Benjamin’s English · engVid | Real English: Talking about worries @engvidBenjamin | Uploaded March 2016 | Updated October 2024, 2 hours ago.
Worried about your conversational English? Don't be! Today I'm teaching you 9 expressions we use to talk about things we're worried about, and 8 expressions you can use to cheer up a friend. It's a fun lesson with a bunch of useful phrases you can use in different settings. We primarily use these phrases in casual settings, but you'll also see some more formal expressions. We'll even have some metaphors and idioms. So watch this video, and then check out the quiz at engvid.com/real-english-talking-about-worries . Don't be nervous -- I'm sure you'll do well!
TRANSCRIPT
Hiya. Welcome back to www.engvid.com. Today we're talking about things that we're worried about. I'm so worried, I can't hold my pen still. But don't worry, it's not going to be all fears; we're also looking at how we tell someone that everything's going to be okay. In the words of Bob Marley's song: "Every little thing". Okay? So we got lots of great phrases we're going to be looking at today, and hopefully you learn them, and you put them in there, in your brain, and you pull them out whenever you need to use them.
So, let's get started. "I'm", obviously short for "I am". "I'm so"-meaning I'm very-"worried", oh yeah, I have a lot of fear. I'm like: "Oh, no, I think it's going to be very bad." You know? Worry, fear. Okay? Same as: "I'm anxious." Okay? You don't know what's going to happen. "I'm so worried about..." and whatever it is that you're worried about, whether it's seeing a particular person tomorrow, I'm so worried about. "Oh no, I'm worried about my homework", whatever it is. "I'm so worried about" your friend, I don't know, whatever it is for you.
"I'm afraid..." This is often followed with: "I'm afraid that". Oh, dear, what is it with the pens? I'm afraid that it's run out of ink, so I'm back again. I'm so worried... Yeah. So I'm so worried, I'm so worried that you thought that was bad. "I'm afraid that..." Now, "I'm afraid that" has two functions. It can serve as an apology, and also for something you have a fear for in the future. I'm afraid that my pen ran out. I'm very sorry. Okay? So I can use it in an apology. Okay? "I'm so sorry, I'm afraid I ran over your dog today. I'm really sorry." Okay? Or you could say it in the sort of genuine sense of: "I'm afraid that tomorrow I will die.", "I'm afraid that tomorrow it will rain." Okay? Something in the future you have fear for.
"I can't help thinking..." Now, this is an interesting sort of use of English. Obviously, this is a contraction for "cannot", "help thinking". What does it mean by help? I'm helping someone? It doesn't really mean help; it means I can't stop. I can't stop thinking, but we say: "I can't help thinking that tomorrow I have no socks to wear." Okay? Tomorrow, no socks. I'm going to walk into school and all the kids are going to see that I don't have any socks.
So, let's move on to the next one. "I can't stop thinking about..." I can't stop thinking about the guitar... No. "I can't stop thinking about..." Okay? This is a problem, a problem that you're thinking about again and again and again and again. I can't stop thinking-okay?-that maybe you did... You made the wrong decision. I can't help... "I can't stop thinking about what happened today that was bad." Okay? I can't stop thinking about my interview tomorrow. "Oh, no, the interview tomorrow. Oh, no." Okay? So it could be about something in the past or the future. Okay.
I'm saying quite a lot here, and I want you to remember it, so let's just have a little practice of saying these, and I want you to put in a little example at the end. Okay? So think about something that you're worried about. "I'm so worried about..." You practice, you say it: "I'm so worried about..." Okay, I wish I could hear you. "I'm afraid that..." Okay, you can use the same problem for all of these. "I'm afraid that...", "I can't help thinking about...", "I can't stop thinking about..."
Now let's move on to this next one, looking at the past perfect tense, here: "I've been worried sick about...", "I have been", okay? We're looking into the past. "I have been". All the way from the past until now. "I have been worried"-worry, fear-"sick", I've been so worried that I feel like being sick. Okay? So this is an intense feeling of worry. Okay? But we use it as a phrase. "I've been worried sick about..." So you can use it in a casual way. "I've been worried sick about the damage done to my car." The damage done. Someone hit my car. Okay? "I've been worried sick about my car."
"It's", it has. "It has been keeping me up at night." Okay? "Keeping me up" means I cannot sleep because I keep thinking about this problem. It's been keeping me up at night. You could use this in a work situation.
