PhraseMix.com

the new (something)

Why does the speaker say "the new iPhone" instead of "a new iPhone"? It's because everyone expected a new iPhone to be introduced around this time. If you think your listeners know what you're talking about, you should use "the".

Use the phrase "the new ___" when talking about new products that have been eagerly expected. For example:

Have you heard the new Katy Perry album?

I can't wait for the new Harry Potter movie.

(a product) came out

When a product starts to be sold, you say that it "came out". Use this to talk about electronics, books, movies, and so on.

I remember when the Playstation first came out, it was the most awesome video game system I had ever seen.

The Lost Season 6 DVD is coming out in a couple weeks.

After something "comes out", you can then say that it is out:

Is the new Will Ferrell movie out yet?

It's been out for a few weeks.

I've GOT to have it.

This is a phrase in casual English that you say when you really want something. When you express what you want in this way, you sound a little like an impatient teenager.

(something) is ancient

The word "ancient" describes things that are thousands of years old. Some examples of "ancient" things include the Egyptian pyramids, the redwood trees in California that are over a thousand years old, and old religious stories from thousands of years ago.

Because the word "ancient" has such an extreme meaning, people often use it to exaggerate about how old something is. In the example above, the phone is only a few years, but it seems very old because new phones are coming out so quickly.

These days, people actually use "ancient" quite often to talk about technology that's old and out-of-date:

I've got to get a new laptop. Mine is absolutely ancient.

my old (something)

You can call something that you own "my old ___" after you buy a new one, or when you're starting to think about buying a new one:

I think I'm going to trade my old car in for something newer.

My old computer was so slow compared to this.

kind of (adjective)

"Kind of" means "a little" or "somewhat". It's often used in spoken English. For example:

I'm kind of shy when it comes to the opposite sex.

The pronunciation of "kind of" sounds like "kinda".

worn-out

When something is "worn out", it means that it's been used a lot. It probably looks old and might not work very well anymore because it's been used so much:

All I had to wear was an old worn-out pair of jeans.

We're replacing our old worn-out washing machine and dryer.

You can also say that you are "worn out". This just means that you're really tired:

When I get home from work, I'm worn out and all I want to do is lay on the couch and watch TV.

(adjective)-looking

This is a useful phrase when you want to describe how something looks with a word that doesn't usually describe the appearance of something. Some examples:

burnt-looking

painful-looking

delicious-looking

(be) in trouble

To be "in trouble" means that someone is angry at you and is going to punish you. So you can be "in trouble" with your parents, teachers, boss, customers, spouse, or other people who have the ability to punish you:

I'm in a bit of trouble with my wife for staying out late without calling last night.

You can also use the phrase "get in trouble" to talk about being in trouble as a single event in time. Use this when you're talking about trouble in the past or the future:

Once when I was a teenager, I got in trouble for drinking some of my dad's vodka and trying to fill it back up with water.

Aren't you going to get in trouble for that?

You are in so much trouble.

Parents say this to their children when the children do something really bad. This is pronounced with stress on the words "You" and "so":

You are in so much trouble.

(someone) could have (done something)

This phrase expresses something that maybe would have happened in the past if the situation had been a little bit different. It's a way to imagine something different happening in the past. In the example above, "You could have killed someone" means that, although you didn't kill anyone, there's a high chance of accidentally killing someone if a 14-year-old is driving a car around.

One use of "could have ___" is to express how dangerous something was that happened. Here are some common phrases:

Watch out! You could have poked somebody's eye out.

Oh my God, that was so close. We could have died!

Notice that this phrase is very different from:

You might have killed someone.

You would say this if you think that maybe your son really did kill someone. (This is what it means in American English. In British English, I think it might mean the same as "could have" but I'm just guessing. I don't speak British Englishvery well.)

what the hell

"Hell" is a word that you say when you're angry or surprised. There are lots of different uses and expressions for the word, but the expressions "what the hell", "who the hell", "how the hell", and so on are used when you want to ask a question and show that you're angry or annoyed about it.

As an example, imagine that the tire on your car went flat and you have to replace it. You're trying to fix it but it's not working and you're frustrated and annoyed. Your wife tells you that you need to lift the tire up more, but that's not possible. You say:

How the hell am I supposed to do that?

