Learn some common English expressions used in the workplace. You’ll learn phrases like “24/7,” “have a lot on your plate,” “on the back burner,” and more. We’ll break down what these expressions mean and how to use them in everyday conversations at work. Whether you’re talking about your workload, team collaboration, or challenges at work, these phrases will help you sound more natural and confident in English. Watch the lesson, then take the quiz: https://www.engvid.com/5-english-expressions-to-use-at-work/
Check out these lessons for more useful expressions!
5 inspiring idioms: https://youtu.be/nYcyb0hZfaY
5 different ways to say "thanks": https://youtu.be/Io6-K5RrjvU
In this lesson:
0:00 to have a lot on your plate
2:53 on the same page
5:27 my hands are tied
8:40 on the back burner
12:15 24/7
15:09 back to square one
TRANSCRIPT:
Hi. My name is Emma. Today I am going to teach you some of the most common work expressions
and idioms. These are all work idioms and expressions that I hear almost every week,
so they're very common.
So, let's look at the first one. The first work-related idiom, so you might hear this
at work, is "to have a lot on your plate". You might hear this in other places, too.
Not just work, but it's often used at work. And what does it mean? It means that you have
a lot of responsibilities. So, you have too much work and too many responsibilities. So,
this is a plate. So, it's an idiom because when we say we have a lot on our plate, we're
imagining something like this with, you know, imagine you have work here, maybe you have
kids, you're taking care of your kids, maybe you have to take care of your grandma, so
that's on the plate as well, and then maybe it's time to do your taxes, so you have to
do your taxes, and you have a big presentation this week, and you have another big meeting,
and maybe you run a website. So, when you have a lot of responsibility, we say that
you have a lot on your plate. So, here are some examples. I have a lot on my plate since
my supervisor at work quit. So, if your boss quits and now you're doing your boss's job,
that means suddenly you have a lot of work on your plate. So, you have a lot more responsibility.
Here's another example. I might say, "Ugh, I have too much on my plate. I have too much
to do, too many responsibilities." So, here's my plate. I have too much on my plate. I think
nowadays many of us feel like we have too much on our plate. Do you feel like you have too much
on your plate, or do you feel you have a lot on your plate? If yes, write in the comments
if you have a lot on your plate. You can use this expression.
All right, so the next expression is a very common expression we use at work, but you might
also use it with your friends or in other situations. The expression is "on the same page".
So, just so you're aware, this piece of paper is a page, or I have here a book,
and in the book, we have different pages. So, this is a page. So, when we say "to be on the
same page", we mean that we have a similar understanding to someone, so we understand
things the same way, maybe we have the same idea. It can also mean that we are in agreement,
we agree with each other. So, let me give you an example. This is Arnold Schwarzenegger.
I love Arnold Schwarzenegger, and he believes it's important to work hard. You know, he likes
the idea of no pain, no gain. You have to work hard to achieve what you want in life. I agree
with him. Arnold Schwarzenegger and I, when it comes to thinking about hard work, we are on
the same page. That means we have the same idea, we are in agreement. Let's look at some other
examples of how to use this. Maybe at work, you're talking to a coworker, and the coworker,
maybe they think you should do the project this way, but you think you should do the project
that way. So, you have two different ways to work on a project. You might say, "We're not
on the same page for this project." Or another example is, imagine Jack wants to go to a
restaurant. Jill wants to go to a restaurant. So, Jack and Jill both want to go to a restaurant,
we can say Jack and Jill are on the same page. They're in agreement. They both want to do the
same thing. So, I want you to learn English, you want to learn English, we're on the same page.
We both want you to learn and improve your English. So, that's how we would use this expression.
So, the next work expression is "My hands are tied." We hear this most of the time at work,
but you might hear it somewhere else. So, these are hands, and imagine the hands are tied. This
means, uh-oh, I can't do anything with my hands, they're stuck together. […]