AEE 2320: Don't Underestimate your English
22:00 Share

This is an All Ears English podcast, episode 2320. Don't underestimate your English. 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.

Do you know English words that start with under? Today, learn four of them and find out how to use them in interesting English conversations. Listen in today.

Quick shout out to our sponsors, Toyota. Announcing the Toyota National Sales Event. Now is a great time to get a special deal on a dependable car. Check out the Camry, which is built for performance with available all-wheel drive. It also has heated seats and a multimedia touchscreen to keep you connected in comfort and style. Or have a look at the Corolla. It has a trim for every lifestyle.

From the hip and agile sedan to the sporty hatchback, there's a dependable Corolla built just for you. Don't forget, both the Camry and the Corollas are available in hybrid. So whatever your style is, you can drive efficiently and affordably. So visit your local Toyota dealer and check out amazing national sales event deals on Camrys, Corollas, and more.

When you visit buyatoyota.com, that's B-U-Y-A-T-O-Y-O-T-A.com. Toyota, let's go places. Hey, Michelle, how's it going today? Good, Lindsay. How are you? Oh, I'm good, but I have a deep question for you here. You ready? Oh, okay. Oh, gosh. What is it? Well, Michelle, has anyone ever underestimated you in your life?

Oh, that is a deep question. I mean, deep right from the start today. Yes. Has anyone ever underestimated me? I think so. I mean, I think that, I think, unfortunately, I think that that's just like a fact of life. Some people might not, might not think the best of people or, so I guess, yeah.

in some ways, maybe in my moving away when I moved to New York, people thinking, oh, maybe that I would move back.

So certain things like that. But not too bad. I mean, I felt pretty supportive, but I'd have to think of an even more specific example. But what about you? Can you think of anything? I mean, maybe as a business owner, you've had this? Yeah, I don't have any specific times. But certainly, I think definitely I've been underestimated and overestimated for that matter. Yeah.

at different times in my life and I've done the same thing to other people, right? It's just the human brain, the way it works is we jump to conclusions as quickly as we can. That's the way we evolved to protect ourselves as humans, right? So if we get a sense that maybe someone won't be able to do something, we jump to that conclusion instead of questioning that, right? Which is a bad habit. - Which is a bad habit. - Yes, it is, it is.

So, but today we are going to answer a listener question based on another episode of All Ears English that we did in the past. So I'm excited for this one 'cause it's kind of like a part two. - Yes, yes. - Yeah, this question was from YouTube and it's just a quick one. It just, it's from QUQ, no, excuse me, that's a W, QWQW0424. And the question is just, can you do an episode

for the prefix under that the opposite of over. Yeah, because we did another episode, right? Yeah, on over. And again, what was that episode name? What was the name of that episode? This was Allers English. Don't overdo it with textbook English. So we have a lot of ones with over. So definitely after you listen to this one, listen to that one because I mean under and over, they're opposites and these are all synonyms

super common. So they'll be very useful to you. And they usually come together as I showed you at the top of the episode, overestimate, underestimate, right? They usually come together. You need to be able to say both and usually and often use both in a sentence, right? So Michelle, let's get into under as a prefix. What does it mean?

Yeah, well, it means lower, below, or less. Yeah, generally. So today we're going to focus on verbs. It doesn't

it doesn't always, but here's what's interesting. It doesn't always work out with that meaning. So this is where it becomes tricky with prefixes. Sometimes they're just part of the word. So I was thinking about the word understand. Oh, true, true. You can't really logic your way through that one, that it's just a prefix. It's not really a prefix here. It's just the whole word, but how in the world are we supposed to know that? That's a great question. Yeah.

I never thought about that, but it's true. I'm sure there are other ones. Are there any others that we know of that act that way? It's actually a word. It looks like a prefix, but it's a word. Oh, you know what? We should do a whole episode about that. I agree.

Yeah, where you think that, I mean, it could be about a lot of different prefixes. We could just have a list of things that it seems like a prefix, but it's just a word. So, yeah. Oh, yeah. That's tricky. It kind of makes sense if you think about it. If you test it, if you say the word stand, does that work on its own? No, it doesn't work on it. Like understand, right? We take out the prefix. The word stand doesn't make sense.

to tell me what I'm saying. In a context, right? In the context. Right. The word stand, of course, is a word, but if you're trying, if you're looking at a sentence and you see understand, and then you try to take stand in itself, it doesn't make sense. So that could, yeah, that could be a strategy. But yeah, some of it is just practice, but we can talk about that more another time. Yes. Michelle, what would be, let's get into some examples then. Some examples. Yeah. These ones do work as a prefix. Yes.

