AEE 2548: Absorb These English Phrasal Verbs

Summary

All Ears English Podcast: Episode 2548

Title: Absorb These English Phrasal Verbs
Hosts: Lindsay McMahon & Aubrey Carter
Date: January 14, 2026

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Episode Overview

This lively episode centers on enriching your English by learning and mastering several everyday phrasal verbs and expressions that capture the idea of “absorbing” an experience or moment. Lindsay and Aubrey focus on practical, idiomatic ways to talk about being present, emotionally moved, or fully aware—skills important both for conversation and connection. This is part two in a series about the phrase “take in” and its synonyms. The hosts provide real-life examples, clarify subtle differences, and offer tips for more natural, connected English.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Importance of “Soaking In” Life’s Moments (01:38–04:09)

• Setting the Mood: Aubrey shares a personal story about pausing to appreciate a meaningful family moment during the holidays.
  • "I just kind of pause to soak in that feeling of like, oh, and I'm imagining last forever." (01:50 – Aubrey)
• Connection, Not Perfection: Lindsay underscores why expressing these feelings is key for human relationships.
  • "When we talk about those moments, that builds connection." (02:46 – Lindsay)
• Conversation Tip: Asking someone when they last paused to “soak it all in” is a great way to connect.

Phrasal Verbs for Absorbing Experiences (04:02–10:15)

• Soak It In (04:09–05:18)
  • Means to take time to appreciate, understand, and value a moment.
  • Example: “The audience sat quietly to soak in every word of the inspiring speech.” (04:20 – Lindsay)
  • Often used for nature, beautiful views, or emotionally charged moments.
  • Contrasted with literal meaning (e.g., soaking in a tub).
• Absorb It (05:45–06:03)
  • More straightforward, can be positive or negative.
  • Example: “He took a deep breath to absorb it all before responding.” (05:45 – Lindsay)
• Let It Sink In (06:10–06:17)
  • Used for processing information, often when overwhelmed.
  • Example: “It took me a minute to absorb what they had said." (06:03 – Aubrey)
• Take It All In (07:10–08:14)
  • Used for awe-inspiring or overwhelming experiences, where you need time to appreciate everything.
  • Example: “We stood at the rim of the Grand Canyon and tried to take it all in.” (07:21 – Aubrey)
  • Conversation: Discuss how taking in art, nature, or events can be an intense, meaningful experience.
• Drink It In (09:01–09:51)
  • More poetic, often used for beautiful sights or fleeting moments.
  • "We paused, drink in the breathtaking view of the mountains." (09:07 – Aubrey)
  • Also common in parental reflections on enjoying family life.
• Other Notes:
  • Some phrasal verbs are non-transferable—“eat it in” or “sip it in” are not correct. Only “drink it in” and similar set phrases work as idioms (12:47–13:08).

Real-Life Role Play (10:50–13:15)

• The hosts act out being at a music festival, naturally using all four phrases:
  • Soak it in: “Soak it in, Aubrey. Moments like this don't happen often.” (10:58 – Lindsay)
  • Drink it in: “I’m going to take a minute to drink it in.” (11:05 – Aubrey)
  • Take it all in: “It’s almost hard to take it all in.” (11:09 – Lindsay)
  • Absorb: “I think I’m gonna need a few days to absorb the experience.” (11:17 – Aubrey)
• This segment illustrates how these expressions naturally fit into conversation about impactful events.

Subtle Differences and Usage Tips (13:15–14:15)

