This mini episode teaches you the useful expression “That just doesn’t do it for me.”
Episode 184 of the Everybody ESL podcast is a mini episode that teaches you the useful expression “That just doesn’t do it for me.” 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.)
Intro
"This is Bing Su, from China. And you are listening to Everybody ESL."
Welcome to episode 184 of Everybody ESL, the podcast for everybody who wants to improve their English, practice their English, or just learn more English. My name is Ben, and I have a mini episode for you today, where I am going to teach you about one English topic. You can subscribe to the Everybody ESL podcast at Apple podcasts, on the Stitcher app, and wherever you find your podcasts. If you like Everybody ESL, leave it a good review so other people can find out about it too. And if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for me, please send an email to EverybodyESL@gmail.com. Okay! Let's get on with this mini episode.
The episode
The expression I'm going to teach you today is “That just doesn't do it for me.” That just doesn't do it for me. Or “(Something) doesn't do it for (someone).”
What does this mean? What does it mean to say, “Something doesn't (or just doesn't) do it for you”? It's kind of hard to see what that might mean.
I think you should think about this as one set phrase. Don't worry about trying to figure out the meaning by looking at all of the parts. Just think of it as one thing with one meaning. And that meaning is “That thing, or that person, doesn't appeal to me.” Or “That thing doesn't make me feel excited.” Or “That thing doesn't make me feel interested.” Or “That thing just isn't my style.” “That thing just isn't for me.” “I'm not saying anything bad about it. I'm not criticizing it. I just don't like it.”
Why do we say “doesn't do it for me”? What do we mean by it? Like I said before, I don't even think that you should worry about that. Don't worry about understanding this expression by looking at all of the parts. Just understand it as one big thing with a set meaning.
Let me give you an example of a sentence that uses “that just doesn't do it for me,” and I think you will understand how to use it.
Just today, I was having a conversation with somebody, and we were talking about movies. And she mentioned the actress Meg Ryan. I don't know if you know that actress, but it doesn't really matter.
I said, “Meg Ryan just doesn't do it for me.” Meg Ryan just doesn't do it for me. And what I was saying when I said, “Meg Ryan just doesn't do it for me” is “I never really liked Meg Ryan. She's very popular. Many people love her, but not me. She just doesn't appeal to me. She doesn't excite me. I don't think she's very interesting.”
When I said that, I was not trying to say something unkind about Meg Ryan. I was not insulting her, criticizing her, or criticizing people who really like her. I was just saying. “Well, she's not my style. I like other actors and actresses better. I don't really like that actress. For some reason, or for no reason, I just don't really like that actress.” She just doesn't do it for me.
You can use this expression when you're talking about people or things. You could use it when talking about a movie or even a kind of food. Or a place. You can use it when you are talking about anything that other people really like, but for some reason, you just don't.
And you can also leave off the word just. You can say, “That doesn't do it for me” or “That never did it for me.” You don't need to use the word just. When we use the word just, it often softens what we're saying. It makes it sound a little more friendly or a little smoother.
That is “That just doesn't do it for me,” a very useful expression that I think you should know.
Outro
And that's the end of episode 184 of Everybody ESL. Remember: if you have any questions about English, or if you have comments or suggestions about the podcast, or if you would like to record an introduction that I can use at the beginning of future episodes—the same way Bing Su recorded the introduction you heard at the beginning of this episode—send an email to EverybodyESL@gmail.com. I'll be back soon with another episode, and until then, keep going, keep practicing, and keep learning. Goodbye. I'll see you soon.