The VOCA Man - If You Will, if You Will

In this episode, I explain the meaning of "If you will" and show you a few real life examples.

Youtube Version:
https://youtu.be/HvqAHRns6o0

Transcript with Audio version:
https://youtu.be/HvqAHRns6o0

Transcript:

If you will, if you will.

Hello guys. This is the Vocab Man. Welcome back.

So today we are gonna talk about the expression "if you will". And this is going to be a very interesting one. And unfortunately Stephanie is not going to give us some great examples as she did on the previous episode, I must say this was so brilliant. And the expression she was explaining was "up in the air".

Picture the coin at the top before it starts to come down. So you flicked for the coin, it's up in the air just before it comes down.

That!
That moment. That's what this phrase is focusing on. When something, when an idea or an experience or a decision or a situation is up in the air, it's that uncomfortable, uncertain moment in time. That snapshot in time before we know what's happening, the discomfort in the uncertainty is absolutely the heart of this phrase.



And she explained it with examples from her real life. So that, well, at least in my case, it will just stick and I will remember. "Up in the air" forever. The Vocab Man. It's about learning expressions together. So that we can get more fluent in English. Thanks for tuning in



So the expression "if you will" apparently is a short form for if you will allow this analogy. At least I could read it on a website called English stack Exchange. So this was a difficult one for me to figure out what it means. But I must say that it is very common. It is used a lot. And

I could see it on YouTube that people are speaking all the time by using this, if you will.

is it simply your last connection to that vanished world, his world, if you will.

According to the Cambridge dictionary if your will is used to say that the particular expression is one way of saying something especially to suggest that some people might not choose to say it that way.

So I figured that oftentimes when you are explaining something, it is appropriate to give some examples. So you could just mention one or two things.

And then by saying if you will, you indicate your conversation partner that maybe another person would use other examples so it's not something very fixed.

I mean, the examples that you were mentioning. Are not per se sacrosanct. I mean, Other people would

Probably use order examples. And so, as I mentioned it at the very beginning,

You are using like an analogy. To explain something. But it's just for the sake of explaining something to make it clear.

So what government gives you is not your rights. It provides a wall, if you will, a security so that you can exercise that, which you already possess simply by being human. Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This is what you have simply by virtue of being a human.

So maybe this example that you just listened to showcases the expression if you will. Because it said. "So what government gives you is not your rights it provides a wall, if you will." So this is. Again, Like an analogy because government doesn't give you. Literally a wall. It's just a way of the speaker to explain to you what he means. So. What the government is giving you.

So, instead of saying, if you will. You could also just say, if you like. So i'm going to give you another example here:

What, even though that's the scariest thing that people think of when they're going on stage, it's what the audience actually wants most. The fourth Secret to being on stage is to remember that you're really building a tribe. You're really building a community. Anytime you appear on stage, you're inviting those people that are in front of you to enroll in your ideas.

You're really building this kind of different empire, if you will. And anytime you appear on stage, every word that comes outta your mouth matters. All right.

And here again. The empire is just an analogy. So. I don't know. Maybe you could grasp the meaning of if you will. But I know this was a heavy one. And I will try to focus on that specific expression when I come across it the next time, and I will think of the meaning in the specific context.

By doing so I'm sure that we will remember it and we will be able to use it in our own speech. So. I quickly want to mention that this episode is also available on YouTube. Just type in the Vocab Man. And it will help you because you can read along while you are listening. This will help you to become a better English speaker. And of course, if you want me to cover an expression. You can drop me an email at: myfluentpodcast@gmail.com. I am the Vocab Man. I'm Daniel from Switzerland. Thanks for tuning in. And. Bye.

So what government gives you is not your rights. It provides a wall, if you will, a security so that you can exercise that which you already possess simply by being human