Hello, everyone. Neste episódio, eu falo sobre dois idioms super comuns com a palavra LIFE... Nenhum dos dois pode ser traduzido literalmente para o português, mas acredito que não seja difícil pegar o sentido deles. Por isso, ouça bem o episódio e me diga se tiver perguntas!


Transcrição
Hello, everyone. This is the new episode of the Inglesonline podcast. Please subscribe to this podcast using the Podcasts app for iPhone or iPad, or listen to the episodes using the Inglesonline Android app. Thanks for all the comments at the iTunes store and if you haven't yet left a comment for this podcast please do so: the more comments for the Inglesonline podcast, the more people will find out about it and listen to the episodes. Thank you for telling your friends, your neighbours, your family and keep listening.

OK, so today we have got a couple of very interesting terms - they're really idiomatic expressions, or idioms, and they're both used when you want to communicate that you can't do something. So listen to this: I can't draw to save my life. I can't make a good drawing, I can't draw anything. I can't draw to save my life. If I needed to draw in order to save my life, I'd be dead. If my life depended on my drawing abilities, I'd be dead. I can't draw to save my life.

Listen to this - someone posted on Twitter "I'll remember a face but can't remember a person's name to save my life." Are you that way? I have to say, I am a lot like that. I will always remember a face, but I can't remember that person's name to save my life. There are exceptions, of course... In general, though, I can't remember a person's name to save my life. Then if I meet them again, and they tell me their name again... That's a different story. I'll remember it. But the first time I've met them? Forget it.

Now think about your life. Try to remember something you have tried to do - an activity like dancing, singing, playing soccer, cooking... What is it that you can't do to save your life? What is it that you can't do at all? For me it would have to be singing. I can't sing to save my life. What's your example?

Now here's another idiom that is kinda funny. Listen to this: I know I parked my car in this lot but I can't for the life of me remember where. I'm sure this is the parking lot where I've parked my car, I know that much. However now I can't find it. I don't know where I've parked it. I can't remember at all where I've parked it. I can't for the life of me remember where my car is.

"For the life of me" is one of those expressions that sounds a bit dramatic because, well, it's making a point, really: it's giving emphasis to that thing you can't do, or can't remember. Here's another example I found on Twitter: "For two days I've smelled like cigarettes and I can't, for the life of me, figure out why." I get what this guy is saying. If he doesn't smoke and nobody in his office smokes, and his housemates don't smoke - how can he be smelling like cigarettes? Of course, these are only my assumptions but I think they're good assumptions 'cause the guy sounds pretty confused. He has smelled like cigarettes for two days, and he's saying "I can't for the life of me figure out why."

Can't remember if I turned off the curling iron

One girl said "I remember what I did 10 years ago but I can't for the life of me remember if I turned off the curling iron this morning." I think that happens to lots of people - they can't remember whether they switched the lights off, or the TV, or the oven... I had something similar happen to me this afternoon - I couldn't for the life of me remember if I had locked the door when I left.

So I would like you to think about some recent event in your life - a situation where you had a thought like "Geez, I can't for the life of me remember something, or do something." Please let me know in the comments when that happened and what it was about. Talk to you next time!

 

Key terms

can't (do something) to save my life