
Find out what natives say when they mean "said"
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Aubrey Carter
This is the All Ears English podcast, episode 2412 when go means said in English.
Lindsey McMahon
Welcome to the All Ears English Podcast, downloaded more than 200 million times. Are you feeling stuck with your English? We'll show you how to become fearless and fluent by focusing on connection, not perfection, with your American host, Aubrey Carter, the IELTS whiz and Lindsey McMahon, the English adventurer, coming to you from Arizona and Colorado, usa. And to get your transcripts delivered by email every week, go to allearsenglish.com subscribe does it sound weird to you when someone says I go when they meant I said today? Find out how to elevate your stories more connection using a native speaker trick in English as we look to expand our team here at Allers English this summer, Hiring Speed Matters if you're in charge of hiring at your company, you know that you need to be able to find amazing candidates fast. That's why we recommend Indeed. Stop struggling to get your job post seen on other job sites. Indeed Sponsor Jobs helps you stand out and hire fast. With Sponsor Jobs, your post jumps to the top of the page for your relevant candidates so you can reach the people you want faster. I'll tell you more about how well it works a little later in the episode. When you're expanding your team, you want to avoid overwhelm. Let's Indeed help you reduce that overwhelm and move faster. There's no need to wait any longer. Speed up your hiring right now with Indeed and listeners of this show will get a 75 sponsored job credit. To get your jobs more visibility at indeed.comae just go to indeed.comaee right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. I n d e e d.com a E-E-B terms and conditions apply. Hiring Indeed is all you need. Hey Aubry, I've got a question for you today.
Aubrey Carter
All right, let's hear it.
Lindsey McMahon
So how do you ask for recommendations?
Aubrey Carter
I usually go, what is something you discovered recently that I might not know about?
Lindsey McMahon
Yes, what about you?
Aubrey Carter
How do you ask for records? Kind of the same thing. Or it's like, yeah, I might say.
Lindsey McMahon
Hey, what would you recommend for a good restaurant? Or sometimes I go, hey, where do you like to go out to eat? Something like that?
Aubrey Carter
I don't know.
Lindsey McMahon
That's the first thing that comes to mind.
Aubrey Carter
Yes, right. And speaking of recommendations, I want to recommend anyone who has hbo. There is a movie that was recently in theaters called Companion that you have got to see. I highly recommend it, but there's A catch. Don't watch a preview and don't look at the movie poster because there's a really fun plot twist that the preview spoils. So if you could try to watch the film with without seeing the preview, you're going to enjoy it so much more. And then leave a comment on YouTube. I want to hear your thoughts. I loved it. I was just telling Lindsay about it. You've got to watch it. It's so good.
Lindsey McMahon
Sounds intriguing. All right, I'll have to watch that tonight.
Aubrey Carter
Not crazy, just interesting.
Lindsey McMahon
Okay, good. Well, excellent. So today's episode, we're talking about what, Aubrey, what are we getting into today?
Aubrey Carter
You might have noticed in our little conversation at the start that we said go a couple times. I said, I usually go. What's something you discovered? And then you said, how you go? And did we actually mean go? Are we going anywhere?
Lindsey McMahon
Yeah, are you going somewhere? Are we taking a road trip somewhere? No, no.
Aubrey Carter
We mean said often in English. We say go. I go. He went. And what we mean is I say or I said, this is what I said. Such a strange thing to do. We do it all the time.
Lindsey McMahon
Super weird. But we're going to get into it today because we want our listeners to know real English. This is not textbook English. This is not what you learn in a typical class. Right. And the episode's inspired by one of our listeners on YouTube, by the way. Guys, go to YouTub find Allers English and hit the subscribe button. Right, Aubrey?
Aubrey Carter
Exactly. This was a question on YouTube. They said this was story bits in Russian. Sounds like an amazing YouTube channel. They said, amazing episode. Second time relistening. I've also noticed you used. He goes. And then she goes in other episodes instead of. And then he says, would that apply to I as well? Could you say and then I go, or does that sound weird? Thank you. Well, it's such a good question.
Lindsey McMahon
Question. And so observant of this listener to hear that and ask that question. And it is very native and natural. So, Aubrey, what do our listeners need to know as we get into this?
Aubrey Carter
Yeah, because this is a perfect followup to a recent episode that we did about reported speech. We do this in English and there are a lot of things we say. I was all. I was like. And this is one of the ways we do that that we didn't cover on the first one. Yeah. So stay the end. We're going to share one which episode that was so you can listen to it if you missed it. Because reported speech is one of the best ways to make your stories more interesting.
