Use of the word like in conversation

Hi Everyone,

Today we started off with a review of the word “like”, which can be used in many, many ways. “Like” is very flexible and has a range of meanings. “Like” can be used as a preposition, conjunction, noun, adjective, adverb, verb and slang interjection. We made some sentence examples using “like” in its various forms. 

The word “like” has become very popular in spoken English and has become one of the most used words in conversation. So, like, it was so cold this morning, I like had to look all over for my winter coat! We use like to hesitate; approximate; complain; and reinforce our conversations. We had two volunteers to read a dialogue between two friends who are talking about what they are going to do today. This conversation is full of “like” in many uses. Read through it again here.

Today, we focused on the like as a verb and its opposite dislike. Like as a preposition and its opposite, unlike. And like as an adjective and alike, which have the same meaning, but, are used in different places in a sentence. (for example, She looks like her mother. She and her mother look alike.)

We did a review using like, dislike, unlike, and alike to complete these sentences.

Before we watched today’s short film, “Alike”, we tried to guess what the film might be about. The two main characters are a father named Copi and his son, Paste. Here is a picture of the two of them from the film :

We speculated on the relationship between father and son, and what were their lives like. What made them alike? As we watched the film, we focused on the role of color in the film, and the activities of both father and son. Watch the film here:

After watching we discussed the colors in the film and what they meant. Since there is no dialogue in the film, colors, and facial and body expressions were important to understand the story. We talked about the lives of Copi and Paste. What problems does the film show? We talked about if this is a realistic view of modern society. Do we need more creativity in our lives? We agreed that we did, but, as a busy adult it’s hard to find the time. At the end of the film we thought that Copi learned from Paste, and Paste learned from Copi. Nice work everyone, thanks for sharing your thoughts, ideas and insights on today’s topic!

Words of the day

wait tables (idiom) : to serve food or drinks as a waiter or waitress.   ( lots of you looked at the word “wait” and confused it with “wait for” a table in a restaurant. This idiom uses “wait” to mean “to serve”. Think of the words “waitress” and “waiter” who are the people in a restaurant that serve you food and drinks)                                                  Before she starts her job at Google next month, she decided to wait tables for a few weeks to earn some money. 

perch (verb) : to sit on or be on something high or on something from which it is easy to fall                                                                                                                                 Birds often perch on the ledge outside my window.

bite-size(adjective) : small enough to be eaten in one bite.                                             One of the things I love about Halloween are all the bite-size candies that my neighbors give out for Trick or Treat!

Remember to relax and practice!

“Like” is one of the most commonly used words in English – and when you’re new to learning the language, it can be a bit of a confusing one, as it has so many different meanings!

In fact – did you know that there are actually five different ways to use the word “like”? Phew! Sounds like hard work.

You might hear it a lot in everyday spoken English – especially as it has become very popular to use colloquially. But if you’re not sure on how to use this word correctly, then read on to find out.

Like – to enjoy

One of the most common ways that you’ll hear the word “like” is as a verb – “to like”.

This is a verb used to express the fact that you enjoy something, and it can be used just like many other verbs in English.

For example: “I like walking to work, but she liked to drive instead.”

Nice and simple!

Would like – to request something

“Like” can also be used as an alternative to the verb, “to want”, in a form that is considered less aggressive and demanding, and more polite. You would use the word with the modal verb, “would”, and you always need to use the full phrase “would like”.

For example: “She would like to place her order now.”

Be like – to describe the characteristics of something

This is when the uses of “like” start to get a bit more complex. In this use, the word is used to describe the personality, character or particular traits of something.

In this case it is used with the verb “to be”. If you are using it in the past tense, only the main part of the verb “to be” is changed, and the word “like” stays the same.

For example: “What was he really like?”

Like – as a simile

Developing from the previous use of the word, “like” is often used as a simile – or a comparison with something else, in order to describe something.

Sounds confusing? Let’s take a look at an example!

“The bedroom was like a disaster zone.”

In a simile, you still need to use the verb “to be” with the word “like”, but instead of describing the actual characteristics, you can use something else – which might be drastically different.

For example: “She was nervous and shaky, like a mouse.”

This is a great way of adding a bit more personality into your spoken English, but you would not use similes very often in written English, unless you are writing creatively.

Look like – describing appearances

The last common use of the word “like” is to describe experiences. This is done through the verb “to look like”. You can use this just as in the previous examples when you used the form “to be like”. In this case, the part of the phrase that changes according to tense and subject is “look”, while the word “like” stays the same.

For example: “I look like a really messy person, while she looks like a celebrity!”

Your turn

Understanding how the word “like” is used in different contexts and forms is a really helpful way to build on your English skills – make sure you practice each of the five uses as much as you can!

