ENGSPRESSO – Episode 4

Transcript of my podcast episode (4)

Welcome to another ENGSPRESSO episode! I know that for many of us the last few months might have been quite difficult. We sometimes feel a lot of anxiety about everything that has been going on around us. And I understand very well how challenging it must be to focus on your English in such stressful circumstances. So my advice to you is: don’t be too hard on yourself! Anyway, whenever you feel ready to improve your language skills, I’m here for you giving my best to help you with that!

So today the first expression is THE LAST BUT ONE. You can also say NEXT TO LAST, or PENULTIMATE if you want to sound more formal. What do they all mean? All the expressions mean “the one before the final one”. Let’s hear some examples!

For instance: She was the last but one patient in the waiting room. Now, repeat after me.
The translation is: Była przedostatnią pacjentką w poczekalni.

Another example: In our last but one lesson, we briefly discussed a few different topics.
Na naszej przedostatniej lekcji krótko omówiliśmy kilka różnych tematów.

Now let me explain to you the meaning of the second expression. The expression is AT ONCE. If something is done at once, it’s done immediately, or when we talk about a few things that happen at once, we mean that they all happen at the same time.

For instance: When he got your message, he left the office at once.
Kiedy dostał twoją wiadomość, od razu / natychmiast wyszedł z biura.

Another example: Doing everything at once usually makes us less productive.
Robienie wszystkiego naraz zwykle sprawia, że jesteśmy mniej wydajni.

And here is your ENGSPRESSO to go!

Our context for the phrases is:

I didn’t manage to write it all down at once, so could you repeat the last but one sentence?
Nie zdołałam zapisać tego wszystkiego naraz, więc czy mógłbyś powtórzyć przedostatnie zdanie?

Perfect! Now you can tick your English lesson off your to-do list. I hope you’ll write down today’s expressions in your notebook so that you can revise them later. And most importantly, I hope you’ll have an opportunity to use these expressions in real life conversations!

Let me remind you that you can always find more expressions in my e-books and courses online. Also, don’t forget to say “hi” to me on Instagram. And if you’d like to have a look at the transcript of this episode, visit my website or use the link in the description of the episode.

Thank you for being here and talk to you next time!

And if you’d like to thank me for the materials I create for you, you can buy me a cup of coffee ☕. It will keep me going 😉