Learn English with Bob the Canadian

Read along to learn the English phrases THERE'S SOMETHING TO BE SAID FOR and THAT HAVING BEEN SAID / THAT BEING SAID
In this English lesson, I wanted to help you learn the English phrase, "There's something to be said for," and then after that phrase, you mention something. There's something to be said for exercise. It really makes you feel good. So when you use this phrase, you're about to say something positive about something.
There's something to be said for free education. It creates better citizens in your country. There's something to be said for sunshine and a nice warm day. It makes people happy. So when you say there's something to be said for, you're going to say something positive about something.
The other phrase I wanted to teach you today is the phrase "that having been said." This is where you introduce kind of like a contrasting opinion. So even though there's something to be said for exercise, it's really really good. That having been said, sometimes you can injure yourself.
So you see how I talked about the positive part of exercise. And then I use this phrase to introduce something that's a little bit negative about it. The sunshine is amazing. That being said, though, if I stand out here too long, I'll probably get a sunburn. So to review, when you say there's something to be said for, you're about to say something positive about the thing that you mentioned right after that phrase.
And then when you say that having been said, you're about to introduce something that is in contrast or the opposite of what you've just said or even something negative. But hey. Let's look at a comment from a previous video. This comment is from Konstantin.
Nice to see you alive and kicking as always. Never say never, eh? As for the preference for used vehicles over new ones, it makes sense nowadays with mass production soaring and quality plummeting. I'm longing for old quality standards. Nice to see you alive and kicking as always, and thanks a lot for your efforts.
And my response, I agree. There is definitely something to be said for the durability of old vehicles. In the 70s, we had a Mercury Marquee and it was built like a tank. So, I used the phrase there in my response. Did you see that? And then you learned a new phrase there: built like a tank.
When you say something is built like a tank, it means that it's built really, really well. And I could also use the other phrase. I could say, that being said, about older vehicles, they were gas guzzlers. There's another phrase for you, which I think most of you know.
They definitely used a lot of gas. So, anyways, thanks, Konstantin, for that comment. You might be wondering where I am. Well, I am outside my gym. You can see it in the background behind me. I don't want to go too close because people want their privacy, and you're not actually allowed to film in the gym, which makes sense.
I actually like the fact that you can't film in the gym. I... I would... I prefer going to gyms where people aren't making videos, although I do think I took a little selfie there. So I said this was my gym. That's not exactly true. I am a member of what's called the YMCA, and I usually go to one in the town of Welland.
But today I had to bring one of my other kids to work because our car is in the garage, and so I am in the town of... Well, I would say Grimsby, but we're kind of right on the border between Grimsby and Beamsville, and so I went to this Y. And the cool thing is, my membership works at any Y, I think in the world probably.
Okay, don't quote me on that. I'm pretty sure my membership works at any Y in Ontario, Canada, and quite possibly any YMCA in the entire world. By the way, we refer to the YMCA by just saying the Y. It's kind of a short and easy way to mention it.
So I'm a little further away now. There was a man looking at me outside the window. I'm not sure he was too happy. What does the Y have? It has a walking track. It has a pool. It has machines...

In this English lesson, you’ll learn how to describe yourself in English by listening to me answer questions about my life, personality, interests, childhood, family, work, and more. Many of you asked me a lot of interesting questions, and I chose some of my favourites to answer. As you listen, pay attention to how I organize my answers and the words and phrases I use to talk naturally about myself.
You’ll hear me answer questions such as: Have you ever been to Thailand? What did you enjoy as a child? Are you an introvert or an extrovert? What do you do when you’re bored? What are you most proud of? What is your favourite comfort food? I’ll also talk about my school years, my interest in computers and technology, my grandparents coming to Canada, and how I’ve changed as I’ve gotten older.
Think of my answers as models or templates for your own English conversations. After you watch the lesson, try answering some of the same questions about yourself. You can borrow the structure of my answers and change the details to match your own life. This is a great way to practice speaking English, prepare for real conversations, and build confidence talking about yourself.
I hope you enjoy the lesson, learn some new English, and maybe learn a few new things about me too!

