5 English Idioms to Encourage People

Okay, let's give this a shot. Hey, everyone. I'm Alex. Thanks for clicking,

and welcome to this lesson on: Five idioms that you can use to encourage

other people. It's great to be supportive of your friends, your family,

your colleagues — so these five idioms, most of them which are basically

imperatives, you can use these to, you know... give your friends, give the

people in your life that you love a little push in a positive direction. So,

let's start. "Hang in there". Now, "hang in there" — similar to: "Don't give up",

which we will get to in a moment — it just means to continue trying and

surviving. So, I know things are hard right now, but just hang in there. The

most popular, you know... poster that you can maybe... you have seen it. It's

the cat who's hanging from the branch, and it says: "Hang in there". Usually, I

think it says: "Hang in there, baby". But "to hang in there" means to continue

trying; continue surviving. Just hang on. Okay? Don't let go; things will

improve. So, I know things are tough, but hang in there. Okay? Just... it's

gonna be over soon; just a little longer. Next: "Keep your chin up". So,

"to keep your chin up"... this is your chin. It means to try to stay positive.

Okay? Don't be sad, and, you know... negative. Obviously, it's healthy. You

know... sometimes your mood is down; sometimes your mood is up. But if you

want to encourage someone to get their mood back up, you can say: "Hey. Keep

your chin up. Try to stay positive." For example: "Okay, I know. The job market

is depressing right now, but keep your chin up. Something will come. Something

good will happen hopefully in the near future." So, one more time: "Keep your

chin up". I know the job market is depressing right now, but keep your chin

up.

Next: "Don't give up". This is a very common imperative; you've probably heard

it. If you watch pro wrestling, and you know who John Cena is... "Never give up.

Don't give up" — this just means: Don't quit; keep going. Very similar to: "Hang

in there". "Don't give up". Right? You can do it. Just hang on; keep going. So:

"You're almost at the finish line" — if your friend is doing, you know... a race

of some kind — "Don't give up now". Now, this can be a literal finish line, an

actual finish line; or maybe you're talking to your friend about a project

that they're doing for school, or a project that they're doing at work. And

you say: "Come on. You're almost there. You're almost at the finish line. Don't

give up. Keep going. Keep pushing yourself". Okay. Next: "You're on the

right track". So, if your friend isn't sure what's happening in this project

that they're working on right now, or they're trying to solve a problem in

their life, and you think: "Whoa. Hold on. Hold on. I know that you seem very

confused right now and you think nothing is going right, but you're actually on

the right track". This means: You're going in the correct direction; you are

taking the right steps; the correct steps to solve your problem.

So, here... let me go on this side, here. Doo-doo-doo-doo-doo. "Continue

working; you're on the right track". You can say this to a child who's trying to

solve a math problem, and they're getting really frustrated. Right? A

student or a child of your own, and you can say: "Okay, I know it's hard. But

you know what? You're on the right track. Keep going; you're going in the

right way." And, finally, we have: "Give it a shot. Why not?" So, this is a way

to say: "Just try it. Who knows what can happen, right?" So, you should sign up

for that class; just give it a shot. So, maybe someone in your life is having

doubts about you know... want you to sign up for a class because they think

they're not smart enough to take it or something like that. Like: "I don't

know. It would be very difficult. I don't know if I have the time. I haven't

studied that subject in many years." And you say: "You know what? Just give it a

shot. Just try it. What's the worst that can happen?" Right? So, these five

idioms you can use in your daily life starting today; starting now. They're

all very common, and they're used to help you to support people in your life;

to help encourage people in your life; to push people in a positive direction.

Now, I don't want to say that, you know... the world is all sunshine and

rainbows, and eternal positivity is the answer to all of life's problems. I do

have a cynical side, you know... as well. So, sometimes when people tell

you: "Hang in there", and you think: "Yeah, sure. Easy for you to say." Or:

-"Keep your chin up." -"Yeah. Well, I'm trying, but it's really hard." Sometimes

it's okay to be down; it's okay to feel sad and to let yourself feel what you

need to feel. And this is where you need to be careful and be sensitive to the

people in your life, because maybe it's not the right time to say: "Keep your

chin up". Maybe it's the right time to say: "That sounds really hard. I'm

sorry." So, sometimes you really have to, you know... be sensitive. Be aware

of the type of mood that your friends or the people that you're talking to are

in. And, hey, if they're running a race and they're feeling good, but you see

they're struggling, and you say: "Don't give up" — that's a perfect time to use

that; perfect context. All right? So, context is very important. Know the

people in your life and try to figure out what they need in the moment. Just

be empathetic. That's it.

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keep your chin up. Don't give up; you can do this. Thanks for clicking.