In this mini episode, you will learn the useful phrase "so be it.”
Episode 480 of the Everybody ESL podcast is a mini episode that teaches you the useful phrase "so be it.” 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 Damon, from Nanjing, China. And you are listening to Everybody ESL.”
Welcome to episode 480 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 expression. The expression is, so be it. So be it.
That’s spelled s-o b-e i-t. So be it.
The first thing you might notice about this expression is that word be. Be. Why does it say “be it” and not “is it”? And also, why does “it” come at the end of this phrase? Why don’t we say, “So it is”? Wouldn’t that seem a little bit more natural?
This phrase has a very old-fashioned kind of feeling to it, and it contains a construction that uses this form of the verb to be.
Even though it might look a little bit strange, and it is a little bit old-fashioned, the phrase is “So be it.” So be it.
What does this strange and interesting phrase mean, and how do we use it?
This phrase means “I accept this situation.” Or “I accept that this is true.” It also usually has the feeling of “I accept this situation is true, and I accept that I cannot change it. I accept that this is just the way it is. I can’t do anything about it.
I can’t change it. It really doesn’t matter what I think about this situation.”
That’s right: These three little words—so, be- it—can communicate all of that. That makes this a powerful phrase. We can say a lot by using only three small words.
“So be it” can communicate all of that. It can communicate “I accept that this is true, that this is the way it is, and I accept that I cannot change it.”
Here is a situation where someone might use this phrase, “so be it”:
Imagine that my friend is thinking about making a big decision, and I think that it is a bad decision. So, I talk with my friend about it. I give my friend all of this great advice.
(I think it’s great advice.) I think I am being very wise and intelligent. I give him all of these reasons why he is making a bad decision.
Finally, my friend says, “Well, I have made up my mind. I am doing what I want to do. It doesn’t matter what you think about it.”
Then, I could say, “I have given you all the advice I can give, but you are going to make your own decision. So be it.” So be it.
When I say, “So be it” in this situation, what I mean is, “I understand that this is your decision to make. I understand that you are making a decision that I don’t think is very smart, and I also see that I cannot change this decision. This is your life.
It is your decision to make. I can’t change it.” And I can communicate all of that by saying, “So be it.”
And that is “so be it,” an interesting and useful phrase that I think you should know.
Outro
This is the end of episode 480 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 Damon 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!