Month: June 2025

Do you know how to use so, too, either or neither when speaking in English?

This can be a tricky grammar issue as we need to be careful about the auxiliary and the object pronoun but if we study them we can find simple ways to use them as well as more complete, complex ways. 

The Coffee Break English Show is a podcast series of informal conversations to help you understand some difficult topics in English. In the latest episode, Nick and Mark look at how to use so, too, either or neither to show similarity in conversations.

So let’s have a look at when we use these forms and how we can add them to our English conversations. And why not make yourself a cup of coffee or tea to enjoy while you read and listen to the podcast episode?

Similarity 

We use so, neither and too to demonstrate a similarity with what has just been said. These words are great for expressing to someone that you have had a similar experience to them. So and too express positive similarities and neither and not.. either express a negative similarity.

So

We use so to express positive similarity in conversations. It is normally in response to what someone else has said and we use the auxiliary verb from the sentence we are responding to in our answer. Let’s have a look:

When we use the verb be, the auxiliary in the second sentence will also be the verb be.

A: I am from the UK.                B: So am I!

In present simple sentences with a main verb that is not be, the auxiliary will normally be do.

A: I like pizza.                B: So do I!

In past simple sentences, the auxiliary is did (or was or were with the verb be).

A: I went to the cinema yesterday.                B: So did I!

In present perfect sentences, it is have.

A: I have had two cups of coffee this morning.                B: So have I!

In sentences with modal verbs, the modal verb is the auxiliary.

A: I can speak English.                B: So can I!

Too

We can use too in the same way as we do so to show similarity, but the structure changes. With too we have a simple option, a short option and a long option.

The simple option uses the object pronoun plus too. We don’t need to worry about a verb form. 

A: I can speak five languages.              B: Me too!

We can also use too with the auxiliary verb.

A: I am hungry.              B: I am too!

When we want to respond with a full sentence, we just need to add too at the end of the sentence.

A: I lived in Germany for two years.              B: I lived in Germany for two years too!

Either or Neither

We use ‘neither’ and ‘not.. either’ to talk about negative similarities. The way we use them is a bit different though so pay attention!

Neither – meaning

In simple answers, we use neither in the same way as we use too. The structure is the object pronoun plus neither.

A: I didn’t go to Spain on holiday.              B: Me neither!

We can also use neither in the same way as we use so. The structure is neither + auxiliary verb + subject.

A: I have never been to Argentina.               B: Neither have I!

Either – meaning

In short answers with the auxiliary verb, there is an important change. We use the negative form (not), and we do not put the ’n’ at the front of either.

A: I didn’t go to Spain on holiday.               B: I didn’t either!

In the full sentence form, the rule is the same as too, we just need to add either at the end.

A: I didn’t go to Spain on holiday.               B: I didn’t go to Spain on holiday either!

Pronunciation 🔊

One important aspect of the words either or neither that can confuse learners is that there are two ways to pronounce them. 

We can say them with an /ai/ sound like in why, and we can also say them with a long /i:/ or ‘e‘ sound like in see.

There is absolutely no difference in meaning. 

Generally, /i:/ is more common in the US and /ai/ is more common in the UK but native speakers frequently use both forms so don’t worry, just pick one! 

If you want more practice with the long ‘e’ sound, check out Episode 4 of Season 1 of the Coffee Break Show!

Here’s a visual of today’s lesson

Here are the diffferent options for simple answers, short answers and full answers.

If you find choosing between negative and positive determiners difficult, you might find Episode 9 from Coffee Break English Season 3 really useful.  We take a look at the indefinite pronouns something, anything and nothing and explain when to use them.

 

If you found this lesson helpful, make sure to listen to the full podcast episode with Nick and Mark on The Coffee Break English Show, where we dive deeper into so, too, either and neither with more examples and practice. ☕🎧

We release new episodes regularly, covering useful grammar and vocabulary topics to help you sound more natural in English. Subscribe to our podcast feed and our YouTube channel so you never miss an episode.

