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Vanessa: Hi.

I’m Vanessa from SpeakEnglishWithVanessa.com.

Are you ready to speak advanced English?

Let’s talk about it.

Vanessa: Today your mind is about to expand, maybe even explode.

You might think that you know how to use these three simple verbs, but do you really know how to use them?

Sometimes English learners think that to speak advanced English you need to use advanced verbs, but that’s not always the case.

Sometimes you need to use simple verbs in an advanced way.

Are you curious?

Good.

Vanessa: Today I’m going to help you use tell, do, and bet in a more advanced, natural way.

Are you ready to get started with the first one?

Let’s start with the verb tell.

The first meaning of the word tell you probably know.

I’m going to tell you a secret.

Do you know what she told me yesterday?

This just means simply to talk, but this is the simple way to use tell.

Let’s take it to the next level.

Let’s take a look at this sentence.

I couldn’t tell if he was a boy or a girl.

Does this mean I couldn’t talk about if he was a boy or a girl?

No.

We’re using tell in an advanced way here.

This means I didn’t know if he was a boy or a girl.

I couldn’t tell.

Vanessa: Let’s look at a few other sentences that use tell in an advanced way that means to understand or to know something.

It was hard to tell.

This means it was hard to know.

I couldn’t tell by looking at his face.

I couldn’t know if he was a boy or a girl by looking at his face.

Vanessa: You might notice that we often use the word tell in this advanced way with the verb can.

Let’s take a look at another scenario.

Can you usually tell when someone’s lying to you?

This means do you easily know when someone’s lying to you.

Can you easily understand when someone’s lying compared to telling the truth?

Hmm.

You might also say, “I couldn’t tell that he was lying.”

This doesn’t mean I couldn’t talk about the fact that he was lying.

It means I just didn’t know that he was lying.

I couldn’t tell that he was lying.

Vanessa: Let’s go to the second simple verb that we can make more advanced.

What do you think about this sentence?

I do like seafood.

Listen to which word is emphasized here.

I do like seafood.

I do like seafood.

There are two verbs, do and like, but one of them is emphasized.

I do like seafood.

It’s the verb do.

Native speakers often use the verb do to show emphasis, especially to emphasize the truth.

Vanessa: Let’s take a look at some examples.

If you say to me, “Vanessa, do you want to go to an all-you-can-eat seafood buffet for my birthday?”

And then you hesitate and say, “Oh, I forgot that you don’t like seafood.

I’m sorry.”

But really, I love seafood, so I want to politely tell you you’re wrong I like seafood.

How can I say that in a polite way?

Well, I can simply say, “I do like seafood.”

So I’m emphasizing that I like it, but I’m also emphasizing that this is the truth.

You had an opinion that wasn’t the truth and now I’m sharing the truth with you.

Oh, that’s not true.

I do like seafood.

I want to come.

I want to go to the all-you-can-eat seafood buffet.

Vanessa: Let’s look at another example.

A couple weeks ago, my husband Dan and I met some new friends, and they invited us over to their house to have dinner.

It was really nice of them.

But on the morning of that dinner, Dan woke up really sick.

Dan’s my husband.

He only gets sick maybe once a year, but that was the day.

It was not a good day for him.

He was on the couch all day.

It happens to all of us, right?

Well, so I needed to call our new friends and say, “Dan really does want to come to dinner, but he’s too sick.”

I wanted to emphasize that he does want to come.

He wants to come to your house, but he’s too sick.

I ended up going to the dinner by myself, and it was a lovely time, but it was a sad time for Dan because he was just at home on the couch.

Vanessa: Why did I choose to add do to this sentence?

What kind of truth am I trying to reveal to them?

Well, I was a little bit worried that because we didn’t know them, we didn’t know them very well at least, I was worried that they would think Dan was just making an excuse that he didn’t want to go and I was calling to make an excuse for him.

But that wasn’t the truth.

He was actually really sick, and it was a good idea that he didn’t go to the dinner.

So I wanted to let them know this is his true feelings.

He really does want to go to your house, but he’s too sick.

Vanessa: We often use this advanced form of do with the word but because we’re telling the truth and then we’re showing an excuse.

Let’s take a look at a couple sentences.

I really do want to study English every day, but I usually forget.

So you’re showing your true feelings.

I really do want to study English, and then you have the excuse, but I usually forget.

Oh no.

My manager does want to speak with you, but she’s busy right now.

If you get a call from someone from another branch and you’re trying to let them know your manager’s busy, it’s not an excuse.

It’s true that your manager’s busy.

You can use this verb to let them know this is the truth.

My manager does want to speak with you, but she’s too busy right now.

You’re letting that person know on the phone, maybe some representative from another branch.

You’re letting them know this isn’t just an excuse.

It’s true.

My manager does want to speak with you, and then you have an excuse, but she’s just busy right now.

