Do you know what to say in English when someone comments to you that something didn’t go well?
How can you show your empathy and support that person?
We’ll find out how to do it today.
Let’s start with a small role play:
A: So Lindsay has anything crazy happened to you lately?
B: I can tell you something crazy that happened to me. I just spent 30 minutes writing one episode then it got deleted.
A: Oh jeez. That’s so annoying. Sorry that happened.
What phrases did we use to empathize in that conversation?
Michelle used “oh jeez.”
What does that mean?
It means “Oh wow” or “I’m sorry.”
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Let’s jump to a question from our listener:
Hi Lindsay and Michelle,
The word is “oh-gee”. What does a speaker wants to convey when he/she use this word? Waiting for your answer. Thanks in advance.
Minhajuddin Khan
What does “oh jeez” do?
“Oh jeez” is a way of showing your empathy.
When you hear the person and you are reacting you’re showing that you feel that the situation was strong for the other person.
There are other ways that we can show this:
- oh jeez
- oh jee
- oh man
- oh boy
- oh gosh
- no way
- you’re kidding me
Takeaway:
It’s important to voice your empathy if you want to connect and ‘oh jeez” is a good way to do it.
Use some of the other ones that we’ve taught you too and give them a try out in the world with native speakers.
The most important thing is to listen and these words make it obvious to natives that you are listening.
What questions do you have today?
Let us know in the comments below.