Plus, don’t miss your free worksheet – perfect for extra practice after the lesson! When you sign up, you’ll also receive our short coffee break-sized email lessons, delivered straight to your inbox every week, to help you build your English skills. 💪 You’ll even hear from Mark, the founder of Coffee Break Languages, who shares regular tips and motivation for learners of all levels. Sign up below! 👇

Now, it’s your turn! Download the worksheet below for further practice and try using so, too, either or neither in your conversations whenever you can. The more you practise, the more natural it will feel.

Happy Coffee Breaking!

Listen to the podcast

Have you ever wondered when to use just, yet, or already? These three time phrases are commonly used with the present perfect tense, but they each have specific meanings and uses.

Using time phrases and adverbs with the present perfect helps to communicate more effectively and will make your sentences even clearer when having a conversation with people.

The Coffee Break English Show is a podcast series of informal conversations to help you understand some difficult topics in English. In the latest episode, Nick and Francesca explore how to use the present perfect adverbs just, yet and already, correctly.

If you haven’t listened to the podcast episode yet, why not listen to Nick and Francesca as you read?

So let’s get started and look at just, yet and already!

Time Phrases: The Present Perfect with Just, Yet, and Already

These three present perfect adverbs help us describe when an action happened in relation to now. We often use them with the present perfect tense and they have specific positions in a sentence.

Just

Just is used to indicate that something happened a very short time ago.

It comes between have/has and the past participle:

⏳    I have just finished my homework.  ⏳

⏳    She has just arrived at the station.  ⏳

 👀    In the USA, you are often likely to hear just used with the past simple, not the present perfect! The meaning is exactly the same, though.   

🇺🇸     Where’s David? He just went out.    🇺🇸

Yet

Yet is used to talk about something that has not happened but we expect to happen. We often use them in negative statements and questions.

Yet goes at the end of a sentence:

🔜    I haven’t finished my book yet.  🔜

🔜   Have you eaten yet?  🔜

Already

Already is used to show that something happened sooner than expected or before now.

It normally comes between have/has and the past participle but it can sometimes come at the end when we are speaking to create a strong emphasis:

⬅️    I have already seen this movie.  ⬅️

⬅️    Wow! She has completed her assignment already!    ⬅️

Let’s review

Here’s a summary of the time phrases in this episode:

If you found this useful, then you might find Episode 4 of our 2nd season of Coffee Break English helpful! We look at the time phrases for and since with the present perfect.

It’s your turn!

Now let’s practise! Which is the right word? Put yet, just or already in the spaces below. The answers are at the end of the blog post but don’t look until you’ve thought about your answers.

If you found this post interesting, then make sure you listen to the full podcast episode with Nick and Francesca on The Coffee Break English Show. This series looks at useful topics to help English learners improve their language skills, so make sure to subscribe to our podcast feed and our channel on YouTube.

Plus, don’t miss your free worksheet – perfect for extra practice after the lesson! When you sign up, you’ll also receive our short coffee break-sized email lessons, delivered straight to your inbox every week, to help you build your English skills. 💪 You’ll even hear from Mark, the founder of Coffee Break Languages, who shares regular tips and motivation for learners of all levels. Have you signed up yet? If not, sign up below! 👇

So, start using these time phrases in your conversations! The more you practice, the more confident you will become.

Happy Coffee Breaking!

Here are the answers to the questions in the practice section above:

1. You can’t watch TV! You haven’t done your homework yet.
2. Can we watch a different film? I have already watched this one.
3. Would you like a coffee? No thanks, I’ve just had one.

Listen to the podcast

Using the present perfect tense can be difficult for many English learners. This is because it is used in a variety of ways that do not necessarily translate to similar grammar forms in other languages.

The key is to consider the different contexts where you can use the present perfect, and then look at what message we want to express when using the present perfect or other forms. If you can understand this, then you will be a big step closer to managing conversations fluently in English!

