AEE 2638: Is This Episode a Lot?

This is an All Ears English podcast, episode 2638. Is this episode a lot? Welcome to the All Ears English Podcast, downloaded more than 200 million times. Are you feeling stuck with your English?

We'll show you how to become fearless and fluent by focusing on connection, not perfection, with your American hosts, Michelle Kaplan, the New York radio girl, and Aubrey Carter, the IELTS whiz, coming to you from Arizona and New York City, USA.

And to get your transcripts delivered by email every week, go to allearsenglish.com forward slash subscribe. Have you ever had a day that was a lot? Today, learn four ways to use this trendy new slang and find out how to avoid using it to give offense. Tune in for details.

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Get your level at allearsenglish.com slash fluency score. One more time, go to allearsenglish.com slash f l u e n c y s c o r e hello michelle how are you i'm good aubrey how are you excellent quick question this might get you in trouble if you answer do you know anyone who is a lot

I know a lot of people who are a lot, but I'm just going to go ahead and say that I love my children, but they are a lot sometimes. My kids are a lot. My children are a lot sometimes. That's a perfect example because most people aren't a lot all the time, but everyone's a lot sometimes.

Exactly, exactly. Nothing to be ashamed of. Nothing to be ashamed of. Are your kids ever a lot? Yes. Often. Yes. This, guys, this is slang that has become very popular.

We mentioned it in an episode not long ago, and we promised a follow-up. So stay to the end for details. If you missed that episode, you can definitely listen out of order. This does have a different meaning from the standard a lot about general quantity or intensity.

If you just say, I've been working a lot lately, so I haven't had much time to hang out. That's different than the way we were using it here, talking about people who are a lot. Yes, this is really fun. Guys, this is used all the time.

I certainly use it a lot, which is different than the meaning we're talking about. Guys, make sure that you hit follow wherever you listen to the All Ears English podcast so you never miss anything from us. Yes, and you guys are still hearing Lindsay's voice, but Michelle and I are recording some together, which has been so fun. I am loving it.

And I'm excited to dive in with this really fun vocabulary. So this is super fun. First, let's talk about how we say this is a lot, which means something's overwhelming, frustrating. Maybe we're talking about a scenario, a situation here.

Mm-hmm. So for example, wow, moving to a new city and starting a new job at the same time, this is a lot. Yes. Or please stop yelling. It's a lot. This is what I would maybe say to my kids.

That's what I was thinking. It's a lot. They've started playing... on Netflix, there are these games. Do you have Netflix? Have you seen the games? I don't have Netflix.

Okay. So if you have Netflix, it's very fun. They have games sort of like the Jackbox situation where you use your phone as a controller. And we've been playing them a lot, Pictionary, Boggle, and one called Overcooked.

My kids love it. We play this game. It's fun because we're all playing together, but they're fighting a lot. They're like trying to cook in a kitchen on this game.

And you'll hear them from the other room. They're like, cook that meat chop that potato put it in the fryer and then they will be like bossy why aren't you washing the dishes and it's funny because it would sound like they're cooking in the kitchen but they're actually playing a video game that's really funny okay stop fighting it's a lot i can't handle it Yeah, I feel like I say to my kids, like, it's too much.

That's what I'll say. It's too much. Yes, right. Exactly. But yeah, we use this this way a lot. This is a lot to mean this is overwhelming. It's frustrating.

I can't handle it anymore. I want it to stop. Yes, exactly. Or you might hear, it's going to be a lot. So this is about anticipating something overwhelming.

Yeah. So for example, planning this wedding by ourselves, it's going to be a lot. Yes, you're expecting it to be overwhelming, frustrating. You know it's going to be overwhelming.

A lot. Or yeah, final exams. Final exams week is coming up and that's going to be a lot, right? So you're going to be overwhelmed. It's going to be busy.

You're going to be studying. It's not just like a typical week. Yeah. A lot is implied with this phrase. When we say this, we could really just mean like, I'm going to be busy.

It's probably going to be stressful. There's so much that you could say. And we replace all of that with just, it's going to be a lot. I really do love this.

I do too. So another one is to call someone a lot. So we're going to talk about this in two ways. So the first one is just she's a lot. So a strong personality or then with that could be that this personality is overwhelming.

Exactly. I like her, but she's a lot. She talks nonstop, has so much energy. Mm hmm. You'll see what I mean when you meet her. She's a lot but in a fun way.

So yeah, this is interesting because some people really thrive on those personalities and they just like find these people who are who are a lot they find them entertaining. And some people just get overwhelmed and they it's just too much for them. What are you, Aubrey? Do you like when somebody is kind of a lot?

I love when someone's a lot. I think Jessica, I think would be self-proclaimed as a lot. I feel like she sort of said this about herself and I loved that about her. She was just all, you know, so fun and loud and amazing.

And I have quite a few people. I surround myself in life with people who are a lot. I find them entertaining. I think it's so fun. But every now and then it's a lot and I need a break.

You never know. Right. But it's This is really interesting. You do have to be careful because some people would be offended to be called a lot. It definitely is a negative connotation.