The word "hell" is considered a "curse word", which is a word that children aren't supposed to say and adults aren't supposed to say in really polite situations. Other curse words include "shit", "ass", "fuck", and "damn". However, "hell" is considered to be one of the lightest curse words. Be a little careful not to use it with someone you don't know very well, but don't be afraid to use it from time to time in your conversations.

what were you thinking?

Say this when your child, your employee, or someone else who you have authority over makes a stupid or irresponsible decision.

An example of another situation in which you can use "What were you thinking?" is when your husband does the laundry and uses bleach, making all of the clothes white and unwearable. In this situation, you can ask "What were you thinking?"

One reason that people ask this when they're angry is that, in Western culture, when you make a mistake people expect you to explain why you did it. Only saying "sorry" for your mistakes isn't usually enough - you're also expected to explain what you were thinking.

what a (something)

When you say "What a gentleman!" it means "You are really a gentleman." Similarly, if someone does something really nice, you say:

What a nice guy!

This means "He's a really nice guy."

But you can also use "What a ___" for negative things also:

What a shitty day!

This is what you say to a close friend or family member when lots of bad things happen to you on the same day.

a gentleman

A "gentleman" was historically an upper-class, wealthy man in European society. Today, when you call someone "a gentleman", it means that you think he is polite. Because the word comes from old historical ideas, it has the feeling of being old-fashioned. So when people use it, there's usually a small sense that it's a joke.

Unfortunately, there's no word for a really polite woman, although if you tell a woman who holds a door open for you "You're such a gentlewoman", she'll probably think it's funny.

Thank you very much.

"Thank you very much" is a quite formal way to say "thanks" to someone. Because it's so formal, people sometimes use it as a joke in situations that don't really need to be so formal.

In the example at top, the speaker doesn't need to be super-formal to a stranger who opened the door. But since he did something very polite by opening the door for her, she responds with the formal and polite phrase to thank him.

A more common response if someone opens a door for you is just:

Thanks.

After you.

This is a polite phrase that you say to tell someone that they can go before you. Use it when you're holding a door open for someone, or when you're in a line for something and want to let someone go before you.

How can you (do something)?

Use the phrase "How can you ___?" when you want to criticize what someone is doing. Asking this shows that you don't think the listener should do this. For example, if someone in your family is listening to loud and annoying music, you can ask:

How can you listen to this?

Because "How can you ___" sounds negative, you should use a different phrase when you actually want to know how a person does something. You ask:

How are you able to do so many things at the same time?

concentrate with (something happening)

To "concentrate" is to focus or pay attention to something. Of course, it's harder to "concentrate" if you have sounds or pictures that take your attention. To talk about this, you say "concentrate with":

It's hard to concentrate with all the noise in here.

(something) going on

"Going on" means "happening" but sounds busier. When you are busy, you say:

I have a lot going on.

You also use "going on" to mean "happening" in casual situations:

Hey Hannah, what's going on?

In these situations, "going on" doesn't sound that busy.

Wondering how to use this? Read the instructions here.

interested in (doing something)

Use "interested in ___ing" to talk about things that you want to do, when you're discussing them in a general way. "Want" has an immediate feeling. You use it for something that you want to do soon:

I want to go to Disney Land!

But you use "interested in ___ing" for things that you think would be fun, but you're not planning on doing them really soon and you might not do them. This is good for asking people questions about something you might do in the future:

Are you interested in learning French? I'm thinking of taking a class, but I don't think I'd really be able to stick with it unless I had a friend taking it with me.

an authentic experience

The word "authentic" is tricky. It means "real" but is used in certain situations. You use "authentic" to talk about international food, for example:

Do you know of any good, authentic Vietnamese restaurants here in the city?

I also use the word "authentic" to describe the kind of English sentences I try to write on this website:

On PhraseMix.com, I try to teach authentic English that you can use in the real world.

So an "authentic experience" is an experience that seems real and natural for that situation. People who want an "authentic experience" in a foreign country want to eat at the same restaurants that locals eat at, talk to locals who aren't paid to be tour guides, and see what life is like in that location.

local

"Local" means "close to (somewhere). You can use it to talk about things that are close to you, or for things that are close to another location. In the example at top, "local experiences" are things that people in the area that you're visiting usually do. Other phrases that use the word "local" include:

• local businesses
• the local government
• local residents (people who live in that area)
• local bands