12 Everyday English Phrases to Sound Natural and Confident

0:00 You know what it means to stand up, right?

0:06 Easy.

0:06 But what about stand out or stand in, stand by or make a stand?

0:14 These little phrases are everywhere in everyday English.

0:18 And if you don't know them,

0:21 then you'll miss out on a lot of what native speakers are really saying.

0:25 Now, in this lesson,

0:27 I'll guide you through 12 essential English expressions using stand.

0:31 And at the end, I'll tell you a little story

0:36 from my own experience where I use many of these expressions.

0:41 Let's get started.

0:43 First up, literally stand up.

0:45 Now, this means to move from sitting to standing.

0:50 For example, please stand up when the judge enters the room.

0:55 He stood up and gave a short speech.

0:58 But it also has a more powerful emotional meaning.

1:03 To stand up for someone means to defend or support them,

1:10 especially when others aren't.

1:12 She stood up for her younger sister when the boys were teasing her.

1:18 It's important to stand up for what you believe in.

1:21 I know son, but if you don't stand up for yourself now,

1:25 those kids are never going to leave you alone.

1:29 And here's another useful variation.

1:31 To stand up to someone means to confront them,

1:36 usually someone in power or someone acting unfairly.

1:41 It shows courage.

1:43 He finally stood up to his boss and said the deadlines were impossible.

1:51 You need to stand up to bullies or they'll keep pushing you.

1:54 I will stand up to my mom if you'll stand up to yours.

1:59 So stand up, rise to your feet.

2:03 Stand up for defend or support someone.

2:06 And stand up to is to confront someone who's being unfair or aggressive.

2:13 So if your friend is being blamed unfairly, you can stand up for them.

2:19 And if someone's treating you badly, it might be time to stand up to them.

2:24 I always wished I was strong enough to stand up to you.

2:27 Somebody who's taught me that there are people willing to stand

2:31 up for other people no matter what it cost them.

2:34 Number two is stand down.

2:36 This means to step away from a position of power or responsibility.

2:42 We often use it in politics or formal situations.

2:47 The prime minister stood down after losing support.

2:53 But it can also be informal.

2:55 I was about to argue, but I decided to stand down.

3:00 It wasn't worth it.

3:02 All right, everybody, stand down.

3:04 Has it occurred to you that this crew is due to stand down in 3 months?

3:10 So, stand down equals to back away, step aside, or calm a situation down.

3:20 Number three, stand out.

3:23 This means to be different in a good way.

3:28 To be noticeable.

3:29 Her red dress really stood out at the party.

3:34 Among all the applicants, one candidate really stood out.

3:40 We use it for people, clothing, performances, even food.

3:44 Oh, the chocolate cake stood out on the dessert menu.

3:48 Let's just say you stand out.

3:50 I think what makes you stand out is your talent.

3:54 Now, there's another phrase you might hear to stick out like a sore thumb.

4:01 It means something stands out,

4:03 but in a bad or awkward way, like it doesn't belong.

4:07 He wore a tracksuit to the black tie event and stuck out like a sore thumb.

4:12 Look, I came here to disappear, not stick out like a sore thumb.

4:16 Stand out means to attract attention, usually in a positive way.

4:21 Stick out like a sore thumb is

4:24 to attract attention in a negative or awkward way.

4:28 So, if you impress people, you stand out.

4:32 But if you turn up to a wedding

4:35 in pajamas you might stick out like a sore thumb.

4:39 Ouch.

4:39 Talking of thumbs, if you're finding this video useful so far,

4:43 then please let me know by clicking the like button.

4:48 Thank you.

4:49 Number four, stand in for someone.

4:53 To stand in means to take someone else's place temporarily.

4:59 I'm standing in for your regular teacher today.

5:03 She stood in for the actor during rehearsals.

5:08 This is great for the workplace, classrooms, and performances.

5:13 She had a personal errand she had to run, so she asked me to stand in for her.

5:19 Stand in is to cover for someone who is absent.

5:23 Number five, standby.

5:25 This one has two meanings and they're both useful.

5:30 The first is to wait and be ready.

5:34 Please stand by.

5:35 We'll begin shortly.

5:37 The emergency team is standing by in case anything happens.

5:41 You'll hear this in announcements and live broadcasts.

5:45 Hello to acknowledge and stand by.

5:48 Standby can also mean to support someone, especially in difficult times.

5:55 He stood by his friend when no one else did.

6:00 They stood by each other through everything.

6:03 You're supposed to stand by your man, you know.

6:07 So, stand by, be ready, or stay loyal and supportive.

6:12 But the minute I need you, my wife,

6:16 to stand by me and be patient, you betray me like this.

6:23 Next, number six, stand aside or stand back.

6:27 These both mean to move away, but in slightly different ways.

6:33 Stand aside means to move to the side.

6:37 Please stand aside.

6:38 Let them through.

6:40 Stand back means to move away, usually for safety.

6:45 Stand back.

6:46 It could be dangerous.

6:48 You might hear this from emergency workers or parents in the kitchen.

