10 Common English Expressions

Hi.

I'm Rebecca from engVid.

In this lesson, you're going to learn 10 lovely English expressions that you might be hearing

all around you, every day.

These are really common expressions, so I want to make sure that you know them so that

you understand what people are saying; and also, once you're really sure of the meaning,

you can also start to use them yourself.

Okay?

Now, the other thing is that they're really short; each of them...

The ones I've chosen, here, only have three words, so they're also really short and easy

to say.

Okay?

And there are no complicated, long words to pronounce or anything like that.

Okay?

So, let's get started.

Number one is the expression: "Good for you."

So, the way that I said it, what do you think it means?

Well, what it means is that somebody gives you some good news, like: "Oh, guess what?

Rebecca, I passed my IELTS exam on the first try."

So what would I say to that student?

"Good for you.

Wow, you did it.

Amazing."

Or someone tells you: "Hey, I got the job.

I didn't...

I can't believe it."

And I was like: "Good for you.

You know?

You tried, you did it; you succeeded.

Good for you."

Okay?

Really easy to say and very easy to understand, I hope.

All right?

Next: "Keep me posted."

All right, so what does: "Keep me posted" mean?

You have the word "post" here, but don't worry about that; it has nothing to do with mailing

letters or anything like that.

"Keep me posted" means that there's a situation and you want someone to keep...

Give you updates; to keep you updated on what the latest news is or what has happened.

So, for example, let's suppose that someone is in the hospital and they're...

The doctor is giving them news every few hours to tell them what's happening, so you are

not there but you want to know.

You care and you want to know what's happening, so you tell the person in the hospital: "Keep

me posted."

That means: "Let me know.

Anything new that happens, let me know.

Keep me updated."

Okay?

And you will hear this expression in regular situations, like the one I described, and

very often at work.

Okay?

If there's a particular project going on and your manager wants you to update him or her

whenever something important happens, they might say to you: "Keep me posted."

Okay?

So, that's another one for you.

Number three: "Sleep on it."

Okay?

"Sleep on it?

Sleep on what?"

Okay.

So, what this means is: Don't decide something right away.

Okay?

Take some time to decide, take some time to maybe sleep at night and think about something

quietly, and don't be in a rush to decide anything.

Don't be in a rush; don't be in a hurry to make up your mind, or make an important decision

or choice.

Say: "I don't know.

I have this job offer, I have that job offer; I've got to let them know.

I don't know what to do."

If somebody's in that situation, so you can say to them, what?

"Why don't you sleep on it?

Okay?

I think you'll know better in the morning."

Okay?

Sometimes people get very anxious, but you can tell them...

It's another way of saying: "Take some time to decide.

Sleep on it."

Okay?

So: "Sleep on it" is actually, like, the decision, okay?

On the decision.

Okay.

Next: "Let it go."

All right?

This is a really nice expression.

So let's say somebody's had a bad situation, okay?

Something bad happened to them, they...

Somebody spoke to them angrily and they're feeling very hurt, or somebody left them.

Okay?

Or they...

They lost their job and the manager, you know, embarrassed them in front of other people

and they're feeling really negative and they're feeling bad, so instead of... instead of...

and the person is telling you about all these bad things that happened, so you want to tell

them: "Why don't you just...?

You know what?

I understand, but let it go.

Forget about it.

Move forward."

Okay?

So you say: "Let it go", means don't keep all that negative feeling inside you.

Okay?

Or that negative energy inside you.

Let it go.

All right?

Forget about it, move forward, and do something good.

Okay?

Say it after me: "Let it go."

Or: "Sleep on it."

Okay?

Say it after me: "Keep me posted."

And: "Good for you."

Okay?

Don't forget the...

Okay?

This is important.

I always do that.

I always make a fist when I say: "Good for you."

Okay?

You can do it, if you want to.

All right.

The next one: "Take it easy."

Okay?

Now: "Take it easy" we could use in different situations.

One is when somebody's getting angry and upset: "Hey.

What do you mean?

How...?

How can you say that to me?

What do you mean?"

And they're about to, like, get violent or get really loud and angry, and you say: "Hey,

hey.

It's okay.

Take it easy.

Calm down.

Relax."

Okay?

So that's how it's...

One very common way in which it's used-okay?-when somebody's getting excited and worked up,

and you're afraid that something worse is going to happen or some violence is going

to follow, you say: "Hey, relax.

Take it easy."

Okay?

That's one way.

And the other way is just in a general sense, we just say sometimes when we're saying: "Bye"

to somebody, say: "Hey, bye.

See you on Mon-...

See you on Monday.

Take it easy."

And it's just: "Relax.

Take it easy.

Enjoy yourself.

Be...

