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Hello everyone, and welcome back to Your English Update, a podcast by EZOnlineEnglish.

Have you ever been in a situation where your friend was sad and you didn’t know what to say? Well this week, we are learning five different expressions to help comfort and console others in English. Ready? Let’s just jump into it!

I am sorry for your loss.
对您的遭遇我感到很遗憾。

Often when someone dies in English, we use the word loss. It sounds less harsh and less permanent sounding than using the word die. Saying, “I am sorry for your loss,” is a heartfelt and compassionate way to let the person know that you are sorry that their loved one died.  

Please let me know if there is anything I can do.

如果我能做点什么，请告诉我。

When someone is overwhelmed and going through a tough time, it’s a good idea to offer them some help instead of just giving them nice words. Use this expression to offer your friend some help. You could bring them a meal, run an errand for them, or make them a nice pot of tea. They may decline, but offering is a great way to let them know you care. 

When it rains, it pours.

祸不单行。

This expression is a way of acknowledging that your friend is going through a tough time. “When it rains, it pours,” means that when bad things happen, more bad things are likely to happen at the same time. You could describe this expression as a platitude which is an empty cliché to say. It doesn’t really help your friend to say it, but it can let your friend know they aren’t at fault for all of their bad luck.

Okay, we’re halfway through the lesson, so let’s take our quick break. If you haven’t already, please check out our website ezonlineenglish.com. There you can find all of the transcripts and all of the translations for this season of Your English Update. That is the letter E and Z online English dot com. Alright, let’s get back to the expressions.

Keep your chin up.

振作起来。

This expression can help encourage your friend to stay confident and keep a positive attitude. You are literally telling them to move their chin up so they aren’t looking down at the ground and feeling sad. Saying, “Keep your chin up,” is like saying stay positive and persevere through this tough time.

It could have been a lot worse.

事情本来可能更糟糕的。

When something bad happens to a friend, you could say this expression to try and help them look on the positive side of their situation. It is a way to help them refocus their perception and diminish the seriousness by comparing. Of course, we don’t want to minimize the seriousness of their feelings and emotions, but we can offer this expression to help them realize that the situation could have been more serious.

It’s review time! Let’s go over all of the expressions before we go.

I’m sorry for your loss.
对您的遭遇我感到很遗憾。

Please let me know if there is anything I can do.
如果我能做点什么，请告诉我。

When it rains, it pours.
祸不单行。

Keep your chin up.
振作起来。

It could have been a lot worse.
事情本来可能更糟糕的。

Thank so much for listening to another episode of Your English Update, a podcast by EZOnlineEnglish. Our season one is about to come to a close, and we would love to hear any feedback you have for us. You can leave us reviews on Apple Podcasts as well as Spotify Podcasts. You can also leave us a comment on our of our YouTube videos at EZOnlineEnglish. We’d love to hear any episode ideas you have or any feedback in general. Thank you again for listening and we will see you in the last episode for season one! Goodbye!