“They've lost it, if you ask me.”

English Lesson: They've lost it, if you ask me.

You're talking about a basketball team with your coworkers. This team used to be very good. Recently, they've lost a few games. You don't think that they're going to be a very good team any more. You give your opinion this way.

They've lost it, if you ask me.

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if you ask me

Use this expression when you want to share your opinion, but no one has directly asked you what you think.

When you use "If you ask me" at the beginning of a sentence, it can sound very bold:

If you ask me, the real problem is the way that the media has handled this.

But when you use it at the end of a sentence, it doesn't sound quite as bold.

(someone) has lost it

You can use the phrase "___ has lost it" to talk about someone who used to be really good, but isn't as good any more. This phrase is useful for talking about people like:

  • musicians
  • athletes
  • writers
  • artists

When you use this phrase, "it" means the person's skill, talent, or creativity.

There's also a completely different meaning of "___ has lost it". It can mean that someone has gone crazy:

A: What's wrong with him lately?

B: I don't know, but he's completely lost it.