AEE 2676: Yours or Mine? Using Possessive Words to Talk About Homes

This is an All Ears English podcast, episode 2676. Yours or mine? Using possessive words to talk about homes. 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, Lindsay McMahon, the English adventurer, and Michelle Kaplan, the New York radio girl. coming to you from Colorado and New York City, USA.

And to get your transcripts delivered by email every week, go to allearsenglish.com forward slash subscribe. Did you know that Australians, British and American people talk about their homes in different ways? Today, find out a key difference that you must know when you want to invite someone over to your place.

Hey there, Michelle. How are you today? How's it going? Hey, hey, hey, Lindsay. I'm good. How are you? I'm feeling pretty good. I'm feeling pretty good.

Michelle, I have a question. You ready? I am ready. All right. Do you prefer having people over to your house or would you rather visit theirs? I think there are pros and cons to each for my life.

Yeah. I think I do like, especially if it's like a dinner, it is nice to just have it be at your house and then you're already home. Yeah, yeah, yeah. For sure.

You don't have to drive anywhere at the end of the night. So I do like that. But then, of course, there are so many other things you have to deal with. Right.

Um, I will say, I will say I prefer having people over now though, especially since now I have a house. Like when I was in the apartment, it was harder. What about you? Ooh, let's see.

I really like having people over to my house. It's fun, but it's a lot more work, you know, a lot of preparation. You find yourself cleaning, starting to clean at like noon for an 8 PM dinner or something. It's crazy.

And then clean up after, but I do like, like just having people over. It's kind of cool. It feels different. Yeah. Feels like you're playing house, right?

Like it feels like, oh, I want to be a grown up now. So today we're talking about ways to describe location, but not just any location. We're talking about really someone's home. And this topic was inspired by a role play that we did in our episode.

It was from May 23rd and it was no dice, fun ways to say something didn't work. So this inspired today's episode. Yeah, guys, go check out that episode and make sure you are following. Make sure you've hit the follow button on Apple Podcasts or even on YouTube.

Make sure you are subscribed to not miss a single piece of content from us. Right? That's right. That's right. So I think we should read the role play.

So guys, we want you to listen to that episode, but we're going to do the role play because this is not really what it was about. This was about no dice and things like that. Right. But we realized, wait a second.

We realized something interesting while we were doing this role play. So here we go. Let's see what we realized. Let's do the role play and we'll point out what we realized.

Here we go. Here we go. Okay. Hey, any luck making a reservation for tonight? No dice. Everywhere is fully booked, unfortunately. Oh, what about that new place by yours?

Oh, no luck either. They're not answering their phone. Okay. Should we just grab takeout from that Chinese place and eat at mine? Okay. Okay. So what did we realize in this role play, Michelle?

Okay. Yeah. So we actually, we had, there was another team member who planned this episode. Um, and we realized that, so when you say, what about that new place by yours?

Yes. And eat at mine. How did that sound? How did that feel to you to say that? It sounded kind of Australian to me, actually. Yeah. I've heard my Aussie friends when I lived in Tokyo, I had some very close friends from Sydney, um,

And they used to say that all the time. That was terminology that they used. Now, I don't know if they say that in England as well, but I know definitely in Australia.

I think in England too. I can't 100% remember, but I would bet on it. Yeah, yeah, for sure. So it didn't feel like American English. I'll say that. Yeah.

Right? Yeah. Yeah. So this is really interesting. Because I have noticed that difference with, you know, like Australian English or British English. And it always kind of sounds cool and cute.

And I love, you know, other accents. So, you know, the British, the Australian. So I always like hearing when people say it. But it is always something that I kind of noticed.

And so I'm glad we're talking about this today. Because, I mean, so this is very important for connection. Because... These terms are really personal since they refer to where people live.

100%. Super important. And just because we may not say something in American English doesn't mean we don't want to recognize it and know exactly what it means and be able to respond, right? Of course.

Yes. So in today's episode, we're going to talk about ways to refer to someone's home. Right, Michelle? That's what we're getting into today? Yep. And we can talk again about those differences.

But yeah, how do we refer to someone's home? So you can say my place or my house or Or your place or your house, right? Yes, my place, my house. So instead of mine and yours, it's my something, right?

My place, my house, your place, your house. Let's go through some role plays, Michelle, and show our listeners both of these in action, shall we? Okay, here we go. Yeah.

Yeah. Do you want to hang out later? Yeah, let's go to my house. It's closer. Okay, so there we said my house. You could have said, let's go to my place.

My place is a little bit more casual, right? Wouldn't you say? Yeah, place is a little more casual. And it could be a house. It could be an apartment, right?

So house is... you know i mean would you say house about if if you live in an apartment you can you can um i feel like kids would be more likely to say that you know what i mean yeah it's like a little bit juvenile sounding but if it just it depends on how specific you need to be in that moment exactly yeah exactly um so and i just want to point out you know grammatically so again this is the possessive adjective and then place or house right so um so here's the next one yeah should we study at school no your place will be quieter there you go and we put a certain emphasis on your place will be quieter right intonation wise yeah and

Now, our place is the next thing or our house. Right. And this just means referring to a couple of family roommates, maybe. Right. So, for example, where should we watch the movie?

