In this mini episode, you will learn the expression “no ifs, ands, or buts.”
Episode 352 of the Everybody ESL podcast is a mini episode that teaches you the expression “no ifs, ands, or buts.” Send your questions about English and your comments and suggestions to EverybodyESL@gmail.com! (And let me know if you’d like to record the introduction to a future episode.)
Intro
“Hello, everyone. This is Helen, from Shenzhen, China. And you are listening to Everybody ESL.”
Welcome to episode 352 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 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 want to teach you a very interesting and, I think, very strange expression. The expression is “no ifs, ands, or buts.” No ifs, ands, or buts.
That’s no ifs: i-f-s, ands: a-n-d-s, or buts: b-u-t-s. No ifs, ands, or buts.
The first strange thing you might notice is that those words—if, and, but—are being used like nouns. Those words are called conjunctions, and we cannot usually have a plural form of a conjunction. But in this expression, we see the plural form of if, and, but. “No ifs, ands, or buts.”
What does this expression mean? This expression means “no matter what.” We use it when we want to say that something will happen, or something is true, no matter what. It is definitely true, or it will definitely happen. Or something like that.
Okay, but why does it mean that? How does it mean that?
This is what the expression is saying: it is saying something will happen or something is true, and there are no restrictions on it. There are no ifs. That is, there are no conditions. There is nothing that begins with if that we need to add to our statement. Also, we don’t need to add anything that starts with and. We don’t need to add any more detail. We also don’t need to add anything that starts with but because this thing is always true. Or it will always happen. It will definitely happen. No matter what.
Let me give you an example of a situation where somebody could use this expression, and then, I think you will understand it a little bit better.
Let’s say that I am having a party on Friday night. I ask my friend if he will come to the party. And my friend says, “I will be there, no ifs, ands, or buts.”
When he says that, he means he will definitely be there. He is saying, “I will be there. It is that simple. There are no if statements. I’m not saying, ‘I will be there if I can.’ Or, ‘I will be there if I don’t have other plans.’ Or, ‘I will be there if I remember.’” He’s not saying anything like that. There will be no statements that begin with if. There will be no conditions. There will be no ifs.
He is also saying, “I will not add anything to this statement. I’m saying, ‘I will be there. No ifs, ands, or buts.’ I’m not saying, ‘I will be there, and I can only stay for a few minutes.’ Or, ‘I will be there, and I expect you to do me a favor next week.’” Or anything like that.
He is not adding anything to the statement. He’s also not adding anything that starts with but. He’s not saying, “I will be there, but I don’t really want to come.” Or, “I will be there, but I don’t really like your other friends.” Or, “I will be there, but I don’t think I will have a good time.” He is not adding anything.
He is saying, “I will be there, definitely. I will be there no matter what. I will be there, no ifs, ands, or buts.”
And that is “no ifs, ands, or buts,” an interesting, useful, and strange expression that I think you should know.
Outro
This is the end of episode 352 of Everybody ESL. Remember: if you have questions about English, or if you have comments for me, or if you would like to record an introduction that I can play at the beginning of future episodes—the same way Helen 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!