Learn English: How to talk like the boss

Are you a manager? Do you want to be a manager? This English lesson will teach you how to sound like one! When you're the boss, you need to communicate effectively with your colleagues, clients, and other office workers. In this lesson, I teach you several expressions to use in a professional English-speaking environment, so that you can sound like the boss. Can I 'COUNT ON YOU' to learn this? I know you can 'FIT IT INTO' your schedule. If you can 'PULL IT OFF', you should 'FOLLOW UP'

Hello. My name is Benjamin, and I'm here to teach you on EngVid today some really good vocabulary for asking people to do what you want them to do in a work environment, helping you to be the boss.

Okay. So first thing, I want you to imagine, to think, of one thing you want someone you work with to do, okay? What could it be? Think of the person -- you want to do -- okay, yeah. I want them to do that. Yeah. Good. So here are some different uses. We're going to talk through some different kinds of instructions, some different ways of asking people to do something, okay? Good.

So first one: "aim at" or "aim to". So we could say, "Bob, I'd like you to aim at producing that presentation by Tuesday morning." Okay? So when we use "by", we introduce a deadline that they have to finish it by. Okay? So "I'd" -- obviously that's short for "I would" -- like you to do this. Okay? Now, in terms of the pronunciation, "I'd like you to aim", so we shorten -- we don't pronounce the O, and it becomes "t' aim at". Okay? So this kind of all goes into one word. "Bob, I'd like you to aim at finishing that presentation by Tuesday morning."

Now, Bob asked me what the presentation needs to be. So I say to him, "Aim to have a beginning, a middle, an end with some graphs and some evidence." Okay? "Aim to". "Aim to do this, this, and this." Great.

Now, "count on" and "rely on" are ways of checking, of asking if Bob can definitely do this. If he can do this. Okay? So I say to him, "Bob, can I count on you to do that?" He either says yes or no. If he says yes, I know that Bob can do the presentation. I could say it another way. "Can I rely on you to do that?" Okay? Again, the pronunciation -- you don't really need to pronounce the "to". It just goes "t' do that". Right? So rely on, "Can I rely on Bob to do this?" If I rely on Bob to do my presentation, Bob is doing the presentation, and I can do other work. I know Bob will do it. I rely on him. Okay? "Rely on. Count on." Okay, so "count", it's the same word as counting money -- one, two, three, four, five, six, seven pounds. Here, I'm counting on him. Good.

To "fit something in". Okay? So "fit". It's a word we use with clothes. Do these clothes fit? Do I fit into them? Do I fit in? Yeah, I fit. They fit me." "Is that something you can fit in? Can you fit this presentation into your day? Can you find time in your day to do the presentation?" "Is that" -- okay, meaning the work, the presentation -- "a thing you can fit in?" Okay? "Is that something you can fit in?"

Now, another way of saying this, "Do you think you'll be able to squeeze it in?" So "squeeze", here, that's more informal, okay? So I say, "Do you think you'll" -- so that's obviously short for "you will" be able -- future tense. "You will be able to squeeze it in." And the answer would be, "Yeah. Sure, Benjamin. I can fit it in. No problem." Okay? Are you with me so far?

Now, if I have doubts, if I have questions about Bob doing my presentation, I might need to follow up. Okay? It's a good idea to follow up. That means to check. "Bob are you doing the presentation? Bob, how's the presentation going? Bob, any news with the presentation?" These are all ways of following up. Now, we can use "follow up" with a noun. "Bob, we will need to plan a followup." "A" or "the" -- remember: There are articles with the followup, which is our noun. Okay? A "followup", working there as a noun. We can also use it as a verb, okay? I say to Bob, "I will be following up on this." Okay? Future tense with "will". Or another way of saying it, again in the future, "Bob, I am going to follow up on this. I am going to follow up on this." So "follow" -- you might know the verb "follow". If I follow someone, I walk around on them. So if I'm following Bob, I'm making sure he's doing the work. Great.

