A Dream Come True and other common expressions in English

13,203 views ・ 2017-08-04

English with Jennifer


Please double-click on the English subtitles below to play the video.

00:14
I'm sure you have hopes and dreams, just like me. Just like anyone.
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Some of you may know that one of my dreams was to have a piano.
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Well, recently that dream came true.
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This is my piano, and in honor of my piano I'd like to offer a lesson about dreams and dreams coming true.
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I grew up playing on a real piano,
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but for the past 15 years I've only had a digital piano in my home.
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It was a good keyboard, but it was electronic.
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I'm so happy to be able to play on a real piano again.
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The sound is lovely. It's a dream come true.
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"A dream come true" is a common expression. Here's how you can use it.
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You can say, "It's a dream come true." Meaning it finally happened.
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It would be a dream come true. Meaning you still wish for it to happen.
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May all your dreams come true.
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This is something you can wish for another person.
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You might write it as part of a birthday wish or on some other special occasion like a high school graduation.
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Part of the reason I could afford this piano is because it wasn't brand new.
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In fact, it's well over 20 years old.
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I got it second-hand from a family that was moving away and didn't have any more need for it.
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Second-hand is a way of saying that something is used or previously owned by another person.
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We say "but it second hand"
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"get it second-hand"
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We might talk about second-hand clothes or second-hand furniture, for example.
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The previous owner didn't want to part with the piano for a low price, but I think she had a very kind heart
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because she eventually accepted my very low offer. I got a good deal.
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When you get a good price, you can talk about getting a good deal.
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In my case, I can say, "It was a very good deal."
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"She gave me a good deal."
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"I got a good deal on the piano."
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"I couldn't pass up a good deal like that."
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Like I said, I never thought I'd be able to afford a baby grand piano.
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I thought I'd only be able to buy a used upright piano, which is much smaller.
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A baby grand piano was beyond my wildest dreams.
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If something is beyond my wildest dreams, then it's hard for me to imagine.
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Or perhaps it was hard in the past: it was beyond my wildest dreams.
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I could also say, "Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd get to own a baby grand."
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Note with this construction there's a negative adverb "never."
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This forces the subject and the verb to change places.
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It's subject-verb inversion.
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So: never in my wildest dreams DID I
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Here's another example with that subject-verb inversion.
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Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine having a baby grand.
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So now that I've fulfilled my dream of owning a piano,
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I want to realize the next one. I want to play better,.
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I think I was pretty good when I was a teenager,
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but it's been so long since I've played regularly.
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How am I going to realize this dream?
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Well, I've started to work with a private instructor because I want to regain and strengthen my skills.
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When we talk about dreams, we often use the verbs "fulfill" and "realize."
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We say "fulfill one's dreams"...
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"realize one's dreams."
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Both mean that you finally do what you hoped and planned to do.
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Let's review the expressions.
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What's another way of saying that something is used or previously owned?
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Second...
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-hand. If something is second-hand, it's used, previously owned.
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06:05
What's another way to say that you got a good price?
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You got a good...
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deal. If you got a good deal, you got a good price.
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Someone can offer you a good deal, and you don't want to pass up a good deal.
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If you dreamed of something for a long time, and it finally happened, what can you say?
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First, it was a dream come...
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true. It was a dream come true.
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You might also comment, "It was beyond..."
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my wildest dreams. It was beyond my wildest dreams.
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Never in my...
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wildest dreams...
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Never in my wildest dreams did I think this would happen.
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Or: Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine this happening.
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When you make a dream happen, what do you do? Give me two verbs.
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You...
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fulfill your dream, or you...
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realize your dream.
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I hope you've been paying attention to how we used the word "dream" in this lesson.
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We can use "dream" like a verb, as in, "I dream of doing something."
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We could also use it as a noun, as in, "I have a dream."
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We could also use "dream" like an adjective in phrases like "my dream job" or "a dream home."
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Here are some questions you can answer for me.
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That's all for now. Thanks for watching and happy studies.
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And may all your dreams come true.
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