2024-12-02 Give it some welly! – The English We Speak

Introduction

Say this if you want to encourage someone to put some more effort into an activity. Learn how to use it here.

Transcript

Feifei
Hello and welcome to The English We Speak, where we explain phrases used by fluent English speakers so that you can use them, too! I’m Feifei, and I’m joined by Georgie. Hi Georgie, how are you?

Georgie
I’m OK, Feifei… I’m just really struggling to open this jar.

Feifei
Come on Georgie, give it some welly!

Georgie
There we go! Now, Feifei you used a great expression there – give it some welly! And that’s what we’re learning in this programme. It’s a British English expression used to encourage people to put more effort or force into an activity – usually something physical, like me opening this jar.

Feifei
Yes, it’s an imperative but it’s quite friendly and fun, so don’t worry, you won’t sound rude if you say it. It can be used in lots of contexts, like cycling up a hill – “Give it some welly!” or hammering a nail into a very hard wall – “Give it some welly!” Let’s hear some more examples from our BBC Learning English colleagues.

Examples
I was at karaoke the other day and I was a bit shy at first, but everyone just said “Come on, give it some welly!” so I sang really loudly.

You’re going to have to hit the ball harder than that. Come on, give it some welly!

My dad was trying to move the sofa at home and it wouldn’t move at all, but I said “give it some welly” and he gave it one last push and it moved into place.

Georgie
Now, its most common use is as an imperative, to encourage people to put some effort in. Although, you might also hear it used to describe someone putting in some effort. For example, did you hear Beth singing karaoke the other night?

Feifei
Yes, she really gave it some welly, didn’t she? I watched my son the other day trying to push a chair across the room – he really gave it some welly!  

Georgie
That’s so cute! OK, let’s recap. We’ve learned ‘give it some welly’, which we use to encourage people to put some more effort or force into an activity.

Feifei
Remember to check out our website: bbclearningenglish.com for more resources to help you improve your English. Thanks for joining us.

Georgie
Bye!