Now, Bob is getting a bit annoyed because I'm asking questions, questions, questions. So he just says to me, "Benjamin, no problem, sir. I can pull this off." Okay? "Pull off." That means "can do". Okay? "Pull off" means "can do". Now, let's have a little picture. This is where we are now. This is where we want to get to. And Bob is going to pull is the target off. He's going to do it so easily. He's going to "pull it off". Okay? Now, I'm just going to go and check to see if Bob is doing his work.

Read more »

Conversation Skills: How to agree or disagree

Do you have an opinion? Want to express yourself? Need to tell someone that they are

wrong? Watch this lesson to improve your conversational skills, and to learn the best expressions to argue and debate. In this lesson I teach you how to agree and disagree in formal and informal settings, so that you can tell people what you think -- politely and intelligently. Personally, I think that this is a very important English lesson. What do you think?

TRANSCRIPT

Hi, there, everybody. Today, we're doing a general class on having an argument, giving an opinion. Okay? Useful words for giving opinions, agreeing, disagreeing. This is something you have to do in so many walks of life, in so many situations, whether it's with your girlfriend, boyfriend, wife, whether it's with your boss, your mom, your dad. Many times, we find ourselves making a point, saying something, having something that is slightly different to the other person. Okay? It's life.

We're going to start with giving opinions. Now, we might start with an adverb like "personally". Okay? Or "frankly". So "person" -- you can see the word "person". When we say "personally", it's about this person; it's about me. "Me, I think this." "Personally, I would say that --." "Personally, I think that --."

Now, let's spend today talking about the issue of whether you should give money to the homeless man. "Personally, I think lots of people give money to them." Or, "Personally, I think they need the money." Or, "Frankly" -- this means "honestly". "Frankly, I think charity starts at home." That's a phrase that means, "If I'm going to be kind, I need to be kind to me." "Frankly, I don't want to give them any money." Okay?

Now, what I've done here is I've marked which ones are good to use in a work situation and which ones are more informal. So where I have marked, this is good to use at work. "Personally", "I'd say that". But "I reckon" and "if you ask me", these are more casual ways of speaking. "If you ask me, I think the bloke's taking the piss, mate." Okay? "If you ask me, I think the bloke's taking the piss." He's having a laugh. Okay? "I reckon he really needs some coins." Okay? So this is the one you can use at work. "I'd say that you have to think about it and balance the options up." I don't know.

What do you think? Have a go now. Personally, I think that -- go on. Give me a sentence. Great. Good work.

Now, you've presented your first opinion, and someone is agreeing with you. Let's practice agreeing with someone, okay? "Definitely! I mean, it's so cold in London. You should give some money to them." Okay? "Definite." "Definite" means certain. Okay? It's the same as "certainly". "Certainly" would be very -- too formal, though." Okay? "Definitely. You're right." Or if you like what they're saying, you agree, you could say, "I think so, too. I mean, it must be a difficult life." Yeah? These are all phrases you could use in a work situation. Okay? All of these are good for work. They're not informal ones. "I think so, too. I mean, it's really cold at the moment." "You're right. I mean, imagine not having a home or somewhere to go to the bathroom." "That's a good point. I agree with you." Okay? "I agree. It's really sad that they're living under a bridge." Okay? So these are all ways of agreeing. "Definitely. You're right. That's a good point."

Giving opinions, I could say "personally, frankly, if you ask me". These are my informal ones. These are my formal ones. Formal. Good for work. Good for the pub. Great.

Now, let's disagree. Let's disagree with Mother. "Yes, Mom. But they don't have any money to spend on a sandwich." Okay? So I'm disagreeing. I think something different to Mom. "You see, I don't agree, Mom. I think it's nice to be generous." Or you could say, "I don't know about that." Okay? Listen to the pronunciation. "I don't know about that." This is how it's spelled, "I don't know", and we say, "I dunno about that." Okay?

