Daily Life Vocabulary You NEED to Know

Hello, wonderful English students. Are you ready to learn real life English today that real English speakers use in the real world? I hope so. You're in the right place. Today you are going to learn 10 plus 1 bonus important daily life phrases that I used when I was talking about my morning routine. These are words that you can integrate into your daily conversations, and I guarantee you will hear these in movies and TV shows, so if you want to understand movies and TV shows without subtitles, these are some words and phrases that you need to know. If you're new here, hi, I'm Vanessa from SpeakEnglishWithVanessa.com, and over the past 10 years, I have been teaching English here on YouTube, real life English that you need to know, and now there are over 7 million of you learning English with me. I can't believe it. Thank you so much. I want to give you today my free PDF worksheet for all that you're going to learn today. It's going to include all of the phrases, definitions, bonus sample sentences, plus within this worksheet, there is a speaking practice. This is a downloadable speaking practice that you can listen to and repeat after me, speak out loud, and then grow your speaking skills. This is the most proven speaking method by repeating after someone else that you want to imitate. By downloading this speaking practice, you are not only growing your vocabulary, but also growing your speaking skills. How can you get this free PDF worksheet plus bonus speaking practice? All you need to do is click on the link in the description, enter your name and email address, and voila, just like that. The PDF and bonus speaking practice will land in your email inbox. This is my gift to you. Plus, do you know what? You never need to sign up for my free worksheets ever again. I make a free worksheet for every single one of my YouTube videos, but you only need to sign up one time and I will continue to send them to you automatically every single Friday. So don't wait, click on the link in the description to get that worksheet and speaking practice right now. All right, let's get started. Last week, I gave you a little sneak peek into my morning routine, getting ready, putting in my contacts, putting on my makeup, and I used some key phrases just naturally as I was explaining this. So that is what we're going to take a look at today. The first phrase is to irritate. Let's see how I used it in that morning routine clip, and then we'll talk about it together. Let's watch. Dan, my husband, wears daily contacts because he only wears them once a month, maybe. They kind of irritate his eyes. So I have the contact here on my finger and I just... In this clip, you saw me talk about contact lenses. I can wear contact lenses, but my husband Dan often doesn't because they irritate his eyes. This is a physical sensation, this annoying, irritating physical sensation, but I would say we use this almost more often in a figurative sense. What if I said this? Every time my boss talks about how good his previous company was, it irritates me so much. This is talking about the feeling that I have inside. It's so annoying because he's at our company right now. He should be singing the praises of this company. It irritates me that he's always talking about how good his old company was. So here we have two options, the physical sensation or that feeling, and both of those are pretty annoying. All right, let's watch that original clip one more time so that you can see how I used it to talk about contact lenses in my morning routine. Let's watch. Dan, my husband, wears daily contacts because he only wears them once a month, maybe. They kind of irritate his eyes, so I have the contact here on my finger and I just... The second real life phrase is an instinct, instinct. Usually we think about this for animals. Birds have an instinct that helps them find seeds and nuts and insects to eat, but we can use this for humans as well. So let's watch the clip to see how I used it in my morning routine, and then we'll break it down together. Let's go. There's something very weird about putting something in your eye and not blinking. Your instant reaction, your instinct is to blink, but you have to keep your eye open. In this clip, you heard me say, your instinct is to blink, but you have to keep your eyes open when you put your contact lenses in. So here we're talking about something that you cannot control. It just happens automatically. Your instinct is to blink when something gets closer to your eyes, so you have to consciously avoid your instinct and keep your eye open. Trust that it's going to be okay. But we often use the word instinct to talk about trusting yourself. For example, you might say, trust your instincts. Sometimes we even say, trust your gut. Your gut is in here. Trust your instincts. Maybe if you think that you should avoid that job that just offered you a pretty good deal, but there's something about that job that I just don't think is good. There's something about that place that just makes me feel a little weird. Your friend might say to you, yeah, trust your instincts. Don't go with that job if you don't think it's a good idea. Even if you can't exactly place why you think it's a bad idea, trust your instincts. Okay. Maybe a good advice, maybe not, but sometimes