Learn the English Phrases TO FREE UP and FREE AS A BIRD

In this English lesson I wanted to help you learn

the English phrase to free up.

This is a phrase that we use when we want to make space

or time available to ourselves.

Let me give you a few examples.

In my classroom, I have a bookshelf and there were

a lot of books on there that I didn't need anymore.

So I got those books and I put them in the recycling

because I wanted to free up some space.

I wanted to make some space available

on the bookshelf for other books.

The other way you could use this is to talk about time.

Tomorrow, I have a dentist appointment.

If I canceled that appointment, it would certainly free up

some time for me to do some other things.

So when you free up something in English,

it usually means to make some space

or some time available to you.

The second phrase I wanted to teach you today

is the phrase as free as a bird.

It's a little windy out here today.

When you are as free as a bird,

it means you have no obligations.

Tomorrow I don't actually have a dentist appointment.

That was just an example.

Tomorrow is actually a holiday here in Canada

and I'll be as free as a bird tomorrow.

I don't have to go to work, I don't have to do anything.

In fact, Jen and I are taking the day off.

I'll be as free as a bird.

Tuesday though is the day that school starts

so I'll be back at work.

If you think about the school year in Canada,

at the end of the month of June, when the school year ends,

I'm also as free as a bird.

But that's gonna end quickly in just a couple of days.

So to review when you free up space or you free up time,

you make it available again.

Maybe you take some books off a bookshelf to free up space.

Maybe you cancel an appointment to free up time.

And when you are as free as a bird,

it means that you don't have any obligations.

You don't have anything to do for a certain period of time.

You are free as a bird in the sky.

Anyways, let's look at a comment from a previous video.

And this comment is from Roberto and Roberto says, "Hi, Bob.

I knew the expression, same old

but only used once not twice.

Why did you use it twice?"

And my response was it's just another way

of expressing the same thing.

But in a more general way, if someone asked how was work,

I could respond and say, you know, same old, same old.

Or I could say, you know, same old lesson planning,

same old boring colleagues or coworkers, sorry.

By the way, my coworkers aren't boring.

But that was just an example,

but great question, Roberto.

In English there are many ways to say different things.

So one way with same old, same old,

it's just a little more general.

And then with same old, you usually need

to specify what is the same.

Anyways as I mentioned in a couple of days,

I think you'll be watching this on Monday.

I'm actually recording this on the weekend.

On Tuesday of this week, I will be back at school.

The school year will begin.

We have a nice holiday on the Monday of this week.

It's called Labor Day.

So again, I'll be free as a bird because

I don't have to do any work.

But for you, if you're watching this on Monday,

the day after today, Tuesday is the first day of school.

I will be back at work.

I have to admit I'm a little bit nervous.

Normally I'm not too nervous, but for some reason this year,

I'm a little bit nervous.

I don't know why.

I guess I get a little bit nervous each year, to be honest,

I think I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous.

So we'll see how, you can tell I'm even

having trouble keeping my train of thought

when I think about the start of the school year.

I'm totally ready.

I have everything in place for the start of the school year.

I'm not worried in that sense, I'm ready to go.

But I have to get to know a few new students,

I have to kind of get back in the saddle.

I need to get back at it.

I think it'll go well.

And I think by the end of the first week,

I'll be happy that I'm a teacher because

it's a job I love.

Anyways, I'll see you in a couple of days

with another short English lesson, bye.