“You can substitute plain yogurt for the sour cream if you want to make it lower-fat.”

You're at a potluck lunch. Someone asks you about the dish that you made, so you're telling her about the recipe. You're talking about different options for the recipe, and you say:

You can substitute plain yogurt for the sour cream if you want to make it lower-fat.

Click to read more ...

“From a practical perspective, I don't see how that's possible.”

In a discussion at work, someone suggested an idea that sounds good. But in reality, you don't think it can be done. You want to say that in a direct but polite way. You say:

From a practical perspective, I don't see how that's possible.

Click to read more ...

“I don't see that happening any time soon.”

Your friend is writing a message on her mobile phone. It takes a long time for her to write it and there are a lot of spelling mistakes. She says that she wants a mobile phone that she can just speak into and it will type the message perfectly. You don't think that's possible, so you say:

I don't see that happening any time soon.

I don't see that happening

This means "I don't think it's going to happen." You use this when someone suggests that something will happen, but you don't believe it.

This is a slightly casual phrase. A more formal way of expressing this idea is:

I don't think that's likely to happen.

"I don't see ___" can be completed with specific actions as well, instead of "that happening". For example:

I don't see Joe agreeing to do that.

This sentence means "I don't think that Joe will agree to do that."

(not doing something) any time soon

The basic meaning of this phrase is "not soon". But it's usually used as an understatement. You say this when you don't think something will happen for a long time, or maybe ever.