Everybody ESL

Episode 359 (mini)

Episode Summary

In this mini episode, you will learn the expression “If I do say so myself.”

Episode Notes

Episode 359 of the Everybody ESL podcast is a mini episode that teaches you the expression “If I do say so myself.” 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.)

Episode Transcription

Intro

“Hi! This is Selina, from Zibo, Shandong, China. You’re listening to Everybody ESL.”

Welcome to episode 359 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 am going to teach you an interesting and useful phrase. The phrase is “If I do say so myself.” If I do say so myself. 

What does this phrase mean, and when do we use it? We use this phrase when we want to give ourselves a compliment. When we want to say something good about ourselves, or when we want to say something good about something we have done.

When we say this, we are also kind of saying, “I know that I am complimenting myself, and I know that that might sound a little bit arrogant. But I am going to say this anyway. I am going to compliment myself anyway.”

You might be wondering what the word do means in this phrase. “If I do say so myself.” And you might be wondering, do you need to use the word so? “If I do say so myself.” 

I think you should think of this sentence as a set phrase. So, I don’t think you need to ask those questions. “What does do mean here? What does so mean here? Can I leave them out? Do I need to use them?” I think when you use this expression, you should say it just like that: “If I do say so myself.”

Now, let me give you an example of a situation where someone could use this phrase. 

Let’s say you have invited your friend to come to your apartment for dinner. When your friend arrives, you serve a beautiful main dish that you cooked yourself. Your friend takes a bite of this dinner that you have made and says, “This is delicious. You are a really good cook.” 

And then, you say this:

“Yes, I think this came out really well, if I do say so myself.” 

What you are saying is “Yes, I did very well cooking this dinner. This dinner is really good. It’s delicious. Now, I know that I am giving myself a compliment.” When you agree with your friend, you are giving yourself a compliment. You are saying, “Yes, I agree: I am a good cook.” 

And so, to try to soften that a little bit, you say, “If I do say so myself.” In that way, you are acknowledging—you are admitting—that, yes, you are complimenting yourself. And sometimes that can seem arrogant. Or it can seem like you are boasting or bragging. But when you say, “If I do say so myself,” at least you are saying, “Yes, I know that this might sound strange.”

That is “If I do say so myself,” an interesting and useful expression that I think you should know.

Outro

This is the end of episode 359 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 Selina 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!