Yes. So that's what we're going to focus on today. So, Lindsay, well, let's start with underestimate, actually, because we already talked about that in the beginning. So let's start with that one. So in the other episode, we did do overestimate. So this goes to show you this one. You can kind of go back and forth between and just switch them. So what is underestimate? Well, this is the idea that we...

we think that someone, something or someone will do something less well than they might do. Right. Someone is less capable. Okay. Right. So yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. So it's, I think this is often used to talk about potential and what people think others can do. So for example, I underestimated her singing voice. She is a powerhouse. So, um,

What does that mean? What did I think? I thought that her singing voice was less powerful, less beautiful. I didn't think she had a good singing voice, but she was a powerhouse. You see this a lot with, I feel like with female singers who maybe are

smaller, physically smaller, right? Oh, interesting. Yeah. You wouldn't expect like a really big voice. Exactly. I don't know what Lady Gaga's journey was like. Maybe she was not underestimated, but I feel like sometimes when you're physically smaller, you could be underestimated. And if for anything, not just your singing voice, but in a lot around like your capabilities or something sometimes, don't you think, don't you think at least in American culture, I think that can happen sometimes.

Well, I think this is also, yeah, this is also, I mean, the very popular topic for things like movies. I mean, the underdog story under, you know, this is huge in our culture about the underdog. They were underestimated and look what they did. Even something, I don't know why this is the first thing that comes to my mind, but the movie Babe.

Because I recently watched it with my son. And yeah, it was underestimated. And then it turns out he was amazing, you know, as a pig. And it turns out he has amazing talent. But I mean, this is just such a...

huge topic in our culture, I think. It's so true. It's huge. It's huge. Or here's another sample sentence. I should have brought, I should have bought more salmon. I really underestimated how much we need. And now this is about guessing, maybe you're hosting a party. You think you're going to need three pounds of salmon. You actually needed six pounds of salmon, right? Right. So, so this one is a little bit different than, you know, this, this is a little

bit more practical just about the numbers. This is not, you're not, you're not thinking anything less of the salmon, right? We're not under...

Yeah. Right. We're not judging the salmon. Exactly. Exactly. I mean, going back to the conversation about physical height, though, often you ever like find out that a star is shorter is actually on the shorter side and you're kind of shocked. Like, um, Reese Witherspoon is supposed to be quite short. And that's, I never would have imagined that because the way they put them in the movies, you don't really notice. And

And we know that Tom Cruise is very, that's who I was thinking. Yeah. Yeah. And it's just funny because we see them as these larger than life figures. We don't see them as physically shorter. Uh,

uh it's just I don't know it's just fascinating it is always fun like every once in a while I'll see a celebrity on TV and then I'll think how tall is that celebrity and I look it up it's always kind of surprising kind of just a human height like a 5'4 or a 5'5 it's not like oh really that person I just see them on TV they're larger than life they could actually just stand next to me and be it's just funny it's funny to think about right yeah it's really strange interesting

The national sales event is on at your Toyota dealer, making now the perfect time to get a great deal on a dependable new car, like a legendary Camry built for performance and available with all wheel drive. You can count on your new Camry to get anywhere you need to go.

And with available features like heated seats and a multimedia touchscreen, you can stay connected in comfort and style. Or check out an affordable and reliable Corolla with a trim for every lifestyle. From the hip and agile sedan to the sporty hatchback, there's a dependable Corolla built just for you.

Plus, both Camrys and Corollas are available in hybrid models. So no matter your style, you can drive efficiently and affordably. So visit your local Toyota dealer and check out amazing national sales event deals on Camrys, Corollas, and more when you visit buyatoyota.com. Toyota, let's go places.

Okay. We're back. So Michelle, what would be another example of the under used as a prefix for our listeners? Okay. Well, we're actually going to go back up because we wanted to do underestimate. So this is under play. Yes. So this is interesting. So this means to behave in a way that shows something is not as important as the reality. Interesting. Yeah. And this one is not as much in my, I usually say downplay. Um,

Does that mean the same thing would you say? Downplay, underplay? Yeah, underplay. Yeah. You know what? That one I think is a little bit more common. But I would hear underplay too. Yeah. So I'm looking in the AI overview now to make – yeah. Oh, that is where I got it. To make something seem less important than it actually is or to give it too little attention. I mean our listeners should know both. They should know they have options.

