Learn the Meaning of the Most Confusing Questions in English Advanced

One of the worst part about being an English language learner is when somebody asks you a question and you have no idea what the heck they just said. In today's English lesson, we're going to review 30 confusing English questions and these are common everyday expressions. I would argue some of the most common questions that you'll hear while speaking English and I'll tell you exactly what these questions mean so that when you're asked them, they don't catch you off guard and you don't make a confused face. You feel completely confident in what was just asked. Make sure to visit englishwithkayla.com where you can learn more about these questions and just more English phrases to upgrade your speaking as well. Let's get started with this lesson. Hey, what's up? What's up? What's up? This question, most common English question, and of course, we're not talking about what's on the ceiling. We're talking about what's going on. Sometimes this question can also be used to ask what's the problem. If somebody senses that you're coming to them for advice or a solution to a problem, they'll say, hey, what's up? This just means, you know, tell me about the problem that's going on. Or if someone, you know, answers the phone, they'll say, hi, what's up? This just means, hey, how are you or why are you calling? This also not only is the most common question in the United States, I would say it's one of the most common greetings as well in a casual format. Hey, what's up? How are you doing? And sometimes if you see your neighbor and you yell to them, you know, across the street or across the sidewalk, hey, what's up? Sometimes even we say this as a greeting in replacement for hello or how are you. It just literally means hi instead of like what's going on. So if you yell this to your neighbor or if your neighbor, you know, passes you on the street and says this to you, you just can give a smile and a wave. Sometimes you don't even actually have to answer the question. I would say this next question is even more common than saying how are you doing? The question is how's it going? How's it going? Hey, how's it going? Make sure that you listen to the way that those words just melt together in the English language as well. How's it going? How's it going? So this again just means like how are you doing? It's really informal to, you know, say is there any problems? This phrase can definitely be used to replace, you know, how have you been? How's your life going? Just how's it going? It's really general, really, really informal. Can you give me a hand? Hey, can you give me a hand? This phrase. Hey Rach, can you give me a hand with this box? No! To give a hand or to lend a hand, it means to help someone out in the way that we ask someone to help us in English most commonly, especially when it's a physical task that we need help with, like lifting something or maybe we need someone to hold something for us or get something for us. We say hey, can you give me a hand? This means can you give me some help? Can you give me a hand lifting some furniture? This next question, it's used in so many different situations. Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me? Now listen to the tone of how this question is being asked. Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me? So it can be used, you know, if it's a happy surprise, like are you kidding me? You did this. It's so surprising. You can use this in a disappointment. Are you kidding me? Like I can't believe this happened. It's shockingly bad. You know, I'm disappointed in this situation. Or if you are just generally really surprised, you know, something has happened. Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me? It's, you know, excitement. It's a very good surprise. And literally this question would mean like, is someone kidding? Are they joking? You're not believing them. But again, it's used in different ways to say like, I'm disappointed in the surprise or I'm excited in this surprise as well. Are you kidding me? And sometimes this question is a little confusing because it's kind of rhetorical, meaning people say it, but they're not actually expecting an answer. They're just showing their excitement or their shock or their disappointment. So maybe you tell someone and you're holding up a document saying like, look, I got an A on my test. They might say, are you kidding me? You don't need to say, no, I'm not kidding you because you're showing them the proof. You're telling them the official result. They're just showing their excitement or their shock with this question. So many of the questions on this list can be said in different tones to give you different meanings. The next question is another example of this. The question is, do you mind? Now, we can be using this in a polite way to check if somebody is bothered by something. Oh, sorry. Do you mind? This is implying like, do you mind if I use this? Do you mind if I play some music? This is being very considerate, very polite. Now, when somebody is doing something that is annoying to you, and it should be pretty obvious that it's annoying, you can look at them and say, do you mind? This means like, maybe their music's too loud or maybe they're chewing their food super loudly or, hey, do you mind? You're very close to me. So again, this can be questioned in a way that's either really polite or really rude. And the phrase, do you mind, means the exact same thing as, do you care? But