In this English lesson, you’ll learn some vocabulary for different types of messages that we send and receive every day. Messages can be friendly, formal, helpful, or urgent, and they often contain important information.
In this free English class, I’ll help you learn common types of messages, including an apology, a thank you, a request, a complaint, an invitation, an inquiry, a reminder, a confirmation, a warning, an offer, a proposal, a notification, an update, a compliment, and more. You’ll also learn some more formal words, such as a resignation, a reprimand, a demand, a rejection, a counteroffer, a clarification, and a notice.
For each word, I’ll explain what it means, show you a picture to help you understand it, and give you examples of when you might send or receive that type of message. These words are useful for everyday conversations, text messages, emails, school, and work.
This lesson is also useful if you’re preparing for an English test such as the TOEIC, IELTS, or TOEFL. Learning how to understand different types of messages can help improve your vocabulary, reading, and listening skills for these exams.
I hope you enjoy this English lesson about types of messages and that it helps you understand more of the messages you send and receive every day. Have a great day!

In this English lesson, I wanted to help you learn the English phrase almost never. When you say that you do something almost never, it means you do do it. I just used the word do two times in a row. That's kind of a funny thing with the English language, isn't it? You do do that thing, but just not very often.
I'm in a town today called Beamsville. And I almost never come to this town. None of my kids work in this town. No one that I am related to lives in this town. I don't have any friends in this town. And so I almost never come here.
So that doesn't mean I never come here. I do come here every once... come here every once in a while. I'm here today because a family member had an appointment and they asked if I could drive them to it. So I brought them to their appointment, and now I have to wait an hour before they are done. But I almost never come to this town.
The other phrase I wanted to teach you today is hardly ever, which means exactly the same thing. I hardly ever come to this town. That doesn't mean that I don't come here once or twice a year, but I hardly ever come to this town. I'm sure there's things in life where you could use both of these phrases.
So let's review. When you almost never do something, it means you do it rarely. And when you hardly ever do something, it means that you rarely do it. Right now, I hardly ever eat sugar. Added sugar. I almost never eat added sugar, which it sounds like that's like this amazing thing I'm doing.
But I've only done it for like two weeks. It's not that impressive yet. But hey, let's look at a comment from a previous video. This comment is from Rosario. Hi, Bob. I am happy you notice our skills are improving. I want to highlight your lessons are rather short, efficient, and relaxing.
That is why most of us improved a lot over the time. And my response. I'm happy to hear that you appreciate the length and the tone. I try to teach, but also show. I think that helps. So thank you, Rosario, for that comment. Yeah, I try to teach and I try to show.
I have to admit, I haven't been getting out as much as I would like to for these little English lessons. Today it is nice to be out and about. Right now, I'm walking in front of what we would call a car dealership.
It is a GM Dealership, and I think it sells mostly used cars and trucks. You can See, here they have some nice shiny cars lined up ready for people to buy. I have to say, though, in my family, we hardly ever buy new vehicles.
Like me and my siblings or my siblings and I. Sorry. Sorry about that. My siblings and I hardly ever buy brand new vehicles. We almost always buy used vehicles. So, yeah, we almost never buy new.
I do know that my sister, I think bought a new vehicle once. But, yeah, we hardly ever buy brand new vehicles. But someday maybe I'll do that. I don't know. Maybe someday I'll buy a brand new vehicle. But we'll just have to wait and see how well the current vehicles keep running.
I'm sure you probably want a bit of a bigger view. So here's the car dealership. In the distance, there's just... I think there's some farms across the road. There is a subdivision. In English, we would call that a subdivision.
A grouping of houses kind of all in one spot, where people enjoy their lives. But it looks a little crowded to me. Being from the country, whenever I see a subdivision, I feel like it looks a little bit crowded, but it probably isn't.
Anyways, thanks for watching this short English lesson. I hope you were able to learn a couple new little English phrases that you can use in your next conversation. And I'll leave you with a view of all of these cars ready to be purchased and driven all over Ontario, Canada.
Anyways, Bye. See you next week.

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Learning a new language is exciting, but it's also easy to make mistakes that slow your progress. In this English lesson, I'll talk about 10 common mistakes people make when learning English and how to avoid them.
We'll discuss why expecting quick results can lead to frustration, why taking a placement test is so important, and how creating an immersive environment can help you improve faster. I'll also explain the value of finding a speaking partner, practicing writing, following a study schedule, tracking your progress, and using repetition to build long-term fluency.
We'll also look at two traps many learners fall into: spending too much time on the skills they already enjoy while avoiding the difficult ones, and becoming too comfortable instead of gradually challenging themselves with more difficult English.
I hope these tips help you study more effectively and stay motivated on your language-learning journey. Have a great day, and happy English learning!