it is a good thing to trust our instincts. All right. Let's see how that original clip was used and hopefully you can trust your instincts as well and continue to learn English with me. Let's watch. There's something very weird about putting something in your eye and not blinking. Like your instant reaction, your instinct is to blink, but you have to keep your eye open. The third real life English phrase is to drip down. To drip down. Let's see how this was used in the original context first. So sometimes some of the contact solution drips down my face and I want to just dry it off a little bit. I said sometimes some of the contact solution drips down my face. And this is a simple, straightforward phrasal verb and it means it is going down my face. You could say it drips on my face, but by saying it drips down my face, it sounds so natural. We often use this to talk about rain. The rain is dripping down the windows. It often implies that it's on a surface. The contact solution drips down my face. The rain drips down the windows. It can be a really calming thing to watch the rain drip down the windows while you're inside, cozy with a cup of tea, maybe a good book, maybe a good video lesson like this one, and just watch the rain drip down the windows. All right. Let's go and watch that original clip one more time. Sometimes some of the contact solution drips down my face, and I want to just dry it off a little bit. The fourth daily life phrase is a long one, but quite important. And it is to make a difference, but we're going to add something in the middle. To make an awful lot of a difference. So the key phrase here, to make a difference, means to change something. But when we add awful lot of a difference, we are emphasizing this phrase. Let's see how I used it in my morning routine, and then we'll talk about it together. Let's watch. I like to wear just a little bit of this under my eyes. I don't know if it really makes an awful lot of a difference, but I do it for me. In this clip, you heard me say, I don't know if it makes an awful lot of a difference. I'm using it in a negative sense. I think it doesn't make a difference. I don't think it makes an awful lot, so much of a difference. But what if we use this in a positive sense? I want you to take a look at this sentence. A supportive teacher can make an awful lot of a difference in her students' lives. So we could say simply, a supportive teacher can make a difference in her students' lives. Of course, right? But when we add an awful lot, we're really punching in that effect. We're really trying to emphasize that a supportive teacher is really important. A supportive teacher can really make a huge difference, an awful lot of a difference in a student's life. So there's a couple options here. Can make a lot of a difference, can make a huge difference, can make an awful lot of a difference in a student's life. I think that these daily life phrases that you hear, maybe you understand, but you don't use yourself, that can really elevate your English. So try to use this the next time that you speak. All right, let's watch that original clip one more time. I like to wear just a little bit of this under my eyes, and I don't know if it really makes an awful lot of a difference, but I do it for me. The fifth real life English phrase is a lovely phrasal verb, and it is to cover up. Ooh, we're talking about hiding something. Let's see how this was used in the original clip, and then we'll talk about it. People say, oh, you look so tired. Are you okay? And then you think, ugh, it's just my face. It's not because I'm actually more tired than usual. You're just not covering up you're tired in the same way, which is how I feel. In this clip, you heard me talk about covering up how I feel tired. I put makeup right here under my eyes to cover up that I feel tired or that I look tired. This is just a fact of life. Right now in my life, I am often tired. So what do I do? I drink some caffeine in my tea and I put some makeup under my eyes to hide that I look tired and that I actually usually feel tired. This is a physical hiding of something. I'm covering it up, but we can also cover up other things as well. All right, let's say that you are driving your car and you accidentally hit something and you get a dent in your car. Your husband comes home and he says, hey, what's that dent in the car? You could cover up your mistake by changing the subject. You say, oh, oh, look, I just, I just baked some dinner. Isn't this so good? Let's go eat dinner. You're trying to avoid talking about your mistake. You're trying to cover up your mistake by changing the subject. Not that I have ever done this in my life, but it's something that you can do. Not just physically cover up, but you can hide something. Cover up your mistake by changing the subject. All right, let's watch that original clip again so that you can see how to use cover up. People say, oh, you look so tired. Are you okay? And then you think, oh, it's just my face. It's not because I'm actually more tired than usual. You're just not covering up your tired in the same way, which is how I feel. The sixth real life daily expression is I always go back to. Take a look at how this was used in the original context, and then I'll show you another way that you can use it as well. Let's watch. This