Learn English Vocabulary Daily #13.5 — British English Podcast

Hello, and welcome to The English Like a Native Podcast.

My name is Anna and you're listening to Week 13, Day 5 of your English Five a Day.

This is a series that aims to increase your active vocabulary by deep

diving into five pieces every day of the week from Monday to Friday.

Let's start this episode with a verb and it is to propose, propose.

We spell this P R O P O S E, propose, propose.

To propose is to ask someone to marry you.

Okay.

There are other proposals that you can make, but often if you say to someone,

oh, this person proposed, and just leave it at that, then the assumption

is that they have proposed marriage, so they've asked someone to marry them.

Now, in the past, it was always the tradition that the man would

propose to the woman in the UK.

These days, it's not uncommon for a woman to propose to a man.

Obviously, times change and traditions evolve, and so it's not uncommon for

a woman to ask a man to marry her.

Okay, so have you been proposed to or have you proposed?

Do any of you have any amazing and romantic stories

about an amazing proposal?

Here's an example sentence.

"Do you think I was right to propose to Dan so soon after meeting?

I hope I haven't rushed into it."

Now, I personally receive multiple proposals via my DMs on

Instagram and via email as well.

It's the one thing that I found really peculiar when I started

putting my face on the internet.

The idea that people who don't know me, who have never met me would ask me to

marry them, flattering, and a little bit disconcerting, but yes I have been

proposed to many times via text message.

So, I have had experience there.

Okay.

Next on our list is an adjective and it is customary, customary.

Customary spelled C U S T O M A R Y.

Customary.

Customary.

If something is described as customary then it is usual.

It is normal, or it could be the tradition.

It's customary.

Here's an example sentence.

"It's customary in some countries to ask the father's permission before

proposing marriage to someone."

Many years ago, I was in a serious relationship, a long term relationship,

with a chap, and I was getting cold feet in the relationship.

I was starting to feel we'd been together for quite a few years and I

was starting to think, I don't think this relationship is right for me.

This man isn't the man I want to spend my life with, but he

was completely the opposite.

He was starting to decide that he did want to settle down with me and he'd

invited me to go to Paris for New Year, for the New Year celebrations and I had

an inkling, I had a suspicion about how he was feeling and that he might propose.

So, I phoned my mum and I said,

"Mum, I think this man is going to propose to me.

And I think I want to leave him actually.

I think I want to dump him.

I want to end the relationship.

And I think he's going to propose.

This is terrible.

I need to do it soon."

And she said,

"Yes, you do because he phoned me and he's asked my permission.

He's asked for my blessing to marry you.

So, I know that he's going to propose to you."

And I was like,

"Oh no!"

So, he did ask my mother for her blessing in advance.

Now it's not customary necessarily to ask the mother, but at the time

my father wasn't very much involved so, my mother was the person to ask.

And, if you're desperate to know the ending of the story, I'll tell you what

happened at the end of the podcast.

So, let's move on to our next phrase on the list.

This is an idiom and it is pop the question, to pop the question.

This is spelled P O P, pop.

The, T H E.

Question, Q U E S T I O N, pop the question.

To pop the question is an idiomatic way of saying to propose,

to ask someone to marry you.

Here's an example.

"I'm going to pop the question to Dawn when we go away.

I just need to plan how I'm going to do it.

Next on the list is a noun and it is fiancée, fiancée.

Now, fiancée is spelled F I A N C E E, but the first E in fiancée has

that little accent above it — fiancée.

A fiancée is a woman who is engaged to be married.

Fiancée.

We have the same word for a man who is engaged to be married

but it has a different spelling.

I believe it's just with one E at the end but I think it sounds the same.

Fiancé.

Fiancé.

Sounds like Beyoncé, but with an F.

Fiancée.

OK, here's an example sentence.

"Please let me introduce you to my fiancée, Lucy.

We're trying to decide whether to get married at home or abroad."

And then last on our list is a verb and it is to celebrate, celebrate, and we

spell that C E L E B R A T E, celebrate.

To celebrate something is to take part in a special, often enjoyable activity

to show that something's important.

So, for example, a birthday, especially an important birthday or a big birthday,

like your 40th or your 18th birthday.

That's quite a special one.

Your 21st birthday, people will often celebrate those milestones.

When I hit a million subscribers, there will be a celebration.

I will celebrate because it's something I've worked towards for a long time.

So, I'll take part in a special activity to mark that occasion, to show that

occasion is particularly important to me.

Here's an example.

"I can't believe I finally got engaged!

Let's go out and celebrate.

I'm paying."

Okay, so, let's recap.

We had the verb propose, which is to ask someone to marry you.

Then we had the adjective customary, customary, to say something is

usual, normal, or the tradition.

Then we had the idiom, pop the question, to pop the question,

to ask someone to marry you.

Then we had the noun — fiancée which is the name we give to the

woman who is engaged to be married.

We then had the verb, celebrate, celebrate, which is to take part in

a special activity to show that a particular occasion is important.

Let's now do this for pronunciation purposes.

Repeat after me.

Propose.

Propose.

Customary.

Customary.

Pop the question.

Pop the question.

Fiancée.

Fiancée.

Celebrate.

Celebrate.

Fantastic.

Now I'm going to ask you a few questions to see if you can

remember what we've covered today.

What's the idiomatic way of saying that someone asked someone to marry them?

Pop the question.

And what's another way of saying pop the question?

Just a general verb.

Propose.

Fantastic.

When you propose to a woman and she says yes, she becomes your...

fiancée.

Very good.

And it would be the tradition to ask the father of the bride if he gives his

blessing, if it's allowed for you to pop the question, what other adjective

could we use to describe this tradition?

Customary, customary.

And then when we're all excited about this particular occasion,

what are we going to do?

Celebrate.

Of course.

Fantastic.

Right, let's bring everything together in a little story.

Fellas, it can be a daunting task, you know you want to spend the rest

of your life with your partner and you want to give her the best wedding ever,

but just how do you propose to her?

The moment has to be special, not on a normal Saturday night down

the local pub with friends, not via WhatsApp when she's at work, it needs

to be something totally amazing!

Then you start to think, will she say yes?

What if she says no?

Should I ask her father's permission first, it is customary in her family, but

you don't really know him that well yet.

What if he says no?

Who will be my best man?

What will I say in the wedding day speech?

All these questions spinning around inside your head.

Here are a few tips.

There are plenty of websites you can go to for advice on how and where to pop

the question, ask family and friends, you could even speak to a wedding planner.

Think about what she loves doing, does she have a favourite place?

Is there an activity you'd do together where you could surprise her with

the big question halfway through?

Are you due a getaway where you could ask the hotel to decorate an area for you?

However you decide to ask the girl of your dreams to become your forever

love, do it with confidence and pride.

Do it knowing that soon this lady will be your fiancée and you have a lifetime

of memories to make and treasure.

Fast forward.

Whoo hoo!

Now you're engaged.

You can take a deep breath, all of that anxiety and worry was for nothing.

Go out, celebrate, get ready for a life of love, laughter,

and long-lasting memories...

and make sure your wedding day speech is awesome!

And that brings us to the end of today's episode and the end of Week 13.

I do hope you found this week useful.

I look forward to tickling your eardrums once again tomorrow or perhaps next week.

Until then, take very good care and goodbye.