The English We Speak: Side quest
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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When I think of the future, I think of important people and what I want to offer them. In Nordea Private Banking, my investment manager helps me make decisions that take time. This way my family stays ahead of the pace.
Nordea.fi or Private Banking.
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.
What does the phrase 'side quest' mean in everyday English?
I'm Feifei and here comes… I'm Phil.
How are you doing, Feifei? Where were you? Sorry, I just went shopping to buy something for dinner. I say I went to buy something for dinner, but then I ended up on a side quest and bought a load of records.
And got back here late, I see. I would be annoyed, but actually that expression, side quest, would be a good one to learn.
OK, yeah, good idea.
How does the video game idea of a 'main quest' vs a 'side quest' explain the expression?
To explain this one, we have to talk about video games. In many games, you have a main quest. That's the main thing that you have to do in a game. A side quest is not the main thing you have to do. It's something else you can do that's often short and fun.
Right. That's in a video game. But in your shopping trip today, your main quest was to buy something for dinner. But then you got distracted by something more fun and went to buy records. That was your side quest.
Yes, that's right. We can use side quest to talk about things that you do that aren't the most important thing. And yes, they're often something that you enjoy doing.
Well, I'm glad you had fun. Let's hear some other people using SideQuest.
What examples do other speakers give of going on a 'side quest'?
We've always wanted to visit Belfast for the scenery, but there were just these beautiful museums that we found on a SideQuest wandering around the city. I was on my way to a concert and I had loads of free time, so I went on a bit of a SideQuest to a bookshop.
I had loads of things to prepare for a presentation at work but then I realised the printers were out of ink so I went on a bit of a side quest to try and get that fixed first.
We've been learning the expression side quest to describe something you do that's less important than your main task.
What other 'side' expressions (like side dish or side hustle) relate to 'side quest'?
Yes, we have quite a few expressions where we use the word side to talk about something less important. A side dish is something that you eat that goes with the main dish. A side hustle is a job that you do that's not as important as your main job and it might give you a side income.
OK, that's it for this programme. But join us next time to make sure that your English learning is more than just a side quest.
See you then.
Bye bye.
Suuret päätökset voivat viedä kauas. Siksi tarvitsen rinnalleni kumppanin, joka ymmärtää minne olen menossa. Nordea Private Banking. Nordea Private Banking.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–0:48
2
What does the phrase 'side quest' mean in everyday English?
0:48–1:14
3
How does the video game idea of a 'main quest' vs a 'side quest' explain the expression?
1:14–2:03
4
What examples do other speakers give of going on a 'side quest'?
2:03–2:39
5
What other 'side' expressions (like side dish or side hustle) relate to 'side quest'?
2:39–3:39