Lindsey McMahon
Yep. Guys, might as well go ahead and hit that follow button right now. As you're listening, this is your opportunity to make sure you get every single episode of Allers English five days a week, including Sassy Saturdays.
Aubrey Carter
Yes.
Lindsey McMahon
Dropping into your listening queue wherever you're listening, Spotify. And if you're on YouTube, hit the subscribe button. All right, good.
Aubrey Carter
There are just many options when reporting speech, so I'm not shocked that we didn't think to mention this one. But we do use it a lot. We use it to report speech and actions, but not thoughts. This is sort of interesting. As I thought about it, I would never say, you know, so then I go, what are you doing? When that's something I thought. Right. There are other ways would say that I was like, I was all. And I might report something I thought with go, it just means said something that I said or did and act.
Lindsey McMahon
Got it. Okay, perfect. And so to answer the first question, though, you know we can use it for any subject, right? That's important to know because that was one of the things that he asked.
Aubrey Carter
Yeah, exactly. Right. I go. He goes, any subject. You can do this. And we also do it in the past tense. Right. I went, meaning I said. So it's interesting because if you say, I go, this means you've already switched to the present tense in your story, which we do all the time. We also talked about this recently on the podcast that we'll switch. We'll start in the past tense. We'll switch to the present to bring our listener in so they're there with us. So then I open the box and out jumps. Right? We move to the present tense because it's more interesting.
Lindsey McMahon
Yeah, exactly. So our listeners want to have their ears ready for this kind of quick movement, interchanging between, organically moving between tenses. So let's get some real practical examples here, Aubry, shall we?
Aubrey Carter
Perfect. So first we'll talk about speech. We use this. I go. He goes, it just means said. I said. So, for example, I might be telling a story. And then I say, I go, what's your name? And he's like, you can't remember my name? And I'm talking about something that happened in the past, but I'm using the present tense. I go, what's your name? And what I mean is, I said, what's your name?
Lindsey McMahon
Yes, I love it. It really brings you in so much more. Or here's another example. He goes, why are you here? And she's all, don't you know, don't you know?
Aubrey Carter
And it's interesting to think about. These couldn't be thoughts, right? If I just, oh, no, what's his name? I don't remember. I would not say. I go, what's his name? No, because then the person I'm talking to will assume that I'm saying I said that out loud. We wouldn't use I go for thoughts.
Lindsey McMahon
But can we put it in the past tense? We can, right?
Aubrey Carter
Au, Absolutely.
Lindsey McMahon
How would that look? Yeah.
Aubrey Carter
So, for example, I'm telling a story. Then I might say, so then I went, I don't know about this. And he was like, yeah, I'm not sure either. So same thing. When I say I went, I mean, I said, it's just another way. We don't want to say, I said. I said. I said. I was like, I was all. I went. All of these mean. I said.
Lindsey McMahon
And again, you know, if you're just tuning in now, we're not talking about traveling anywhere. Going anywhere, right? We're not going anywhere. All right, here's another example. They went, you're kidding. And I was just like, no, I'm not. Right.
Aubrey Carter
So. And it's really interesting to think about. You probably wouldn't repeat, I went there. Right. We don't want to be redundant. We don't want to be repetitive. So we probably wouldn't say, they went, you're kidding. And I went, no, I'm not. To do the exact same one again exactly feels redundant. So we have all these different options to switch it up.
Lindsey McMahon
We're trying to get away from the redundancy of using I said, he said, she said, right. We're getting away, so we might as well be mixing it up with our choices. Yes. Okay, so that was the first one. Speech. And what about actions?
Aubrey Carter
Yeah, so of course, we also use this for actions, meaning, you know, went. So we'll describe actions in the past and then also in the present tense to make the listener feel like they were there.
Lindsey McMahon
Okay.
Aubrey Carter
So, for example, I could say, so then I go through the gate and close it very slowly so it doesn't squeak. So what I'm doing, I've been telling about a story. Maybe I'm sneaking onto someone's property or sneaking out of my house when I'm a kid breaking curfew. And I switch to the present tense. So this is to keep in mind that if you hear someone say, so, then I go, they might mean I said. And they might mean they actually physically did something.
Lindsey McMahon
That's why we have to look at the whole context. Right. I mean, it's so. So. Again, just so we're not confused, now we are talking about physically going somewhere.
