Podcast: It ain’t over ’til it’s over

By Ana | Podcast Inglês Online

Mar 21
Inglês - Podcast It ain’t over ’til it’s over

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Hello, everybody. What’s up?

Nesse episódio do podcast Inglês Online eu falo sobre duas expressões super comuns: it’s not over ’til it’s over e not worth the trouble.

Transcrição

Hello, everyone. How’s it going? Today we have a new episode of the inglesonline podcast. To download or just listen to other episodes and download transcripts, go to inglesonline.com.br and click Podcast Inglesonline.

Imagine that you’re watching a game of soccer on TV. This is a very important game to you… let’s say it’s the World Cup Final and Brazil is playing… Argentina, why not? So your eyes are glued to the game and you’re starting to sweat. Why? Because we’re thirty minutes into the second half and Brazil is losing. The current score is 2-0 (nil) in favor of Argentina. But you’re hanging in there. Still fifteen minutes to go. You’re on the edge of your seat, following every move of every single player and… Argentina scores again. That’s it. You can’t take it anymore. You get up and you tell your friends, who are all watching the game with you: I can’t take this anymore! Argentina’s the winner and I can’t watch Brazil lose yet another World Cup. I’m outta here.

And then one of your friends says “Hey, it’s not over ’til it’s over! Calm down, we still have fifteen… fourteen minutes to go. Who says Brazil can’t turn this game around? Just because we lost way before the finals in the last two World Cups, that doesn’t mean Brazil can’t score three, uh, four goals in… thirteen minutes. C’mon! It’s not over ’til it’s over.” So what is your friend saying? That as long as the players are in the field, playing, you don’t know what the final result will be because the game is not over yet. Anything can happen! It’s not over ’til it’s over.

“It’s not over ’til it’s over” is a very common set phrase and you may hear it in situations where there’s a particular outcome that you’re hoping for, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen. Here’s another example: you’re trying to convince your boss at work that your latest idea about how to increase sales should be implemented. Your boss has met with you and let you present the idea, but after your presentation he told you he just doesn’t see it happening, he doesn’t feel like your idea would be well accepted by the sales team. So it’s not looking good for you, right? Your coworker Stuart asks you how things are going with that great idea you had, and you tell him “Well, the boss kinda shot it down after our first meeting, but I get the feeling he’s still open to it. You know how strongly I feel about this. When the time is right I’m gonna bring it up again. It’s not over ’til it’s over“. So that means you’re hopeful, right?

And it’s very common for people to say “It ain’t over ’til it’s over”. It ain’t over ’til it’s over. “Ain’t” is a very informal term and some people use it in everyday speech instead of am not, is not, has not or have not. Be careful, though… Don’t use “ain’t” all the time, especially in the workplace. Not only is it informal, but it is considered improper English by many, so… unless you’re chatting with close friends, or just trying to be funny, best to avoid it.

Chipped platesLet’s move on to another interesting set phrase in English. Here’s an example: let’s say you’re home, hanging out with a few friends and one of them says “I’m hungry. Let’s order some pizza”. You have just moved into this house, and you haven’t bought any plates yet. You have no plates in your house. You got rid of the old ones ’cause they were all old and chipped, and you still haven’t gotten around to buying new ones!

So you say to your friends “Should I run to the store down the street and get us some plates?” And your friend says “It’s not worth the trouble. We’ll use napkins” So what your friend meant was, don’t bother. This isn’t worth the trouble, it’s not worth the effort of taking the elevator, going to the store, buying plates and then coming all the way back. You can have pizza on napkins. You’re among friends, no one cares. Should you go buy plates? Nah, it’s not worth the trouble. Don’t bother.

Are you familiar with today’s expressions? How would you use them? Talk to you next time.

 

Ouça aqui Lenny Kravitz cantando It ain’t over ’til it’s over

 

Key expressions

  • it’s not over ’til it’s over / it ain’t over ’til it’s over
  • not worth the trouble /don’t bother

 

Glossary

eyes are glued to = olhos estão pregados (colados) no

thirty minutes into the second half = em trinta minutos do segundo tempo

you’re hanging in there = você está aguentando firme

got rid of = se livrou de

Ana
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Tati 18/11/2012

In 2 days a have a English test and I didn’t have time to study, but it’s not over ’till it’s over.