• Discussing overstimulation and the difference between needing time to “take it all in” versus being overwhelmed.
• Clarification on let it sink in as slightly different—not always emotional, more about information processing.
• Teasing the upcoming part three focused on “let it sink in”.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On appreciating the moment:
  • “That’s amazing. That’s so great. That’s what life is about, right? And we want to be able to talk about it because when we talk about those moments, that builds connection.” (02:46 – Lindsay)
• On idiomatic use:
  • “This is idiomatic. It's important you use it word for word. We say 'soak it in.'” (04:56 – Aubrey)
  • “These are definitely idiomatic. We have to learn these as idioms, not as any kind of words that apply.” (12:55 – Lindsay)
• On the effect of technology:
  • “The last couple of times I have gone to a concert, you're like, watching it through other people's phones…No. Oh, gosh. Yeah, I want to go back to the 90s.” (13:57–14:15 – Aubrey)
• On connection:
  • "Sharing with others what took you some time to absorb, to take it all in... That is such a great way to connect, to share and to learn about what was emotional for others." (15:04 – Aubrey)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:38 – Aubrey’s family story: pausing to “soak it in”
• 04:09 – Phrasal verbs introduction: “soak it in”
• 05:45 – “Absorb” and “let it sink in” for emotional/mental processing
• 07:10 – “Take it all in” for awe-inspiring situations
• 09:07 – “Drink it in”, poetic use for beautiful moments
• 10:50 – Role play with all four expressions
• 12:47 – Idiomatic restrictions: phrases you can and can’t use
• 13:57 – Conversation on technology interfering with presence
• 14:49 – Preview of part one and part three in the series
• 15:04 – Takeaway: being present and sharing with others

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Summary Takeaways

• Use idiomatic phrasal verbs like soak it in, take it all in, drink it in, and absorb to describe taking time to appreciate moments, especially those that are beautiful, moving, or overwhelming.
• Context is crucial; these are generally for positive, impactful experiences, but some (like absorb or let it sink in) also apply to processing difficult or large amounts of information.
• Not all phrasal expressions transfer directly—stick to set forms like “drink it in,” not “eat it in.”
• Sharing these moments of presence deepens connection with others—a main goal of language learning.

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For Further Learning

• Part One: Episode 2542 covers “take in” and its various meanings.
• Upcoming: Part three will focus specifically on “let it sink in” and similar phrases.

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Hosts’ Closing Thought:
"Being present in life and then describing it, putting it into words, that’s the good stuff." (14:49 – Lindsay)

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For transcripts and fluency quizzes, visit allearsenglish.com. If you enjoy the focus on connection, not perfection, hit follow!

Transcript

[Aubrey Carter]

This is an Allers English podcast, episode 2548 absorb these English phrasal verbs.

[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. The best moments in life are when your brain turns off and you become completely present, especially in nature. Today, get four things you can say when you are totally absorbed in a moment. For a great connection, listen in today.

[Aubrey Carter]

Are you still translating from your native language into English in your head? Are you always getting confused between the different grammar tenses? Let's figure out what you need to work on. Find your current English level with our five minute [e-mail] fluency score.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Hey there, Aubrey. How's it going?

[Aubrey Carter]

I'm great. How are you, Lindsay?

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah, really good. We're actually recording this in December. Aubrey, have you had any experiences lately where you just paused to soak it in? You know, you just absorbed.

[Aubrey Carter]

I feel like those moments do happen around the holidays. And the other day I had wrapped some presents and the twins, my. I have a son and a daughter who are both 11, they're twins. And they were kind of organizing the presents and categorizing everyone, seeing who had how many and. But then I was watching them and they just stopped and they both were kind of just staring at the tree, the Christmas tree with the ornaments and the lights. And I'm trying to. I think one of them kind of put their arm around the other one and that doesn't happen that much anymore. So I did. I just kind of pause to soak in that feeling of like, oh, and I'm imagining last forever.

[Lindsey McMahon]

I'm imagining Christmas carols on in the background. The perfect scene.

[Aubrey Carter]

Absolutely.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah. I love it. I love it. Amazing. So clearly when you pause to soak it in, it's a, it's a joyful or like a stricken moment kind of. Right.

[Aubrey Carter]

Absolutely right. When it's almost like there's so much emotion that you want to take a moment to enjoy it, to appreciate it.

[Lindsey McMahon]

That's amazing. That's so great. That's what life is about, right? And we want to be able to talk about it because when we talk about those moments, that builds connection. Like.