is like extremely cheap mascara. I don't know. I've tried other kinds that are fancier, and for some reason, this is what I always go back to. In this clip, you saw me talking about my mascara, and I said, I've tried other fancier types, and this is the one that I always go back to. So I've tried those other brands, but this is the one that I return to. I decide to repurchase this brand because it's something that works for me. So I return to it, or I go back to this option. I go back to this brand. But we can also talk about this in a physical sense. Your body is returning somewhere. So take a look at this. When we travel, we always go back to that small town by the sea. We are physically returning to that small town by the sea because it's the perfect vacation destination for us. So we can use that full phrase. We always go back to that small town. All right. Let's see how it was used in the original context one more time. This is extremely cheap mascara. I don't know. I've tried other kinds that are fancier, and for some reason, this is what I always go back to. The seventh and eighth daily life English expressions are very fun ones. The seventh one is clumpy, clumpy. It's these kind of descriptive words that will really help you to expand your English and express yourself. So let's see how I used clumpy in the original conversation, and then I'll talk about it with you. I find when I do that, it kind of more evenly goes on my eyelashes. Instead of being clumpy, that's not what you want. I was talking about my makeup, and I said, I don't want it to be clumpy. You want it to be smooth and even. So I don't want it to be clumpy. Clumpy means it's in little piles, not the way it should be. It's clumpy. You don't want makeup to be clumpy, but we can use this with other things as well, like food. So you might say this about mashed potatoes. Mashed potatoes are a common food in the US. We especially eat them for holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas, but a lot of families eat them on a regular basis, and oftentimes people like their mashed potatoes to be smooth. Totally blended, totally pureed, but some people like them to be a little bit clumpy. So you might say, I like it when my mashed potatoes are a little bit clumpy, not totally smooth. So clumpy doesn't always have to be a negative thing, but you can imagine pieces of potato, cooked potato, but pieces of potato within my mashed potatoes. It's not totally smooth. It has a little bit of texture to it. It's a little bit clumpy, but that's okay. Okay, let's go on and watch that clip one more time so that you can use this fun word yourself, and then we'll talk about the second one that is also fun. Let's go. I find when I do that, it kind of more evenly goes on my eyelashes. Instead of being clumpy, that's not what you want. The eighth real life expression is scraggly. Oh, this word just sounds exactly like it is. So let's watch the clip and then we'll talk about how you can use scraggly. So fun. Let's watch. This is the second day. So I had these in my hair yesterday and they were less scraggly. This is called... In this clip, you heard me say, this is the second day. It's a little less scraggly. I was talking about this messy appearance. When something is scraggly, it is not smooth. It is not put together. It is messy. Usually we use this for our physical appearance. When I film a lesson for you, I try to do my hair nicely. I put on some makeup. I wear a nice shirt. I try not to look too scraggly. But let me tell you, in daily life, I often look scraggly because I am running around after my kids. I'm doing errands. I'm gardening in the dirt. I do not look professional and put together. I look a little more scraggly. I think we all do, right? On the weekend, you might look different than you do during the week while you're going to your job and trying to look a little more put together. We can also use the word scraggly, not just for our physical appearance, but for items as well. We might say, for example, if a fence has some broken pieces, we might say, oh, that old scraggly fence just needs to be torn down. It might have some splinters. It's just breaking apart. Oh, that old scraggly fence. Let's just get rid of it. Don't you see how this word is so fun to say? Scraggly, scraggly. It just sounds exactly like it is. So let's watch how I used the word scraggly. And I hope you can use it as well because let's face it, we all look scraggly at some points, maybe more than others. Let's watch. This is the second day. So I had these in my hair yesterday and they were less scraggly, this is called. Our ninth phrase is to leave it like this. I like using the word leave here because we're not talking about leaving the house. Instead, we're talking about it in a slightly different connotation. So let's watch the clip and then we'll talk about how you can use to leave it like this. Let's watch. Usually when I take my hair out of the braids, I might leave it like this or I might gently do a little bit of combing. In this clip, you heard me say, when I take my hair out of the braids, I usually leave it like this. Just like this. I did it earlier today. And here when we're talking about the word leave, it doesn't mean I'm leaving the house. I'm going out of the house. I'm leaving. Instead, we're talking about