– English Lyrics

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

What's your go-to strategy when you're in a place where you

don't speak the language?

My strategy is kind of my strategy for life,

which is just smile.

There's a way to be a foreigner in a country

to ingratiate yourself.

What about 'What?'

Not chill. That's rude.

You're listening to the British Council English Podcast,

brought to you by the world's English experts.

Perfect...

Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for watching our English for Life podcast.

Today, we're going to talk about techniques and methods,

or different ways to say that you don't really understand

something and you're asking the person to repeat their sentence

and their question. I am here today with Neeraj and Jo.

Thank you so much for joining us.

Yeah. Thank you for having us.

Alright. Well, let's get into it.

Today, we're going to talk about your own personal experiences.

And the first question is, okay,

so what's your go-to strategy when you're in a place

where you don't speak the language?

Well, my strategy is kind of my strategy for life, especially if I have any problems,

which is just smile a lot and try to be pleasant, try to be helpful.

I mean, it depends on the situation.

If you want to get something in a restaurant, you can always point.

Yeah.

You know?

Okay.

If there's pictures, that's helpful.

using a translator, that's really helpful.

Okay, alright!

Or if you're trying to, like, be nice to people and show that

you're a nice person, but you can't speak their language,

I try to do things for people, so I'm like

looking for things that I can help them lift or looking for,

you know, ways that I can...

Being really physical?

Yeah, but not in a slapstick way!

But, like, just ways that I can be kind to people without words.

Yeah.

Okay, alright.

Yeah, I think you hit the nail on the head there Jo.

It depends on the situation.

There isn't like, I would say for me personally, a single go-to strategy.

It really depends. So, if I'm, let's say, you know,

in a longer conversation or I'm....

Yeah, I'm thinking about my situation where I'm in Spain.

I mean, I do speak Spanish, but there might be some concepts

or things that I don't get.

I just keep listening and maybe they clarify with a bit more information.

I wouldn't interrupt and say, 'Sorry, I don't understand' at that moment.

I'll let them speak a bit more, see what I can catch.

But I remember a time when I went to Japan and I was travelling

there and I don't speak any Japanese,

just except for a few words, I'd got out the guidebook and I

did the same thing there. And I was surprised by how much I

could understand from railway announcements or being in a bar,

and I got some of the stuff just by being patient and listening to a bit more.

Really interesting.

Even in Japanese?

Even in Japanese.

And I remember I had a meal with an elderly couple sat next

to me in a bar and they bought me a round of drinks.

And I don't know how we sat with each other for over an hour

eating and drinking and I didn't speak Japanese.

Wow!

That is amazing.

So you basically don't need any techniques to ask someone to repeat.

I don't know what it is. Maybe, yeah, there's this I I exude an energy of,

like, you can just talk to me in whatever language you want

and he'll kind of get it.

Oh, wow. Oh, lovely.

Lovely. Okay, okay, great.

So, can you share a time when you were in a foreign country

and totally misunderstood something?

And what did you do to get out of that situation? To go first?

Shall I go first?

Yeah.

Go for it, yeah.

Well, I've got a situation when I was in my twenties,

me and my friend, my first big travelling backpacking adventure,

we decided to travel through Europe.

and one of our stops was in Poland and we arrived on the train

very early in the morning. We hadn't slept well because we

were sleeping on the train with these big heavy backpacks and

we wanted to get to our hostel.

And, we had to get a tram from the train station to the hostel.

And, so we saw a tram just arriving at the station,

so we jumped onto it and and then realized, Oh my God,

we haven't bought any tickets.

We couldn't find a ticket machine on the tram or we couldn't

find... we couldn't remember, we didn't see a ticket machine,

outside at the tram stop, but we got on it anyway.

And we thought, Okay, well, we'll deal with this when we get

to the station or we might be lucky and not have to buy a ticket.

As luck would have it, a ticket inspector got on at the very next stop.

Oh no.

and started asking everyone for their tickets and we

started scratching our fingernails and he stopped when he got

to us and started making a big scene. Obviously, we don't speak Polish.

And he made us get off the tram and asked us for money.

And when we showed him that we didn't have money, we had traveller's cheques,

all of this without speaking any Polish,

he got frustrated and asked for our passports.

Okay.

And only then did he realize our stories were true, that we were travelling.

We kept explaining to him in English that we were just travelling,

we'd come from the UK. After looking at our passports, deliberating

for several minutes, 'I'll let them go.' Okay. Alright.

Okay, alright

But, yeah, we basically had, we did our best in English.

In English.

And he didn't really understand,

but he kind of understood from the context that we were travelling.

Alright. Did you try to use any gestures or facial expressions

to communicate that?

Yes, yes, yes.

Everything we were explaining was accompanied by gestures, things like

no money, no money. Ticket. I'm so sorry kind of thing, you know?