Worried about your conversational English? Don't be! Today I'm teaching you 9 expressions we use to talk about things we're worried about, and 8 expressions you can use to cheer up a friend. It's a fun lesson with a bunch of useful phrases you can use in different settings. We primarily use these phrases in casual settings, but you'll also see some more formal expressions. We'll even have some metaphors and idioms. So watch this video, and then check out the quiz at engvid.com/real-english-talking-about-worries . Don't be nervous -- I'm sure you'll do well!
TRANSCRIPT
Hiya. Welcome back to www.engvid.com. Today we're talking about things that we're worried about. I'm so worried, I can't hold my pen still. But don't worry, it's not going to be all fears; we're also looking at how we tell someone that everything's going to be okay. In the words of Bob Marley's song: "Every little thing". Okay? So we got lots of great phrases we're going to be looking at today, and hopefully you learn them, and you put them in there, in your brain, and you pull them out whenever you need to use them.
So, let's get started. "I'm", obviously short for "I am". "I'm so"-meaning I'm very-"worried", oh yeah, I have a lot of fear. I'm like: "Oh, no, I think it's going to be very bad." You know? Worry, fear. Okay? Same as: "I'm anxious." Okay? You don't know what's going to happen. "I'm so worried about..." and whatever it is that you're worried about, whether it's seeing a particular person tomorrow, I'm so worried about. "Oh no, I'm worried about my homework", whatever it is. "I'm so worried about" your friend, I don't know, whatever it is for you.
"I'm afraid..." This is often followed with: "I'm afraid that". Oh, dear, what is it with the pens? I'm afraid that it's run out of ink, so I'm back again. I'm so worried... Yeah. So I'm so worried, I'm so worried that you thought that was bad. "I'm afraid that..." Now, "I'm afraid that" has two functions. It can serve as an apology, and also for something you have a fear for in the future. I'm afraid that my pen ran out. I'm very sorry. Okay? So I can use it in an apology. Okay? "I'm so sorry, I'm afraid I ran over your dog today. I'm really sorry." Okay? Or you could say it in the sort of genuine sense of: "I'm afraid that tomorrow I will die.", "I'm afraid that tomorrow it will rain." Okay? Something in the future you have fear for.
"I can't help thinking..." Now, this is an interesting sort of use of English. Obviously, this is a contraction for "cannot", "help thinking". What does it mean by help? I'm helping someone? It doesn't really mean help; it means I can't stop. I can't stop thinking, but we say: "I can't help thinking that tomorrow I have no socks to wear." Okay? Tomorrow, no socks. I'm going to walk into school and all the kids are going to see that I don't have any socks.
So, let's move on to the next one. "I can't stop thinking about..." I can't stop thinking about the guitar... No. "I can't stop thinking about..." Okay? This is a problem, a problem that you're thinking about again and again and again and again. I can't stop thinking-okay?-that maybe you did... You made the wrong decision. I can't help... "I can't stop thinking about what happened today that was bad." Okay? I can't stop thinking about my interview tomorrow. "Oh, no, the interview tomorrow. Oh, no." Okay? So it could be about something in the past or the future. Okay.
I'm saying quite a lot here, and I want you to remember it, so let's just have a little practice of saying these, and I want you to put in a little example at the end. Okay? So think about something that you're worried about. "I'm so worried about..." You practice, you say it: "I'm so worried about..." Okay, I wish I could hear you. "I'm afraid that..." Okay, you can use the same problem for all of these. "I'm afraid that...", "I can't help thinking about...", "I can't stop thinking about..."
Now let's move on to this next one, looking at the past perfect tense, here: "I've been worried sick about...", "I have been", okay? We're looking into the past. "I have been". All the way from the past until now. "I have been worried"-worry, fear-"sick", I've been so worried that I feel like being sick. Okay? So this is an intense feeling of worry. Okay? But we use it as a phrase. "I've been worried sick about..." So you can use it in a casual way. "I've been worried sick about the damage done to my car." The damage done. Someone hit my car. Okay? "I've been worried sick about my car."
"It's", it has. "It has been keeping me up at night." Okay? "Keeping me up" means I cannot sleep because I keep thinking about this problem. It's been keeping me up at night. You could use this in a work situation.
