Subtitles section Play video
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Good morning, my name's George, and today we're going to learn how to react to bad news.
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[The employee.]
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[The boss.]
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Are you okay?
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My ... hamster ... died last night.
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Oh, that sucks!
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You're fired.
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When reacting to extremely bad news, for example, divorce, sickness, or death, it can sound quite rude or unsympathetic to say 'that sucks', or 'that's a bummer'.
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Particularly in a formal situation.
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It's much better to say, 'Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that.'
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Or, 'Ah, that's awful.'
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Or, 'Ah, that's terrible, I'm so sorry to hear that.'
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'Ah, I'm so sorry to hear that.'
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My … hamster … died last night.
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Oh, that's terrible.
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I'm so sorry to hear that.
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Thank you.
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You're invited to the funeral.
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'That sucks' or 'that's a bummer', are only used when reacting to annoying or inconvenient news.
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For example, if Justin Bieber cancelled his concert, you might say, 'Oh, that sucks.'
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Or if your friend's train is delayed, you might say, "Oh, that's a bummer."
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We only use these expressions in informal situations.
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And if you use them in a formal situation, for example, to a boss, it can sound quite rude.
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So, it's better to say, 'Ah, that's a shame.'
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'Ah, that's a shame.'
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Agh, I spilt lemonade on my moustache.
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Ah, that's a shame.
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That's all we have time for today.
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