In this mini episode, you will learn the interesting and useful expression “no stranger to.”
Episode 372 of the Everybody ESL podcast is a mini episode that teaches you the interesting and useful expression “no stranger to.” 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 Shuang, from Anhui, China. And you are listening to Everybody ESL.”
Welcome to episode 372 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 expression.
This is an expression that we use when we want to say that somebody is not unfamiliar with something. In other words, this is an expression that we use when we want to say that somebody knows about something. Somebody has experience with something. Somebody is already familiar with something or some place or some activity.
And the expression is “no stranger to” that place or that thing or that activity.
No stranger to.
That’s no—n-o, stranger—s-t-r-a-n-g-e-r, to—t-o. No stranger to.
Stranger can be an adjective, but it can also be a noun. And you have probably heard this noun before. A stranger is somebody you don’t know, or somebody you are not familiar with.
When we say that somebody is no stranger to something, we are saying that person is not a stranger to something. Instead, that person is familiar with that thing. That person has some experience with it.
Let me give you an example of the kind of situation where we use the expression “no stranger to.”
Let’s say that you are starting a new job. You are starting a new job in an office. And, on your first day, somebody is training you. Somebody is showing you around the office and teaching you some of the things that you will need to know.
And this person starts explaining some software to you. And this is a kind of software that you are already very familiar with. And so you say to the person who is training you, “Oh, I am no stranger to this software.” I am no stranger to this software. That is a way of saying, “Oh, I am already familiar with this software. I already know this software.” I am no stranger to this software.
Here’s another example:
Imagine that you are playing cards with a group of friends. And in the end, you lose the game. You don’t win. Instead, you lose. And somebody is consoling you. “Oh, don’t worry about it,” they say. “It’s okay if you lost.” And you say to them, “I am no stranger to losing at this game.”
In other words, “I am familiar with losing at this game.”
And that is “no stranger to,” a very interesting and useful expression that I think you should know.
Outro
This is the end of episode 372 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 Shuang 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!