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Hi everyone.
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Welcome to this Bizmates words and phrases video series.
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And today's natural natural idiom is at first glance.
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At first glance.
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What does this mean?
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We will find out, but first let's do our review test.
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OK, so let's imagine that we're talking about some company.
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OK, we're talking about a famous company.
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We're talking and I say hey I thought it was a Japanese company.
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It's not a Japanese company?
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And you say...
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You have five seconds.
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Go.
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Time's up.
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The answer.
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That's right.
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It's as American as apple pie.
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It's a typical American company.
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As American as apple pie.
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I hope you got that.
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OK, let's go on to today's idiom, at first glance.
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OK, glance just means like to look look very quickly.
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OK, so what does this mean?
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The first look.
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OK, well here's what I sometimes hear.
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OK so imagine that our company has gotten a new computer system.
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You know this happens a lot right?
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A company gets a new computer system and everyone's kind of afraid to use this new system because
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we don't know about it so well.
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And you know, my colleague Taro...
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I ask Taro, "How's the new computer system?"
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You know, is it good?
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And he says well first you know I think it's difficult but later it's not.
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OK so first I think it's difficult but later it's not.
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OK so when you first used this new system, it was... it seemed or looked difficult but
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after using it, it became very easy.
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OK.
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That makes sense, but it's not really natural to say it like this.
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A really natural way to say it is of course to use this idiom, like this.
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So I say Taro, how's the new computer system?
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You know is it a difficult to use?
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And Taro says at first glance you know it looks complicated, but it's really not.
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Very natural.
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At first glance, when you take a quick look at this system, yeah it looks complicated
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but it's really not.
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Perfect.
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OK, at first glance...
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When you the first time you see it...
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Yeah it's just a natural way to say that.
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OK so let's look at pronunciation.
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Very simple.
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At first glance with a pause.
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It looks complicated and you can make kind of a complicated face.
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You know at first glance it looks complicated, but it's really not.
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OK and then when you say it's really not, you give a little smile OK for more impact.
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At first glance, it looks complicated, but it's really not.
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You try.
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OK great.
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With my question.
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So how's the new computer system? OK well maybe I'll try it.
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Thanks.
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Perfect OK.
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So for homework, next time I'm going to say hey how's the computer system.
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The new computer system and you just say at first glance, it looks complicated but it's
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really not.
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All right.
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I hope you remember this and we will see you next time.
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Thank you.
