The English We Speak: Tough it out
Learning English Conversations
BBC
4.6 ⢠1.2K Ratings
đď¸ 26 August 2025
âąď¸ 2 minutes
đď¸ Recording | iTunes | RSS
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Summary
When you face a difficult time, you can tough it out.
TRANSCRIPT Find a full transcript for this episode âď¸ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/the-english-we-speak_2025/ep-250826
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello and welcome to the English We Speak, where we explain phrases used by fluent English speakers so that you can use them too. |
| 0:08.7 | I'm Faye Faye. And I'm Phil. How? |
| 0:11.8 | Ooh, you look like you're in pain, Phil. Are you okay? |
| 0:15.2 | I'll be okay. I hurt myself playing football, but I'm sure I can tough it out. |
| 0:20.7 | Tough it out? Are you sure you can feel? |
| 0:23.9 | Anyway, that's a great phrase to learn. What does tough it out mean? |
| 0:28.7 | If you tough it out, then you work through a painful or difficult situation. |
| 0:33.8 | You stay strong and don't change your plans. |
| 0:36.6 | And it's not just for physical pains like yours. |
| 0:40.3 | We can use it for difficult situations. |
| 0:43.0 | For example, you might be working for a company that can't afford to employ enough people |
| 0:48.1 | and you just have to tough it out until they've got some more money. |
| 0:52.5 | Let's hear some other people using this phrase. |
| 0:59.0 | I am so hungry. I didn't have any time for breakfast, but I'm going to have to |
| 1:04.3 | tough it out till my lunch break. Oh no, there's no hot water and I really need a shower. I'm going to have to tough it out. |
| 1:13.6 | Oh, there's no air conditioning in this building. I'm absolutely boiling. I guess I'll just have to tough it out. |
| 1:24.6 | We've been learning the phrase tough it out to mean work through a difficult situation and not let it stop you. |
| 1:32.2 | As a phrase, we always put it in the middle between tough and out. Now, it originally comes from the |
| 1:39.0 | phrasal verb, tough something out, and you can tough something out or tough out something. Yes. It can be hard to learn |
| 1:47.0 | phrase or verbs, but if you tough it out, you'll get there. And make sure you come back for the next |
| 1:52.5 | program. We'll see you then. Bye-bye. Bye. Get the ultimate podcast experience on our website. |
| 1:58.9 | Find transcripts and subtitles to help you understand. |
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