Hi and welcome back to Love English. So, in today's lesson there is one word that
I want you to try and avoid and it is possibly one of the first words that you
ever learnt when you were learning English and of course it is one of the
most common WANT-WANT. so to want is to desire something or we can use it to
request something so in today's lesson I'm gonna share 12 alternative phrases
and words that you can use instead of want it is particularly important that
you avoid using one when making a request in fact let me tell you a little
story a few years ago I had a very lovely student from Kuwait and he wanted
to take me to Harrods so we went into Harrods and if any of you have been to
Harrods in London it is a very posh store and they've got an amazing food
hall. Now he spotted a chocolate counter and he knows that I love chocolate so
dragging me over... probably didn't drag me actually, I
probably ran to the chocolate counter he told me I could have any chocolates I
wanted being polite I said no no that's okay I don't want any but he insisted he
then proceeded to speak to the shop assistant the sales assistant by saying
I want that one, I want that one, I want that one, I want that one... and I had to
stop him and tell him no don't use want using want when making requests is a
little bit rude and really you want to avoid it of course in English it's so
important to use please and thank you but even when you do use please and
thank you with want it can still sound a little bit abrupt direct so in today's
lesson we're going to start by ensuring that you are more polite and avoid using
the word want and then looking at ways to express your desire for something
when you want something so simple lesson are you ready let's go
so the first five phrases I'm going to share with you you probably have already
heard of a few of them but you might not realize how important they are let's
start by ensuring that you are not going to use want when you request something
you want to sound more polite more sophisticated and of course show more
respect to the person that you are requesting the item or service from so
let's imagine we're ordering a coffee in Starbucks by fantastic a situation we
are all familiar with instead of saying I want a mock up I want a mocha or I
want a Frappuccino you could say I'd like I'd like a Frappuccino please pay
attention I contract there I don't say I would like but I'd like sounds more
natural more native then you could also use could I have or can I have could I
get or can I get can I get a Frappuccino please could I get a mock up please
could I have a mocker please it's that simple you could also
say I'll have I'll have I'll have a reprimand Locka Locka latte doesn't
exist but it just highlights how ridiculous some of the coffee sound in
Starbucks really I think they're a bit crazy I'll have a caramel latte I'll
have a caramel latte simple and if you want to sound a little more polite a
little more formal you could use please may I have please may I have please may
I have a Frappuccino with extra iced cappuccinos are cold right oh all these
different coffees I think I need one now so speaking of needs wants desires there
are different ways of expressing this and of course we don't normally say I
desire when you say I desire it really does sound a little bit odd formal I
can't think of any real situation that we would use I desire desires usually
used as a noun you have a desire for something
but to desire to say I desire a Frappuccino sounds a little bit more
passionate and formal it's odd you wouldn't normally say it in this way so
first of all don't use desire use I could really do with I could really do
with a cold coffee right now it is sweltering outside so I could really do
with this phrase is almost like I need I need I could really do with a
Frappuccino I could really do with a cold shower I could really do with a
holiday after lockdown so it is expressing a need a want that is almost
a need it's like saying I know what could fix this situation I know what
would solve the problem for example if your friend comes to you and says I am
so stressed out with all my uni work at the moment or I'm really stressed out at
work my colleagues are driving me crazy you could really do with a break you
could really do with a break meaning this is a need that you have a want and
this would fix the problem you can also use this expression when something needs
work for example you might have a very long pair of trousers that are too long
and you could say they could really do with being taken up meaning made shorter
so there we go I could really do with you could really do with they could
really do with instead of saying they want you want you need number two simple
but effective I feel like I feel like a burger for dinner tonight feel like we
should have a barbecue huh I feel like a nap oh yeah I really do feel like it up
so when you feel like something it is expressing that internal desire it's a
spontaneous desire for something usually is more spontaneous I feel like in this
moment this is how I feel this is what I want I really feel like going to the
beach today so what do you feel like doing feel like eating what do you feel
like today remember you would use a noun or a gerund after I feel I
like dancing I feel like singing I feel like I need a cold coffee number three a
little bit more lights fun you could say I'm in the mood for I'm in the mood for
oh I'm really in the mood for a gin and tonic I'm really in the mood for a good
chat with my best friend so a light fun way to express a desire think about a
situation where you're with lots of friends you've got lots of ideas and
everyone wants to do something different you might say oh I'm really in the mood
for I don't know a good party or I'm in the mood for an action film you're
explaining what you want but without putting too much pressure on anyone to
actually go along with what you want by saying I'm in the mood for you're
expressing your desire but you're not putting any pressure on people to
basically serve your desire to go along with it to agree you're just saying it
in a light fun way so again it's a want for a thing or even an action I'm in the
mood for swimming I mean the mood for singing I'm in the mood for a gin and
tonic and I really am it's so hot today I'm
just thinking about cold drinks all the time number four and if you don't know
this one already then you probably haven't been learning English very long
I fancy or I really fancy now the verb to fancy can mean a sexual physical
attraction to somebody but in the case of expressing our desire it's very
similar to I feel like I feel like so actually I think it's more commonly used
in the UK I'm not sure how many Americans use this phrase but certainly
it is one that Sabra and I use a lot so I fancy to express a desire a want it's
not really strong so if you say oh I really fancy a burger it's like saying
you know if I have it great if I don't I'll survive that's okay so really fancy
or a fantasy really fancy a good cup of tea right now I'm really fancy going on
holiday somewhere hot with a great beach and a lovely hotel so they forget
comment below let me know what fancy what you feel like comment below
and let me know now number five and six are stronger it's expressing a very
strong desire and you'll probably gather that yes that by the expression itself
I'd kill for I'd kill for oh I'd kill for a stake right now I would kill for a
coffee right now I am oh so tired so I'd kill for it's a little bit dramatic it's
exaggerated you're not literally gonna kill someone for your Frappuccino your
steak or whatever you want but you know it's expressing how much you want that
that you'd be willing to kill for it but not exactly it's exaggerated so
again a strong strong desire that you will do anything to get it I'd kill for
kill for a gin and tonic what would you kill for comment below
and let me know and remember you don't actually have to kill anyone to get it
number six like I said very similar to I'd kill for I'm dying for I'm dying for
I'm dying for a Frappuccino now if we remove at four you can say I am dying to
go on holiday so two plus the infinitive verb that I'm dying to see sabor as a
new baby so I'm dying to this expresses the action that you want to do so not
gerund to plus infinitive verb I'm dying for a fratty no I'm dying to go to the
coffee shop of course there's dying in the phrase so
it does express a desperation if strong strong needs that you need to do or have
this thing and finally a little bit more relaxed I'm up for I'm up for I'm up for
going on holiday I'm up for going for a swim I'm up for Chinese tonight yeah I
fancy a Chinese takeaway so a little bit more relaxed not as strong as I'm dying
for or I'd kill for but certainly it is a great way to express a want a desire
in the same way as saying I'm in the mood for I'm up for you're not putting
too much pressure on anyone to agree to your desire you want but you're saying
you know this would be great if I could have this or if we could
this I'm up for learning more English and there we have it hopefully a very
simple but effective lesson to broaden your vocabulary and help you avoid that
boring basic verb want and ensure that you're also very polite when making
requests now don't forget comment below and let
me know what desires do you have what do you fancy what are you up for what could
you kill for or what are you dying to do or dying for what could you really do
with and of course what are you in the mood for right now comment below and let
me know thank you so much for watching take care bye