I would argue that do you mind is more versatile and it's more commonly used in situations like these. One question that is always asked in this exact way when I meet someone new is, oh, what do you do? What do you do? Come on. What do you do? What do you do? This question means the exact same thing as, what do you do for work? It's asking, what's your job? How do you make money? It's, in my opinion, a very confusing question. What do you do? It's like, what do you mean, what do I do? What do I do when? But it's almost always referring to your job in English. What do you do? And again, this is like a really appropriate question to ask when you meet someone and it's a bit more informal. Maybe it's a neighbor or, you know, it's a new acquaintance that you met. It's a friend's friend. You know, you're just trying to get to know someone. You're trying to have a conversation. Oh, what do you do? Another common question in the United States is, how come? How come? How come? This question is used in the exact same way that people say, why? Why did you do that? How come you did that? Instead of saying, why does it smell bad in here? You could say, how come it smells bad in here? Why didn't you call me yesterday? How come you didn't call me yesterday? So this question is used in the exact same way as, why? I would say, how come is more used by children or just anyone in a more informal context. So you'll hear it a lot in your daily conversations instead of people saying, why? It's really informal. How come? Hey, did you make it? Did you make it to work on time? This question, did you make it? It means, did you arrive? And oftentimes we say, did you make it on time? If you want to say informally that you can't come to a party or an event, you would often say in English, hey, I'm not going to be able to make it on that day. Usually that means that you have a conflict. It doesn't mean that you don't want to go. If you want to say that you are going to be able to come to somebody's party or event, you could say, we're a bit busy, but I think we'll be able to make it. This means we'll be able to arrive or we'll be able to get there. So oftentimes we use this phrase, make it with arriving somewhere, getting somewhere on time, being able to go somewhere. And in question form, we say, hey, are you going to make it? This means, can you come or can you come on time? If somebody calls you on the phone in English and asks you the question, what are you up to? Revenge. What are you up to? They're typically asking, what are you doing? But they're also asking, what are your plans for the day? This question often implies they are going to invite you to do something or they're kind of asking, are you busy? So it's a really informal way of saying, what's your schedule? Are you busy? What are your plans? If someone asks you, what are you up to this weekend? They could just be interested in your plans for the weekend. But oftentimes in English, we use this question if we are trying to make plans with someone and trying to see if they are busy. This next question, again, is very common on the phone, but can be used in real life as well. If you ask someone, can you hold on? Can you hold on a minute? This phrase means, can you wait? Do you have time to wait? Maybe you're waiting for someone to help you with something or answer a question, but they're a little busy. They'll say, can you hold on for a minute or can you hold on for five minutes? Someone could even ask you to hold on for longer. Can you guys hold on for like a week? This means, can you wait for something for a week? So they're checking if you can wait when they ask this question, can you hold on? If you're on the phone, more formally, someone will ask you, can you hold? This just means, can they mute you on the phone and you wait for them to finish what they're doing? Then they'll talk to you. But informally, we more frequently say, can you hold on? Can you hold on for a minute? Some people have an incredible habit of asking this next question. Some people say, do you know what I mean? You know what I mean? You know what I mean? Know what I mean? Know what I mean? They can say it, you know, full sentence. Do you know what I mean? Or oftentimes people say, you know what I mean? Know what I mean? So it can be shortened as well. It just means, do you agree with me? Or can you understand what I'm saying? Someone might be telling you a story and they want to make sure that you're following their story. So they'll start out saying something like, okay, I was going to the mall on Sundays and it can be so busy on Sundays. You know what I mean? And they're asking like, have you experienced this? Have you seen this before? Or they could say something like, I just hate going to busy places like the mall on Sundays. Do you know what I mean? This just means, do you agree? Do you understand the situation I'm describing? And some people habitually add this to their sentences. It can get a little bit annoying when you hear this in English. It just becomes like a habit to try to check in with someone while you're speaking to get them to agree with you by adding, you know what I mean? Know what I mean? But it's definitely okay to say every once in a while. But as an English speaker, I've noticed that sometimes people overuse this phrase, do you know what I mean? This next question is so confusing. Someone might say, is that a thing or is this a thing? Is that a thing? What people are asking when we ask you this question in English