Will You Be My Girlfriend?

Hello English learners! Welcome back to EnglishPod! My name is Marco.

And I’m Erica.

And today we’re looking at some more romance.

We’re talking about dating.

Dating, exactly.

Uhu.

And not only dating, but asking someone to become your boyfriend or girlfriend.

Yep, that’s true and, so, we’re gonna be focusing on language, um, to express your romantic feelings and also maybe, um, some phrases you can use to ask someone out.

Very good. So, I’m sure you guys are excited about this one, so let’s listen to the dialogue for the first time.

Alright, I wonder is she going to say “yes”?

I don’t know; she seems a little bit confused.

Hm, well, I guess it’s always strange when your best friend suddenly wants to be your boyfriend or girlfriend.

It does happen, though.

Yeah.

It does happen. So, why don’t we take a look at some of the vocabulary that was used in this dialogue to express these feelings? And let’s start with “fluency builder”. Voice: Fluency builder.

Okay, so, we’re doing things a little bit differently today, uh, we’re looking at phrases and not just vocabulary words. So, he used some wonderful phrases to ask her to be his boyfriend and he started with this: here’s the thing.

Here’s the thing.

Here’s the thing.

Alright, that’s a very strange phrase “here’s the thing”.

Yeah.

Is he giving her something?

Not quite; he’s not giving her, um, an object, but he… he’s giving her, um, some information.

Okay, so, it’s a very common way to start an idea.

That’s right.

You're about to tell the person the main problem or…

Uhu.

The main… uh…

The main piece of information.

Right, so, you would start with here’s the thing and then start explaining.

Okay, why don’t we do an example?

For example, you could say “alright, here’s the thing - people don’t like you”.

Alright, well, I hope you don’t say that to me.

Hehe.

But another example: “Uh, Marco, here’s the thing - we’re behind in our podcasting, we have to work overtime”.

Okay, so, the main idea.

Yep.

Very good. Moving on to our next phrase.

He said “I can’t take it”.

I can’t take it any more.

I can’t take it any more.

So, he can’t take it any more. Take what?

Well, why don’t we find out by listening to some examples? Voice: Example one.

The man next door has been so loud; I can’t take it any more. Voice: Example two.

My boss always yells at me; I can’t take it any more. Voice: Example three.

I can’t take it any more; I’m going to quit.

Alright, so, basically is you can’t stand it, you can’t tolerate it any more.

Exactly. This is the phrase we use, um, when we are really frustrated.

Yeah, when we’re frustrated or when we just can’t handle it any more.

Uhu.

And, well, after he finished his declaration of love she responded by saying are you series?

Are you series?

Are you series?

Are you series?

Okay, so, what does she mean?

She’s just saying “really?

Exactly, it’s another way of saying “really?

Yep. So, this is the phase that’s really, um… it’s quite informal, isn’t it?

Yeah, I guess you wouldn’t use it in a business context.

No, and it’s also something that’s used mostly by younger people.

Right, if you say something that’s amazing or that’s incredible or hard to believe, you might get this response.

Are you serious?

Right. So, he is very serious, but he confessed that he never had the guts to tell her.

Uhu, have the guts.

I never had the guts to tell you.

I never had the guts.

Alright, so, to have guts.

That’s to be brave.

To be brave, courageous.

Yep.

So, we have some examples of how we would use guts in different situations, so let’s listen. Voice: Example one.

I don’t have the guts to go skydiving. Voice: Example two.

I don’t have the guts to give a speech. Voice: Example three.

I’ve never had the guts to say “no” to my boss.

Alright, so, to have the guts to do something. Hey, but, Marco, this word guts, it’s an interesting one.

Yes it is, because guts can also mean you internal organs.

Like your stomach and your intestines and your lungs.

Exactly, those are your guts.

Yep. So, when you have guts you’re really brave.

Exactly, you’re courageous.

Uhu.