[Aubrey Carter]

Absolutely right. If you can Ask someone about these moments, a time they pause to soak it all in. Absolutely. That's a great way to connect. But this is interesting. This is part two of a series we. In the. For part one, we talked about the meanings of take in. There are several in English. Stay to the end and we'll share details if you missed that episode. But we promised to follow up with part two with other ways to say take it in or take it all in meaning, you know, to understand something completely or to really appreciate the importance of something.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yes. I'm excited. I'm excited to get into this. There's so many things in life we could take in, and to be able to have words for it is huge. So, guys, if you love these series that we're doing, go ahead and hit the follow button. Or if you just love our philosophy of connection, not perfection. We're going to find for you the moment of connection in everything we're teaching and show you how to do it right so we can have better relationships, better friendships in our. Better business relationships in our lives. Okay.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yes. That's definitely the best way to take it all in. When it comes to this podcast, make sure that you follow so that you're not missing episodes.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Exactly. So let's get right into it. The first one I asked you at the very top, let's make sure we define that for our listeners. Soak it in, Aubrey.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah. So this means to really take that time to appreciate something, to understand something, to really value how important or how meaningful something is.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yep. So the audience sat quietly to soak in every word of the inspiring speech.

[Aubrey Carter]

Right. Or we stood on the beach at sunset just soaking it in. Yeah. So something is impactful, is meaningful or wonderful, and you want to take that time to absorb it.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah. And of course, this is totally different from the meaning of sitting in a bathtub and soaking. Right.

[Aubrey Carter]

Because we also have soak in the phrasal verb, like you soak in a tub.

[Lindsey McMahon]

In a tub, but different. Right. Because we're just soaking somewhere. Where are we soaking? Soaking in the tub. Soaking in the hot tub. The bubble bath.

[Aubrey Carter]

Exactly. So this is idiomatic. It's important you use it word for word. We say soak it in. I need to soak, so soak it. Well, we can just say soak in. The context would be important, like, I just need to sit here and soak in this joy or this beauty. Because we'll often say that about, like, a view if you're at the top of a mountain. I just want to Soak in this view.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah, it's really common for views, sunsets, nature. Right?

[Aubrey Carter]

Yes.

[Lindsey McMahon]

I don't know. A walk in the forest, you soak in that feeling of the freshness of the trees.

[Aubrey Carter]

Right, Exactly. So then I guess it's just context because, yeah, we do have this other meaning of that phrasal verb, to soak in a tub. You're literally getting to soak a sponge in water. Right? Yeah, but this is idiomatic meaning to absorb the meaningfulness, the impact of something.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Exactly. And a more descriptive, or let's say a more straightforward way of saying it would just be to say absorb it. So he took a deep breath to absorb it all before responding. And this could be. I guess this could be negative too. Like someone said something rude to you and you had to absorb it and then respond. Right.

[Aubrey Carter]

It took me a minute to absorb what they had said. Yeah, exactly. Anything you need to process.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yes, process. I like. That's a good way to say it, to process, to let it sink in. Right. Sink in is another one.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yes. Right.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Gosh.

[Aubrey Carter]

These are these other words when. When it's more about processing information, we say, we need to let it sink in. We need to process it. We need to absorb it. Or, for example, it's hard to absorb it at once when there's so much information in a lecture. I'm sure we've all been there in school in a classroom situation where there's so much information thrown at you and you're like, I feel like I'm missing a lot of this.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah, I felt that way in my Intro to bio class. 100 bio 101. Freshman year in college, I was just blown away with how much info and just how poorly I was. I was just barely hanging on.

[Aubrey Carter]

I was like, this is crazy.

[Lindsey McMahon]

I can't do this.

[Aubrey Carter]

I can't take notes fast enough for everything. I need to go home and learn. Like, yeah, yeah.

[Lindsey McMahon]

And then there's my roommate. Of course, it like cracks open the book the night before the test and gets like an A plus. I do not know how she did it, but she did.

[Aubrey Carter]

Right. Probably had a photographic memory. I always wished for one of those.

[Lindsey McMahon]

I know, I know. All right. And then take it all in. Also another great way of. Of talking about this sense of being a struck. So what would be an example?