Aubrey Carter
Exactly. Actual actions. Yes.
Lindsey McMahon
Okay, here's another example. We'd only been there five minutes when he goes up the ladder and onto the roof. And look what I did there, right? I switched the tense into present tense right away from present perfect or past perfect. Right.
Aubrey Carter
You're in past perfect first.
Lindsey McMahon
Right.
Aubrey Carter
We had only been there five minutes. But then it. You're to stay in past perfect the whole time. Because that's feeling so far removed. We switch to present tense to pull the people in. Now they're right there with us watching this guy go up the ladder.
Lindsey McMahon
And you can see I get extra energy in my voice. And I do that on purpose because I'm trying to bring the listener in. Okay.
Aubrey Carter
Exactly.
Lindsey McMahon
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Aubrey Carter
Really did happen, I may be told. I don't think I've ever told this story on the podcast, but maybe I did. Okay, so this is to be able to use some of this reported speech. I love paddleboarding. We paddleboard on The Salt river here. Do you go paddle boarding?
Lindsey McMahon
I've done it a couple of times. There's not a lot of bodies of water in Colorado, which I struggle with that fact.
Aubrey Carter
Right, Absolutely. A lot of people will tube the river. They have these inflatable tubes.
Lindsey McMahon
So you do the paddle board, and we take paddleboards.
Aubrey Carter
Because if the river's low, there are these big rocks that you might hit. And if you're in a tube, that's very painful, whereas the paddleboard, no problem.
Lindsey McMahon
As long as you don't fall off the paddle board. I mean, are we talking about.
Aubrey Carter
That does happen every now and then, but the river's not that. It's not like rapids. Right. There are a few places that are a little faster, but for the most part, it's just like an easy float. Yeah.
Lindsey McMahon
Paddleboarding is fun. Yeah. It's a low lift activity. It's easy. It's fun. You can hang out. Bring your dog on the pedal board so far.
Aubrey Carter
Yes, exactly. All right, here we go. I'll start us out. Ready? We lugged everything to the river. Four heavy paddle boards. And then realized we had forgotten the pump.
Lindsey McMahon
Oh, no.
Aubrey Carter
So I go back to the car, and I knew the kids would get impatient, so I'm running.
Lindsey McMahon
Well, how far was it?
Aubrey Carter
We had parked maybe like half a mile away.
Lindsey McMahon
Oh, yeah. That's a bit of a hike.
Aubrey Carter
Yeah. So then I'm about to pass this group of teenagers unloading their car, and one of them goes, karen, incoming. Oh, what?
Lindsey McMahon
Karen?
Aubrey Carter
Why? I had no idea. So I stop and I go, did you just call me Karen?
Lindsey McMahon
You did?
Aubrey Carter
Yes. I wanted to know why. And one of the boys looks kind of sheepish, and he goes, because you were running.
Lindsey McMahon
Oh, we know. Yes, I know. I remember this story. I wonder how many of our listeners. This is a great quiz for who's been a longtime listener.
Aubrey Carter
Yeah, right. If this is familiar to you, you have probably been with us a while. Yeah.
Lindsey McMahon
I love this story. Oh, my gosh.
Aubrey Carter
I. I can just.
Lindsey McMahon
It's a very vivid story. I can totally imagine it. Right?
Aubrey Carter
Yeah. And I know whenever I tell people this story, they're like, really? You, like, stopped and. And went, did you just call me Karen? I'm like, yeah, I really wanted to know why.
Lindsey McMahon
I give you credit for that. I give you credit. I think it's fair. It's fair to ask that question. I. I don't know why. We're in a very. In a society that doesn't really push back at all. And you're pushing back in a Very, you know, non controversial way. You just want to know why, Right?
Aubrey Carter
But when I told my daughter, my teenage daughter about this, she was mortified that I had stopped and talked to them. And she was also not surprised. She's like, y. No, she's like, you were wearing flip flops and like, you know, whatever swimsuit and shorts. She's like, no one my age would ever run like we're walking unless we're in like athletic clothes and intentionally exercising. Oh my gosh, that is so funny. I've never thought about it.
Lindsey McMahon
Other world. It's a whole other world. It's like, wow, was I, I think to myself, was I that different from my parent?
Aubrey Carter
Right.
Lindsey McMahon
As a teenager? I don't know.
Aubrey Carter
You know, it's just, remember. I know.
Lindsey McMahon
So interesting.