She’ll call you back later.

My manager does want to speak with you.

Vanessa: Or you could say, “She does have a car, but she just rides her bike everywhere instead.

If you always see your friend riding her bike, you might wonder, “Does she not have a car?

Why is she always riding her bike?”

And then you could say, “She does have a car.”

You’re emphasizing this truth.

She does have a car, but she just chooses to ride her bike instead.

Vanessa: Let’s go to the third verb that we can make more advanced.

I use this one all the time, so I’m so glad to share it with you because you’ll be able to understand it when I use it and when other people use it.

It’s the word bet.

Have you ever bet some money that your team would win?

This is the simple way to use bet.

It means you think your team will win so you put some money on the table.

If your team wins, you get more money.

If your team loses, you lose all your money.

This is the simple way to use bet.

Vanessa: Let’s make it more advanced, though.

I bet that you want to be a fluent English speaker.

I don’t know this 100%, but I’m 99% certain that you want to be a fluent English speaker, so I can say I bet that you want to be a fluent English speaker.

I’m just guessing your opinion.

This more advanced way to use bet means I’m almost certain.

I’m not 100% certain, but I’m almost certain.

Vanessa: Let’s look at some ways that you can use this naturally.

The phrase I bet is often used to show empathy or caring when someone’s going through a situation.

So you might say, “I bet that you were sad when your dog died.”

This means I’m not 100% certain, but I’m letting you know that I can imagine your feelings.

I’m almost certain that you were sad when your dog died, and I want you to know that I understand you were sad.

Oh, I bet you were really sad when your dog died.”

Do you see the tone of my voice and the look on my face?

It shows caring and empathy.

I bet you were really sad.

Vanessa: Let’s look at another example.

I bet that you were annoyed when your boss didn’t give you a raise.

I’m not 100% certain, but I’m mostly certain that you were annoyed when your boss didn’t give you a raise.

This is a really kind, and thoughtful, and polite expression to use when someone you know is having a difficult time in their life.

If your friend was expecting a raise and then you see them and they look pretty sad and they tell you, “I didn’t get the raise,” you could use this expression.

I bet you are annoyed when your boss didn’t give you that raise.

I bet you are really disappointed when your boss didn’t give you that raise.

You’re sharing feelings with them.

You’re empathizing.

Vanessa: You can use I bet for those negative situations, like I bet that was really hard.

I bet that situation was really hard for you.

But you can also use it in positive situations.

I bet you’re glad that your exams are over.

The word glad is not a negative thing.

It’s a positive thing.

But you’re letting them know I understand your feelings.

I bet you’re glad the exams are over.

Now you can finally relax.

Vanessa: We just talked about how you can use I bet to show someone that you are understanding and caring about their feelings.

This is kind of a deep friendship type of expression, but there’s a lighter way that we can use it as well.

It’s simply when you’re predicting what might happen in the future.

You could simply say, “I bet that it will rain today.

I bet that it’s going to rain.

There’s dark clouds.

The area’s a little bit moist.

I bet it’s going to rain.”

You’re just predicting.

You’re almost certain.

You’re not 100% certain, but you’re almost certain that it’s going to rain.

Or if you’ve never been skiing, like me, you might say, “I bet that I’m going to break my leg when I go ski.”

This is a prediction for the future.

I hope whenever I go skiing for the first time this doesn’t happen.

But you can use this expression to say, “This is my prediction.

It will probably happen.

Not 100%, but there is a high possibility that it might happen.”

I bet I’ll break my leg or I bet that I’ll break my leg.

Vanessa: Notice that in all of these sentences we use the pronoun I. I bet.

This is because I’m certain.

I don’t know your certainty, but I know my certainty.

I bet it’s going to rain.

I bet you were sad.

I bet that was a hard time.

I’m talking about my own certainty.

It’s not so common to hear this with other pronouns.

You bet that this will happen.

He bets that this will happen.

It’s most likely that you’re going to hear this with I bet.

So I want you to be able to use that, too.

Vanessa: Before we go, let’s do a little review.

I want you to say these sentences out loud.

Exercise your pronunciation muscles and speak.

It’s going to help you to remember these three simple verbs used in an advanced way.

Are you ready?

Let’s go.

Vanessa: I couldn’t tell if he was a boy or a girl.

It was hard to tell.

Can you usually tell when someone is lying to you?

I can’t tell.

I forgot that you don’t like seafood?

No, I do like seafood.

I really do want to study English every day, but I always forget.

She does have a car, but she always rides her bike instead.

I bet that you want to be a fluent English speaker.

I bet that you were annoyed when your boss didn’t give you a raise.

I bet you’re glad that the exams are over.

I bet that it’s going to rain today.

Vanessa: How did you do?

Did you get some pronunciation practice?

I hope so.