6:53 Stand aside from the door, please.

6:55 So, will you stand aside and let me get into the bathroom?

6:58 All right, everyone, stand back.

7:00 Number seven, a standoff.

7:02 This is a noun that describes a situation

7:07 where two people or groups refuse to compromise.

7:12 It's tense and neither side wants to back down.

7:17 There was a standoff between the two football teams.

7:22 After hours of negotiation, the standoff finally ended.

7:27 It doesn't always involve shouting.

7:30 Sometimes it's just silent tension.

7:34 So, a standoff is a conflict or a power struggle.

7:39 Looks like we have ourselves a standoff.

7:41 Looks like we're going to have ourselves a good old-fashioned stand-off.

7:45 Now number eight is an adjective that's related standoffish.

7:50 This one describes a person.

7:54 Someone who is standoffish seems cold or unfriendly.

7:59 They keep their distance emotionally or socially.

8:03 He seemed a bit standoffish at first, but he warmed up eventually.

8:09 She's nice, but she came across as quite standoffish.

8:13 It doesn't always mean rude.

8:16 Sometimes it's just shyness or nerves.

8:19 I just wanted to say sorry if I've been a bit standoffish.

8:25 Well, people in this town are so standoffish compared to Riverton.

8:29 Number nine, make a stand.

8:32 To make a stand means to take a clear, strong position,

8:38 usually when you think something is wrong or unfair and you want to change it.

8:45 It's not about physically standing.

8:48 It's an idiom.

8:49 You're saying, "I won't accept this.

8:51 I believe in something and I'm going to show it."

8:54 The students made a stand against the new school rules.

8:59 They protested.

9:00 They said, "We don't agree.

9:03 It's time we made a stand for equal rights.

9:07 We should speak up and take action to support

9:12 fairness." You can make a stand by speaking up, by protesting, by writing,

9:19 or even just by saying no when something doesn't feel right.

9:24 It's often used when people are trying to bring positive change,

9:29 especially in schools.

9:30 politics or social movements.

9:32 We make a stand now where there would be nobody left to go to the chopper.

9:37 Son, if we don't make a stand now,

9:39 you think you're the last person that's going to be in this situation.

9:43 Number 10 is similar but very different.

9:46 Take the stand.

9:47 This is a legal phrase.

9:49 It means to go into the witness box and give evidence in court.

9:56 The witness took the stand and described what she saw.

10:00 He refused to take the stand during the trial.

10:03 And if there is a trial,

10:05 I want to take the stand and tell the jury that I'm innocent.

10:08 Nice try, Reggie, but I think it would be

10:11 in everybody's best interest for little Mark to take the stand.

10:14 Number 11, stand for.

10:15 Here we're talking about acronyms.

10:17 We can use stand for when we

10:20 talk about what an abbreviation or acronym represents.

10:26 BBC stands for British Broadcasting Corporation.

10:31 What does ASAP stand for?

10:34 As soon as possible.

10:37 And finally, stand for can also mean to believe

10:42 in something or support a set of values.

10:47 She stands for honesty and hard work.

10:50 What does this organisation stand for?

10:54 This is great for personal values or mission statements.

10:58 Avengers are a a very unique group of superheroes

11:03 that stand for something more than just fighting and wearing costumes.

11:08 Now, let me bring it all together with a quick story

11:12 from my real life and see how many stand expressions you can spot.

11:17 I walked into a noisy secondary school

11:21 classroom trying to look confident even though I

11:25 was standing in for the history teacher

11:27 who had suddenly stood down due to stress.

11:31 The students were, let's just say,

11:36 a bit standoffish, crossed arms, blank stairs, testing me.

11:42 But I stood my ground.

11:43 I wasn't going to be pushed around.

11:46 I knew I had to win them over and I

11:50 knew exactly who to focus on, the leader of the group.

11:54 Every class has one and this lad really stood out.

11:58 Confident, loud, always in control.

12:01 So, I showed him a bit of respect,

12:05 but in a firm, no-nonsense way, and offered him a deal.

12:10 If the class worked hard and finished their tasks, I'd give them a small reward.

12:17 He nodded and agreed.

12:19 As I then started the register, a few students started messing about,

12:24 pretending to be each other, giving fake names.

12:28 But the leader, the one I'd made the deal with, stood up to them.

12:34 He told them to stop and get on with it.

12:37 I glanced at the door and noticed another teacher standing by, clearly

12:41 ready to jump in and rescue me if it all went wrong.

12:46 But they didn't need to.

12:48 I had it all under control.

12:50 By the end of the lesson, every student had completed their work.

12:56 I'd made a small stand and it worked.

13:01 So, what do you stand for?

13:04 And which of these phrases stood out to you?

13:07 Let me know in the comments below.

13:09 And if you'd like a copy of all the phrases covered,

13:12 then you can get your hands on today's lesson

13:16 notes by clicking on the link in the description.

13:19 In the description, I'll also put links to some other useful lessons

13:23 that you can carry on with right now should you wish to.

13:29 Until next time, take care and goodbye.