"Hmm. I'm not sure about that. I'm not certain." It's polite. We're disagreeing. We know that we disagree, but we're polite, so we say, "I'm not sure. I think maybe it's a nice idea to give them 10p." Or "I'm not sure about that. I'm not sure that I like that idea." Okay? You're still disagreeing. It's an English, English way of talking. We're very polite, yeah? Sometimes, anyway. Not the drivers.

"I don't go along with you." Okay? If I go along with my friend to the beach, I go along with them. But if I don't know along, no. I think something different. So, "No. I don't go along with you on that. I think blah, blah, blah, blah, blah."

"That's a good point, a good argument, but blah, blah, blah, blah, blah." "Surely you can't give all your money to them because then, you would be like them." Okay? "Surely", so you're emphasizing.

Read more »

How to Speak English - Pronunciation for Russian Speakers

Want to speak English more naturally? This lesson is designed specifically for our Russian students. It addresses pronunciation of consonants,

such as 'W' and 'V', which are difficult for Russian speakers. Often, Russians speak English very well, with almost perfect grammar. Watch this lesson and practice your pronunciation with me so that you can speak, and be understood, clearly. Although this lesson explores pronunciation issues that Russian speakers struggle with, all ESL students can benefit from the practice. 

TRANSCRIPT

Hi, there. Welcome back to EngVid. Today, we're doing a pronunciation lesson. It's particularly designed for Russian speakers who -- I had some experience of working in a language school this summer, and there were mistakes that I noticed from some of the Russian-speaking folks. But it's also a lesson to really drill pronunciation for speakers of first languages -- if it's Spanish, French, German -- whatever your first language is, it will be a useful lesson for you. So do stay tuned, and let's work on crystal clear, crisp pronunciation for all of you.

Okay. We're just going to be looking mainly at consonant noises, sounds, today. And then, a little bit on how we use our pitch to suggest that what we are saying is a question. Is that right? Yes, it is.

So first of all, the difference between T and D. T, T, T, T. Okay? I'm flicking my tongue along the roof of my mouth. T, T -- okay? But when I do D, D, D, I'm making more of a sound. D, D, D. Okay. T, T, T -- it's kind of without the force of my breath. But when I do D, D, D, I put more weight behind it -- D. Okay?

So we're going to do this side, and then this side. Please repeat after me. Ten, den. Ten, den. Try, dry. Latter, ladder. Whiter, wider. Bent, bend. Mate, made.

Good. So you all know the meanings of this. Obviously, the number ten. "Den" is like an outdoor little house. "Try" -- put in effort. "Dry" -- the opposite of "wet". "Latter", as in "the last". "Ladder" to climb up. "Whiter" teeth than you. "Wider" than him. "Bent" -- "bend", the process, the verb of bending. "Mate" -- my friend. "Made" in Chelsea." Okay? Where something is produced.

Now, we're looking particularly at the dark L, the stronger L, L, L. So it's a sound that I make quite back in my mouth. L, L. Again, the tongue is kind of doing that, but it's back in my mouth -- L. Whereas R, R, R, it's further forward, further forward. L, L, R, R. See what my mouth is doing? R, okay? R, R. It's kind of opening and coming down -- R. Let's practice here. Load, road. Load, road. Lice, rice. Liver, river. Fly, fry, fry. This is a difficult one because you've got the F followed by the R -- F, R, F, F, F, F, F. So I'm using my bottom lip down here -- F -- flicking it up to the stop lip. F -- rye. Fry, fry. Belly, berry. Belly, berry. Okay. So that dark L and the R.

I also noticed some difficulty with the nasal -- the nose sound NG. Okay? When I do that NG sound, I should feel vibration here in my nose. NG. Have a go at home. NG. Okay, focus that noise out here through your nose. And let's go for "sing". Okay? Feel the vibration in your nose. Ring, bring, fling, thing. Again, let's check the meaning. "Sing", obviously "sing" a song. "Ring" on my finger. "Bring" me a cake. "Fling" a pen; throw -- also means "romance", a fling. And "thing" is an object. Okay?