You can say downplay something or you can say underplay. Is this used a lot with politics? I would say so. Right. You want to downplay or underplay a theme. Maybe you've been in as being like pro this pro that, but you're trying to get the broad electorate on your side. So you have to downplay or underplay.

Right, right, right, right. So you could say she tried to underplay her negative comments by drawing attention to the missteps of her opponent. I must...

yeah I've written this a few weeks ago oh right right right um yeah so drawing attention away from something to distract right this is what politicians do for sure okay so underplay is a less common one but good to know what else Michelle what are some other ones we should okay so this is under charge so in the other episode we did overcharge

But you can also be undercharged. So, Lindsay, what does it mean if you're undercharged? I don't actually know what this means. I don't know what this means. I never use this. Oh, I see what you mean. You mean with money. Okay. I thought you meant somehow with energy or something. I don't know what I... Oh, no, no, no. Sorry. My battery's undercharged. No, I think...

Okay. That's funny. Yeah. To be, okay. When someone undercharges you, right? So you would then be undercharged. They didn't charge you what you were supposed to pay. Right.

right? You were charged less than what you should have paid. So she undercharged me. I'm going to tell her to adjust the bill. And this is always a test of your true honesty, right? Yes, I know. I know. I mean, it happens to everybody. Sometimes you look at the bill and you're like, oh, they didn't put my coffee on there. I mean, yeah. What do you do, Lindsay? Yeah.

depends on the scenario but it's truly a you know sometimes if i know that the person might get in trouble then i really want to make sure you know if it's

I don't know, like a waiter or waitress and they're going to end up having to pay the difference or something, then for sure, you know, but this is a moment in life that are presented to us here are a chance to get to know who we are. Right. Yeah. These moments. That's true. I've definitely told people that they've undercharged me before because I have a

my conscious eats away at me. I'm not saying I've done it every single time, but I just, I'm not very, yeah. So I think it's something about, I'm very honest. Yeah. Yeah. I'm like my, my dad in that way. He can't, that's very strong conscious. Yeah. But I'm not saying I would do it every time. So there are, but,

lot of times i would but sometimes when that happens then they just tell me thank you so much for telling us and it's okay don't worry about it that's all but then and then you win you're a big winner because you feel good about yourself right and you got something you got something for free i i think it's a really good way to go through life just to have that conscience that inner like

I don't know that inner center of gravity of what's right. It's, you know, it's the right thing to do. Right. Yeah. I mean, yeah.

- Yeah, I try. And then I forget the other point that I was gonna make with it. - Okay, well. - So let's move on. - Yeah, I love this next one. This is very high level. I feel like this is a quality of a C1 level speaker when they're able to use this word. What is it, Michelle? - Undermine. - Mm-hmm, undermine, to make something weaker.

This could be over a long period of time and it might be a little subtle below the surface, not outwardly clear, but it's happening below the surface. I just, I just, can you overmind something?

No, I don't think that's a word. Yeah, exactly. But I was just thinking, is undermine technically, is that technically a prefix? I don't know actually technically, but I think it's an important word for our listeners to know. It's an important word to learn. Okay, good. That's the most important thing. I don't think it actually is, but I want our listeners to know this. It doesn't matter what kind of part of speech it is.

I think it's a marker of a high-level speaker. So let's make sure we know what it means. Yeah? Yes, exactly. So to make something weaker. So sometimes over a long time or not outwardly. So here's an example. He didn't mean to undermine her when she was talking. She seemed really embarrassed. So what do you think...

What would that mean? Oh, my gosh. So he challenged her in a way that kind of degraded her position in the eyes of others. That's how I see it. Right. So when you undermine someone, you're kind of poking holes. Maybe you're challenging them. You are lessening their status in a way.

right their ego yeah and not just ego but the message you know let's say she's giving a speech and there's a hundred people watching her and he's asking questions that are not honest questions they're actually just sort of meant to

make the audience question her whole argument. That would be undermining her, right? Yeah. Yeah. That's sticky. And we can see this in larger societal shifts too. You could say a government could undermine democracy hypothetically, right? By doing certain things that loosen it or just degrade it in a sense. So this could be used in a lot of ways beyond just the interpersonal, Michelle, right? Right.

