In this mini episode, you will learn how to use the interesting phrase “Believe it or not.”
Episode 287 of the Everybody ESL podcast is a mini episode that teaches you how to use the interesting phrase “Believe it or not.” 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
“Hello! This is Sasa, from China. And you are listening to Everybody ESL.”
Welcome to episode 287 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
In this episode, I am going to teach you an interesting and useful expression. And that expression is “believe it or not.” Believe it or not.
That’s believe—b-e-l-i-e-v-e. It. Or. Not. Believe it or not.
This expression means “You might not believe this, but it’s true.” Or “Even if you don’t believe this, it is true.”
We use the expression “believe it or not” to introduce a statement that we think might be surprising or a statement that we think might be hard to believe. The phrase “believe it or not” can come before this surprising or hard-to-believe point, or it can come after that point.
Let me give you an example of a sentence that uses the phrase “believe it or not.”
“My friend did not study for the exam, but believe it or not, he got 100 percent.” My friend didn’t study for the exam, but believe it or not, he got 100 percent.
Here is what that means: My friend didn’t study for the exam, so you might find this hard to believe or you might find this surprising. But he got a 100 percent on the exam.
Like I said, this expression can also go at the end of the sentence, so I could also say, “My friend didn’t study for the exam, but he got 100 percent, believe it or not.”
In other words, “I know you might find this hard to believe,” or “I know you might find this surprising, but it is still true.”
And that is “believe it or not,” an interesting and useful expression that I think you should know.
Outro
This is the end of episode 287 of Everybody ESL. Remember: if you have questions about English, or if you have comments or suggestions for me, or if you would like to record an introduction that I can play at the beginning of future episodes—the same way Sasa recorded the introduction you heard at the beginning of this episode—send an email to EverybodyESL@gmail.com. I’ll be back soon with a new episode, and until then, keep going, keep practicing, and keep learning. I’ll see you soon. Goodbye!