not changing anything. Let's leave it. So we can leave your hair or if you're arranging the furniture in your house and when you have it in a place that you kind of like it, you could say, okay, let's leave the furniture like this for a week and see if we like it. If it doesn't work, we can always move it around later. So we're talking about not touching something, having it stay exactly as it is. Let's leave the furniture or let's leave it as it is. I love this. Okay, let's watch that clip one more time. And I'm sure there's something in your life that you're going to leave it as it is. Your hair, the furniture, who knows what? Let's watch. Usually when I take my hair out of the braids, I might leave it like this or I might gently do a little bit of combing. Our 10th and almost final. Don't forget we have a bonus phrase after this. Our 10th expression is at least I have. At least. I love this. It is helping you to be positive about life. Let's watch how I use it and I will help you use it as well. Let's watch. Even if I just wear my normal shirts, normal pants, nothing fancy. At least I have earrings. So I'm going to put in my earrings. In this clip, you heard me say, at least I have earrings. Today I have earrings on. I do most days. And even when I am looking scraggly, even when I don't have anything super exciting to do that day, at least I have some earrings in. And when we're talking about this phrase, at least or at least I have, here we're trying to find the positive. I'm looking scraggly. I don't even know what's going on today, but the positive thing is at least I have earrings in. So we can use this to try to find the positive in possibly a negative situation. So as you are reflecting on maybe last year, you might think, well, I didn't get the job that I expected and my vacation, it just rained the whole week. But at least I am healthy. Well, that's not a small thing, right? That's important. So we're finding that positive by using at least. At least I'm healthy. Yes, that is very true. So let's watch that clip one more time to hear how I used at least. And I hope you can use it too to remind yourself of the positive things in life. Let's watch. Even if I just wear my normal shirts, normal pants, nothing fancy, at least I have earrings. So I'm going to put in my earrings. Our final bonus expression today is a fun one, a very specific expression, and it is dangly. Dangly. We had clumpy, scraggly, and now dangly. These are very specific adjectives that will help you to describe exactly what you're talking about. So let's see how I used this phrase and then we'll talk about it. Our bonus phrase. Let's watch. These are dangly earrings. And I usually wear dangly earrings. I have a couple stud earrings. You heard me say these are dangly earrings. So this means it's hanging loosely from my ear. It's not attached at the top and just sticking there. Instead, it is a dangly earring. And we use this to talk about anything that's hanging loosely. So in the US, it's really common to have something hanging or dangling from your rear view mirror. I don't like to do this because it kind of messes with my vision as I'm driving. It can kind of get in the way. But it's really common to have something dangling from your rear view mirror. So you might say, what's that dangly thing on your rear view mirror? This is a really specific expression that you can use in this situation. Hey, what's that dangly thing on the tree out there? Oh, it's a string that flew down the street and it got caught in the tree branches. It's something that is dangly. It is hanging loosely. So let's see how I use this to talk about my earrings. And I think you can use this as well as you're having conversations so that you can express yourself better. Let's watch. These are dangly earrings. And I usually wear dangly earrings. I have a couple stud earrings. Well, congratulations on learning those 10 plus 1 bonus daily life phrases from my morning routine that I hope you can also integrate into your conversations. Don't forget to download the free PDF worksheet that includes all of these phrases, plus the bonus speaking practice. A lot of students have really loved this speaking practice because it elevates your experience, not just passively watching a lesson. You are actively using what you've learned. You're repeating after my voice. I am pausing so that you can speak. This is essential. So make sure that you download the PDF worksheet, all of these phrases, and the bonus speaking practice to use and remember what you've learned today. All you need to do is click on the link in the description, enter your name and email address, and voila, just like that, the worksheet and bonus speaking practice will land in your email inbox. It is my gift to you. Go out into the world and use real life English. You've got this. Well, thank you so much for learning English with me. And I'll see you again next Friday for a new lesson here on my YouTube channel. Bye. But wait, do you want more? I recommend watching this video next, which is the original morning routine lesson where you will see my face without makeup, but also you will see into my morning routine, which might be similar to yours. And I want you to be able to describe your routines as well. A great way to improve your English speaking. So I'll see you there.