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, and do you think you can accidentally undermine someone? Yeah, I think you can accidentally, unintentionally, and then maybe they bring it up to you and then you apologize. You say you didn't realize that you were doing that. I think you could unintentionally do it. Yeah. By asking certain questions. What do you think, Michelle? Yeah, I think so too. If you're asking very pointed questions in front of a large group of people,

And maybe you're genuinely asking them. You didn't really think that you were undermining them, but it came off in a way that sounded like you were. Super high level term. And it sounds great. It sounds high level. It sounds intellectual. So guys, use this term as much as you can. Okay. Yes. Yes.

all right so we are going to do a role play in just a second but we want to remind you guys please hit the follow button wherever you are listening to all ears english so you never miss anything from us yes good hit that follow button michelle now we are in a coffee shop all right we're going over the bill so here we go all right oh no i think she undercharged us for the coffee

Oh, actually, she told me she was giving us a discount because she knows our boss. Nice. I always underestimate how nice people can be. It's okay. She meant to underplay it. She didn't do it for attention. Yeah. Hey, Michelle, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to undermine you earlier when you were sharing your opinion about our customer service line or about our customer service line. It really is a good idea. Oh, thanks, Lindsay. I appreciate that. It feels like a very common...

conversation topic, right? Hear what we're talking about. We're moving in and out of topics. Very natural. Yeah, absolutely. So let's go through it. So you said, oh, no, I think she undercharged us for the coffee, meaning she charged us less than it actually cost. Yep. And then I said, nice. I always underestimate how nice people can be.

right and yeah and then you said it's okay she meant to underplay it she didn't do it for attention so what does that mean what did she she meant to she didn't want to draw attention to it she she just kind of did it in a smooth way without saying too much that's nice yeah good and then i said yeah uh hey michelle i'm sorry and i'm going to another going back to change the subject

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to undermine you earlier. So you can undermine someone's argument or you can undermine someone, right, Michelle? Yes, yes, absolutely. Or you can undermine something like a system, a set of rules, something like that.

Yeah, right. So you said you didn't mean to undermine me and I said, that's okay. I appreciate that. Yes. So, I mean, I think the takeaway today, Michelle, it doesn't really matter whether these are prefixes. We're still going to learn the word. We're going to understand what we're saying. I want you guys to learn these as words, not as separate pieces of prefix and the rest of the word. Right.

So I want you to learn underestimate or undermine because these are markers of high level speakers. Okay. Exactly. You know, knowing the prefix is helpful when you're trying to guess the meaning of something. So it can definitely be helpful in certain ways. So just know that sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't work. And we can look into this more another day, but something to be aware of.

Yeah, exactly. Instead of spending time with charts and prefixes and suffixes and full words, instead go out and connect and use these and think about what are the topics where something is being undermined or someone is being undermined? How do you address that? How do you talk through that with someone? That is what's interesting about learning English is the connection.

Yeah. Yes, absolutely. All right. I love it. Thank you so much to our listener for that question. And guys, remember, listen to that other episode. Don't overdo it with textbook English to hear the over ones. Nice. Very good. I'll see you there. Take care, Michelle. All right. Bye.

Thanks for listening to All Ears English. Would you like to know your English level? Take our two-minute quiz. Go to allearsenglish.com forward slash fluency score. And if you believe in connection, not perfection, then hit subscribe now to make sure you don't miss anything. See you next time.

The national sales event is on at your Toyota dealer, making now the perfect time to get a great deal on a dependable new car, like a legendary Camry built for performance and available with all wheel drive. You can count on your new Camry to get anywhere you need to go.

And with available features like heated seats and a multimedia touchscreen, you can stay connected in comfort and style. Or check out an affordable and reliable Corolla with a trim for every lifestyle. From the hip and agile sedan to the sporty hatchback, there's a dependable Corolla built just for you.

Plus, both Camrys and Corollas are available in hybrid models. So no matter your style, you can drive efficiently and affordably. So visit your local Toyota dealer and check out amazing national sales event deals on Camrys, Corollas, and more when you visit buyatoyota.com. Toyota, let's go places.