Learn the English Phrases TO TAKE UP and TO TAKE OFF

In this English lesson I wanted to help you learn

the English phrase, "To take up."

Now, this phrase has a few meanings,

but I'm just going to talk about one of them,

and it has to do when you start a new hobby.

Maybe you decided to take up tennis.

Maybe you decided to take up piano.

It means that you've decided to learn something new.

I haven't taken up a new hobby in a long time.

Maybe this spring or this summer

when I have a little bit more time, which never happens,

I should take up a new hobby.

That might be a good idea.

We also use this phrase in the classroom.

Sometimes when students are done their work,

I take up their work with them.

I'll say, "Hey, we're gonna take up

"the questions from yesterday."

And it just means, as a teacher,

that we're going to go over them.

It also means that you're using someone's time.

You can take up someone's time as well.

But I don't wanna go over all of the definitions.

The one I meant to talk about was

if you are starting something new,

if you're going to take up a new hobby.

The second phrase I wanted to teach you today is,

"To take off."

So, we use this phrase in the same way

as the phrase, "To get going."

Sometimes when I'm talking to a friend,

I might say, "Hey, I need to take off."

Or I might say, "Hey, I need to get going."

It simply means that it's time to leave

the situation that you are in.

Sometimes at school, I'll stay late

and I'll talk to some of the other teachers.

And then I'll realize that my kids are waiting for me

in my van.

And then I'll just say, "Oh, hey, I need to take off.

"I need to get going.

"I need to go home."

So, to review, when you take up something,

it means you start something new,

and those other two definitions that I gave you as well.

I should stop apologizing for English.

It's kind of a fun language, but I do apologize

that sometimes phrases have more than one meaning.

And the phrase, "To take off," simply means

that it's time to go.

At the end of the video I could say,

"Well, that's it for now.

"I need to take off."

But I'm not doing that right now.

Don't leave.

I am going to look at a comment from a previous video,

and this comment is from Natalia.

I think this is the second comment

I've picked from Natalia this week.

She's getting special treatment for some reason,

I think because this comment made me laugh.

So Natalia said this,

"If someone told me before this video

"that we need to clear the air,

"I would think it smells here."

And Vito gave some smiley faces and the other Natalia,

Natalia Belgrade, gave some smiley faces as well.

And I responded by saying this,

"We can use it that way as well.

"Sometimes when I walk into a classroom,

"the room smells from the previous class

"and I'll open the window for a bit to clear the air out.

"We also say to air out the room or to air the room out.

"And probably we would use those last two phrases,

"those would be the most common way to say it."

But certainly, sometimes, you know,

people have certain smells.

And sometimes when I walk into a classroom

after there has been, you know,

a teacher and 30 students in there,

especially right now because our classes

are two and a half hours long,

sometimes the room has a certain smell to it

and I'll open the window to clear the air out.

Notice we do add the word out, though, to that phrase.

So, I would open the window to clear the air out

or I would open the window to air out the room

or to air the room out.

Yep, that's just part of being human, isn't it?

Sometimes there's certain smells

that when a lot of people are in one spot for a long time,

yeah, sometimes it just has a certain smell.

Hey, anyways, sorry, I have to apologize for the geese.

(geese honking)

Not sure if you could hear them.

I was out here early, early this morning as well

making a video and there were geese honking

in the background.

(geese honking)

I think they're a little quieter now,

but anyways, that's one of the first signs

that spring is just around the corner.

So, that's really cool.

Anyways, Bob the Canadian here.

Hope you enjoy these short lessons.

I'll see you in a few days with another one.

Have a good weekend.