Transcription
Hey my friends, welcome back to English phrases hub. This is Emma.
Tell me, have you ever had this moment? Someone is talking to you in English. They are very confident. They are speaking so fast. And you're like, "Yeah, yeah, totally yes." But inside your brain, help. I understood zero. Right. And the worst part is you don't want to look stupid, so you do the smile, the polite nod, the I'm listening face. But let's be honest, you aren't listening. You are just surviving.
Well, here is the good news. Today I will give you English rescue sentences. These are real English. They are short. They are friendly and most importantly they will save you when you don't understand. So take a deep breath and please please don't do the yes yes yes yes dance again. It's dangerous. Are you ready? Let's go.
[music]
All right, rule number one. Don't panic. And please don't fake it because yes, yes, yes is not English. It's a problem waiting to happen. Let me show you. Imagine someone says, "So, you'll email the report to Sarah before Friday and also call the supplier and then update the spreadsheet." Okay. And you go, "Yes, perfect. No problem." And then you walk away like, "What report? Who is Sarah? And why is Friday chasing me?"
So here is the new rule. When you don't understand, you don't smile and suffer, you use a rescue sentence. A rescue sentence is a short sentence that helps you ask again, slow it down, understand the meaning, check you understood, or buy time. And guess what? Native speakers use these too all the time. So when you use them, you don't sound weak, you sound normal.
Okay, quick check. Be honest. Have you ever done the polite nod while understanding nothing? Yeah, me too.
All right, let's start with rescue sentence number one. This one is super simple and super powerful. Okay, rescue sentence number one. When you don't understand, say this. "Sorry. Can you say that again?" Let's say it together. Repeat after me slowly. "Sorry. Can you say that again?" Good. Now normal speed. "Sorry. Can you say that again?" Nice. This sentence is like a reset button for your brain because most people will repeat and your brain goes, "Oh, second chance. Thank you."
Now, here are two more natural options. Option A, "Sorry, I didn't catch that." "Sorry, I didn't catch that." Didn't catch that means I didn't hear it clearly or it was too fast. Option B, "Could you repeat that, please?" "Could you repeat that, please?" This one is a little more polite. Perfect for work or strangers.
Now, quick mini practice. Repeat after me. "Sorry. Can you say that again?" "Sorry, I didn't catch that." "Could you repeat that, please?" Good. And please use it early. Don't wait 3 minutes and then say "Sorry. Can you say that again?" Because they'll be like, "Again? From where? From 2019." So use it fast. And you can also say this short one. "Sorry. One more time." Short, cute, effective.
All right. Rescue sentence number two is also very important because sometimes you understand the words but the speed is the enemy. The speed is bullying you. Let's fix that. Okay. Rescue sentence number two. Sometimes the problem is not your English, it's the speed. Some people talk like they're in a race. "Hi, how are you? Okay. So, we're going to do this and then that and then..." and you're standing there like, "I only understood 'Hi'."
So, you say, "Could you speak a little slower, please?" Nice and polite. Now, repeat after me. "Could you speak a little slower, please?" Now, normal speed. "Could you speak a little slower, please?" Great.
Now, here are two shorter options. Option A, "A bit slower, please." Super short, super useful. Option B, "Can you say it slowly?" Very common and very easy.
Now, mini tip. If you smile and say please, people almost always slow down because you sound polite, not angry. But don't say it like this. "Slow down." [laughter] That sounds like you're talking to a dog. We don't want that.
Okay. Quick practice drill. I'll say something fast. You say the rescue sentence. Ready? Fast. "Okay. Okay. So, you need to send the file and call me before lunch." "Could you speak a little slower, please?" Good. "Again, we got to go left, then right, then upstairs and meet there." "A bit slower, please." Nice. "One more. Just sign here and fill this and take this receipt." "Okay. Can you say it slowly?" Perfect. If you can do this in real life, you will feel like a superhero.
Okay. Rescue sentence number three. This is for that moment when someone says a word and your brain goes blank. "Excuse me. What is that word? Is it English? Is it a Pokemon?" So you say, "What does [word] mean?" Simple, powerful, and totally normal. Now repeat after me. "What does [word] mean?" Great. And if you want to be extra polite, add sorry. "Sorry. What does [word] mean?"
Now, two more useful variations. Variation A. "What do you mean by this?" Is good when it's not a thing but an idea or a phrase. Variation B. "Sorry. What is [word]?" Very simple, very common.
Okay. Rescue sentence number four. This one is for this situation. You understand some words, but you're not 100% sure. So, you don't want to guess. You want to confirm. You say, "So you mean..." or the longer version, "So you mean I should..." Now repeat after me. "So you mean..." Good. Now the longer version. "So you mean I should..." Nice.
Okay. Rescue sentence number five. This one is not about the other person. It's about you because sometimes you understand but your brain needs 1 second. Your brain is like buffering, buffering, buffering. So you buy time. You say, "Just a second. Let me think." Now repeat after me. "Just a second. Let me think." Good.
Now shadowing time. You will copy my voice. Copy my rhythm. Copy my speed. We do each line two times. First slow, then normal. Ready? And yes, talk out loud. Your English muscles need exercise.
Line one. "Sorry. Can you say that again?" "Sorry, can you say that again?"
Line two. "Sorry, I didn't catch that." "Sorry, I didn't catch that."
Line three. "Could you speak a little slower, please?" "Could you speak a little slower, please?"
Line four. "A bit slower, please." "A bit slower, please."
Line five. "What does deadline mean?" "What does deadline mean?"
Line six. "Sorry, what does [word] mean?" "Sorry, what does [word] mean?"
Line seven. "So you mean we meet at 3:30?" "So you mean we meet at 3:30?"
Line 8. "Let me check. You said Friday, right?" "Let me check. You said Friday, right?"
Line nine. "Just a second. Let me think." "Just a second. Let me think."
Line 10. "One moment, please." "One moment, please."
Nice. If you repeated those lines out loud, you just trained real speaking.
All right, we're at the end. And I want you to remember this. Getting confused is normal. It does not mean your English is bad. It means you are learning in real life and real life is fast. Sometimes it feels rude. Not rude on purpose, just fast.
So, here is your challenge for today. Pick one rescue sentence, just one, and use it one time in real life, in a shop, with a friend, at work, or even while watching a YouTube video. And if you don't understand, don't do the yes, yes, yes. Please, for your safety, use a rescue sentence.
Now, tell me in the comments which one is the hardest for you to say, and which one will you use today? If this episode helped you, save it and listen again tomorrow because repetition equals confidence.
All right, my friend. This is Emma from English phrases Hub. See you in the next episode.