Be relaxed.

Don't be under stress."

Okay?

So it can also be used in this regular, everyday way.

Okay?

All right.

Say it after me: "Take it easy."

Okay?

"Take it easy", if you're just saying bye.

Or: "Take it easy" if you're trying to calm someone down.

Okay?

Next: "All is well".

-"How's everything, Rebecca?"

-"All is well."

That's another way of saying: "Everything's okay.

Everything's fine."

Sometimes when we write to someone, we say: "Hope all is well."

Okay?

Means: I hope everything in general in your life is going well.

And you can also answer that: "Yes, all is well.

All is well."

Okay?

Everything is fine; everything is okay.

It doesn't mean every single detail, but overall, all is well.

Okay?

Next: "Never say never."

That's really nice.

That's a nice expression.

You know how sometimes someone who has had a bad experience and maybe they...?

They tried for a job or they tried to pass an exam and they didn't succeed, and they

start getting into a very negative state, and they say: "I'm never going to pass this

exam.

I'm never going to get a job.

I'm never going to find a husband or a wife, or a girlfriend or boyfriend", or who knows

what.

Okay?

And they start getting very negative, and saying: "I'll never do this.

I'll never get over this addiction.

I will never buy...

Be able to buy a house."

And you want to turn that energy around, and you want to give them some positive energy

and a positive way to look at life, and so you say to them: "Never say never.

You never know what can happen."

Right?

Good things can happen.

So never say: "I'll never get better, or I'll never get out of debt, or I'll never get over

an addiction" - no.

You can do anything.

Never say never.

Everything is possible.

All the good things are possible.

That's what this expression means.

Okay?

"Never say never."

All right.

The next one: "Count your blessings."

Okay?

So, here's someone...

When do we use this?

Okay?

"A blessing" is all the good things that are...

That are present in your life.

Okay?

Or in the life of your family.

So let's say somebody had a bad day at work or somebody's complaining about all the traffic

that they had to go through; they were stuck in traffic for two hours, and this happened

- and they're complaining, but they're complaining about things that are really not very important

and there are many other good things in their life, so you just want to bring them back

and remind them of the fact that there are very many good things also happening in your...

In their lives, so if they're complaining about their job or their manager, you can

say: "But you know what?

Count your blessings.

You've got a really good job.

Sure, sometimes things are going to go...

Going to go bad or things are going to be a little bit difficult, but I know you can

do it.

It'll...

It'll pass.

Count your blessings."

Say: "Be happy that you have a job.

Be happy that you're earning well.

Be happy that you have a family.

Be happy that you...

You have a roof over your head.

Okay?

That you have food in your stomach.

Count your blessings."

Okay?

And the next one: "No big deal."

Okay?

So, if somebody says: "Oh, I was going to make you a cake for your birthday, and I came

back late, I missed my flight, and now I can't make you the cake.

I don't know what I'm going to do.

I'm feeling so bad."

You say: "Oh, no big deal.

You can make me a cake tomorrow, we can go out and buy a cake, or you don't have to make

me a cake at all.

We...

I'll still be very happy.

No big deal."

All right?

It means somebody's getting...

Feeling bad, and you want to tell them: "No, no.

It's okay.

It's not a problem.

No worries.

No big deal."

Okay?

All right.

And the last one we have here is: "Stay in touch."

Okay?

That's a really nice expression.

It's used in lots of contexts.

So, this is when someone that you know, it could be someone in your personal life, it

could be somebody in your professional life, and somebody that you...

Let's say it was a neighbour.

Okay?

And you lived next to this neighbour for many years and you're good friends, and now this

neighbour is moving far away, so you want to tell them that even though they're moving

far away, you want to keep in contact with that person, so you say: "Stay in touch".

"Stay in touch" doesn't mean physically touch, but "touch" means contact.

Stay in communication; stay in touch with me.

All right?

It could be also a colleague, you worked together for many years, maybe now he or she is retiring

and you're really going to miss them; you have a good relationship with them, so you

say: "Stay in touch."

Okay?

"Let's stay in touch.

Let's stay in contact so we can update each other about our lives and continue to have

this ongoing relationship."

All right?

And I also encourage you to stay in touch.

Stay in touch with me; subscribe to my YouTube channel, watch lots of other videos like this

which can help you to improve your English.

All right?

And if you would like to review these, which you should do-it's always a good idea to make

sure that you really know them-please go to our website: www.engvid.com.

There, you can do a quiz on all of these, and really practice them, and really master

them because they're not hard and you will hear them quite often.

Okay?

So, if you have learned them and you're feeling good about it, then good for you.

All right?

Stay in touch.

Keep me posted.

All right?

Take care.

Bye for now.