is, is this real or official or is it common? A long time ago, I found out that some people eat bugs as protein. And I said, is that a thing? That means I was kind of confused. I was thinking, is that really a common thing that people do? And yes, it is. There's a lot of foods where you would ask, is that really a thing? Meaning, do people actually commonly eat this or is this just one person's weird desires? Let me know a food that you are confused that people eat in the United States. Is that really a thing? I will say that ranch dressing, if you're familiar with it, people will put it on everything here in the United States. They'll even put it on french fries. It's really a thing. Has anyone ever asked you, are you good? This question is actually asking you, are you okay or do you need anything? Maybe you're having a guest over to your house that they're going to stay the night and you might say, hey, I'm going to bed. Are you good? This just means, do you need anything before I go to bed since you're staying in my house? Or if you see someone and they look like they're maybe a little sad or a little bit worried, you might say, hey, are you good? Or if you say, are we good? This just means, are we getting along? Is there any problems? So you're just kind of trying to take the temperature of the situation, see if someone is good or okay when you ask this question in English. This next question can be a little bit confusing on the phone. If somebody calls you and you're unsure of who is speaking, you might say, who's this? Who's this? Who's this? So, you know, you might say, hello, hello. Hi, I'm calling to ask you if you want to switch car insurance. You might say, who's this? This question is just asking like, identify yourself. Who is talking? I don't know who you are. Another very, very informal question that you will hear said all of the time in American English conversation is, you got it? Now, this phrase, you'll have to be a little bit careful of because it could come off as rude if you ask it to someone who's, you know, very skilled or very knowledgeable because this question, you got it? This means, do you understand? And sometimes people say this, you know, if somebody is in trouble and you're explaining the rule, they say, you got it? Like, you understand? Don't do this again. This question can also be asking someone if they can handle something like, hey, I need you to take this dish out of the oven at two o'clock. You got it? This means, can you do this? Are you going to forget? And also, do you understand? Do you understand the directions I'm giving you? You got it? Can I take a rain check? Can I take a rain check on that? A rain check means that you will do something or you will get something when it's available. One time at the grocery store, I had a really good coupon I wanted to use, but the grocery store was all sold out of that product. So I went to the front of the grocery store and said, hey, can I get a rain check? This means they'll give you a piece of paper that says, even though the coupon or the sales price is no longer valid, since you were not able to get that thing, they'll give it to you at a later time. This idea comes from the idea of if it's raining outside and you're not able to go to a concert, maybe they'll give you a rain check and they'll do it at a later date because of the weather. More informally, this is used between friends. Maybe you say, hey, I actually can't make it to our dinner tonight. Can I have a rain check? This just means we're not going to say when, but we'll definitely do this at a different time. I kind of want to make an informal plan to reschedule this when it's a better time for me. We'll take a rain check. Here's a very romantic question that might be confusing to you. Are you seeing someone? If someone says, are you seeing someone? It means are you single or are you dating someone? To see someone means to date someone. Maybe you're going to set someone up. This means try to help someone find a date with your friend. Maybe you say, hey, are you seeing someone? I wanted to set you up with my friend. This is asking, are you single or are you starting to date someone? If you ever bought in a car from a car dealership, you might want to ask this question. The question is, what's the catch? What's the catch? The catch. So if you are saying, what's the catch? You're implying that there has to be a hidden problem or something bad somewhere because, you know, the situation that someone's describing seems really good, but it seems probably too good to be actually real or true. So if you're buying a car, maybe the car salesman will say, you actually have to put zero money down on the car so you don't have to pay anything today. And you can pay off this car over 36 months, whatever it might be. And you're thinking, well, that seems like a good deal. What's the catch? And maybe if you want to, you know, add on any nice additional features to the car, it's going to cost you a lot more, but they're not being very forthcoming or obvious or honest even with what the catch or the problem is. Maybe someone says to you, hey, watch your kids for free. But you'll say, hey, what's the catch? That sounds like a really good deal. And they'll say, well, I need you to help me clean my house too. So it's like, I'm going to ask you for something in exchange, but not be very honest or obvious about it. That's the catch or the problem in this situation here. If you drink coffee and someone offers you some coffee, they