Aubrey Carter
But so let's go through this because I. We intentionally used it here a few times. So the first I said, so I go back to the car and I knew the kids and this is the actual action, right? I mean, I went back to the car, but I am telling a story and I'm trying to pull you in as if you're right there with me. So I use present tense. So I go back to the car and then I switch back to. To past. I knew the kids would get impatient. And then I go to present continuous. So I'm running. So I use three different tenses in this sentence just to make the story interesting.
Lindsey McMahon
Impressive, right? Really impressive. Yeah, really interesting. And then you. I said, we had parked maybe half a mile away. And I said, oh, yeah, that's a bit of a hike. Right.
Aubrey Carter
And this is a little bonus to say a hike that meaning significant distance. I just added this because I say this a lot. Oh, man, that's quite a hike. It doesn't have anything to do with hiking. This doesn't mean a real hike. We use this to mean pretty far.
Lindsey McMahon
Yes. Yeah. And that's a good, that's common, a common comment, right? When someone says something is far. Oh, seems like quite a hike.
Aubrey Carter
Yeah, exactly. And then I said, I was talking about how they had said Karen incoming. They called me Karen. And so then I, so I stop and I go, did you just call me Karen? And this is where what I mean is, I said, that's what I said to them. I just stopped. I was like, did you just call me Karen? Which was really confrontational to me. I'm usually not that confrontational. But I was confused and I really hate this Karen term. And I wanted to know why. What did I do?
Lindsey McMahon
Yeah.
Aubrey Carter
And they said, it loud enough that I'm like, if they don't want me to hear it, they should say it more quietly.
Lindsey McMahon
Right?
Aubrey Carter
Right. I was like, right there.
Lindsey McMahon
And here I am. I'm responding with surprise. And I said, what, Karen? Why? Right. Why did they call you that? Right.
Aubrey Carter
And I said, I had no idea. So I stop and I go, did you just call me Karen? Right. And that. I mean, I said, but this would happen all the time. We might say. I was all. I was like. I was like, did you just call me Karen? Or we'll use this. I go, did you just call me Karen?
Lindsey McMahon
Yeah, I love that. And both of these are in the present tense. So I stop and I go and listen to the intonation there, too. We probably talked about that with that other episode and reported speech. It's almost like you're hanging. I go, did you just call me Karen? It's an intonation thing.
Aubrey Carter
Yeah. That little space. We slow it down, give it a little space before we report, you know, what we said or what we thought in the past. And I could have gone into the past. I could have said. So then I stop, and I went, did you just call me Karen? Both. We use them interchangeably. We switch back and forth all the time. Every single time, you can say, I go or I went. He goes, or he went. Means the same thing. They both mean. They said this.
Lindsey McMahon
Yep. And you've still got your listener kind of wanting more information. So I said, you did.
Aubrey Carter
And then you said, I wanted to know why. And then this is interesting. I said, one of the boys looks kind of sheepish, and he goes, because you were running. So notice the present tense here. Right. I'm describing. I'm adding interesting details. I could use past, simple here. The boy looked kind of sheepish. Absolutely Right. Does time. Doesn't really matter. But because I've tried to pull you into the story, I'm describing him in the present tense, and I narrate this in the present tense. He goes, because you are running. Meaning he said this.
Lindsey McMahon
Yeah. And as a double bonus for our listeners who are really ready for it, the word sheepish. Embarrassed, Right. A little bit embarrassed.
Aubrey Carter
Embarrassed. A little ashamed of what they had done because I called them out on it. And more than anything, he probably felt sort of sheepish about saying it loud enough that I heard it.
Lindsey McMahon
Yeah.
Aubrey Carter
Probably wasn't embarrassed to call me Karen, but he didn't mean for me to hear it. He only wanted his friends to hear it. That's what he gets for talking too loudly. Oh, man.
Lindsey McMahon
All Right. This is really good stuff. So our listeners, where should they go? What other episodes should they check out?
Aubrey Carter
Yeah, we want to make sure you don't miss, basically, part one. This ended up being a great follow up with this amazing question that our listener asked, and that was episode 2401, how to be a more interesting storyteller in English. We taught about narrating speech and thoughts. Interestingly, with I go, you can't narrate thoughts. Right. It's just for speech and action. But there's a lot of other interesting ways that we narrate speech in English. Yeah.
Lindsey McMahon
So this was a pretty advanced episode. I'm not gonna lie. Right. So go back and listen again if you want to and try to start to implement a little bit of this. Go into your, you know, storytelling.
Aubrey Carter
Right, Absolutely.
