Do you like taking risks or living in the present? Well, if you want to justify your plans, we have an expression you can use.
Jiaying
Welcome to The English We Speak with me, Jiaying…
Roy
… and me, Roy. Did you just eat my entire bucket of popcorn?
Jiaying
Yes, I did! YOLO!
Roy
I can’t believe you ate my popcorn! I was going to share that with you while we watched a film! And what on earth does YOLO mean?
Jiaying
You only live once!
Roy
Thanks for reminding me, but seriously, what does YOLO mean?
Jiaying
YOLO is an abbreviation which stands for ‘you only live once’! People often say YOLO to remind others to enjoy the present and not worry too much about the future.
Roy
Which is somehow connected to why you ate all the popcorn, is it?
Jiaying
Well, I was hungry, so I ate it! YOLO! Let’s talk more about it after these examples.
Examples
I decided to buy that new car! I know it’s expensive, but YOLO!
She said that I was boring and left me! The last thing she said was ‘YOLO’!
Bertie quit his job as a bus driver and opened up a new sci-fi-themed cafe! YOLO.
Jiaying
You’re listening to The English We Speak from BBC Learning English, and we’re talking about the expression ‘YOLO’, which is an abbreviation for ‘you only live once’. People use this when they want to remind others to live for the present!
Roy
Yes, they often use YOLO to justify a risk that is connected with something they are doing. On that note, I have just used your credit card to book a holiday of a life time! YOLO!
Jiaying
What?! You used my credit card?! To buy yourself a holiday?!
Roy
Yep! I’m going swimming with sharks, mountain climbing and cliff diving! YOLO!
Jiaying
With my money? Oh, I’m going to be broke!
Roy
Haha – I’m only joking. I just thought I’d wind you up because you ate my popcorn! I do think you should buy some more of that, though!
Jiaying
That sounds fair! I’m glad you didn’t notice I ate your cake and drank all your cans of drink too! YOLO! Bye, Roy!
Roy
You ate my cake too?! Oh Jiaying! Bye.
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