Samantha was really missing her boyfriend. He had gone away for a few weeks to Australia, and she was worried that he might stay there for much longer than she’d ever expected.
“I’d go there in a flash if I could.. y’know, just pack my bags and go.”
Her friend, cup of tea in hand, replied: “Just like that?”
“Yeah, I would. Just like that. The thing is, I just don’t know if I have the money to pay for the flight..”
“Just Like That..”
This is a phrase we use to emphasise that something is done quickly or easily or without too much consideration.
Here are a few more examples:
1. “He sold his house and went to Queensland, just like that!”
2. “He arrived in Melbourne not knowing much English and expected to get a job, just like that..”
3. “He came home from work and split up with her, just like that. I couldn’t believe it!”
Word Bank
In a flash = very quickly
The thing is… = a phrase used to introduce a possible problem or something which is hard to say
A Few Other Phrases To Check Out
“Mind You”
“That’s The Thing”
“Hold That Thought”
* Thanks to Hamed for his question on Facebook, which was about this phrase.
Hi dear teacher
Appreciate you taking time to write this. You brightened up my day 🙂
I think I have a good grasp of it now.
Best wishes,
Hamed
Hello Hamed
Glad I could help – and I’ll do the other phrase you mentioned later on. Please feel free to check out the other spoken English phrases which are on this blog 🙂
David
Sure, Will do. I’m new here. I already checked out some of them though! 🙂 this site has got really great stuff for sure.
There’s a lot of questions circling around in my mind 🙂 and I’m going to ask you occasionally on Facebook (If you don’t mind) 🙂
Thanks again,
Hamed
Hi Hamed
Please feel free to write – I’ll do my best to answer in some way. Comments like yours help me to write the next post ; )
David
Hi, David. How is it going?
Could you tell me if the expression “The whole thing is” is also used in English? Every time I have to summurize something I use this expression. Yeah, it makes sense, but I am not sure if it is used a lot for native speakers. Thanks in advance,
Ana (São Paulo, Brazil)
Hi Ana
Thanks for finding this blog – I’m on the opposite side of the world right now 🙂
That’s a really good question. First up, the phrase “The thing is…” is used before we say something which is difficult to say or which the other person might not like to hear.
“The whole thing is..” is a phrase in English, but it’s not the same as saying “To sum up” or “In Summary”.
Give me another day or so, and I’ll write a more detailed answer as part of a blog post 8)
David