Let's watch it at our house. Our living room is so comfy and can fit everyone. Yeah. Nice. And then their place or their house, of course. Have you talked to, have you been to Mike and Annie's new apartment?

Not yet, but we're going to their place this weekend. So this is just a matter of putting that possessive adjective there and then changing, you know, it's just context. Who are you talking about? Whose place is this, right?

Very straightforward. Yes, exactly. So are there any other ways that you could talk about people's homes, Michelle? Let's get, let's go into this. Yeah.

So, well, basically, this is now what we're touching on, that difference. Yeah. So, what happens in British or Aussie English is that they might use the possessive pronouns on their own. So, that's what's going on here.

So, they might just say instead of my house, my place, they might say mine and yours. That's interesting. Yeah. I wonder why they're more likely how that formed in Australian English instead of American English.

I really don't know why. Yeah, it's interesting because it sounds to me so much more casual. Oh, at mine, at yours. But I don't think that that's really what it is.

What do you think? Yeah, I agree. I don't think it means it's more casual. It's just a shortened form. I mean, I know in Australian English, they have a lot of idioms.

They're known for a lot of expressions and sayings. So maybe that's part of it, like a more casual culture. Maybe. I don't know. But I don't think of British English as a more casual language environment.

Right. I don't know. I don't know. Yeah. You're going to have to interview someone from Australia. Yeah, that's true. But Lindsay, would you – I mean, yeah.

Would you talk like that? Would you say, oh, like – Should we meet at mine or yours? Would you say that? It doesn't come to mind to say. That's the thing.

It's not in my head to say it when we have all these phrases bubbling up and ready to deploy when we're on the phone or we're talking to someone. It doesn't come up. But I could see if I were living in a place where I were frequently around Australian people and British people hearing it all the time, I would definitely start using it 100%. Right?

Yeah. That's the fun thing about when you are with people from different places and you start to... adopt some of the things that they say but yeah i don't think that that would naturally come into my head as you know say at mine at yours well you know we generally will say the object right my place my house my apartment um so yeah um so again a mine that would be for my home that's what they're saying so it would sound like this yeah where are you watching the movie later

I'm going to watch it from mine. See, that just, I don't think I would say. Not natural for you. Yeah. Not natural for me. No, no. Yeah, for sure. And then yours, of course, means your home.

And I guess it doesn't refer to anything else, right? It's just yours means your home. That's the only thing it means. That's interesting. I wonder if it could also mean like your office.

Like if you're, you know, should we go by yours, right? If you're at work or something, I don't know. Probably. Of course, it can refer to other things.

Like if someone's handling groceries, oh, you know, it looks like those groceries are heavy. Why don't you hand me yours? Of course, that would refer to their groceries. So be careful.

We don't mean it just refers to the home. And in terms of like different, yeah, I don't know, Michelle. It's interesting. Yeah. That's a good point. This is very specific to right now talking about people's homes or their places that they spend a lot of time in and trying to figure out like locations rather than, oh, these groceries are mine.

Right. Because we do like, you know, we do say, oh, can you help me with mine? Right. Right. Or right. We would say that. Yeah. Oh, yeah. It looks like you're not having a problem holding your groceries.

Can you help me with mine? Meaning my groceries. It's just referring to the item. We're just shortening it. We don't need to say groceries again. We know.

Yeah. Right. So it's interesting. So again, guys, this is really specific, a very specific context here that you might hear the difference in if you're depending on who you're talking to.

yeah um so let's do so then there's also ours yeah so that could mean our home so so for example couples family roommates yeah yeah when you live with other people where's the party we're actually hosting it at hours yeah okay so talking probably talking to the person that lives with you um right wouldn't you say not necessarily though No, no. I mean, if you are friends, I mean, if you are coming over to my house or I'm hosting. Yeah.

I mean, for example, we're hosting my daughter's birthday party. I could say, you know, I'm talking about ours. Yeah, that's true. Not yours, but my family.

Yeah, that's true. You don't need to be talking to the person that lives with you. Exactly. And then theirs means their home. What does this look like, Michelle?

Yeah. So I've never seen their home. Well, we're going to stop by theirs later. You should come. Yeah. And you can also say his or hers, but it's less common unless the context is really clear.

So both people need to know the person. Okay. So for example, are you at Daniel's? No, I'm heading to his now. Yeah, it's just really different. It's just different from what we do here in the States.

So love that. Yeah, right? Yeah, it's very interesting to spot these differences. So yeah, if you noticed, we use these after prepositions, right? So after at, from, by.

So I'm heading to my now, I'll call you when I get home. Yeah, or we were hanging out near yours. So we thought we'd stop by. Right. Yeah. Right. Interesting.

But yeah, but in American English, again, we're not really using those possessive adjectives by themselves, but there are some exceptions. So let's go over when we might do something like this. So first thing is when the word house or place was just mentioned, this is like the grocery example. Yes, exactly.

So should we go to my house or your house? Right. Right. So that's, we don't need to say house, right? We might just say, should we go to my house or yours?

