“Don't you dare talk to me like that!”

English Lesson: Don't you dare talk to me like that!

You're in a big argument with your boyfriend. He called you a bad word. You can't believe he said that to you, so you're extremely angry. This is your response.

Don't you dare talk to me like that!

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Don't you dare!

"Don't you dare!" is an expression that communicates a warning to someone. It's a way of saying "If you do that I will be extremely angry!" Say it in situations like these:

  • Your children try to disobey you.
  • You're in an angry argument with someone who's trying to blame you for something that's not your fault.

You can also include the action that you don't want someone to do:

Don't you dare talk to me like that!

Don't you dare leave without cleaning up this mess, young man.

"Don't you dare" is usually said very angrily or strictly, so be careful about when you use "Don't you dare!" However, there are some situations where people use it without any sense of anger. In TV commercials, you might hear something like:

Don't you dare miss this sale!

talk to (someone) like that

Talking to someone "like that" usually means speaking:

  • rudely
  • very directly
  • angrily

For example:

I'm her mother! What makes her think that she can talk to me like that?

Don't talk to me like that.

It's very rare to describe someone speaking politely and pleasantly as "like that".