Hello everyone!
Welcome to Idiom 100, where we learn 100 commonly used idioms by native English speakers.
All of the explanations are in English, so it might be challenging for you,
but just try to imagine the meanings in your head and study hard and soon you'll be able to use these idioms in your conversations.
Is everyone ready? Let's begin.
Hello again! Nice to see you.
Today's idiom is: catch my breath.
Catch my breath.
Okay, so we've already covered a few idioms using 'breath' and breath is the noun for when you breathe, right?
This is your breath.
So, catch my breath...
Let's imagine someone is running, running very fast and very hard and their breath is out, right, lots of breath.
And they're gonna catch their breath and put it back in, catch my breath, and they can recover, okay?
So, let's picture the runner jogging and catching his breath and recover, okay?
So, let's listen to some examples and try to understand the meaning of this idiom, 'catch my breath'.
Sorry I’m late. I got stuck in traffic and ran all the way over but...!
It’s okay, do you need time to catch your breath?
Okay, so he was running to class and she said,
'Oh, do you need time to catch your breath? Are you okay? Do you need to recover, to relax?'
Alright, the second example:
Do you think I can review the material with you right now?
Sure, but can you give me a moment to catch my breath?
Okay, so in that case he wasn't running, he wasn't physically tired, but maybe they were covering the material very fast
and he needs to catch his breath, recover, yeah.
So, 'catch your breath' means to give you some time to relax, okay?
Maybe you were running and actually out of breath and need to catch your breath or maybe you were doing something very quickly.
For example, in the class the teacher was giving a lecture and the material, the information, was so much and so quickly
that your head is kind of spinning and you need time to catch your breath, okay, to understand and relax.
So, next time someone is telling you something too quickly and you want to tell them in a casual way to slow down
or give you a chance to understand, give you a chance to calm down,
then you can ask them, 'Please give me a moment to catch my breath.'
Or if the situation is reversed, you can ask them, 'Do you need a minute to catch your breath,' okay?
So, let's try to use this again soon and I'll see you next time.