might ask you, how do you take it? How do you take it? And this is asking in which way do you prefer your coffee? It's usually talking about you like cream or sugar. In the United States, the most common cream that we use is half and half, I would say, at restaurants and coffee shops. And that's half cream and half milk. We can definitely use this phrase for tea as well. But again, in the United States, we're more commonly coffee drinkers than tea drinkers. So this phrase, it goes right along with asking someone if they want some coffee, they'll say, well, how do you take it? This next question is kind of funny to ask, but it's very common. So you need to know what it means. If someone says, what's in it for me? What's in it for me? They're asking, how will helping you benefit me? So maybe your friend says, hey, can you help me move next weekend? You'll say, yeah, but what's in it for me? This means what favor are you going to return or what benefit will I get from doing this? And maybe your friend might say something funny like, well, you'll just be helping me out. Or maybe they'll say, I'll buy you pizza in return. Don't worry. So it's just saying, how will this benefit me? What's in it? What benefit is in it for me? Instead of asking someone if they want to do something, oftentimes in English, someone will say, do you feel like it? Do you feel like going for a walk? Do you feel like reading a book? Do you feel like going to eat? Do you feel like going to see a movie? This just is asking, do you want to do it? And usually when we use this phrase, do you feel like it? It means, do you feel like it right now? Do you feel like you want to do it right now? So in the moment, if you're going to do something or asking someone if they want to do something, we use this phrase, do you feel like it? Another friendly question that can be a little bit confusing in English is, could you use one? Now, maybe you have something that you want to give away to a friend. You don't need it anymore. And you're asking if they could use it, if it would be useful to them. So you might say, hey, I was going to get rid of this old jacket, but it's pretty nice. Could you use one? This means, would you benefit from having this thing that I no longer need? Is it useful to you? A really common question in English is to use this format. Is it just me or? Is it just me or is that bizarre? Is it just me or is it hot in here? Is it just me or is this food really spicy? Is it just me or is she being really loud? This is asking if someone has the same opinion as you. And usually it's talking about a feeling or sensation like being hot, being cold, not liking food, smelling something, not liking someone. You can use this question format in many different ways. Is it just me or does it feel like we've been waiting here forever? Is it just me or is this the best birthday ever? You're asking people, do they agree with you when you use this question? This next question is very important to understand in English. When someone asks the question, what are you getting at? Sheldon, what are you getting at? They're asking what are you implying and why are you saying this? Are you trying to say, you know, something else? So usually this is kind of a defensive question. So maybe your friend and you are planning a trip and your friend starts to say, flying can be so challenging. I really just get so tired by traveling. You might say, what are you getting at? Do you not want to go on the trip with me? So this is implying, like, why are you saying these things? Are you trying to say these things, you know, to get to the point that you don't want to travel? Or maybe your boss at work is saying, you know, we've got so much work. Everyone's going to have to make sacrifices here. You might say, what are you getting at? Do we all have to work overtime? So you're saying, like, are you trying to be indirect? Are you making a bigger point by saying all of these things? Another question that can be used and can be a little bit confusing is, are you with me? This question, again, is asking for understanding. It's either asking, like, do you understand my story? Are you following my story? Or do you agree with me on this point? Are you with me? If someone is explaining something that's kind of complicated, they might pause in their story and say, are you with me? This just means you understand what I'm saying so far. And it's totally OK in this situation to respond with, no, can you explain this a little bit more? Especially if someone's stopping to check your understanding. I always advocate for English learners that it's important to also understand when American English speakers are being rude to you, because there are a lot of phrases that are meant to be rude. And this next phrase is very rude. If someone says, what's it to you? What's it to you? This question means, why does it matter to you? Why are you asking? And it's kind of implying it's none of your business. Maybe you say to someone, oh, what are your plans this weekend? The person might say, what's it to you? This just means, you know, stay out of my business. Why are you talking to me? It's considered very rude to say this question to someone. Do you see where I'm coming from? This question has nothing to do with where a person was born or has lived. This question is asking, do you understand my point of view? You're often asking if someone can kind of sympathize or empathize with what you're saying, and if what you're saying makes sense to them.