The following conversation occurred between two girls from Southern California.

“So, like uhh, what do you want to like, do today?”
“I don’t know, like, its such a beautiful day out, we should, like, go to the beach.”
“That sounds like a good idea, but like, how are we going to get there?”
“Like, uh, let’s call Mike and see if he’ll like give us a ride.”
“Are you sure that’s like, a good idea? Like didn’t you two just like break up?”
“Well, I mean, like, the last time we talked he was like, “I think we should see other people,” and then I was like, “But Mike, I like really like you.”
“Like oh my god, and then like what did he say next?”
“He was like, “I like you too, but I just can’t be with someone who says ‘like’ so much.”

The word like has become increasingly popular in spoken English in recent years, and has quickly become one of the most used words in conversation. Its uses are many, and it can be used to: stall for time; report speech; soften what you say; approximate; complain; and reinforce. Like is an important word to study because of how often you will hear it used in conversation. Learning how to use it properly will go a long way towards making you sounds more like a native speaker.

Before we go further, I need to put up a disclaimer around the usage of the word like. When used in moderation the word like can be a powerful linguistic tool; use it too much and you risk sounding like a teenage girl. People who over use the word like are perceived as less intelligent and articulate than people who avoid using it. My advice to you is to only incorporate usage of the word like in 1 or 2 of the following ways, but not all of them.

What you already know

You are already familiar with two definitions of the word like. You know that ‘to like’ means ‘to enjoy.” For example:

“I like to eat pão de queijo.”
“Peter likes making pizza.”

If something is like something else, it is similar to it. For example:

“Written Spanish is kind of like Portuguese.”
“Australian English is not like New Zealand English.”

“I’m thinking about what to say”

When you are thinking about what to say and want to fill the air with something, like is the word that you use. In this case, like is very similar to tipo in Portuguese. If you stay silent for too long someone may interrupt you; to avoid this keep saying “like…uhh….like…uhh” until you remember what you were going to say. Here are some examples:

“Do you think you and Janet are going to get married?”
“I don’t know… like… I want to, but then again, I’m kind of scared, you know?”

“What did you do last week?”
“I like… don’t remember!”

From the conversation at the beginning:
“So, like uhh, what do you want to like, do today?”

To report speech or thought

When telling a story to your friends, saying “he said” and “I said” can get pretty repetitive, so sometimes you can change things up by using like. “I was like” can be used in the place of “I said”; “he was like” in the place of “he said. Some teenage girls have completely lost the ability to say “I/you/he/she said” and only use like. To be clear, it’s acceptable to use “he was like” without seeming like a teenage girl, but just don’t let it entirely replace your use of the word “said.”

When “I was like” is used it doesn’t necessarily mean that you said something; it can also be used to designate that you thought something. So in this case “I was like” takes the place of “I thought to myself.” This is also commonly used during story telling.

“You broke up with her? Wow. How did she take it?”
“She was like “What! After all I’ve done for you?”

“And then the teacher was like ‘We have a surprise test today,’ and I was like ‘Shit, I didn’t study at all.’”

In the example from the beginning:
“Well, I mean, like, the last time we talked he was like, “I think we should see other people,” and then I was like, “But Mike, I like really like you.”

To reduce conviction, certainty or force

Like can be used if you aren’t entirely sure about what you are saying and you want to convey your uncertainty. When used like this, like should be before a number, time or quantity.

“Do you exercise a lot?”
“I, like, enjoy working out, but not, like, all the time or anything.”

“What time will you be at the party?”
“I’ll be there at like, 5 or 6.”

In the above conversation it was used like this:

“…we should, like, go to the beach.”

Like can also be used to lessen the force of what you are demanding or requesting of someone.

“Could you do it, like, tomorrow?”
“Oh sure. No problem.”

“Can you like, shut up?”

Like meaning “approximately”

Do you have a hard time pronouncing the word “approximately?” Just start using like instead. Like can be used to show that you are uncertain of a quantity that you are giving to someone. For example:

“Entrance to that bar should be like, ten bucks.”

“He’s like, ten or eleven years old, I think.”

Like Meaning “for example”

In almost all cases the word like can be used to replace ‘for example’. When used this way it should be before a noun or noun phrase. So like:

“Have you been to any Asian countries, like Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos or North Korea?”

“Do you have any hobbies, like stamp collecting or photography?”

To reinforce

The last use of like is to add reinforcement to something that you are saying. I don’t recommend using like in this way, but I feel like I should add it in here for the sake of completeness.

“Did you see that girl?”
“Yeah, she’s like, so hot.”

“How was Hawaii?”
“Oh, it was like, perfect!”

