Como digo em inglês: Que sacada boa!

By Ana | Podcast Inglês Online

Feb 14
sacada boa em ingles

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How’s it going?

Nesse episódio do podcast Inglês Online vamos falar sobre algumas expressões muito comuns com a palavra ‘call’.

Transcrição

Hi, everybody. What’s up? Today we have 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.

Today we have three expressions with the word ‘call’. Yeah, I’m talking about call, the same word we use when we telephone someone. But only one of the expressions today has something to do with giving a phone call, so, let’s get started with that one.

Here it is: “Don’t call us; we’ll call you”. That means, of course, please do not get in touch. We will contact you, we will let you know if we want to talk to you any further. So, for example, you had a job interview this morning and, at the end, you asked the interviewer “When do you think you’ll make a decision?” And the interviewer says “Don’t call us, we’ll call you. Thank you for coming!”

This phrase “Don’t call us, we’ll call you” is often understood as, and it often actually is, a dismissal. It’s like that person is saying “Don’t bother, OK? Don’t bother calling us. If you get the job, we will let you know”. Sometimes you see that on sitcoms: one of the characters comes back from a job interview and a friend asks “So how did the interview go?” and the character answers “The interviewer said ‘Don’t call us, we’ll call you'”. And the friend says “Oh, sorry to hear that. I’m sorry it didn’t work out”.

This phrase is often understood as a rejection, although, I mean, that’s not necessarily true, of course. It could be that the people at the company decide that they like you and that you’re a good fit for the job and they end up calling you, so… who knows? In any case, if you hear “Don’t call us; we’ll call you” at the end of an interview, you know what to do: nothing. And keep looking for a job, right?

Our second expression with ‘call’ today is a great one. I’m going to start off with an example which, I think, will make it easier for you guys to get the meaning. Picture this: you and your work mates are in the office, working on a spreadsheet. It’s a super important spreadsheet with a ton of calculations and you’ve all been crunching numbers for hours, and snacking on some pizza, and now you’re revising the numbers again… So finally, around 5 o’clock, your work is done. The spreadsheet is ready to be emailed to the VP of Sales. You take one final glance at the spreadsheet, save the file and zip it up.

You’re about to hit “Send” when John, one of your teammates, interrupts you and says “Wait! We’d better make this file ‘read-only’, you know, just to be safe. A couple of people other than the VP will be able to open it, so… Let’s make it a read-only file’. Everyone looks at John and you say “Good call!” No one but John thought of the security aspect. That spreadsheet is full of confidential information and you guys worked so hard on it. The least you can do is protect it from being modified, even accidentally. So that’s why, when John thought that it would be a good idea to make the spreadsheet read-only, you said “Good call!”

That means, wow, what a great thing to think of, what a great thing to notice! Here’s something that’s really important; it’s such an important and simple detail, and no one else even thought of it, but John. And that is why you said “Good call, John!” In Portuguese I guess we could say something like “Que sacada! Nossa, que sacada boa”. I think you get what I’m saying and next time someone in your team says “Good call!” you know you’ve noticed or realized something really useful or important before anyone else did.

And here’s one more very common expression with ‘call’: let’s call it a day. Let’s call it a day. That means simply ‘let’s end whatever it is we’re doing now, let’s be done with this for today’. People usually say that when they have been engaged in some sort of activity for some time… let’s say, for a few hours, and they’re ready to just be done with it for that day. Maybe they’ll continue tomorrow, but they’re done for today so they say ‘Let’s call it a day’, and then they say goodbye and go home, maybe. Or perhaps you’re having drinks with your work mates at a bar after work and it’s already 9PM, and one of your colleagues suggests that you guys go to a different bar now. You’re tired, you’re ready to go home so you say “Hmm, I think I’m gonna call it a night. See you all tomorrow at the office”.

Or maybe you met with your old highschool friends at the mall and you guys have been chatting and catching up all afternoon and all of a sudden you realize it’s already 5PM and you’re supposed to pick up your kid at school. So you tell your friends “It was great seeing you all, but it’s time I call it a day”.

So, has anyone ever told you “Don’t call us; we’ll call you?” Let us know in the comments.  Talk to you next time!

 

Key expressions

  • don’t call us; we’ll call you
  • good call!
  • let’s call it a day

 

Glossary

a dismissal = uma dispensada

don’t bother = não se dê ao trabalho

crunching numbers = processar uma quantidade enorme de dados, fazer muitas contas

you zip it up = você zipa o arquivo

no one but John = ninguém, a não ser o John

Ana
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Fernandes 10/01/2015

“don’t call us, we’ll call you” is like in Brazil: “Nós entraremos em contato com você”.

