American English.  Just remember - this is spoken English, not something you’d use in formal writing.Try using this pattern the next time you want to describe a strong feeling - like “I was all surprised!”  It really brings your English to life. Lemme know in the comments how it goes, and remember to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss the next Happy English Podcast and next Saturday’s English Tips in a Minute. Hey, thanks for listening - and until next time, keep learning and keep it cool.Watch video versions of the Happy English Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HappyEnglishNY/podcastsBuild Vocabulary With My Free Vocabulary Workshop: https://learn.myhappyenglish.com/vocabulary-workshop-signup

Hey there! It’s Michael here, and welcome back to Phrasal Verbs in a Minute from Happy English. I’m here every Friday with a quick one-point lesson to help you learn a new phrasal verb and sound more natural when you speak.By the way, if you want to see the video version of this lesson, just look for Happy English Podcast on YouTube.Today’s phrasal verb is weigh in on. When you weigh in on something, it means you offer your opinion in a discussion — especially when people want your thoughts or input.Like in the office, the boss weighed in on Jack’s new marketing idea.And yesterday, my friend Justin weighed in on which laptop I should buy.And whenever I post a lesson like this online, you guys weigh in with awesome comments!And here’s a pronunciation tip: The A sound of weigh links with in, and the N of in links with on. Altogether, it  sounds like way-yih-non. Way-yih-non: very smooth and connected.So how about you? What’s something you weighed in on recently - maybe a decision at work, a family plan, or even a friend’s problem? Let me know in the comments, and remember to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss the next Happy English Podcast and next week’s Phrasal Verbs in a Minute.  Hey, thanks for listening. And until next time, keep learning and keep it cool.Watch video versions of the Happy English Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HappyEnglishNY/podcastsBuild Vocabulary With My Free Vocabulary Workshop: https://learn.myhappyenglish.com/vocabulary-workshop-signup

So I got invited to another one of Jack’s parties. If I go by myself, there’s a good chance I won’t know anyone, which is ok, unless a lot of people come. But if Jenny comes with me, then there’s a better chance of having fun. I wonder if she’ll go... or come with me. Come and go. That’s the magic - and the confusion - of the verbs come and go in English. They seem simple… but they can be really tricky. Today we’re going to clear up one of the biggest confusions that even intermediate and advanced learners struggle with: the difference between come and go.Watch video versions of the Happy English Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HappyEnglishNY/podcastsBuild Vocabulary With My Free Vocabulary Workshop: https://learn.myhappyenglish.com/vocabulary-workshop-signup