Podcast Summary: All Ears English, Episode 2530

"Give In Versus Give Up in English"

Hosts: Lindsay McMahon & Michelle Kaplan
Air Date: December 15, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Lindsay and Michelle break down the differences between the common phrasal verbs "give up" and "give in." Drawing on listener questions, real-life examples, and playful banter, they help English learners understand and use these expressions naturally in various contexts. The episode also features practical grammar tips, illustrative role plays, and memorable cultural references.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Listener Question: What's the Difference?

• [04:02] Lindsay introduces a question from listener Nasseral Sibe:
  "What's the difference between give up and give in? Sometimes it's confusing and feels the same to me."

2. Exploring "Give Up"

• Primary Meaning:
  To quit, stop trying, surrender, or let go of something (physically, emotionally, or as a habit).

• Examples & Contexts:

  • Trivia context:
    • [03:00] Michelle: "I said give up, right? Because you weren't... you didn't even know where to start."
    • [03:20] Lindsay: "And then I might just say, I give up. Just tell me. Right."
  • Habit or behavior:
    • [06:29] Lindsay: "You can't give up on your 5K. You're doing so well."
    • [10:34] Michelle: "I gave up meat after watching that documentary."
    • [10:58] Lindsay: "I gave up soda in like 1999 when I heard how bad it is for you."
  • Surrendering a possession or space:
    • [08:04] Michelle: "She gave up her computer when the computer lab got too crowded."

• Notable Explanation:

  • [05:54] Michelle:
    "So it basically means to, like, give up can mean to surrender. Right? Or just... something. Right. Either because of its difficulty or you don't know, or even pertaining to a habit."

3. "Give Up" - Subtleties & Usage

• Sub-meanings Identified:

  • Surrendering due to not knowing
  • Stopping an activity or habit
  • Physically relinquishing something
  • Examples pertain to both knowledge ("I give up — tell me the answer") and habits ("I gave up cheese").

• Cultural Reference:

  • [07:26] Lindsay references the concept of the "plateau" in self-improvement, relating it to language learning and motivation.

4. Transition to "Give In"

• [13:00] Lindsay sets the stage:
  "Okay, we have conquered give up. Now let's talk about one that might be a little less common for our listeners to hear, but really important to know the difference – give in, Michelle."

5. Exploring "Give In"

• Primary Meaning:
  To stop resisting pressure and finally agree to something, often after repeated persuasion.

• Examples & Contexts:

  • Giving in to someone's request:
    • [13:41] Michelle: "She asked her mother for a piece of chocolate over and over until she finally gave in."
    • [14:01] Lindsay: "I told him I wasn't going to the gym, but I gave in when he said he would buy me lunch after work."
  • Holding firm with "not giving in":
    • [14:13] Michelle: "I am not going to spend $300 on a concert. I'm not giving in."

• Distinctive Features:

  • Involves external pressure or persuasion
  • Requires a "force" on the other side, as Lindsay notes:
    • [14:18] "That's important, people. Someone has to be trying to convince you to do that. Right. Otherwise, like, it would be a little strange to say, like you just see the price and online and you say, I'm not giving in. That's not quite right. Because someone needs to be pushing you, to do it. To give in."

• Summing up the Difference:

  • [15:18] Lindsay: "Giving up again, guys, is quitting, not trying anymore. Maybe being defeated, surrendering... Giving in is when you agree to something after you've been saying no for a while. Right. So you're gonna stop resisting. And usually someone or something... is pressuring you to do the thing."

6. Grammar Tips for "Give Up" & "Give In"

• [15:56] Michelle:
  • "Give up" is followed by a noun or gerund ("I give up cheese") or simply said alone ("I give up").
  • "Give up on" is another variant, to be covered in future episodes.
• [16:17] Lindsay:

  • "Give in" is usually followed by "to" + noun or gerund ("give in to her," "gave in to watching TV"), but not an infinitive.

