A Dream Come True and other common expressions in English

I'm sure you have hopes and dreams, just like me. Just like anyone.

Some of you may know that one of my dreams was to have a piano.

Well, recently that dream came true.

This is my piano, and in honor of my piano I'd like to offer a lesson about dreams and dreams coming true.

I grew up playing on a real piano,

but for the past 15 years I've only had a digital piano in my home.

It was a good keyboard, but it was electronic.

I'm so happy to be able to play on a real piano again.

The sound is lovely. It's a dream come true.

"A dream come true" is a common expression. Here's how you can use it.

You can say, "It's a dream come true." Meaning it finally happened.

It would be a dream come true. Meaning you still wish for it to happen.

May all your dreams come true.

This is something you can wish for another person.

You might write it as part of a birthday wish or on some other special occasion like a high school graduation.

Part of the reason I could afford this piano is because it wasn't brand new.

In fact, it's well over 20 years old.

I got it second-hand from a family that was moving away and didn't have any more need for it.

Second-hand is a way of saying that something is used or previously owned by another person.

We say "but it second hand"

"get it second-hand"

We might talk about second-hand clothes or second-hand furniture, for example.

The previous owner didn't want to part with the piano for a low price, but I think she had a very kind heart

because she eventually accepted my very low offer. I got a good deal.

When you get a good price, you can talk about getting a good deal.

In my case, I can say, "It was a very good deal."

"She gave me a good deal."

"I got a good deal on the piano."

"I couldn't pass up a good deal like that."

Like I said, I never thought I'd be able to afford a baby grand piano.

I thought I'd only be able to buy a used upright piano, which is much smaller.

A baby grand piano was beyond my wildest dreams.

If something is beyond my wildest dreams, then it's hard for me to imagine.

Or perhaps it was hard in the past: it was beyond my wildest dreams.

I could also say, "Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd get to own a baby grand."

Note with this construction there's a negative adverb "never."

This forces the subject and the verb to change places.

It's subject-verb inversion.

So: never in my wildest dreams DID I

Here's another example with that subject-verb inversion.

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine having a baby grand.

So now that I've fulfilled my dream of owning a piano,

I want to realize the next one. I want to play better,.

I think I was pretty good when I was a teenager,

but it's been so long since I've played regularly.

How am I going to realize this dream?

Well, I've started to work with a private instructor because I want to regain and strengthen my skills.

When we talk about dreams, we often use the verbs "fulfill" and "realize."

We say "fulfill one's dreams"...

"realize one's dreams."

Both mean that you finally do what you hoped and planned to do.

Let's review the expressions.

What's another way of saying that something is used or previously owned?

Second...

-hand. If something is second-hand, it's used, previously owned.

What's another way to say that you got a good price?

You got a good...

deal. If you got a good deal, you got a good price.

Someone can offer you a good deal, and you don't want to pass up a good deal.

If you dreamed of something for a long time, and it finally happened, what can you say?

First, it was a dream come...

true. It was a dream come true.

You might also comment, "It was beyond..."

my wildest dreams. It was beyond my wildest dreams.

Never in my...

wildest dreams...

Never in my wildest dreams did I think this would happen.

Or: Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine this happening.

When you make a dream happen, what do you do? Give me two verbs.

You...

fulfill your dream, or you...

realize your dream.

I hope you've been paying attention to how we used the word "dream" in this lesson.

We can use "dream" like a verb, as in, "I dream of doing something."

We could also use it as a noun, as in, "I have a dream."

We could also use "dream" like an adjective in phrases like "my dream job" or "a dream home."

Here are some questions you can answer for me.

That's all for now. Thanks for watching and happy studies.

And may all your dreams come true.