Now, we're on to TH. Oh, just having a bit of a malfunction of the old wardrobe. Don't worry; my trousers aren't falling down. We're okay. We're okay. Now, obviously, there's no TH sound in the Russian alphabet, so it's going to be particularly difficult for Russians. TH, TH. So my lip is going to my upper jaw and to the front teeth. They, they. Okay. Make sure your tongue comes right forward to the tip of your teeth. They, they. And it just nestles under there under your teeth. They. They, dey. They, dey. There, dare. Thy, die. Then, den. Southern, sudden. Okay. Let's do it one more time. They, dey -- misspelling. Dey -- that sounds like a kind of Jamaican phrase. "Dey people over there, man. Dey [inaudible]." Okay. But I actually mean "day" with an A. Okay? There, dare. Thy, die. Then, den. Southern, sudden. "Sudden" meaning "quick"; it happens fast.

This, I think, is probably the biggest mistake that Russian speakers would make, the confusion between W and V. W, V -- vibration here in the lips -- V -- and release -- V -- release. West, vest. Went, vent. Wire, via. This is a really confusing one, wire and via. Also, for German speakers, this is relevant. Wary, vary. Wiper, viper. Okay? W and V -- feel the vibration here. W -- okay, watch what I'm doing -- W.

Read more »

Learn English Tenses: PRESENT PERFECT and PAST SIMPLE

Do you get confused using English tenses? In today's lesson, I teach you how and when

to use the Present Perfect and Past Simple tenses. It's easy to confuse the two, and many English students make mistakes with these tenses. In this grammar lesson, you will learn how each one is used, how they are different from one another, and how to know which tense is correct for your sentence. English tenses can be difficult to master, but I'll teach you my quick and easy tips so that you can use these tenses correctly. Once you understand them, practice by taking my quiz.

TRANSCRIPT

Hi there, guys, and welcome back to www.engvid.com. Going to be doing a grammar lesson today. We're looking at the difference between the present perfect and the past simple. Sometimes these tenses can look a little bit similar, so I want to point out to you why we use the present perfect when we're talking about something that's current, now, but looking back to the past; and then looking at the past simple as a simple completed action. I hope it's helpful. Let's get involved.

So:

"Bruce is looking for his helmet. He can't find it anywhere. So he __________", now what do you think should go here? "He __________ lost his helmet."

Okay, he's looking for his helmet, he can't find it, so we need to put something in here. Have you got it? Well the answer is: "has". Okay? So: "He has lost his helmet." Now, to form the present perfect, I put my subject, I'll just put "s" for subject, so: "I", "you", "he", "she", "we", "they", "it". Okay? Subject plus "has" or "have", plus the past participle. So if it's regular, you're going to be doing a verb with an "ed" ending. For example: "completed", "finished", "started". Okay? So verb plus: "ed". However, if it's irregular, it's going to have a slightly different ending. I'm hoping you've got a list of irregular verbs somewhere. Get in touch with me if you don't, I'll help out.

So, when are we talking about? "Bruce has lost his helmet. He has lost his helmet." Well, it's not future. Is it? Okay? It's either present or past. Now, we use the present perfect when we're looking at something that's kind of just happened. It happened quite recently; it's only just happened. So I'm going to write in: "recent", okay? "R-e-c-e-n-t", "recent". Say it back to me: "recent". Okay, it happened recently, the adverb. Great. So: "Bruce has lost his helmet." It's only just happened. It happened like an hour ago, it happened five minutes ago. For not much time has he lost his helmet.

Now, let's look at how we form this verb. As I said, we look at our subject so it's either: "I", or: "we", or: "they", or: "you". What do you think? "Has" or: "have" here? "I has" or: "I have"? That's it, it's: "I have". Okay? Now, the contraction for: "I have" is: "I've finished." -"Have you done your homework?" -"Yes, I've finished my homework. Just five minutes ago, I finished my homework." Okay?