Lindsey McMahon
That's. That's the way to do it. We got to start using it. Right. Aubry.
Aubrey Carter
Oh. We're excited for you to use reported speech and thoughts as you're telling stories. This really does pull in your listener. It makes it so much more interesting, Engaging, as if they were right there with you while this happened.
Lindsey McMahon
Exactly. And let's not forget why we're here. We're here for human connection. Connection, not perfection. So it's about the story. So if you botch the grammar, it's okay. Right. If you say it in the wrong tense and. Oh, I couldn't do that. I could do that. Aubrey. Lindsay said I can. I can't. No. Remember, make the eye contact, share the story. Help them figure out why it was funny. You've accomplished your goal. Okay. And next time, you'll get the grammar right.
Aubrey Carter
Absolutely. I love that. I would much rather to talk to someone who has an interesting story, even if they make 20 grammar errors. I don't mind. We've connected. They've told me a great story. I love it.
Lindsey McMahon
All right, good stuff, Aubrey. We'll see you next time. Have a good day.
Aubrey Carter
Awesome. See you next time. Bye.
Lindsey McMahon
Thanks for listening to all ears. And English. Would you like to know your English level? Take our two minute quiz, go to allearsenglish.com fluency score. And if you believe in connection, not perfection, then hit subscribe now to make sure you don't miss anything. See you next time.
Aubrey Carter
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Podcast Summary: All Ears English Podcast Episode 2412 – "When 'Go' Means 'Said' in English"
Episode Overview In Episode 2412 of the All Ears English Podcast, titled "When 'Go' Means 'Said' in English," hosts Lindsey McMahon and Aubrey Carter delve into a fascinating aspect of American English: the unconventional use of the verb "go" in place of "said." This episode, released on May 21, 2025, is tailored for intermediate to advanced English learners aiming to master natural, conversational American English beyond textbook expressions.
The episode opens with a brief, engaging introduction where Lindsey and Aubrey highlight the pervasive yet often overlooked usage of "go" as a substitute for "said" in everyday American English conversations.
Notable Quote:
This sets the stage for exploring how native speakers naturally incorporate such variations to make their storytelling more dynamic and engaging.
The hosts reference feedback from a listener on their YouTube channel, emphasizing the community-driven nature of their podcast. This interaction underscores the practical relevance of the topic and encourages audience participation.
Notable Quote:
Aubrey and Lindsey break down the grammatical mechanics behind using "go" in place of "said," highlighting its application across different subjects and tenses. They clarify that while "go" primarily denotes action, in conversational contexts, it seamlessly transitions to imply speech.
Key Points:
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The hosts provide concrete examples to illustrate the usage, demonstrating how switching tenses and verbs can make storytelling more vivid and immersive. They emphasize the importance of context in discerning whether "go" refers to speech or physical action.
Examples Discussed:
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Aubrey and Lindsey discuss the narrative technique of switching from past to present tense to draw listeners into the story, making them feel as if they are experiencing events in real-time.
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To illustrate the concept, Aubrey shares a personal story about paddleboarding, seamlessly integrating the use of "go" to represent speech within the narrative. This anecdote showcases the practical application of the discussed grammatical structure.
Story Highlights:
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Post-story, the hosts dissect the narrative to highlight how switching tenses and using "go" enrich the storytelling, making it more engaging and natural for listeners.
Key Takeaways:
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The episode concludes by referencing a previous installment on reported speech, encouraging listeners to explore related content for a more comprehensive understanding of effective storytelling in English.
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Lindsey and Aubrey reiterate the podcast’s core philosophy: prioritizing human connection through storytelling rather than striving for grammatical perfection. They encourage listeners to share their stories freely, assuring them that minor errors do not hinder effective communication.
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The episode wraps up with warm farewells, motivational advice for listeners to continue practicing their storytelling skills, and reminders to engage with other podcast resources for ongoing learning.
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Conclusion Episode 2412 of the All Ears English Podcast offers a deep dive into the nuanced use of "go" as a replacement for "said," enriching listeners' conversational abilities and storytelling techniques. Through practical examples, engaging anecdotes, and insightful analysis, Lindsey McMahon and Aubrey Carter provide valuable lessons that transcend traditional grammar lessons, fostering a more natural and connected approach to mastering American English.
Listeners are encouraged to incorporate these techniques into their daily conversations and storytelling practices to enhance fluency and build stronger connections, embodying the podcast’s mantra: "Connection NOT Perfection!"