Alright

Yes. Yeah, well we managed to get out of it.

Yay.

Well, yeah, lucky for you. What about you, Jo?

Well, yeah.

I think that happens often when travelling with, like, directions and things,

especially for me because I'm so bad at directions.

But I have another story, though.

I was in Egypt last year at one of the markets.

Yeah.

And I'm so bad,

like, I don't really understand how markets work because when I see something,

I'm like, 'Oh my god! Look!' And my husband is always like, no.

You're supposed to pretend you don't want it.

Exactly. Yeah, yeah.

Like, how much is this? Oh, it's ninety euros.

Is it really? And then, you know, I was... tried to be cool and,

like, no, no, no, you know

I'll walk away. And then, of course, they follow you.

Yeah.

And they're like, 'you're not leaving the shop without buying something.'

'You love that thing. I don't know why you're leaving.'

And so I was offered a little gift.

Yeah.

And I didn't realize you're not supposed to take the gift.

No.

You're shaking your head at me.

No

'Oh my god, thank you so much.'

But, you know, it's through ... I'm speaking English, like,

your strategy too. And I don't know what they understand, but still,

like, just try to communicate in some way. Okay. Alright.

Okay, alright.

And I took the gift and then I tried to leave and then he's like,

what do you think you're doing leaving?

But he, you know, I didn't understand him,

but he put his body in the way of the exit.

So I was like, oh, okay. Clearly, I'm not going until I buy something.

Okay. And Okay.

But, you know, luckily, I wasn't a woman on my own because I

was there with my husband. So we were able to leave without buying something.

And I don't really like that sort of sales tactic, so I didn't buy it.

A hard sell.

Yeah. I bought something somewhere else.

But so you were speaking in English when you went to Egypt.

Yeah.

And you were using facial expressions and...

Yeah, a combination of facial expressions, body language, anguished look on my face.

Okay. Now, let's just think about our viewers

who are watching or listening to this podcast.

And let's say that English is their second language.

So... and let's say that someone right now or they're talking to

someone and they don't really understand what that person is saying to them.

And they can't use English to or perfectly to, you know,

to ask that question or to say, can you please repeat that question?

So what are some expressions or what are some, sentences that they can use?

In English?

In English, yeah.

Yeah, I mean, asking the person to speak a bit more slowly.

This is a technique that I used a lot when I was learning

Spanish and when I was recently arrived.

And I got into the habit because at first,

I felt really embarrassed about asking people to speak slowly.

I think, why should they speak slowly for me?

But then I just got into the habit of asking, 'would you mind saying that... ?'

And I'd always preface it with, 'I'm sorry, I don't speak very good Spanish,

could you please speak slower?'

And then they kind of took pity on me and said, okay, well,

at least he said that in Spanish, so he's trying.

And I think that's a key to... this is something I said to our colleagues earlier?

I was saying, there's a way to be a foreigner in a country,

to ingratiate yourself with local people.

So, if you say that, you know,

you apologise for not being able to speak their language perfectly,

you get a better result.

Absolutely.

I forgot the question!

It's okay. It's, so expressions or...

Oh, yeah.

Well, I learned as well because I have also lived in different

countries where I'm learning the language.

And one of my top tips is not just to ask them to repeat,

but to say from where. Because if you don't say from where,

people tend to repeat everything and it's so nice of them,

but it's sometimes like a waste of time.

So if I say I didn't understand the part after...

Or, what did you say about X, so that they can repeat just the relevant part,

the part that you didn't understand. And then it eases communication.

It's not so, you know, stilted.

It's not so hard on the person who's trying to speak to you

or on you who's trying to speak in a different language.

And it also shows them that you are you're actively listening

and you want to understand and you're making the effort and

you just did not understand or didn't get that last part.

Wonderful. Okay, next question.

Ever mispronounced something in another language

and it led to a funny situation?

Now I'm gonna start off with my example.

I was in Spain and I instead of saying, buenas noches, I said buenas nachos.

You live in Spain, right?

Can you imagine that that is not...

Did you get offered a nice cold glass of beer afterwards?

No, I just... I was just laughed at, but that was okay.

And what about you guys?

I guess nachos is just a word that's in your head.

Yeah.

So just...

Noches and nachos.

They sound so similar, don't they?

Yeah. My story is kind of similar to that because I was in

Italy where I live now, and I wanted to order pancakes with maple syrup.

And the word for syrup in Italian is sciroppo.

But I'd never said that word before.

I only read it on menus. And so instead,

a word that I was familiar with came out, which was sciopero,

which Italian speakers, if you're listening,

will be laughing right now because sciopero means strike,

like to go on a protest and not work.

Okay.

So I asked for the waiter, the worker at the restaurant,

if I could have my pancakes with no work.

Basically, telling him to go on strike. Like, pancakes con sciopero.