The Coffee Break English Show is a podcast series of informal conversations to help you understand some difficult topics in English. In the latest episode, Nick and Francesca look at how to use the present perfect tense for experiences that you have had in the past, plus we explain the difference between been and gone.

Have you made yourself a coffee? Then let’s get started!

The Present Perfect Tense for Experiences

The present perfect tense is used to signify a variety of situations, but today we will look specifically at experiences. When we speak to friends or meet people for the first time, we often talk about our experiences. A common question is ‘Have you ever…?’ And a common response is ‘No, I’ve never’ or ‘Yes, I have’. 

This gives us our question form for the present perfect, plus the short positive and negative forms. We can also give extra information. See the below conversation:

Been and Gone

In the example above been is used to express the idea of visiting a place. It is important to remember that we are talking about the experience of visiting Paris.

We can consider been as the past participle of go when describing an experience. The idea that we went to a place and then returned. This is also the case when we use a phrase like go skiing in the present perfect (I have been skiing in the Alps).

We use gone with the present perfect to express the idea of movement, or leaving a place. The idea that we went to a place and we haven’t returned. We can see the difference in the dialogue below:

We can see that the wife has returned home but the husband has not. The wife has been to the supermarket but the husband has gone to pick up the children.

So we can use been when we use present perfect for experiences and gone when we use present perfect for recent actions.

For more on been and gone with the present perfect tense, see our 8th episode of Season 1.

Present Perfect Vs Past Simple

We use the present perfect tense for talking about experiences with no specific detail and we use the past simple to give further information about the experience. Here’s an example:

We can see that the experience is introduced with the question have you ever? and then the follow up question is in the past simple. When we ask for detail we use the past simple, usually using open questions with question words such as who, what, why, when, etc.. 

From this point on, we normally use the past simple because we are talking about a finished activity and no longer a general experience.

For more practice with choosing the past simple or the present perfect tense, check out Episode 2 of Season 3 of Coffee Break English. 

It’s your turn!

Now, let’s practise! Try to decide which of the sentences below is a lie. Read to the bottom to find out which sentence is not true… Don’t check until you have guessed!

Coffee Break Languages founder, Mark Pentleton, has learnt 9 foreign languages.

Coffee Break Languages has been nominated for a Lovie Award for Best Science/Education Podcast.

Coffee Break Languages has created a podcast series for pets.

Practice makes a perfect tense!

Remember that the present perfect tense is difficult because we use it in a variety of ways and it doesn’t always have an equivalent form in other languages so be patient with yourself and always try to learn in context. Try using the present perfect tense for experiences in your conversations!

If you found this post interesting, make sure you listen to the full podcast episode with Nick and Francesca on The Coffee Break English Show. We will release more episodes soon, about some other useful topics! Subscribe to our podcast feed and our channel on YouTube to learn when the next episode is available.

Plus, don’t miss your free worksheet – perfect for extra practice after the lesson! When you sign up, you’ll also receive our short coffee break-sized email lessons, delivered straight to your inbox every week, to help you build your English skills. 💪 You’ll even hear from Mark, the founder of Coffee Break Languages, who shares regular tips and motivation for learners of all levels. Sign up below! 👇

So keep practising, deepening your knowledge and understanding, and remaining curious about the language you are learning and you will surely make progress. 🚀

Happy Coffee Breaking!

Here are the answers to the quiz:

Coffee Break Languages founder, Mark Pentleton, has learnt 10 foreign languages. True!

It is true, Mark has learnt 9 foreign languages and you can hear him speaking them here! 🌎

Coffee Break Languages has been nominated for a Lovie Award for Best Science/Education Podcast. True!

Coffee Break Languages has created a podcast series for pets. False!

This one is not true but we did pretend to do this in an April Fools’ Joke!  🤭

Listen to the podcast

Have you ever wondered whether to say too much or too many? Or perhaps you’re unsure when to use enough? The good news is that learning these quantifiers in English will help you sound more natural!