Overwhelming, too much, right? It's more than you can handle. Because just like you said, Michelle, not everyone is for everyone, right? Some people can't handle someone who's a lot.

Mm hmm. Exactly. I mean, and also because a lot can mean something mostly similar, but a little bit different. So if you say like, oh, he's a lot, it could be the same idea, but it could be more like intense or tiring.

Yeah. Yeah, we use this for both genders. Of course, anyone can be a lot. So it kind of depends on what exactly you mean. And that's interesting, too, that when you say a lot, it doesn't necessarily mean overwhelming or loud.

There could be a few different things that you mean, right? There's a lot of possible meaning hidden in that, right? But for, yeah, you could say, my roommate's nice, but he's a lot. He's always playing loud music.

Mm-hmm. Or I enjoy hanging out with him in small doses. He's a lot sometimes. So yeah, that is something you will often hear. So saying you like seeing someone or spending time with someone in small doses, that's very common.

It's like you're talking about them like a medicine. That's a good bonus, right? Just like medicine in small doses. We need people in small doses sometimes if they're a lot.

Yeah. Yeah. Or Aubrey, what if I say to you, you're a lot. Ooh, that's very direct. It will likely come off as rude or offensive, even if you're joking, right?

You're trying to joke. And if you said to me, like, you've called me five times in the last hour, you're a lot right now. I would be hurt, offended. I'd be like, wow, rude.

Yeah, exactly. Or I feel like I might say this to my dad. I love you, dad. But I might say, okay, relax. You're a lot today with all these questions. My dad always has like, you get on the phone with him and immediately it's like, Michelle, I have to ask you something.

And I'm like, well, what else is that? I love that though. Yeah, it's very fun. But it's true. It's really interesting depending on the relationship. Like you could maybe say to your dad, you're being a lot right now.

You're a lot right now. And the right now also softens it. Because if you just say you're a lot, you are making a criticism, a critique of their personality overall. Whereas if you say you're being a lot right now, that's just a commentary on like right now you're asking me a lot of questions.

That's much less. That's not a judgment of their entire personality. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, Michelle, role play time. We are students and have just been assigned a group project.

I'll start us out here. Okay. I just looked at the project requirements. It's a lot. I don't even know where to start. I know, right? Three presentations, a report, and a group discussion.

Oh, and we got paired with Jake. Oh, no. Yeah, he's a lot. I know. He's super intense and wants everything to be perfect. To be fair, I'm kind of the same sometimes.

You think? Yeah. Remember I made a color-coded schedule last time? Okay, you're right. You are a lot. And so this is very, we're clearly close friends.

Like it was just like, oh, we're students. I wouldn't say to someone that to someone unless we're very close friends and they know I'm joking and right. It's very playful. So this very much depends on the relationship.

Most classmates, I would never say that too. You're right. You're a lot. Yeah. Exactly, exactly. But this is a very typical sounding conversation. And that first way I used it, I said, I just looked at the project requirements.

It's a lot. That's just this standard meaning about quantity, intensity, right? We have a lot to do. That's not this slang with this other meaning. It just means a large amount.

Mm-hmm. And then about Jake, you said when we got paired with Jake and I said, oh no, yeah, he's a lot. So it's interesting because now it's kind of coded, right? We don't know what it is, but then you elaborate.

Right. I'm like, he's super intense, wants everything perfect. But then you do this really... There's something that I love for connection that I do sometimes too.

And this is a way if someone starts gossiping, I often will shut it down by saying, I'm like that too, actually. And that always works. They'll either be like, no, you're not.

And then we change the subject or something like this. You think? And I'll share something where like, yeah, because often whatever you're gossiping about, we all are like that sometimes. And this sort of is a way to let someone know, I'm not comfortable with you gossiping about this person without making it awkward and saying that to them.

That's a really, yeah, I love that. That's just a good strategy. Yeah, it is a good strategy because you don't want to be that negative person just like saying, oh, this one's a lot and this one's this and this one's that, right? Right, exactly.

And you can get in trouble. What if Jake is listening at the door or you never know or someone's videoing you and post it somewhere. These days, I don't want to be saying someone's a lot.

And it gets back to them. I'm like, I'm sorry. Yeah, that's really funny. So yeah, this was this was Oh, my gosh, I love this episode. I love this topic.

Guys, check out episode 2598. That was it's been a days five phrases to connect when something is a lot. That is the episode that inspired this episode. Exactly.

So go check it out. We mentioned that. And then we're like, we need to do a whole episode about something being a lot or someone. I really, I really, really like this topic.

This is so great. So great. I bet I'm going to use it all the time and realize today that I use it all the time. You know what I mean? Absolutely. I use it all the time.

My kids use it. I hear it on podcasts, on TV. It's very common right now, at least in the States. And it's fun. It's playful. But you do have to be careful.

It can be offensive. If you say to someone's face that they're a lot, it's not kind. Most people don't want to be a lot because it does have this negative implication of too much work. overwhelming exhausting most people don't want to be those character traits no exactly all right aubrey well this was a lot a lot of fun and uh i will talk to you next time guys thank you for listening yes see you guys next time bye bye

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