Please double-click on the English subtitles below to play the video.
00:09
Feifei: Hello and welcome to The English We Speak.
0
9000
2540
00:11
I'm Feifei...
1
11540
1040
00:12
Rob: And I'm Rob. Hello.
2
12940
1460
00:14
Errr, Feifei, you're looking a bit angry.
3
14640
2780
00:17
Feifei: Me, angry! I am angry.
4
17760
2640
00:20
Rob: Oh no, what's the problem?
5
20640
1140
00:22
Feifei: I think you know Rob.
6
22140
1960
00:24
Somebody told the boss
7
24560
1540
00:26
that I spilt coffee over his computer
8
26100
2440
00:28
yesterday - and now he's angry with me.
9
28680
3140
00:32
Rob: Oh no. What kind of mean and horrible person
10
32080
3420
00:35
would try and get you into trouble?
11
35500
1800
00:37
Feifei: You and the boss were the only people
12
37700
2420
00:40
left in the office last night. Hmmm?
13
40120
2780
00:43
Rob: Whoa - hold on Feifei. If you are implying
14
43060
2520
00:45
it was me who told the boss, then you are
15
45720
2000
00:47
barking up the wrong tree.
16
47940
1180
00:49
Feifei: Please don't make me any angrier
17
49540
2100
00:51
by saying that I am like a dog!
18
51640
2300
00:54
Rob: No, no Feifei. Just calm down.
19
54180
1780
00:56
I should be angry because you are making the wrong
20
56280
2100
00:58
assumption about who told the boss, OK?
21
58540
2460
01:01
That's what I mean by barking up the wrong tree -
22
61320
2780
01:04
you want to blame someone but you got the wrong
23
64500
2020
01:06
person. I didn't even know you had done it.
24
66720
2620
01:09
Feifei: OK, I'm sorry. So the phrase 'barking up the wrong
25
69640
3640
01:13
tree' means making the wrong assumption
26
73400
2320
01:15
when trying to achieve something.
27
75780
1660
01:17
Shall we hear some examples while I make you
28
77860
2000
01:19
a coffee to say sorry...?
29
79940
1560
01:24
Examples: If you think I have enough spare cash
30
84620
2140
01:26
to pay for your holiday, then you're
31
86760
1780
01:28
barking up the wrong tree.
32
88540
1820
01:30
You're barking up the wrong tree if you think
33
90820
1860
01:32
I was the one who said you were leaving.
34
92800
2080
01:35
It wasn't me!
35
95160
1040
01:36
You're barking up the wrong tree if you think
36
96660
1780
01:38
I'm going to lend you my car. I've seen how you drive!
37
98440
2840
01:45
Feifei: You're listening to The English We Speak.
38
105000
2400
01:47
We're talking about the phrase
39
107900
1300
01:49
'barking up the wrong tree'.
40
109560
1320
01:51
It means to make a wrong assumption
41
111420
1940
01:53
about someone or something.
42
113360
1620
01:55
Rob: The phrase can also mean doing something
43
115400
1920
01:57
in a way that will not work - you're basically
44
117580
2800
02:00
wasting your time. Like a detective trying to solve
45
120600
2760
02:03
a crime by obviously arresting the
46
123440
1920
02:05
wrong man - he's barking up the wrong tree.
47
125480
2820
02:08
Feifei: Ok Rob understood - and here's your coffee
48
128680
2780
02:11
to say sorry for barking up the wrong tree.
49
131540
2200
02:14
Rob: Thanks - make sure you don't spill it this time.
50
134160
2940
02:17
The boss would be really angry!
51
137360
2000
02:19
(ANGRY DOG GROWL!) ...what did I say?
52
139620
2380
02:22
Feifei: If I find out you did tell the boss,
53
142720
2540
02:25
I'll make sure to bark up the right tree,
54
145580
2520
02:28
OK?
55
148280
560
02:29
Rob: Oh Feifei, I hope your bark is worse than your bite.
56
149000
3600
02:32
Bye.
57
152940
560
02:33
Feifei: Bye
58
153740
580
New videos
About this website
This site will introduce you to YouTube videos that are useful for learning English. You will see English lessons taught by top-notch teachers from around the world. Double-click on the English subtitles displayed on each video page to play the video from there. The subtitles scroll in sync with the video playback. If you have any comments or requests, please contact us using this contact form.