Hoje temos algumas expressões bem comuns, que usam a palavra SHOE.
Transcrição
Hey, everybody! What’s up? This is Ana Luiza, with a new episode of the inglesonline podcast. To download or just listen to other episodes and download transcripts, go to inglesonline.com.br and click Podcast Inglesonline.
So today I’m gonna talk about a few common expressions, and two of them include the word shoes. Picture this: your friend is talking about his neighbor, a 29 year-old woman who has a full time job as a salesperson and moonlights as a bartender. She moonlights as a bartender. What does that mean? That means that, besides her main job, besides her full time job as a salesperson, she has a side job, an additional job as a bartender. It’s a part time job… When someone moonlights in addition to their main job, it’s usually a part time job ’cause well, you can’t have two full time jobs at the same time. And I guess having a second, part time job is called “moonlighting” ’cause it’s usually something you do at night, again, in addition to your full time job.
So this woman works as a salesperson and then she moonlights as a bartender. So your friend is telling you about how tired Lisa looks… let’s say her name is Lisa. I mean, of course she’s tired. The woman sells during the day, and then she bartends at night. And bartending hours aren’t easy! Bars usually stay open until very late, so Lisa only has a few hours to rest until she has to get ready for her sales job in the morning. So your friend is telling you all that and you’re shaking your head… You tell him “Why would a young woman like Lisa do that? I can’t believe it. It must be so exhausting to work two jobs! I would never do that”.
And then your friends says “Well, if you were in Lisa’s shoes, you might. If you were in her shoes, you too might work two jobs. She doesn’t have any family other than her two-year-old daughter
so she’s alone in the world. She has to provide for herself and for her daughter. So, if you were in her shoes, maybe you too would work day and night.” So, what do you think? If *you* were in Lisa’s shoes, would you have a full time job and an additional part time job too? What would you do, if you were in Lisa’s shoes?
Of course, when we say that – to be in someone’s shoes, we mean… If you put yourself in someone’s shoes, you can imagine what it is like to be in their position. You can see or experience something from their point of view. So go ahead and think of someone you know who has to make a difficult decision right now. Maybe it’s a friend who is considering quitting college in order to work. Maybe it’s a relative who wants to move abroad. Maybe it’s someone from your office who has been offered a position at a much smaller company. If you were in this person’s shoes, what would you do? What would you do, if you were in her or his shoes?
OK. Let’s change the subject a little bit. Let’s say you’ve been working for the same company for eight years, OK? Eight years, it’s a long time. So you know all the employees at this company, you know what everybody does, this company is like a second home for you. One day your boss tells you that Mary Smith, sales supervisor, is quitting. In all the twelve years Mary has been working for this company, she has earned the respect of the entire industry for her professionalism and work ethic. However, she has received a great offer from another company, and she’s accepted it. That means that there’s a job opening for a sales supervisor in your company right now, and your boss says that she thinks you would be just perfect for the job. You have been with the company for eight years, you are a great employee, very competent, and your boss thinks you would be perfect to fill Mary Smith’s shoes.
Again: your boss thinks you would be perfect to fill Mary Smith’s shoes. What does that mean? That means that your boss thinks you would be perfect to take Mary’s place and do her work
well. Yeah, your boss thinks you would be able to fill Mary’s shoes. You are a little nervous about this. You don’t think it’ll be very easy to fill Mary’s shoes. She’s extremely well-regarded and respected; her work is top-notch. You think it’s not gonna be easy to fill Mary’s shoes, but your boss thinks you can do it. You can fill her shoes. You’re capable, you’re competent and dedicated. You can fill Mary’s shoes.
So if you have ever been promoted or hired to a position previously occupied by a well-regarded employee, please let us know what filling his or her shoes was like! Let us know about the last time you put yourself in someone else’s shoes to understand what they were going through. Talk to you next time!
Key expressions
she moonlights as
(put yourself) in someone’s shoes
be in someone’s shoes
fill someone’s shoes
Glossary
bartending hours = horas/horário em que um bartender trabalha
Ana criou um blog de dicas de inglês em 2006, e depois de muito pesquisar o que faz alguém ganhar fluência numa segunda língua, criou seu primeiro curso de inglês em 2009.
Hi, Ana!
I liked so much the last podcast.
I still read you reports about ” Dicas de inlges online”, and i hope to learn more with you! I have some books of ingles. I can read and writhing more less but my dificult is to talking. I snow a report “on dicas” when you suggest to liste more mp3 of inglês.
Well… First of all I’d like to say that I worked as an English teacher like 3 years ago, but since I wasn’t paid enough
I had to find a full-time job. So I started to work during the day for an accounting office and then at night I moonlighted as an english teacher.
Recently I had to fill the choir director’s shoes in the choir I conduct. Now, besides conducting I’m in charge of everything else too. It’s not easy, but i’ts been great!!!