Now, with the subjects: "he", "she", "it", we're going to need to use: "has". "Sorry about my pen, it has just run out of ink." Okay? So subject plus: "has". Contraction: "It's just run out of ink." So that brings me on to my next point, "run" would be an irregular verb. Okay? "R-u-n", it doesn't use an "ed" ending. Check out your list of irregular verb endings for the past participle. Good. Still with me? Still understanding? Still on the same page? Comprendo? Brilliant.

Now, we're going to look on to the past simple now.

"He"-Bruce-"lost his helmet." Okay? "He lost his helmet." This is the... Oh, dear, I got it the wrong way around. Teachers aren't perfect after all. So: "He lost his helmet is the past simple." Okay? Because it's a completed action that has happened in the past and it's finished. "He lost his helmet." Okay? So let's write in, past simple, that's there. "He lost his helmet." Done. Happened once, finished. "But now he has found it!" Tada! Great. So Bruce, he now has found it. Okay? And the pen has still run out of ink. "But now he has found it!" The difference... So this is my present perfect. It has something to do with now. "But now he has found it!" Okay? This "now" talks about the present. "But now he has found his helmet."

Let's look at the differences one more time. Present perfect, it tells us about the situation now. I have the helmet now. e.g: "Bruce has lost his helmet. He has lost his helmet." Now no helmet. Okay? Now, what do we know now? Well, now, there is no helmet.

Past simple: "He lost his helmet." When we use the past simple, we find out about the past, but we don't know about the present. Okay? So we know about the past, not the present. "Bruce lost his helmet." We don't know if he has his helmet now. We cannot see the present which is down here: "He does have his helmet." Okay? So the past just doesn't give us that information about right now, the past simple.

Read more »

Learn English Grammar: has, have, have got

Do you know when to use 'have' and 'have got'? In this English grammar lesson, I'll

teach you how to use the verb 'have' correctly. Many students who are learning English make mistakes with 'have', 'has', 'have got'. In this lesson, you will learn which tenses to use these with, and how to build correct sentences with these words. I'll also teach you the differences in usage between British and American English. When you're finished watching, practice using 'have' and 'have got' in my quiz. If you'd like more practice, please comment with your own 'have' and 'have got' sentences!

TRANSCRIPT:

Hello, engVid viewers. Welcome back. Today, we're doing a lesson on: "have" and "have got", and the differences between these two grammatical constructions, and when we use them. Okay? So I'm going to be talking through the different uses of: "have" and "have got", which tenses we can use, whether it's past, present, or future, and then looking at the form; exactly how we make sentences using: "have" or "have got".

As a generalization, here in the UK, we prefer to say: "has got" rather than "has". Missing a little mark there. So, I might say: "David Cameron has got an important job." Whereas in the US, they might say: "Barack Obama has an important job." Okay? So that's just a small little difference you might want to think about. It's not important though, don't worry too much about it.

When we're talking about the possessive, when we're talking about things you own-okay?-property, you can use both: "have" and "have got". So, for example: "My friend, Joanna, has got a beautiful house." Or I could use: "have". "Billy has a big horse." Okay? So I can use both: "has got" and "has". Yeah? Pretty, pretty plain sailing? Obviously, if it's not "he", so this is "he", if it was kind of "they", then it would be: "They have a big horse." A big horse.

Now, how do I ask questions about the possessive? Well, if I'm using: "have", I take this form: "Do you have a carrot?" Because Billy's horse is hungry. Okay? "Do you have", and then my object here. "Do you have?" If I'm using: "have got", then I put "have" and this is kind of my subject. "Have you got a mortgage?" Okay? So: "Do you have...?" or: "Have you got...?" Okay? Something to remember. "Do you have...?" or: "Have you got...?"

Now, when I'm using actions: "have" I use when I'm talking about something that is a habit. For example: "I usually have a shower after going to the gym." Okay? "I usually have Weetabix in the morning." So these are things that I do quite often. "Have got", it's slightly different when I'm talking about an action and "have got". So: "I have got to go to the toilet after this lesson." Okay? "I have got to go to the bank tomorrow.", "I have got to telephone my mother and say: 'Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah', about Christmas." Okay?

Read more »