Meaning of HAPPY MEDIUM and MEET HALFWAY - A Short English Lesson with Subtitles

- So, sometimes Jen and I don't actually agree on things.

Sometimes we want to do different things.

And instead of me getting my way or Jen getting her way,

we have to find a happy medium.

A great example of this would be

if I really wanted to go out to eat in a fancy restaurant

where I could sit down

and where a waiter would take my order

and maybe Jen wants to just stay home

and eat a nice simple meal in our kitchen,

we would need to find a happy medium.

So, in that situation, if I wanted to go out to eat

and Jen wanted to eat at home, a happy medium could be

that we just go to a fast-food restaurant

where we get food very, very quickly,

or I simply go out and buy pizza from a pizza shop

and bring that home.

So, when you have a happy medium

or when you find a happy medium,

it means that it is something that both of you can agree on

when you were originally not agreeing.

We have another term, to meet someone halfway.

And this is somewhat similar,

but we usually use it when we are talking about money.

Let's say I went to buy a used car from someone

and they wanted $6,000 for it

and I said to them, "I will give you $5,000 for it."

The person who is selling the car could respond by saying,

"Will you meet me halfway at $5,500?"

And if I thought that was a good deal,

I would probably meet them halfway

and buy the car for $5,500.

So, even though I didn't want to pay that much,

I still got a bit of a deal because I got it for a bit less

than what the person was asking for it.

Anyways, when you find a happy medium with someone,

it means that you agree on something

that's not what you both originally wanted,

but it is certainly agreeable.

And when you meet someone halfway, usually with a price,

it means that you decide to each give a little at each end.