  • [16:40] Michelle warns:
    "That's tricky, guys. Watch out with all those prepositions there."

7. Interactive Quiz & Usage Practice

• Michelle quizzes Lindsay (and listeners) with fill-in-the-blank examples:

  • [17:22]
    • Ex: "I ___ gluten when I realized it bothered my stomach."
      • Lindsay: "I gave up gluten."
  • [17:56]
    • Ex: "I asked my mom to switch her appointment, but she wouldn't ___."
      • Lindsay: "She wouldn't give in."
  • [18:14]
    • Ex: "I will not ___ to peer pressure on this. I don't want the cookie."
      • Lindsay: "I will not give in to peer pressure."
  • [18:46]
    • Ex: "Don't ___ on me. I can change."
      • Lindsay: "Don't give up on me."

• Memorable aside:

  • [18:53] Michelle: "Yeah, I'm sure it's in tons of songs. Yeah. Don't give up on me. It's like basically saying, still believe in me."

8. Role Play Demonstration

• [19:15] Michelle and Lindsay act out a scenario at a happy hour to demonstrate both phrasal verbs in context.

• Key Lines:

  • [19:34]
    • Michelle: "Oh, man. Look at those goat cheese balls. Want one?"
    • Lindsay: "I'm trying to give up cheese because it hurts my stomach."
    • Michelle: "You sure?"
    • Lindsay: "Okay, I give in. One won't hurt."
  • [19:52]
    • Michelle: "I give up. $70 a person."
  • [19:57]
    • Michelle: "Yeah, that's where Lauren wanted it. But I'm not giving in to her. That's way out of my budget."

• Commentary:

  • [20:18] Lindsay: "Let's just clarify that for a minute. So we've said, I give in. And that's because my own sense, my taste buds are like, I'm salivating. Right. And you're also pressuring me. So that's... I give in. I surrender. But also, I give up would mean if I switched and I say, I — okay, I give up. You're saying, essentially, I'm gonna stop resisting... So that's why both work there. It doesn't happen in every scenario, but in this scenario it does."

9. Final Tips and Takeaways

• [23:03] Lindsay:
  "It's these little differences — give in, give up — that we want to start to look at at the C1, B2, C1 level, guys, to level up into being near native with our language."
• [23:35] Lindsay:
  "If you're making mistakes here, remember, it's all about connection. So come back to connection with the person in front of you. That is the ultimate goal."
• [23:47] Michelle:
  "Thanks Lindsay, for talking about this with me today. And thank you to our listener for that question."

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [06:29] Lindsay on learning plateaus:
  "Anytime we're preparing for a big race or any competition, we might hit a plateau in our training or hit a dip... and we might want to give up at that point."
• [13:41] Michelle sums up "give in":
  "So after some time you surrender. So here's an example. She asked her mother for a piece of chocolate over and over until she finally gave in."
• [15:18] Lindsay's comparison: "Giving up again, guys, is quitting, not trying anymore. ... Giving in is when you agree to something after you've been saying no for a while."
• [18:53] Michelle on "don't give up on me":
  "Yeah, I'm sure it's in tons of songs. Don't give up on me. It's like basically saying, still believe in me."

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 04:02 – Listener question on “give up vs. give in”
• 05:47 – First thorough explanation of “give up”
• 06:29 – Discussion of sub-meanings
• 10:34 – "Give up" for habits
• 13:00 – Transition to “give in”
• 13:41 – First examples of “give in”
• 14:18 – Explanation on "pressure" with "give in"
• 15:56 – Grammar breakdown
• 17:14 – Quiz segment (Interactive practice)
• 19:15 – Role play
• 23:03 – Takeaways and final advice

Takeaway

This episode provides a clear, lively, and highly practical explanation of the differences between “give up” (to quit or stop trying) and “give in” (to stop resisting after pressure). The hosts encourage advanced learners to notice the nuances, pay attention to context and grammar, and most importantly—focus on building real-life connections rather than worrying about perfection.