Francisco Sant'Anna 13/05/2012

Hi Ana!

I want to tell about the expression “goog call”, then did you do something good the most of people dosen’t care about, but if you did something wrong specialy in your job they goes ballistic, “overreacting”, no one says good job or keep going or “good call”. I love this expressions I will use in my job.

Thanks Ana! I see you later.

Francisco Sant’Anna your dedicate student!

Jeff 17/02/2012

Hi Ana!

I have a doubt about it: “Good call” sounds like “Boa idéia!”? … and “snacking on some pizza” I didn’t get it. ):

Thanks! :D

    Ana 17/02/2012

    Oi Jeff –
    Não é bem a mesma coisa. Boa ideia – mais como Good Idea. Ouça de novo a explicação pra vc pegar, Ok?
    Snacking – procure “snack” como verbo no thefreedictionary.com – ele é ótimo!

dbarboni 16/02/2012

Hi Ana Luiza, what’s up? Great podcast as always…
Well, I ‘ve finished your basic course and I loved it.
I’m anxious about your new intermediate course…
Do you know when will it be ready?
Thank you and again: You are excellent teacher! Congratulations!

    Ana 16/02/2012

    Thanks, Débora :)

    I’m working on the intermediate course, but it should still be some time until it’s released.

    Meanwhile, keep listening to the podcasts, and many thanks for writing!!

Davi Genari 15/02/2012

Ana Luiza,me tire uma duvida…como eu faço para baixar os podcast?
Nao estou conseguindo baixar nenhum.

    Jeff 15/02/2012

    Tive a mesma dúvida, clique com o botão direito em “Salvar destino como…” e o arquivo será salvo em um local no seu computador! :D

    Ana 16/02/2012

    Clique no link com o botão direito do mouse, e escolha “SAlvar”..

Raymundo 15/02/2012

Ana,

I’ve never heard someone saying expressions
like these after a job intervew. I’m sure it would
be the worst one to hear.

@julianinhamatos 15/02/2012

Yeah, I’ve already heard that expression… Actually lately I’m sending resumés for several companies and it is a true situation. All interviwers wanna be polite and then they say “I’ll call you”… every time I hear these words I feel myself like a poor kid waiting for the weekly ice cream and it never comes =( Mainly ’cause anyone called me until now…

So, about the other expression, let me see if I got it…

Every night a friend and I went to a library studying contents for a hard test we’re waiting for… So, after some two or three hours studying I was too tired and my eyes couldn’t keep open more. Then I said: “Hey, sorry! I’m not standing my body and my eyes are so heavy now… I think I should call it a night, ok!?”

    Ana 16/02/2012

    Hi ju – hang in there (não desanime) :o)

    Oh, definitely, I was never one to pull an allnighter (nunca fui de passar a noite estudando) and I was always the first one to say ‘I think I’m gonna call it a night”

EducadorZero 15/02/2012

Good mornig everybody!

Well, this situation is really bad, but unfortunately sometimes it happens
Althought I’ve already lived it, I’d like to talk about another funnier than that.
Has who lived that?? (is it correct?)

A friend was running at the Ibirapuera when he saw a pretty girl
He got closer her and started a foo talking. Suddenly he asked her phone number, but she didn’t gave him and said:
“Oh, please give me yours and don’t call me, I’ll call you, right!!!!

Last saturday I was skatebording near my house and I had a great surprise, an old best friend arrived there and we talked a lot. I Wanted to talk more and more, but I had an important commitment, then I told you let’s call it a day!

    Ana 15/02/2012

    Exactly! hahahah… Don’t call me, I’ll call you :)

    Great example for “Let’s call it a day”

Jeff 14/02/2012

What a great podcast! :P
Well I’ve never been in a situation like that “Don’t call us;we’ll call you” but I could understand what you meant! You can take my word for it! :D

Ana!

Tenho uma dúvida .-.
Assim que eu pagar o boleto de adesão do curso, já posso utiliza-lo automaticamente ou você precisa confirmar pagamento ou algo assim?

Obrigado!!!

Parabéns

    Ana 15/02/2012

    Hi Jeff! – não sei por que mas seus comments estão indo parar no spam. Não precisa postar 2x que eu estou liberando, OK?

    O boleto é processado automaticamente pelo PagSeguro, ou seja, vc paga e dali a um tempo o PagSeguro recebe a info. do pagamento, “avisa” meu sistema e as instruções são enviadas a vc (tudo automático!)

      Jeff 15/02/2012

      Certo Ana! Me desculpe ter postado 2x, é que não estava aparecendo meus comments aqui, então acabei postando 2x, desculpe!

      Então está certo, obrigado!!!

      Ana 15/02/2012

      Tem problema não… :)

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