Como falo em inglês: O que significa isso?

By Ana | Podcast Inglês Online

Jan 09
Como falo em inglês O que significa isso

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Hello, all. Nesse episódio do podcast Inglês Online eu falo sobre alguns errinhos comuns de inglês.

Transcrição

How’s it going, everyone? 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.

Let’s go for some practice today. What kind of practice? I’m gonna talk about a couple of structures that are frequently misused by English learners, especially those learners who haven’t had enough input in English… well, not enough input on those two little structures, anyway.

The first common mistake can be illustrated by this example: “I’m used to wake up late on Saturdays“. That may make sense to our Brazilian ears in the beginning, but it’s really not how English natives speak. So what I’m going to do here is give you several examples so that you get a little more exposure to the correct usage of “used to” to express some activity that is a habit to you.

First of all, when someone says “I’m used to wake up late on Saturdays” – and, remember, this is the incorrect way to say it – this person is trying to communicate a habit; something that he or she does regularly. That’s how he or she usually does things. That’s what this structure communicates. What’s the correct way to say it? We’re gonna use the -ING form here: I’m used to wakING up late on Saturdays. I’m used to waking up late on Saturdays. That means that I usually wake up late on Saturdays. I have this habit of waking up late on Saturdays. I probably like waking up late on Saturdays. I’m used to waking up late on Saturdays.

Like I mentioned before, the incorrect way might make sense to ears that are accustomed to Portuguese. Let’s get that straightened out right away by listening to several examples. Here are a few habits of mine and some people I know as well.

  • I’m used to walkING my dog in the evenings.
  • I’m used to writING posts in the morning.
  • My friend Mariana is used to sleepING late on weekends.
  • One of my friends is used to drinkING milk at dinner. She really likes it.
  • I’m not used to drivING in Rio de Janeiro, so I would avoid it.
  • Sometimes when you start at a new job you have to become familiar with people who are used to doING things a certain way; and that way might not be what you’re used to.

Tell us about your lunch or dinner habits. Examples: “I’m used to having just a salad at dinner. I’m never too hungry at night, so a salad is usually enough”. Or “I would never eat feijoada at night. That’s heavy food and I’m not used to going to bed after eating that much”.

And here’s the second structure for this podcast. It is, yes, a really simple structure and it’s considered very basic. And yet, I hear people say it wrong all the time, including quite a few TV personalities. How do you ask what something, or some word, means? You say “What does that mean?” or “What does it mean?”, or “What does “truck” mean?” Truck means caminhão.

The most common mistakes here are “What means truck?” or “What does mean truck?”. Those are wrong. “Mean” is a verb, and it behaves the same way as… have, go, take and all other verbs. What does “mean” mean? It means “significar”. So let me give you several examples of the correct way to use this. These are all gonna be questions, of course, so if you know the answers… leave a comment! Notice how I always ask the question exactly the same way:

  • What does “in retrospect” mean?
  • What does “speculate” mean?
  • What does “deception” mean?
  •  What does “twice as much” mean?
  • What does “persimmon” mean?
  • What does “resumé” mean?
  • What does “resume” mean?
  • What does “touch base” mean?

So if you remember saying “What means…?” or “What does mean…?” recently, this podcast is for you. Enjoy, and I’ll talk to you next time.

Ouça mais sobre used to

Leia mais sobre used to para passado

 

Key expressions

  • What does (something) mean?
  • I’m used to doing something

Glossary

Let’s get that straightened out = Vamos dar um jeito nisso

Ana
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chaussure de foot 21/06/2013

Very rapidly this web page will be famous amid
all blogging people, due to it’s good articles or reviews

lucas lima 02/03/2013

hello

lucas lima 28/02/2013

good evening

lucas lima 28/02/2013

hello i m from brazil so long

Alex 18/01/2013

Hello Ana, What do you think about the Guns and Roses’s song that says “I used to love her”?

    Ana 25/01/2013

    I love the melody… can’t remember the lyrics beyond that sentence!

      Alex Sousa 25/01/2013

      I mean… The sentence should be not “I used to loving her”? according with your explain.

      Neusa 01/02/2013

      Ana, I saw another music with this expression “American Pie”, “I can remember how that music make used to make me smile” and not “used to making me smile”. Which is the correct form?

Rodrigo 17/01/2013

oh, now I realize that I made a mistake: I refered to the structure “I used to + infinitive verb”, but in the podcast you were refering to another one. it’s due to an inattentive reading. My bad!

    Rodrigo 17/01/2013

    Please, disregard my previous message. It was an addition to a former message I tried (and failed, now I realize) to post.