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah, we stood at the rim of the Grand Canyon and tried to take it all in. So, yeah, that definitely means there's like something awe inspiring, something more than your eyes or your emotions can handle. You need a Little time to take it all in.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Aubrey, are you the person that gets up, like if you are at a. If you're at a national park with your family, will you get up and get up for the sunrise or not so much or just wait for the sunset?

[Aubrey Carter]

Yes, I love to get up for the sunrise even earlier. So we were in Moab and in the middle of the night at like 2am you couldn't believe how clear the sky was. You could see the whole Milky Way. And so we'd set an alarm and get up at 2am Just to appreciate the stars in the middle of nowhere. But yes, also sunrise. I'm like, I'm getting up, I'm going to watch the sunrise in this beautiful place.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Usually, yeah, I. I am that person.

[Aubrey Carter]

Usually.

[Lindsey McMahon]

There's like a hike involved often to.

[Aubrey Carter]

Get the best view. Yeah.

[Lindsey McMahon]

But yeah, I do. I have a lot of great photos of my travels around the world and. And a lot of them were like, early morning, getting up early to take in something.

[Aubrey Carter]

Absolutely. I don't everybody out there, if you're not getting up early for some sunrises, you are missing a lot of beauty. But I know it's hard to wake up early if you're a person that likes to sleep in.

[Lindsey McMahon]

It's hard. It's hard, but it's worth it. Here's another example. She sat in the gallery and took it all in. Taking time to observe each painting carefully. Yeah, I mean, if you're really into art, you could go to the Met or something or the Louvre and just take it all in. Just get totally absorbed in it.

[Aubrey Carter]

You'll see someone standing in front of a painting for a long time, just taking it all in. I was always bummed when I was in Europe and I wouldn't have very much time for a museum, so I didn't have that time to take it all in. I would feel rushed always.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Oh, geez. Yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure. And then drink it in. So what is this for specifically?

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah, we usually use this for beautiful sites as well. Right. We paused. Drink in the breathtaking view of the mountains. This is sort of poetic, right? It's a. That's a beautiful way of saying that I need to drink in this view.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah. This is when you're really looking to be. I think poetic is a great way to say it. You're looking for. To go above and beyond with your language a bit. Right? Yes.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah. And I will hear parents say this too, and they're talking about how time flies when their children are young. They'll say, I'm just trying to drink in every moment. Like you're trying to appreciate the good times that, you know are so fleeting.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Makes sense. And then I don't think we did this last one yet. He sat on the porch in the evening, drinking in the peaceful sounds of nature. Wow. Sounds great.

[Aubrey Carter]

This is my dad. He sits on his porch. He's just listening to the birds in the trees or just drinking in nature. I love it because they live in the middle of nowhere.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah. The crickets in the summer evenings. What is happiness if it's not that? Aubrey. Right?

[Aubrey Carter]

No, I love that, too. I love just listening. We have cicadas here and they get really loud, actually. But I love it. I love listening to them.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah, I love that. I love the sounds of summer at night.

[Aubrey Carter]

Love it.

[Lindsey McMahon]

So good.

[Aubrey Carter]

Absolutely.

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[Lindsey McMahon]

All right, let's really go for it with this role play here, Aubrey. So here we are at an outdoor music festival. Let's do it.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yes. You want to start us out?

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah. All right. Wow. Look at the sunset behind the stage. Soak it in, Aubry. Moments like this don't happen often.

[Aubrey Carter]

That is beautiful. I'm going to take a minute to drink it in.

[Lindsey McMahon]

This has been such an amazing festival. It's almost hard to take it all in. The crowd, the energy, all the amazing bands.

[Aubrey Carter]

Seriously, I think I'm gonna need a few days to absorb the experience.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah. Sometimes we just have these magical weekends or experiences or events where things are just awesome.

[Aubrey Carter]

I know, right? Every now and then you're like, I feel like I do need that time to, like, process after. To let everything soak in how wonderful it.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah, totally. Totally. So let's see what we said here. So I mentioned the sunset behind the stage, and we're already probably in a really good mood because we've been listening to good music. And I said, soak it in, Aubrey. Right. Encouraging you to be present. Yeah.

