Hi, all. Neste episódio, ouvimos expressões como “dinheiro não dá em árvore” e “vê se cresce!” em inglês.
Transcrição
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So I had planned to do an episode that kicked off with… kind of a saying in English, which would be equivalent to what we say in Brazil: “dinheiro não dá em árvore.” Here you go: in English we say money doesn’t grow on trees. There you go. Notice the verb grow. Money doesn’t grow on trees. Is that something that someone in your family used to say, or still does? I think one of my grandparents, probably my maternal grandfather, used to say that one. Money doesn’t grow on trees. Be careful with your spending, try to save some money or better yet – just open a savings account with a bank and make a deposit every month. Save some money for a rainy day… Why? Because money doesn’t grow on trees.
So after I remebered the saying “money doesn’t grow on trees”, I thought of another one with the word grow. Let’s say your brother is into golf, and right in this moment he is watching a golf tournament on TV. He’s been following golf for a while. He knows everything about it. When you enter the room he doesn’t even notice – he’s completely focused on the scenes of the tournament. So you sit down and start watching it. Only, you couldn’t care less about golf, that’s the truth. You know very little about it because… you’re not, you’re just not interested. So you try to watch the tournament for a few minutes, but you find it so boring. Watching the golf tournament is like watching grass grow.
Now, don’t be offended if you like golf. You know different people like different things! Nowadays many of us seem to be addicted to action sports, action movies – so I’m sure some people will find golf boring because it’s a more slow-paced sport. In fact, I found this comment on Twitter: How do people watch golf? I’m sure watching grass grow is more exciting.
Can you think of a specific example of something you’ve done recently where you had to struggle to keep your eyes open, or pay attention to over a period of time? It could also be something that goes on in your life pretty regularly, like your commute to work or school. Maybe you’re super bored on that bus on your way to work. Commuting to work is like watching grass grow, you think. Actually, watching grass grow would be more exciting than being on that bus. For me, watching a film that’s heavy on the drama is like watching grass grow. Meaning, I find it very boring. That is my personal example. What’s yours?
And let’s wrap up this episode with one more cool term with grow. The expression, or phrasal verb, ‘grow up’ means to become mature, to become an adult. When you first meet someone and are having a chat with them, and you’re getting to know each other, that person may ask you “So where did you grow up?” But here’s a bit of a different use for grow up… It’s when someone is being childish or immature. When someone is being childish, it means that they’re behaving like a child when they shouldn’t be. So you can basically tell them to stop behaving like a child by saying “Oh, grow up!” Let’s say you met someone and you’re starting to like them, and you’ve confided in your best friend about it. Only now your friend can’t stop teasing you about it and telling you you’re gonna marry this girl. You finally tell him “Please grow up. I’m just getting to know her.”
Can you remember a specific situation where you told someone “Grow up!”? Please tell me about it in the comments – talk to you next time!
Key terms
money doesn’t grow on trees
like watching grass grow
grow up
Glossary
save for a rainy day = guarde (quase sempre, dinheiro) para uma situação de emergência
slow-paced = com um ritmo mais lento
commute = a viagem que você faz para o trabalho, escola, etc.
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.
Yes, money doesn’t grow on trees and everyone needs to save it for a rainy days, but in a country such as Brazil nobody feels completely safe saving money, knowing the government is socialist and things can change suddenly.
Hi Ana!! I don’t know if you hear about it, but here in Brazil is EVERYTHING getting expensive than never!! I’m thinking if I should get out of here and make you company in London! Ha ha, just kidding! So,in my home I’m the one who’s saying to my sons: money doesn’t grow on trees…unfortunately!
