In this mini episode, you will learn some common phrases people use during conversations to “check in with” the listener.
Episode 446 of the Everybody ESL podcast is a mini episode that teaches you some common phrases people use during conversations to “check in with” the listener. 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! This is Alicia, from China. And you are listening to Everybody ESL.”
Welcome to episode 446 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 talk about a few very common phrases that you will often hear in conversation. I’m thinking of phrases like these:
Right?
You know?
Do you know what I mean?
Do you know what I’m saying?
These are the kinds of things that people often say during conversation as a way of checking in with the listener. A way of saying to the listener, “Are you still listening to me?” “Are you paying attention?” “Do you understand?
All of these expressions are extremely common, especially in casual conversation, in casual speech.
Let me tell you about each of them.
The first one is the shortest and the simplest, and it is this: “Right?” Right? R-i-g-h-t. And people use this to mean something like “Doesn’t this sound correct?” Or “Do you understand me?” Or “Do you agree with me?”
The next one is also very short, and it is “You know?” You know? Y-o-u, k-n-o-w. You know? And this one is often pronounced in a shorter way. Instead of “you know,” you will usually hear this pronounced as “y’know?” Y’know? With just a short syllable—yuh—before the word know. Y’know?
The next one is “Do you know what I mean?” Do you know what I mean? And this means, again, “Do you understand?” Or “Am I being clear?” Or even, “Are you still listening? Are you paying attention to me?” This phrase is also usually said in a shorter, quicker, more casual way. Instead of “Do you know what I mean?”, you will often hear “Know what I mean?” Know what I mean? Or even “knowadamean?” Can you understand that? Knowadamean? That is a short, quick way of saying, “Do you know what I mean?”
And the last of these phrases that I’m going to tell you about today is this: “Do you know what I’m saying?” Do you know what I’m saying? This one almost never sounds that clear. It usually has a much shorter version: “Know what I’m saying?” Know what I’m saying? Or even “knowmsayin?” It can be hard to understand that if you don’t know what the person is actually saying. Knowmsayin? That means “Do you know what I’m saying?” In other words, “Do you understand me?” Or “Are you still listening? Are you still there? Are you paying attention to me?”
Even though these are all used to mean “Do you understand?” or “Are you still listening?” or something like that, sometimes when people use these, it’s really just because it has become a habit for them.
Some people use phrases like this often when they speak. Some people use phrases like “You know?” or “Do you know what I’m saying?” very often. It has just become a habit for them. They are not really making sure that you’re paying attention. They’re not really checking in with the person they’re talking with. It has just become a habit to use these kinds of expressions.
Those are four very common, very natural-sounding expressions that you will often hear in conversation. And even if you do not use them or do not want to use them, I still think it’s a very good idea for you to be familiar with them so that you will understand them when you hear them. They are very common phrases that I think you should know.
Outro
This is the end of episode 446 of Everybody ESL. Remember: If you have any 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 Alicia 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!