And he went ... okay ...

And it's like, sciopero, sciroppo..

And he left the restaurant.

Yeah, he left the restaurant

I did not get my pancakes.

No, no. He I think they're similar enough that he understood.

He was like, 'Okay. this is a foreigner. I'm... okay.'

'I'm not going to make her feel bad, so I'm gonna ... help her.'

Okay.

Funny, your story was about work because my experience

of messing up a word or mangling language was again,

it was Spanish. And so it was quite early on and I was

translating a lot of English directly into Spanish.

I think it's what a lot of people do.

It's very natural when you're learning a language to translate word for word.

And so, where I was living, the building,

the lift had broken and I was waiting around at the bottom of

the lift and the neighbour passed me and he said, 'What's up?'

And I said, because in English, when we say something's not working,

we use the word work, whereas in Spanish, they don't use the word work.

They use function. Something doesn't function.

And so I literally translated, this doesn't work.

And he said, yes, because it's a Sunday today.

Making a joke, you know. And, I just didn't get it at the time.

I thought, why is he making jokes with me about this? The lift doesn't work.

We're gonna have to climb up six floors.

Then later it dawned on me, hey,

some languages just use completely different words.

Okay.

Well, we're going to, we're going to do, like, a mini game right now.

Okay? So I'm gonna ask you a couple of questions or say a couple

of expressions, actually. And you need to decide if it's a rude

way to ask someone to say something again or if it's chill and acceptable.

Okay? So, for example,

let's start with and this is you can play with this and you can comment.

Alright, so what about could you say that again, please? Very polite.

Very polite.

Polite.

Accecptable in practically every situation.

Yeah, very polite.

Yeah.

What about, 'Huh?'

Huh?

Not chill.

Yeah. You definitely don't want to say that

to people who you don't know. It's a bit rude.

It could be, it could even be a bit aggressive.

Yeah.

Okay. What about say that again.

I think it depends, again, on how well you know a person maybe.

Yeah.

I probably wouldn't say that to many people.

But then why?

Because the words say that again. You're asking them to repeat.

Yeah. It's too direct and it's like a command.

Right? And in English we generally don't tend to use commands

especially with people we don't know.

We tend to use indirect questions or just like, you know,

could you say that again please?

Okay.

Okay.

What about pardon?

That's something you hear all the time,

especially in British English. Pardon.

A little bit old fashioned.

I don't use it myself, but...

Oh, really?

I was gonna say I don't use it, but I thought that's because I'm Irish.

Yeah. I think it's old fashioned.

I think it's not as common as it once used to be.

Yeah.

It's true.

I certainly don't use it.

When I want somebody to repeat, I'd say sorry.

Sorry.

Quite a standard thing.

But, it's acceptable and it's very polite, yeah.

Okay. Okay.

We have two more.

What about 'what?'

Not chill. That's rude.

Yeah.

I'm always teaching my students about not saying what because

they translate directly for Spanish where the word is acceptable

to get somebody to repeat. ¿Cómo? And they think it's what?

And I have to keep telling them,

you'd only say that if you're very close to the person,

you know them very well, a family member or a close friend and you say, what?

What did you say?

Exactly, yeah.

But it's short for what did you say?

But with somebody you don't know or maybe somebody who you

should give some respect to like a teacher or a boss,

you wouldn't use the word what.

Isn't this really interesting though because we know these rules.

These you can't find these rules in a certain book.

Maybe you can find them online.

Of course you can find them online.

But it's the fact that we know that it's impolite to say what or huh?.

Cultural information.

Cultural, exactly.

These rules, unwritten rules of cultural communication.

Yeah. Because if you're learning a language

and use say that again, then, you know,

you should be able to say it and have the person repeat themselves,

but it's not really polite.

So why do people get it into their minds that it's acceptable to say what?

Because we often hear learners saying 'what' inappropriately, right?

I don't know in your experience.

Also, yeah, it's the same with Italian.

They say cosa? But it's just like what as well.

So they would automatically say what.

Do you think they're translating or maybe they've seen it or

heard it in some other place in English and they're using that experience?

I think they're using something that's more similar to their first language.

But also I think, I don't know.

I may be wrong, but I feel like you see it in films.

Maybe it's a more American thing.

Maybe social media as well.

They're seeing the usage of what on TikTok and media where

the kind of style of talking is very personal.

Yeah.

One more. Sorry, I missed that. Can you repeat it?

Very good!

Love it.

Yeah.

Nice. It's very... it's elegant.

Yeah, use that one.

Okay, do you have any other expressions that our viewers,

our listeners can use?

So we did can you say that again, please?

Yeah.

Sorry, I missed it.

Anything else?

Oh, what about excuse me, could you repeat that? Do you like that one?

You could say that, but I don't know how often I would actually say that.

