The English We Speak: Keep yourself to yourself
episodeTranscript
jump: chapters · speakers · find in transcriptTranscript
Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. Oh, dear. Finally alone in the middle of the field. Relax in peace.
Where can I find more transcripts and resources for this episode?
Hey! There's cocoa in the thermos. What are you doing here? I'm warming up the peas in the stove. When I first set up the tent... I'm sorry, but you can't have peace anywhere.
Well, don't worry, because in fact... In fact, there are profitable tools in the field. It was a question of your own or a friend's project.
In fact...
What does the expression 'keep yourself to yourself' mean?
One, two, three, four, five.
Take LähiTapiola's life insurance and rest in peace. LähiTapiola is a central life insurance company. LähiTapiola, on the same side.
Got an exam coming up? Practice your listening and reading and test yourself with exam style questions on our website. Try the reading room for magazine style articles in graded English or head to the listening room for audio news stories. There's also free worksheets, vocabulary lists and definitions, all available at bbclearningenglish.com.
Hello and welcome to The English We Speak, where we explain phrases and expressions used by fluent English speakers so that you can use them too. I'm Feifei. And I'm Becca. Becca, our new office neighbour seems nice, but I hardly ever see him talking to anyone.
How can 'keep yourself to yourself' describe personality vs friendliness?
Yes, he really seems to keep himself to himself. What does that mean? If someone keeps themselves to themselves, they don't spend much time socialising with other people. They prefer to be on their own and usually don't share much about their personal life. Someone who is introverted could prefer to keep themselves to themselves. So does it mean they're unfriendly? Not at all. Someone who keeps themselves to themselves can be perfectly friendly. It just means they're private or quiet. It usually has a neutral description, although sometimes people use it to suggest someone who is a bit mysterious.
Ah, I see. Now let's hear some more examples.
What everyday examples show how to use 'keep yourself to yourself' in conversation?
I'm just going to keep myself to myself today. I'm so tired. I've been trying to get to know my new neighbour recently but I think she likes to keep herself to herself. When I go travelling on my own, I usually want to meet up with people but there are others who just want to keep themselves to themselves.
When is it appropriate to use different pronouns with 'keep yourself to yourself'?
MUSIC
Good examples there. Becca, can I say keep ourselves to ourselves?
Yes, you certainly can. You can change the pronoun depending on who you're talking about. She could keep herself to herself or maybe there's a lot going on and I want to keep myself to myself.
How does 'keep something to ourselves' differ in meaning from 'keep yourself to yourself'?
And with a very different meaning, if we say we keep something to ourselves, it means we're keeping a secret or just aren't sharing it. I guess it has a similar mysterious feeling to keep yourself to yourself.
Well, I'm glad you didn't keep this expression to yourself and instead decided to share it with us. And that's it for this programme. Join us next time for more useful English expressions. Goodbye. Bye. Bye.
www.agria.fi
No segments match your search.
Select any passage to copy it with its citation or turn it into a shareable card.
Chapters
7 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–0:15
2
Where can I find more transcripts and resources for this episode?
0:15–0:37
3
What does the expression 'keep yourself to yourself' mean?
0:37–1:41
4
How can 'keep yourself to yourself' describe personality vs friendliness?
1:41–2:30
5
What everyday examples show how to use 'keep yourself to yourself' in conversation?
2:30–2:48
6
When is it appropriate to use different pronouns with 'keep yourself to yourself'?
2:48–3:09
7
How does 'keep something to ourselves' differ in meaning from 'keep yourself to yourself'?
3:09–3:57