Hello, and welcome to The English Like a Native Podcast. The listening resource for intermediate to advanced-level English learners. If you're new here, my name is Anna, and today we're going to be talking about our age. Yes, age. A G E. Now, age is something that we both often talk about, but don't like to talk about very often. Many of us in the UK have quite a negative view around our own ageing. And it's often considered rude to ask a lady how old she is. I'm not quite sure where this comes in because you can ask a child or a teenager how old they are. You could even ask a young person how old they are without them being offended. But there's some points where a lady becomes quite sensitive to the ageing process and no longer wants to discuss or to say out loud how old they are, it's like they become embarrassed about their age. But this is the generic understanding of like etiquette that you just don't ask a lady how old she is. However, I don't have a problem with being asked my age. And I often ask people how old they are; maybe not older ladies, actually. But I guess you just have to judge the situation and the person that you're talking to, but just have an awareness that generally British ladies, especially those in their golden years, their advanced years, do not really like to say out loud how old they are or to acknowledge how old they are. A few days ago, I was actually having a chat with someone after a game of squash, and the chat went something like this:"Well, my grandson is hoping to take a year out and travel the world before going to university.""That's a great idea. It's easier to go travelling when you're younger. Footloose and fancy free.""Yes, I think so too. It's much harder once you settle down.""I managed to travel quite a bit back when I was in my 20s. That feels like a lifetime ago now.""Oh, how old are you?""42.""Oh, you don't look it.""Oh, I certainly feel it, but thank you. I will take that as a compliment." Now, of that exchange, this little part is actually quite common. Listen again."How old are you?""42.""Oh, you don't look it.""Oh, I certainly feel it." Now I say it's common, it's certainly common for me. I've had this conversation over and over again with many different people and it's not always me saying how old I am. Sometimes I'm asking someone else how old they are and they tell me their age and I say,"Oh, you don't look it." And they say,"Oh, I feel it." So, I'm not trying to boast by saying that it's a common conversation that I have. My point is that there are many little exchanges that we often repeat just like a social dance. And it's almost as if they are scripted and everyone learns those scripts. Just like this classic exchange."Hi, how are you?""I'm good, thank you. How about you?""I'm good.""Good." Now we can even stitch those two exchanges together if it was someone's birthday. Take a listen."Hi, how are you?""I'm good, thank you. How about you?""I'm good. It's my birthday today.""Oh, happy birthday. How old are you today?""Fifty-five.""Oh, you don't look it.""I feel it." So, when you are interacting with or listening to English speakers, having conversations, see if you can spot any recurring exchanges, any little scripts that come up again and again, and see if you can put one of those exchanges into practice yourself. Now, while we're talking about age, getting older is something we all do, without exception. But some of us really dread our birthday, while others go all out to celebrate in style. I guess, from a negative point of view, you could look at a birthday as being one step closer to death. Very grim. Whereas the positive way to look at it is,"Ah, thank goodness I lasted for another year. I hope to make it to my next birthday and many more after that." I think it really depends on if you're the kind of person who sees your glass as being half full or half empty. It's the same reality, it's just your view of it is different and therefore your experience and your enjoyment of it would be very different. Personally, I used to be quite a pessimist and I would, definitely feel quite negative about the ageing process. It's not fun getting old, your body deteriorating, your looks deteriorating the gaining of wrinkles is not fun, but I certainly have changed my view on ageing, especially in the last decade, I've lost a number of friends and close family, friends and family members who passed far too young, who died at an age that was unexpected and seemingly unfair as well. People taken through a lot. You know, cancer, mental health issues, just terrible, terrible things happening to people. And it really makes you feel appreciative and grateful for what you have. So yes, my knees ache and my back hurts and I have more wrinkles today than I had this time last year. I have grey hairs, but that's okay because I have air in my lungs. My body is functioning and I am relatively fit. I'm relatively healthy. So, I'm grateful for the time that I have. And I think we should all try to view things in a more positive light. So, while we are on this subject, let me give you a number of very common phrases that we use when talking about age, especially to help in the circumstance where someone maybe doesn't feel very good about being older. So, the first phrase is you're only as old as you feel. You're only as old as you feel. So, this phrase emphasises that age is more about how you feel than about your biological age. So, I may be 42, but in fact, I feel more like someone in their 30s. I think I'm still relatively energetic and fit and strong. So, I feel like I'm younger than I am. You're only as old as you feel. There is a variation of this. You can say you're only as old as the man you feel, or you're only as old as the woman you feel. And this is something you would say if you are in a partnership with, in an intimate relationship with someone who is younger than you. So, let's imagine that I'm a 60-year-old woman, but I've married a 50-year-old man. He's 10 years my junior. And someone says:"Oh, you're 50. You're getting on a bit". And I say:"No, not really. You're only as old as the man you feel." And you point to your younger husband. So, it's just a little play on that phrase that is often used. The other phrase that we often use is life begins at 40. So, hitting 40 is a big milestone. Obviously for me, it wasn't that long ago when I hit 40. And you feel like 40 is like a pinnacle. It feels like it's the peak and that it's all downhill after 40. And you have all these expectations, I think, when you're younger, that by 40, you'll own your own house, you'll be successful in your career, and you'll be able to, you know, say that you've done all the things that you always envisaged you would do when you were a child, you know, married, kids, climbed Mount Everest, whatever it is you expected to do when you were young and fit and healthy, you expect it would be done by 40. So, reaching 40 can be a bit devastating for people if they haven't got to where they expected to be in life. That's where the saying comes in:"Hey, life begins at 40". So, it's not that life is over now. You're not looking towards old age and retirement and thinking about your pension. Although you definitely should think about your pension at this age, but life begins now. This is where the fun starts. So, it just encourages people to think more about how life can improve as you reach those middle years, your middle age, because you know who you are. You know what you want. You should know what it is you need to do to get there. You just have a better idea. Whereas when you're in your twenties and sometimes in your thirties, you're a little bit lost. Anyway, so life begins at 40. The next phrase is age is just a number. Age is just a number. This is a saying that, again, kind of downplays the significance of age. It's saying it doesn't matter how old you are, you can do whatever you want to do. Nothing is stopping you. This is just a number. If you feel capable and energised and you desire something, don't let age be a barrier. Age is just a number. So, for example, if someone said to me,"Anna, you can't learn Japanese. You're 42, you can't start learning a language at 42." I'd say,"Don't be ridiculous. Age is just a number. I can learn a language at whatever age I want to." Okay. And then the last phrase I'm going to throw in there, is one that actually you use when you say that you are a bit too old for something. And it's to be long in the tooth, to be long in the tooth. If you describe someone as being long in the tooth, then you're saying they're quite old. Probably too old to do something. Now, this comes from how they used to know if a horse was young or not, because a horse's teeth continue to grow. So, if a horse has very long teeth, then it's an older horse. So, if I say to you,"I'm getting a bit long in the tooth these days, I can't really go roller skating. I'm a bit long in the tooth for that." It's just a way of saying I'm a bit too old. I'm long in the tooth. I'm too old. Okay. So, let's recap those phrases. You're only as old as you feel. Life begins at 40. Age is just a number. And a bit long in the tooth. Okay. So. I'm going to ask you, how old are you? To which you might reply,"Hey, it doesn't matter how old I am. Age is just a number." Or,"It doesn't matter how old I am. I'm only as old as the man I feel or the woman I feel." Okay, I do hope you found today useful. And I hope that you feel good about the year that you have reached in your life. Whether you are in your 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, or 100s. I'm just going to say thank you so much for tuning in. Until next time, take very good care. And goodbye.