In the conversation from the beginning it was used like this:
“…like, its such a beautiful day out…”

So like, that’s it. I hope you’ve learned a few new uses for the word like today. If you have any questions about their usage please leave a comment below.

Have you ever heard someone use like in one of the ways described here? Leave your answer in the comments below.

If you have studied English, you probably know what the word like means, but if you try to speak like an American and you haven’t lived in the United States, you may be unfamiliar with the some of the more informal uses of the term. Even though you may hesitate to use like in these less formal ways, they have become so common in day-to-day conversation that you’ll have a difficult time understanding native English speakers outside of your academic or professional life if you haven’t at least studied them. Included below are examples of the informal uses of like to help you speak like an American.

Formal Uses

To describe preferences

If you know enough English to read this article, you should be familiar with the word like as a verb used to describe preferences.

• I like learning English on italki.
• I like hamburgers more than hot dogs.

For comparisons

Like can also be used to compare two things.

• That man looks like Tom Cruise.
• One of these things is not like the other.              

Close in meaning to “such as”

Like can also be used to replace such as.

• Technologies like smart phones and tablets are changing business.
• Technologies such as smart phones and tablets are changing business.

Like in this example has about the same meaning as such as. The technologies the speaker has in mind that are changing business may include smart phones and tablets, but the speaker may also simply be referring to similar technologies. In the such as sentence, the technologies that the speaker thinks are changing business definitely include smart phones and tablets.

Close in meaning to “as if”

Like replaces as if to link two clauses together.

• They spend money like they they’ve just won the lottery.
• They spend money as if they’ve just won the lottery.

Note: The two previous usages are seen by some as informal, but they are so common that the average English speaker is not even aware of a difference.

Informal Uses

The informal uses of like will help you speak like an American.

To stop and think

Like can be used in the same way as the words um, uh, and well. It lets you pause in the middle of a sentence to figure out what else you want to say.

• Person A: Are you coming with us on Friday?
• Person B: I… like…don’t know yet because I might have to stay late at the office.

Giving an estimate, making an exaggeration

Like can be used to tell the listener that what you are about to say is approximate or that you are about to exaggerate.

• Why are you still studying? We have like five minutes until the exam.

Here, it is likely that five minutes is only an approximation of the time remaining before the exam. The implication is that the speaker thinks it is a waste of time to study because there is such a short amount of time left.

• Person A: Can you believe Sarah has a new boyfriend?
• Person B: Yeah, she’s dated like thirty guys this year.

The truth may be that Sarah has only dated five guys this year. Thirty is an exaggeration.

Describing what you or someone else said or thought

Like may be used to describe what someone was saying at an earlier point in time.

In this case the word said is replaced by a form of the verb to be before the word like.

• They wanted me to drive all of them, and I said, “No way. My old car might actually fall apart if we go that far.”
• They wanted me to drive all of them, and I’m like, “No way. My old car might actually fall apart if we go that far.”

The first sentence above can only have one meaning, that the words were said just as they appear in quotation marks. The second sentence could have this same meaning, or it could represent a rewording of what the speaker actually said.

Like is often used to describe something you were thinking but did not say aloud.

• Person A: How was work?
• Person B: My boss said he wants me to finish the project by Friday, and I’m like, “is this guy crazy?”

In this conversation, Person B is describing to Person A what he was thinking; he did not actually say the words, “is this guy crazy?” to his boss.

Sometimes it’s difficult to determine which use (a quotation or a thought) is intended by the speaker.

• Person A: How was work?
• Person B: My boss said he wants me to finish the project by Friday, and I’m like, “are you crazy?”

In this case, Person B could either be describing what he was thinking or what he actually said out loud. The listener may have to ask for clarification. For example, “Did you actually say that to your boss?”

Emotional expression

Like, when used to indicate what someone was saying or thinking, is very useful for conversations where the speaker is expressing strong attitudes. Body language, facial expressions or non-verbal vocalizations that convey emotion can completely replace the words after the “be + like” construction to indicate how the speaker felt.

• He was like, “don’t you know what you’re doing?” and I was like [shrugs shoulders].
• He was like, “the repair won’t be cheap”, and I was like, [irritated sigh].

When to use informal like

Be aware that because of the extreme informality, these uses of like are often viewed negatively or are thought to be grammatically incorrect. Their acceptability varies with the age of the speaker and the context.

It may feel and sound awkward to use like in informal conversation until you have studied English for a while, and have spent a good amount of time talking with native speakers. A good rule to follow is that if you have to make a conscious effort to put a word or expression into a sentence, don’t use it.  When you have enough exposure to informal English that you use it without thinking, you will sound more like American English is your first language.

Hero Image (Like) by Luca Sartoni (CC BY-SA 2.0)