2022-01-03 Say no more – The English We Speak

Summary

When you understand something that someone’s suggesting or trying to explain, there’s a way to tell them you understand! Learn that expression with us!

Transcript

Jiaying
Hello and welcome to The English We Speak. I’m Jiaying…

Neil
…and I’m Neil. 

Jiaying
Have you seen Rob today? He seems really sad.

Neil
Ahhh yes – he went to the shop, but sadly they had run out of biscuits… and then….

Jiaying
Ahhh that’s why he’s sad – say no more!

Neil
That’s rude! I was going to tell you about what happened next – but then I won’t if you don’t want me to speak any more!

Jiaying
No, Neil – I said ‘say no more’ – which is an expression used when we understand what someone is trying to say and there is no need for any further explanation.

Neil
That makes sense – you know what I think would be a good idea? I could do with a coffee.

Jiaying
Say no more. I’ll put the kettle on while we listen to these examples.

Examples
Roger’s in a really bad mood? Say no more – I’ll stay out of his way.

Thanks for telling me about the big meeting. Say no more – I’ll be there.

When I told the decorator I wasn’t happy with the colour of the walls, he just said ‘say no more’ and repainted it.

Jiaying
You’re listening to The English We Speak from BBC Learning English, and we’re talking about the expression ‘say no more’. We use this expression to say we understand what someone is suggesting and there is no need for further explanation.

Neil
Yes. If we’re trying to tell a story or imply our opinion on it, we can say ‘say no more’ to show we understand their feelings towards it. For example – this coffee tastes a bit interesting.

Jiaying
Say no more – I’ll make a new one! 

Neil
Ha! You totally understood that I thought the coffee was terrible.

Jiaying
I did – but now you really did explain what you were thinking! Ouch!

Neil
Sorry Jiaying – I really should have stopped speaking – sorry!

Jiaying
That’s OK! Bye, Neil!

Neil
Bye!