Alisson Viana 12/04/2012

Yesterday while I was reading the book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, I saw the expression “worth the trouble” being used. It was like this: “(…) whether the pleasure of making a daisy chain would be worth the trouble of getting up and picking the daisies”

Caroline 10/04/2012

Thank you, Ana! Your podcasts are very helpful.

nalub7 30/03/2012

Ana, não só as dicas de hoje, mas, todas as que você nos envia são SUPIMPA! Sempre PARABÉNS e gratíssimos por este excelente site. Grande abraço!

Ana 29/03/2012

Hi everyone!! Reading all the comments… thanks :)

Marcelo Lopes 28/03/2012

Hi, Ana Luiza. Although I am a “new kid on the block”, I mean writing about the posts, I should say I’ve been following your tips and podcasts for a long time. Thanks a lot for sharing your knowledge with all of us. As I am a journalist, could you bring us some terms and expressions we found when watching the news on TV?

Rose Souza 25/03/2012

Amei as dicas. Parabéns.

Lucas Matheus 23/03/2012

It’s always good to listen Ana Luiza’s podcast, she got a beautiful voice, i think her accent so cute. Those podcast help me so much.

Ana Cleide 23/03/2012

you are now reading very fast.

Ana Cleide 23/03/2012

você agora está lendo muito rapido.

Marco Brainiac 23/03/2012

Hi Ana,

I Have some questions that hasn’t so clear to me:

The pronunciation of NaPkins, Isn’t The “P” pronounced ? Is it a mute P?

2-0 (nil) that nil is informal use? Can I use this all time?

    Ana 29/03/2012

    Hi Marco

    Yes, the P is pronounced, very quickly.

    I’m not sure whether nil is informal… I’d say no.

Ana 23/03/2012

Hi everyone!! Great to see you all here. Keep listening :)

Lorrayne 23/03/2012

Very good this podcast. This expressions are new for me. Thanks.

Ricardo Evangelista 22/03/2012

Thanks, very useful article! very nice!!

Cláudia Rejane 22/03/2012

Hi Ana,
thank you for this podcast. All sentences are very helpful, and like that song very very. I will share on my facebook.
You are great.

Jeff 22/03/2012

Hello Ana!! How are you? :’)

Well, that kind of situation usually happens with lots of people I guess.

Yesterday I went to the theater with a friend of mine and when we were going to the subway and then she told me “Jeff, I think I don’t have money enough to buy a ticket to go by subway, could we go by bus?” I told her “C’mon! It’s not worth the trouble. I can pay it for you”

Thanks Ana!!!

See you :*

Zinho 22/03/2012

Thanks, Congrats!

I aint got an example, but I d like to say that your podcast really helps.

My english is like geting rusty, and it helps me to keep it up to date.

thanks

Luis 22/03/2012

I loved this tips!!!

    Regina 22/03/2012

    Please, I’d like an explanation about this sentence “Should you go buy plates?” Why you use “go buy” and not “go buying?”

      Ana 23/03/2012

      Oi Regina – não sei te dizer o porquê – o que posso dizer é que é assim

      Should you go buy plates?
      ou
      Should you go and buy plates?

      Que, aliás, é até bem parecido com o jeito que falamos em português.

      Regina 23/03/2012

      Thank you, so much!

Elizeu A. Souza 22/03/2012

Hello Luiza, how’s it going?
Sorry for my delay in leaving my comments here. My lack of time does not let me come here in order to be in touch.

Actually your effort in updating and displaying the outcomes here is simply outstanding. Congratulations for the blog.

I love every new expression you publish herein. I have to say to you that I enjoyed a lot when you interviewed Mr. Steve Ford, who was a virtual friend-teacher of mine some years ago. You up to certain point reminded me our touch.

For my tight schedule, the most time I forget that you have a comment box to leave you a well deserved compliment.

That is all for while… keep going on… everything is great.

    Ana 23/03/2012

    Hi Elizeu, thanks for the comment! Great that you know Steve. We have several of his videos around here.

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