This mini episode teaches you the useful expression “It can’t hurt.”
Episode 145 of the Everybody ESL podcast is a mini episode that teaches you the useful expression “It can’t hurt.” Send your questions about English and your suggestions for future episodes to EverybodyESL@gmail.com! (And let me know if you’d like to record the introduction to a future episode.)
The expression I want to teach you today is It can't hurt. It can't hurt. That’s it: i-t, can't: c-a-n-apostrophe-t, hurt: h-u-r-t. It can’t hurt.
When do we say, “It can't hurt,” and what does it really mean? What it means when I say, “It can't hurt” is “I don't know what will happen if you do this, but I do know that nothing bad will happen. Maybe something good will happen, but even if your situation does not get better, it will not get worse.” Do you understand that? That sounds a little bit complicated, but I think it will be simpler when I give you some examples.
I could say, “It can't hurt to . . . practice the song on the piano again.” It can't hurt to practice the song on the piano again. Maybe you are getting ready for a performance of some kind, and you're wondering, “Should I practice this song again?” And I say, “Well, it can't hurt.” In other words, if you do practice that song again on the piano, maybe that will be good. Maybe that will help your performance. We do know that it won't hurt your performance. Maybe it will be good, but we know it will not be bad. It can't hurt.
Or I could say, “It can't hurt to . . . check that the hotel has your reservation.” Maybe you are going away on vacation, and you have been worried about your hotel reservation. And you wonder: “Should I call the hotel to make sure that they have my reservation?” And I say, “It can't hurt.” In other words, nothing bad will happen if you call the hotel just to check. And maybe something good will happen. Maybe that will improve your situation. Maybe you'll find out that they didn't have your reservation, and we'll say, “Well, it's a good thing that you checked.”
And here is a final example using the phrase It can't hurt: “It can't hurt to . . . ask if the store will sell those shoes at a lower price.” Maybe you are shopping, and you have found a pair of shoes that you love, but they're too expensive. And you say, “Maybe if I ask, the store will sell the shoes for a lower price. Do you think I should ask?” I could say, “It can't hurt.” In other words, well, nothing bad will happen if you ask them if they will sell the shoes at a lower price. And maybe something good will happen. Maybe they will say, “OK! We will sell the shoes at a lower price.”
Well, that is the expression It can't hurt, and now I think you know how to use it.