Alright, very good. Why don’t we listen to the dialogue for the second time? We’re gonna slow it down a little bit. And we’ll come back and look at some phrases in putting it together. DIALOGUE, SECOND TIME (slow)

Alright, that’s a little bit clearer this time. But while I was listening I noticed that there’re some more great phrases that you can use together with different words. So, let’s look at those now in “putting it together”. Voice: Putting it together.

Alright, let’s take a look at the first one. He said “I made a reservation just for the two of us”.

The two of us.

Just the two of us.

So, just the two of us. Um, quite simply, it means you and me, just us, right?

Right, just us. So… so, why is this phrase important?

I think it’s a great way to… to show the idea of only us, right?

Right.

And we can use it together with any number we want.

So, what about the four of us?

Uhu, just the four of us.

Okay.

Just the eight of us.

Okay.

So… so, it suggests the idea of only us… you know.

Okay. So, he made the reservation just the two of us, because he thought they could have a quiet evening all to ourselves.

All to ourselves.

All to ourselves.

All to ourselves.

If you have something all to yourself or we have something all to ourselves.

We have that thing all alone. We don’t have to share it.

We don’t share.

Yeah.

Very good. So, I guess you can say “my parents are out of town, so I have the apartment… or I have the house all to myself”.

Uhu. Or even, uh, she wants to eat the cake all to herself.

Very good. So, that’s a very good phrase.

And you can use it with any pronoun. Well, so, the guy is explaining that “I’ve always seen you as more than just a friend”.

I’ve always seen you as.

I’ve always seen you as.

So, basically, is the perception or the way you consider that person.

The way you think about that person.

So, I can say, “I’ve always seen you as a good friend”.

I’ve always seen you as a leader. Okay, so our last phrase is also the last thing we heard in the dialogue. He said “are you willing to give me a shot?”

Are you willing to give me a shot?

To give me a shot.

Give me a shot. Alright, I think we have some more examples of how we could use give me a shot in different situations. So, let’s listen. Voice: Example one.

I know I can do this drawing better. Just give me a shot. Voice: Example two.

The HR manager wasn’t going to hire me, but he decided to give me a shot.

Okay, so, when you give someone a shot, you take a chance, right?

Give that person or give an opportunity.

Uhu. Alright, so, we don’t know if she will give him a shot or not, but why don’t we listen to the dialogue once more to hear these phrases in action?

Alright, so, an interesting dialogue… and it opens up a cultural point.

That’s right, um, so in the dialogue the guy was asking her if she would be his girlfriend, right?

Right, but I guess it’s not very common among adults at least…

Yeah.

In English speaking countries.

Yeah, we don’t say like “okay, so, please will you be my boyfriend now?”, you know.

Right, right, right.

Um…

You would do that maybe in high school or…

Yean, e… but even… even then I think it’s still a little funny.

Hehe.

Um, I think for us, when we start to have romantic relationships it just sort of happens naturally, right?

Right.

You never really have this conversation “will you be my boyfriend?

Right, I guess afterwards you just start talking about other things…

Yeah.

Which you just consider that you guys are already boyfriend and girlfriend.

Yeah.

But there’s no real…

There’s no official starting point.

Yeah. There’s no official point that says “okay, now, we are boyfriend and girlfriend”.

Yep.

Which is interesting, because in other countries they do go through the formality of…

Yeah.

Asking somebody to become their boyfriend.

Yeah, but even, um, you know, like twenty or thirty years ago in English speaking countries you would do this.

Oh, yeah, of course.

And it was called going steady.

Going steady.

So, you’d ask “will you go steady with me?

That means let’s become a stable couple.

Exactly.

Hehe. Alright, so, we wanna hear your stories and, well, how do you do it in your country? Do you ask someone out? Do you maybe just give them the first kiss and that’s an automatic “yes”?

Well, I don’t know, but I’m looking forward to hearing from our listeners. So, guys, uh, check out our website englishpod.com, you can leave your questions and comments there.

Alright, we’ll see you guys there and until next time…

Good bye!

Bye!