ENGSPRESSO – Episode 34

Transcript of my podcast episode (34)

Hello again! Here’s ENGSPRESSO episode no. 34. And yes, it’s still August! We still have some time left until the summer ends for good. I know that some of you are very nostalgic about this month, but hey, autumn is a lovely season too! It surely is a bit of a cliché, but we all like to wrap ourselves up in warm blankets with a cup of hot tea or coffee in the afternoons, especially when it’s chilly outside. Also, think about all these fabulous colours of leaves on the trees around. They always become so vivid in the sun. Obviously, autumn without the sun may feel a bit worse, but I’m sure you’ll enjoy it somehow – there are so many books and films to catch up on. And when it’s dark outside, don’t forget to light your scented candles!

Anyway, as many of you are slowly coming back to your English routine after the summer break, I’m wondering if you still remember all the expressions that we’ve already learnt together with these ENGSPRESSO episodes. Do you have time to go back to the previous episodes? If not, don’t worry – I’ve got you covered! There’s a new course on my webiste called ’ENGSPRESSO – course online’, and it’s an interactive flashcard course thanks to which you’ll revise everything you need at once. Of course, the course is going to grow along with these podcast episodes. So if you feel like revising all the English expressions from the ENGSPRESSO series as well as all our example sentences, go for it! At the moment, the course contains nearly 70 expressions and almost 140 example sentences, and as I said, there’s going to be more of them. Remember you can use the course on any device, and once you buy it, you’ll have unlimited access to it. If that sounds good to you, visit my shop online at angielskidokawy.pl/sklep and find out more.

And now let me teach you another two expressions!

The first one is LET ALONE. This expression is an adverb used after a negative statement to emphasize how unlikely a situation is because something much more likely has never happened.

For instance: He never travels outside of his town, let alone abroad. Now, repeat after me.
The translation is: Nigdy nie wyjeżdża poza miasto, a co dopiero za granicę.

Another example: I wouldn’t even want to talk to him, let alone date him!
Nie chciałabym z nim nawet rozmawiać, nie mówiąc już o randce!

The second expression is ON DEMAND. This means 'at any time that someone wants or needs something’.

For instance: She’s a graphic designer and offers her services to various customers on demand.
Jest projektantką graficzną i oferuje swoje usługi różnym klientom na życzenie.

Another example: The course is not available on demand, so you’ll have to wait until its start date.
Ten kurs nie jest dostępny na żądanie, więc będziesz musiał poczekać aż się rozpocznie (dosł. poczekać do daty jego rozpoczęcia).

And now it’s time for your ENGSPRESSO to go!

Our context for the phrases is:

Their company can’t afford to hire full-time staff, let alone assistants on demand.
Ich firma nie może pozwolić sobie na zatrudnienie stałego personelu, a co dopiero asystentów na żądanie.

Perfect! Now you can listen to this episode once again and try to repeat the phrases after me – this time even more confidently and fluently. I know it’s not that easy to repeat the sentences when you hear them for the first time and still can’t keep up with me. Practise makes better, though, so chin up and try to do it again if you want to.

Don’t forget to visit my website angielskidokawy.pl to look at the transcript of today’s episode, and also make sure you check out the new ENGSPRESSO course that will make your life easier, I’m sure!
Thanks for today and talk to you in September!