So that's an example where we would cut off the house, the second house. Yes. Yes. Because we've already heard house in the first, in the, my house or yours.

We know we're talking about my house or your house, right? Right, right. Same thing would go for with theirs, right? Are we having dinner at our place or their place?

Rather, we would say, are we having dinner at our place or theirs? Or when we're choosing between two homes. So are we going to mine or yours? Right. right right um yeah uh are we watching the game at mine or yours tonight i don't know what do you think about this one this one might still be a little bit more australian still to me yeah this one feels like it but i do think in that first example that that that's when the key difference is i think so let's put this into a role play michelle and see what it looks like here so here you and i are friends and we are planning a birthday party and we're deciding where to host it of

of course. Yes. So where should we have the birthday party? Mine or yours? I was thinking your place. It's bigger, right? Yeah, and my place has better parking.

True. Aubrey also offered to host. Her place is huge, but really out of the way. That's a good point. Let's stick to mine. It's more convenient. Sounds good.

Should we get the cake delivered directly to your house then? That makes sense. But please come over to mine early to set up. I could use the help. Of course.

Just let me know the time and I'll be there. So this is interesting. So we're going to go through this and see if you guys can kind of figure out, are we more likely to say this in American English or not? So because we have them kind of mixed in.

That'll be fun. Let's identify what is more Australian English and what is more American English. So first I said, so where should we have the birthday party, mine or yours? What do you think, Michelle?

Michelle? australian or australian i would say i i don't think i would say mine or yours i would probably still say my house so i might say my house or your house or just my house or yours exactly as we showed our listeners and then you said i was thinking your place it's bigger right and what about that natural yeah that feels natural to me that's us right yeah yeah And then you said, yeah, and my place has better parking. So that sounds more natural to me rather than saying, and mine has better.

I mean, because we did say your place. It would be okay to say mine there, I think. I think it'd be okay. Yeah, that's true. In American English. Right.

I think that, yeah. So it's really about if it was mentioned, if it was just mentioned. That's the difference. In Australian English, they're okay with not mentioning house, right?

We said that they don't necessarily say place. Again, we should have an Aussie on the show to talk about this a bit more. But in American English, you have to say the place, like place or home or house first. Yeah.

Yeah, very interesting. And then I said, Aubrey also offered to host her place is huge, but really out of the way. Yeah. And then I said, that's a good point.

Let's stick to mine. Let's stick to mine. I would say mine. I don't think you necessarily need to say my place here again. We know what we're talking about.

It's too many times saying place. At this point, the noun is out there. The noun is place, right? Home, house, place. So we can say that, right? And then you said, sounds good.

Should we get the cake delivered directly to your house then? So that one, you say that here. Yeah. And then, but please come over to mine early to set up.

So this one sounds... Less common than what I would say. What do you think? Yeah. I mean, even though we did just say house, we know we're talking about houses.

I think just the chunk over to mine at yours is just – this could go either way, I think. I mean, I would understand – in American English that you're saying my house, right? Because we're talking about houses.

Right. But again, in isolation, it's when you find it in isolation. Hey, should I come over to yours later? Right? That's Australian English. Okay. Very, very interesting stuff here.

You know, it's because, and this is just important. I mean, well, okay, we'll talk about this on the takeaway. But guys, if you haven't already listened to episode 2575, that was five English idioms that hit hard. Yes.

Tell us, Michelle, why is this important? Let us know. Because you're going to hear, you're going to be speaking to people from, I mean, wherever you're practicing your English, it's important that we know these differences and that we're able to identify them. Because I do think, yes, it's connection, not perfection.

Absolutely. And people are able to figure out what you're saying. But it is good to note some of these differences because it can make To me, a native English speaker would go, wait, what?

You know, it does sound a little bit more unusual to what I would say. So I would say that, you know, if you are speaking more to Americans, that you would go one way, you know, and use that object. Yeah. Right.

Yeah. I mean, I think also familiarity breeds connection, right? So if you're using things in a similar way, I also think that our listeners, our students all over the world, learners of English are learning different versions of English, right? And so you guys are going to be communicating with them too.

We're not just talking with native speakers. We know that. We talk with you guys every week in Open Conversation Club and you tell us that your workplace is global. It's international.

That means everyone from everywhere. And so many people who are non-native speakers that maybe you're collaborating with through work are going to have learned Australian English.

So they'll be speaking this way. So it's just important to know kind of all of these different ways of phrasing things and then have your own style or mirror whoever you're talking with. That's kind of cool, too. You can become a bit of a chameleon if you want to.

Well, that's as you're saying that, that's so interesting to me because, yeah, I'm imagining, you know, if our listeners work with Americans and Aussies and And so do you just switch it based on who you're talking to at that moment? That could be a good follow up episode. Or do you just kind of go with one?

I mean, because I mean, I think the most important answer is do you accept the invitation to go have dinner with these people? Right? Exactly. That's a

yes that's true we don't need something like oh my god which one you know it's it's fine um so exactly connection not perfection that is really what it comes back to as always all right good stuff michelle we'll talk to you soon thanks for this little glimpse into australian english really fun all right all right bye guys care bye

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