Rodrigo 17/01/2013

Ana Luiza,

First of all, thanks for the interesting website. It is really hopeful! Secondly, I would ask you something. I heard a lot a times the structure “I used to + infinitive verb”, for instance, I used to love her, I used to think of this. Are they wrong? I thought when we use this kind of structure “I used to love her” we are trying to refer to a kind of former habit, not a current habit. So, I think that the difference between the two structures it that one is refering to former habits and the other to current habits. Does it make any sense? I am not sure about this, really.

Thanks anew for the website!

    Ana 25/01/2013

    Rodrigo, please use the Search form – there are articles about this topic on the site.

Carlos C. Coelho 15/01/2013

Hello Ana, this post is very useful, tks.

Talking about things that are habit, may I say “I use to have just a salad at dinner”, instead of “I’m used to having just a salad at dinner”? Do they mean the same thing?

See ya.

    Ana 25/01/2013

    Não, Carlos. A primeira não se usa :)

Débora 13/01/2013

■What does “in retrospect” mean? thinking now about something in the past.
■What does “speculate” mean? when you guess possible answers to a question without having enough information to be certain.
■What does “deception” mean? when people hide the truth, especially to get an advantage.
■ What does “twice as much” mean? two times
■What does “persimmon” mean? a very sweet orange tropical fruit.
■What does “resumé” mean? a short form for CV.
■What does “resume” mean? If an activity resumes, or if you resume it, it starts again after a pause.
■What does “touch base” mean? to talk to someone for a short time to find out how they are or what they think about something.

    Ana 25/01/2013

    Great job, Débora!! Awesome.

marco brainiac 11/01/2013

Thanks Ana,

Your podcast is big opportunity to remember important estructures.

Congratulations

Al 10/01/2013

Na frase: “That may make sense to our Brazilian years in the beginning, but it’s really not how English natives speak.”, a palavra correta não seria “ears” no lugar de “years”?

    Ana 10/01/2013

    Corrigido, obrigada.

Sálvian Cotrim 10/01/2013

Hi Ana,

I really liked this podcast and I tried answer the questions. So, I don’t know if they are correct.

What does “in retrospect” mean?
Retrospect means looking for the past.

What does “speculate” mean?
Speculate means suppose something

What does “deception” mean?
Deception means to be fooling by somebody

What does “twice as much” mean?
twice as much means double

What does “persimmon” mean?
Persimmon means tropical fruit (caqui)

What does “resumé” mean?
Resumé means Curriculum Vitae

What does “resume” mean?
Resume means take up again

What does “touch base” mean?
Touch base means to contact somebody

bye
Sálvian

    Ana 10/01/2013

    Great job, Sálvian…
    Yep, deception is a false cognate; good that you caught that. And for persimmon I’d say simply “persimmon means caqui”
    In retrospect means something like “in hindsight” or “looking back, considering what happened in the past”

      fernando 05/06/2013

      oq e bueno

Iramaia 10/01/2013

Hey Ana,

I’m used to having my coffee with milk every day in the morning and in the afternoon. The lack of it can trigger a headache. So I make sure to have my two cups a day. I’m also used to having bananas and cereal for breakfast.

    Ana 10/01/2013

    I’m the same. I love my (decaf) coffee + milk in the morning, afternoon, night…

MARRIA DENISE 10/01/2013

HI, ANA!
I LIKE YOUR PODCASTS AND I HAVE LEARNING MUCH TOO.
THANKS A LOT.

Ailson 10/01/2013

Hello Ana, I have a sugestion to your podcast. You would put an option with a botton with the facebook’s like in your text and in the comments. Your site will stay more interactive right?

Your friend and all day reader, Ailson

    Ana 10/01/2013

    It’s already there, Ailson!

dbarboni 10/01/2013

Hi Ana I have a question about some words in this podcat.
What does “misused” mean?
Other question…I didn’t understand this phrase: those learners who haven’t had enough input in English… well, not enough input on those two little structures, anyway.
What does “input in” and “input on” mean?
I looked for this words in the dicionary, but I haven’t found yet…
Thank you very much. I have learned a lot with your podcast.
Débora

    Ana 10/01/2013

    Hi Debora

    Misused = usado de maneira errônea

    Para input, dê uma olhada em dicionários online como o http://www.thefreedictionary.com
    E se vc olhar num bom dicionário em português provav. também encontra, pois é usada também…

catia 10/01/2013

Oi, por indicação estou conhecendo o site do curso.

Daiane 10/01/2013

Olá Ana Luiza!
Está correto perguntar: “What’s the meaning of…?

    Ana 10/01/2013

    Yep, that’s correct. In my experience, I’d say that question is more frequently used when you’d like to know the meaning of an expression.

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