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Everybody loves to complain. We talk about things that annoy us very often so let’s learn how to do that in English!
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Useful phrases and idioms
Watch those clips and fill in the gaps to construct the phrases and idioms.
- “They’re getting on my ..., mom.”
- “You kids are driving me ...!”
- "That guy just … me.”
- “Ryan, is he ... you? Dwight, you gotta (have got to) take a ... pill, man.”
- “I’m not ... the ..., okay? I didn’t sleep well last night.”
- “Dwight tells me you’ve been ... him ... company info. ”
- "Bree Van De Kamp had occasionally found her home invaded by household p…. When it came to the latest p… who had invaded Bree's home, extermination was not an option.”
- “Your rabbi is a ... in my ass.”
- “Every time I think about him, my ... boils.”
- “I usually buy my wrappers from the Chinese supermarket. I tried making it myself before and it's just a pain in the …”
Let’s recap the phrases:
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And practice them!
Exercise 1
I’m angry at/in/on you!
“I’m so angry ... you!” Which preposition should be used here? Listen to this clip to find out.
Similarly, when you use other verbs with similar meaning to ‘angry’, you’ll also use the preposition ‘at’ in this context. Read those two sentences below aloud with the correct preposition. Then watch the clips.
“No, I'm still furious ... you.”
“I can tell they're pissed ... me.”
Did you notice that in fast speech you can’t hear the preposition ‘at’ as an individual word? Read those sentences again and try to mimic the exact pronunciation of the characters in the clips.
‘Pissed’ means drunk or angry?
So... what comes to your mind when you hear the word ‘piss’? Watch this clip first and then I’ll explain why it’s relevant.
Yeah, to ‘piss’ means to pee, pass urine. The ‘cat-pissed’ couch is a couch on which this lady’s cat pissed. There’s another meaning of the word ‘pissed’, though.
British English - pissed means drunk
American English - pissed means annoyed and angry
So how do Brits say ‘angry and annoyed’? They say ‘pissed off’.
❗Those phrases are considered offensive so use them only in informal conversations ❗
Check out those clips in which Americans use the word ‘pissed’ meaning ‘angry and annoyed’
”This guy thinks I cheated. I was so pissed. I may suck at physics, but I'm not a cheater.”
”Haven't you been working there for like a year? I bet Trevor doesn't even know you work there. I'd be pissed. Are you pissed? I'd be pissed.”
Exercise 2
You can also use it as a phrasal verb. ‘To piss somebody off’ means to annoy somebody (both in British and American English).
Example: Stop borrowing my car without asking. It’s pissing me off.
Practise:
1. Does it piss you off when someone cuts you off in traffic?
2. What used to piss you off when you lived with your parents?
3. Would you be pissed off if you got a cold meal at a restaurant?
Here’s an example:
”Now I love you, and not just cause I have to. You just have to stop pissing me off.”
Quit bitching!
rude, slang
bitch about something/someone - to complain about something/someone (usually used to show that the listener is getting annoyed about the complaints)
Example: Quit bitching about your flat already and find a new one!
Practise:
1. Do you often bitch about your job? What do you usually bitch about?
2. Do people in your country often bitch about the weather?
3. Do you remember a time when you decided to stop bitching about something and take action?
Here’s an example:
"You're not gonna end up alone."
"Of course I am. I reject anyone who's crazy enough to actually go out with me and then I bitch about the fact that there aren't any great women out there."
"Chandler, you have just described virtually every man that we have ever gone out with.”
Exercise 3
Exercise 4
Grammar bit
First, let’s watch two clips. While watching, fill in the gaps with the words you hear.
A "I always … too much to my burrito so this time I'm gonna try and tread lightly.”
B ”Why ... you always ... her all the time?”