Phrases in English for Language Learners

Introduction

Hello! It’s Kristine here with the Express to Impress podcast. It’s a beautiful day here in Liberty, Missouri USA with the sun shining and birds chirping. I’ve left my window open with the hopes you can hear the birds. This episode is part two of “Cultural Differences and Communication: You Don’t Say?! Podcast.” You will learn six phrases in English. When you expand your English vocabulary, you’ll be able to communicate better with native English speakers. And as always, you’ll get some homework at the end so you can continue to improve your English communication skills.

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If you want my tips on preparing for a job interview, I invite you to visit my website for my free five-step job interview preparation checklist. This checklist has already helped thousands of people worldwide perform well in interviews and get jobs they love. To sign up, visit my website at express-to-impress.com.

Now, let’s begin!

Phrases in English

The Real Deal

So that combination of learning about the process–learning all about body language, what makes a great answer, what’s the appropriate length for an answer—and then getting the chance to practice it before the real deal helps people be more successful. 

Here, the real deal means the actual interview.

For the Life of Me

And I was by myself, and I could not figure out that bus schedule for the life of me.

This phrase means however hard one tries and even if their life depended on it. Here, I’m saying I tried very hard to figure out the bus schedule but failed to understand it.

Know Something Like the Back of One’s Hand

And you want to know what your job responsibilities will be like the back of your hand. 

To know something like that back of your hand means you have a very good and detailed knowledge of it.

The Opportunity of a Lifetime

But I work with some people who invest an enormous amount of time preparing for these opportunities of a lifetime.

We use the opportunity of a lifetime to describe a very special chance or an exceptional possibility.

Stakes are High

They will invest an enormous amount of time and money before they ever meet with me to get ready for an interview, and the stakes are high.

We use the phrase the stakes are high when something important could potentially be lost. This phrase comes from gambling. The money that you bet is your stake. 

Buy Time

Or maybe buy time by saying, “Oh, that’s a good question; just let me think.”

When you buy time, you delay an event temporarily to have longer to improve your position.

Alright, now you know many new phrases in English. I encourage you to start using them today!

Let’s Work Together!

I love helping people get ready for interviews. After all, a successful interview can change a person’s life! I recently had the pleasure of working with a software engineer preparing for a job interview with Amazon. He was incredibly hardworking and well prepared for our training sessions, and I’m happy to share he got a job offer! 

Here’s what he said about working with me:

“Kristine is a wonderful teacher. She was able to identify my pronunciation mistakes and give me short-term and long-term advice. After having five sessions with her, I was able to improve my speaking substantially.”

To see pictures and more testimonials from my clients, visit my website at express-to-impress.com/interview-preparation-results. 

And if you have an interview coming up–either a job interview, medical residency interview, fellowship interview, or academic interview–I would love to work with you. You can schedule a free consultation or book a mock interview with me on my website at express-to-impress.com. 

English Learning Homework

Learning takes repetition and implementation. So, I’ll give you some homework! Listen to this episode again and repeat the words out loud to practice. It will not only expand your English vocabulary but help you to improve your American English pronunciation, listening skills, and intonation. You’ll be doing the Shadowing Technique! If you need a reminder about implementing the Shadowing Technique, check out episode 15, Introducing the Shadowing Technique for English Learning.   

Like most people, I don’t want to hear advertisements when I’m listening to a podcast. One way podcasters avoid advertisements is by asking for listener support. So, I’d like to invite you to make a donation to the podcast. 100% of any amount you give will go to production expenses. You can donate with a debit card, credit card, or Paypal account on my website at express-to-impress.com/podcast.  

Thank you so much for listening to the Express to Impress podcast. If you found this episode helpful, please remember to share it with a friend. See you next time. Bye!

Music by Lucas Knutter