​Life is hard. We have so many things to do in our lives and it seems unbearable sometimes. What can we do? We move forward. How do we do that. Well, you do what you gotta do. That expression simply means to continue doing what is necessary to complete a task. I'm also going to share a story of some things I need to fight through now, and I will share some ideas on how to keep a positive attitude in difficult situations.

​More Than English Podcast
Episode 8: Do What You Gotta Do

VOCABULARY and EXPRESSIONS
(The words and terms are in order of when you will hear them)
 
You do what you gotta do– To do what’s necessary to accomplish the task 
Let me + verb… – Introduction to giving your opinion 
 “Let me share a personal story.”
Payoff(n) (v)– the return on your investment. The benefit you receive from doing something
            “Right now, there’s little payoff for all of my hard work.”
Don’t give up– (Phrasal Verb)  
            “Keep moving forward and don’t give up.”
… but onto + noun.– To continue something after being interrupted (normally by yourself)
“…but onto my story.”
Nasty – a synonym for “disgusting”
A headache to ___– Something is difficult or complicated to do
            “It’s just a real headache to go by bus.”
The lesser of two evils– (Expression) Two options are bad, but one is less bad
            “It’s the lesser of two evils at that point.”
to be drenched(adj) – To be very very wet
“I use an umbrella so I don’t arrive at my students’ house completely drenched.”
Proverb (n) – An old, common saying that often give a lesson
            “I was once sad when I had no shoes until I met the man who had no feet.” (proverb)
Let that sink in– (Expression) Think about something more deeply to understand it better.
Let’s be honest– (Fluency Builder) to give your honest opinion
“Let’s be honest, some of you are in difficult situations to live in.”
MMA (Mixed Martial Arts)– You don’t do something anymore that you used to do
            “My favorite sport is mixed martial arts, MMA..”
The harder the struggle is now, the better the success will feel in the future  – Something that has given you a bad experience

Sometimes we can get discouraged by listening to other learners who are far more advanced than us. In this episode of the More Than English Podcast, I will introduce a new perspective. I want to help you with ways to learn from these people and make yourself better.

​VOCABULARY and EXPRESSIONS
(The words and terms are in order of when you will hear them)
 
Well…– (Fluency Builder) 
… and more specifically, from… – (Fluency Builder) 
 “I’d like to talk about, well, learning in general, but more specifically, learning language.”
Language learners– people who are learning a language
You know…– (Fluency Builder) 
            “Ya know… YOU know learning language can be frustrating.”
When something clicks… and you get it.– You finally understand something very well
            “When something finally clicks, and you get something you’ve been struggling with.”
Fellow learners – Fellow + noun One of your peers. (a fellow student, a fellow American, etc.)
It can be done– (Passive voice) 
            “It’s encouraging to me because it can be done..”
Let’s imagine– (Fluency Builder) To illustrate a point
            “Let’s imagine you’re playing chess.”
In the middle of– While you’re doing
“They’re changing guitar strings in the middle of playing.”
Get with it– Get somebody’s attention. Getting impatient. (kind of rude)
            “Jesse, get with it. Put the silent mode on!”
Out of reach– Something is unattainable
            “We see someone on that level, and it kind of seems out of reach.”
It turns into ____– Something changes into 
“It turns into something I can do.”
It’s a good reminder– You don’t do something anymore that you used to do
            “It’s sometimes a good reminder that I can learn this, too.”
To leave you with something– Something that has given you a bad experience
            “That’s what I want to leave you with today.”
 
Did you catch any other phrasal verbs or expressions you like? Write them here.
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