The Coffee Break English Show is a podcast series of informal conversations to help you understand some difficult topics in English. In the latest episode, Nick and Anabel explore how to use these common quantifiers in English and when to choose one over the other.

So let’s take a closer look at too much, too many and enough and start putting them into practice! Continue reading to find out more, and why not listen to the podcast as you go?

Countable and Uncountable Nouns

First we need to establish what countable and uncountable nouns are.

When we talk about countable nouns, we mean nouns that can be plural. We can say I have one apple, I have two apples, three apples, etc. We normally show the plural form by adding the letter s (or es for words like leaves, watches, etc.) at the end of words but some countable nouns are irregular (person – people, child – children, woman – women, etc.).

When we talk about uncountable nouns, we mean nouns that are not possible to count by expressing a simple number before them. Liquids are uncountable because it is impossible to put a simple numerical quantity to them (water, oil, coffee, etc.). Many abstract ideas are uncountable too, such as information, news, money and light.

Too Much, Too Many, and Enough

Understanding when to use quantifiers is essential for speaking English correctly. These words help us describe quantity, but they have specific rules for their usage.

Too Much vs. Too Many

These phrases mean “more than necessary” or “more than wanted,” but the difference depends on whether the noun is countable or uncountable. 

Too much is used with uncountable nouns:

• There is too much sugar in my coffee.
• She spends too much time on her phone.

Too many is used with countable nouns:

• There are too many cars on the road at 5pm. Traffic is slow!
• I bought too many apples at the market. My bag broke on the way home!

We should always remember that when we use too much and too many, we are expressing a negative idea. We are saying that the quantity is a problem. If we just want to say that there is a very large quantity using much and many, we can say so much and so many.

• There is so much light in this room.
• There are so many castles in Scotland!

If you want more practice with quantifiers in English, check out Episode 5 of Season 1 of Coffee Break English!

Enough

The word enough means “sufficient” or “the right amount.” It can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns.

 Before a noun:

• We have enough chairs for everyone. 
• There is enough food for everyone, help yourself! 

After an adjective:

• She’s strong enough to lift the box. 
• The oven is hot enough now, we can put the pie in.

Not Enough

We use not enough to show that something is “insufficient”. It can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns.

• This coffee is not hot enough. 
• She doesn’t have enough money to buy a new phone. 

Common mistakes

Here are some common mistakes learners make when using quantifiers in English:

There are too much people in the room. ❌

There are too many people in the room. ✅

I don’t have too many time. ❌ 

I don’t have too much time. ✅

She didn’t buy enough big shoes. ❌   

She didn’t buy big enough shoes. ✅

Let’s Review

It’s your turn!

Now, let’s practise using quantifiers in English! Here are four situations. Try to make a sentence to describe each one using too much, too many, enough or not enough for each one.

Some possible answers are at the end of this blog post, but don’t look until you’ve thought about your answers!

1. I need £35 to pay for the dinner and I have £36.
2. There are 5 students and 3 chairs.
3. This pasta is extremely salty!
4. There are 6 people and 5 spaces in the car.

If you found this post interesting, make sure you listen to the full podcast episode with Nick and Anabel on The Coffee Break English Show. In this series, we talk about useful topics for English learners, so make sure to subscribe to our podcast feed and our channel on YouTube.

Plus, don’t miss your free worksheet – perfect for extra practice after the lesson! When you sign up, you’ll also receive our short coffee break-sized email lessons, delivered straight to your inbox every week, to help you build your English skills. 💪 You’ll even hear from Mark, the founder of Coffee Break Languages, who shares regular tips and motivation for learners of all levels. Sign up below! 👇

So, start using quantifiers in English correctly whenever you can! The more you practice, the more natural your English will sound. Why not get a coffee now and test yourself with today’s practice exercises?

Happy Coffee Breaking!

P.s. Here are some possible answers to the prompts given above:

1. I have enough money.
2. There are not enough chairs (or there are too many students).
3. They put too much salt on the pasta.
4. There are not enough spaces in my car (or there are too many people for my car).

Listen to the podcast