Could you repeat that, the whole phrase I'd say?

So, it's not really natural or very natural to say?

It's quite formal.

It's formal.

Yeah.

Would you mind saying that again?

Again, it's a bit more formal, but, I have used it in the past.

Would you mind saying that again? Maybe over the telephone.

Maybe what was that last bit again?

That is really nice.

Yes, exactly.

And there's also another technique that we were talking about, Neeraj, off camera.

Ah yeah, yeah. Where you recap what you've understood.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Okay, so...

you interject at the correct moment.

if somebody's telling you a long story and you want to check

that you've understood before they go on a bit more.

And so you just say, so if I understood correctly and then

you tell them the main details,

a bit of summary of what they've said just to get confirmation

from them that you've understood the key details.

I use that a lot when I'm following a long story in Spanish.

And it's also a great way to show that you're listening actively again.

Yeah. Participating in the conversation.

Alright. Well, thank you guys so much.

Thank you, Neeraj.

Thank you, Jo for being a part of today's podcast.

Thank you.

Thank you, our viewers, for tuning in and for watching this podcast.

If you're watching it on YouTube or if you're listening on Spotify,

Make sure to like this video,

subscribe and we have lots of new content coming out every week or so,

so make sure you subscribe to watch all of it. Bye.

Bye. Bye.

Thanks for listening.

We really care about your English.

So if you like this episode, make sure you subscribe because

we've got lots more great content for you to explore.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
strategy /ˈstrætɪdʒi/ B2	noun - a plan of action designed to achieve a long-term aim
smile /smaɪl/ A1	verb - to have one’s mouth curving up, showing pleasure, amusement, or friendliness
ingratiate /ɪnˈɡreɪʃieɪt/ C1	verb - to make someone like you by doing or saying things that please them
pleasant /ˈpleznt/ B1	adjective - giving a sense of happy satisfaction or enjoyment
point /pɔɪnt/ A1	verb - to direct someone’s attention to something by extending one’s finger or another object
physical /ˈfɪzɪkl/ B1	adjective - relating to the body as opposed to the mind
clarify /ˈklærɪfaɪ/ B2	verb - to make something easier to understand
patient /ˈpeɪʃənt/ A2	adjective - able to accept or tolerate delays, problems, or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious
gesture /ˈdʒɛstʃər/ B1	noun - a movement of part of the body, especially a hand or the head, to express an idea or meaning
misunderstand /ˌmɪsʌndərˈstænd/ B2	verb - to interpret something incorrectly
directions /dɪˈrɛkʃənz/ A2	noun - instructions about how to reach a place
pretend /prɪˈtɛnd/ A2	verb - to behave as if something is true when it is not
tactic /ˈtæktɪk/ B2	noun - an action or strategy carefully planned to achieve a specific end
expression /ɪkˈsprɛʃən/ B1	noun - a word or phrase that conveys a particular meaning
recap /riˈkæp/ B2	verb - to repeat or summarize the main points of something

Key Grammar Structures

• Could you say that again, please?

  ➔ Polite request using modal verbs

  ➔ This uses the modal verb "could" to make a polite indirect request, avoiding direct commands.

• If you don't say from where, people tend to repeat everything.

  ➔ Zero conditional for general truths

  ➔ The structure "If + present simple, present simple" expresses a general habit or truth, where "don't say" implies always not saying.

• Ever mispronounced something in another language and it led to a funny situation?

  ➔ Present perfect with 'ever' in questions about life experiences

  ➔ This uses "Have + ever + past participle" to ask about experiences up to now, where "mispronounced" is the past participle.

• I got into the habit of asking...

  ➔ Gerund after verbs like 'habit'

  ➔ Verbs like "habit" are followed by the gerund "asking" (verb + -ing) to refer to the action in general.

• Would you mind saying that again?

  ➔ Polite request with 'would you mind'

  ➔ The phrase "Would you mind + gerund" politely asks permission or requests action, with "mind" followed by "saying".

• To ingratiate yourself.

  ➔ Infinitive of purpose

  ➔ The infinitive "to ingratiate" follows "strategy" to explain the purpose of using smiling or gestures.

• When I was learning Spanish...

  ➔ Past continuous for ongoing actions

  ➔ Uses "When + was/were + verb-ing" to describe an action in progress at a specific time in the past, with "learning" emphasizing the duration.

• Make sure you subscribe because we've got lots more great content.

  ➔ Present simple after 'make sure' for future obligation

  ➔ Here, "make sure" is followed by "you subscribe" (present simple) to express a future or enduring advice, emphasizing certainty.

• If you're watching it on YouTube or if you're listening on Spotify...

  ➔ Multiple conditionals in one sentence

  ➔ "If + present continuous" sets two hypothetical conditions for future actions, with "watching" and "listening" as parallel structures.