In this mini episode, you will learn one way to use the phrase “not at all.”
Episode 294 of the Everybody ESL podcast is a mini episode that teaches you one way to use the phrase “not at all.” 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
“Hi, this is Diab, from Yemen. You are listening to Everybody ESL.”
Welcome to episode 294 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 talk about the phrase “not at all.” Not at all. That’s not—n-o-t, at—a-t, all—a-l-l. Not at all.
Before I tell you about this specific way to use “not at all,” we should talk about what it means. What does “not at all” mean? “Not at all” means “not even a little bit.” That’s what “not at all” means.
And I want to tell you one way that you can use this phrase. “Not at all” is a polite or modest way to reply to an apology or a compliment. It’s a way to respond in a polite or modest way when somebody compliments you or when somebody apologizes to you.
Let’s look at an example of a compliment that somebody might give.
Somebody might say, “Oh, you made this food? It is delicious. You are an excellent cook!” And the other person might want to respond in a polite and modest way. And the other person can say, “Oh, not at all.” Not at all. This is a polite, modest way to respond to a compliment because it means something like, “No, that is not even a little bit true. No, it is not even a little bit true that I am an excellent cook. Oh, no, no, no. That’s not the case.”
So you can see how this kind of response might sound very modest. You are receiving the compliment, but you are kind of rejecting it. You’re kind of saying, “No, no, no. That compliment is not necessary. That compliment is not accurate.”
And this works in a similar way with an apology.
Let’s say you are going to meet your friend at a café, but your friend is a little bit late. And then, when your friend arrives, she says to you, “Oh, I’m so sorry that I’m late. Oh, I’m so sorry!” A polite way to respond to that apology is to say, “Not at all.” Not at all. And when you say, “Not at all” as a response to an apology, you are saying something like, “Oh, you have no reason at all to apologize. You don’t have any reason to apologize. Not even a little bit of a reason. No, everything is fine. There is no problem.”
This is how we can use “not at all” as a polite or humble response to an apology or a compliment.
I think these are very common uses of the phrase “not at all,” and I think this is something you should know.
Outro
This is the end of episode 294 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 Diab 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!