[Aubrey Carter]

To like, maybe I'm on my phone. Right. And you're like, look at the sunset. Soak it in. Moments like this don't happen a lot. I'm Envisioning. Have you ever been to the gorge in. Is it Oregon? It's this beautiful outdoor venue where the backdrop are these cliffs.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Okay.

[Aubrey Carter]

It. I saw fish there, and it's just amazing. It's the most breathtaking background. So, like, the music's amazing and the view is stunning. This is where you're like, gotta soak it in.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah. I mean, yeah, sometimes there's just no replacement for natural beauty. You know, like, natural scenery is incredible. So that makes sense there.

[Aubrey Carter]

And then you said, I'm gonna take a minute to drink it in. Right. Maybe I sat down my phone. I'm like, you're right. I need to take a minute to drink it in. So I'm. This is definitely implying that there's a lot here that you could find awe inspiring that you could be emotional about. And you need that time to drink it in, to process those emotions.

[Lindsey McMahon]

And just keep in mind, you can't say eat it in.

[Aubrey Carter]

Right.

[Lindsey McMahon]

It's not. That's not a good point.

[Aubrey Carter]

These are definitely idiomatic. Yeah.

[Lindsey McMahon]

We have to learn these as idioms, not as any kind of words that apply.

[Aubrey Carter]

Even other ways that we say drink. You couldn't say gulp it in or swallow it in. No, just drink it in.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Sip it in. No, sip it in.

[Aubrey Carter]

We can't say that.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah. Good to know. And then I said, this has been an amazing festival. It's almost hard to take it all in.

[Aubrey Carter]

Right.

[Lindsey McMahon]

The crowd, the energy. And I'm listing off what's been so great about it.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah. And this is interesting for people who get over stimulated easily. They might say this like, I'm having a hard time taking this all in. It's more like I. There's so much going on that I'm overstimulated.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah, that can happen. For sure. For sure. And then what did you say, Aubrey?

[Aubrey Carter]

I said, oh, I think I'm going to need a few days to absorb the experience. And this happens. I don't know if everyone out there listening has this experience, but when something really awesome happens or fun or. I do sometimes I'll just think about it for a couple of days, kind of absorbing the experience.

[Lindsey McMahon]

But then I wonder, now with phones, I mean, are we gonna lose these moments more and more aubry or, you know, can we be fully present with a phone in our hands?

[Aubrey Carter]

It is hard.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Right.

[Aubrey Carter]

And the last couple of times I have gone to a concert, you're like, look, you're, like, watching it through other people's phones because everyone has a phone up filming. It's blocking the stage. All you can see is everyone else's phones. No. Oh, gosh. Yeah. I want to go back to the 90s.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Me too. So we did one one asterisk here. We did mention the phrase let it sink in. Right. But it's not. It's kind of a similar meaning but not exactly the same. Right?

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah, these are a little different. Right. This is. So we're going to do part three with let it sink in and a few other phrases that have that same meaning. So definitely hit below. And then we want to share part one to this phrase to this series. If you missed it, scroll up. It was 2542. Take in phrasal verbs to connect in English with all the meanings of take in.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah. And I feel like the takeaway take away is probably being present in life and then describing it, putting it into words with whoever's with us in that moment or recounting our experience. I mean, this is the good stuff, right, Aubry?

[Aubrey Carter]

Yes. Right. Sharing with others what took you some time to absorb, to take it all in. Right. Asking other people about their experiences, that. That is such a great way to connect, to share and to learn about what was emotional for others.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah. Very cool. Very cool. All right. Great stuff today, Aubry. I'll see you back on the show very soon.

[Aubrey Carter]

All right.

[Lindsey McMahon]

You have a good rest of your day.

[Aubrey Carter]

You too. See you next time.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Bye bye. Thanks for listening to all ears. English. Would you like to know your English level? Take our two minute quiz. Go to allearsenglish.com fluencyscore and if you believe in connection, not perfection, then hit subscribe now to make sure you don't miss anything. See you next time.

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