How to say “give up” like a native speaker
Stop trying, or stop doing or having something. The meaning can be quitting an effort or deliberately giving up a habit.
All phrases · Common idioms
Hear “give up” in real speech
Clip 1 · Adam Grant
Adam Grant: What frogs in hot water can teach us about thinking again | TED · 9:42
About this video
Adam Grant discusses why people resist rethinking their assumptions. He uses the familiar boiling-frog story to introduce the subject and describes how reconsidering his own identity opened up new possibilities.
In context
I was teaching the same material, the same way, year after year.I didn't want to give up on a performance that was working.
I had my act down.
Clip 2 · William McRaven
Navy Seal William McRaven: If You Want To Change The World, Make Your Bed! · 4:00
About this video
William McRaven shares lessons from SEAL training in this speech excerpt. He begins with making the bed as a small completed task and discusses persistence and judging people by their determination.
In context
Only five men, just five men, and we could get out of the oppressive cold.Looking around the mud flat, it was apparent that some students were about to give up.
There was still over eight hours until the sun came up, eight more hours of bone chilling cold.
Clip 3 · Chris Lonsdale
How to learn any language in six months | Chris Lonsdale | TEDxLingnanUniversity · 6:09
About this video
Chris Lonsdale discusses his approach to learning a language more quickly. He recalls a long conversation on a train in China in which drawings, gestures and expressions helped him understand more of what was said.
In context
struggling extremely, extremely... a great deal and finally people were saying: "You're completely useless,""you're not talented," "give up," "you're a waste of time" and she was very, very depressed.
And then she came across these five principles,
When to use “give up”
- Encouraging someone during a puzzle: “Don't give up. Try another way.”
- Describing a change in habits: “I've decided to give up sugary drinks.”
Common learner mistake
Follow “give up” with an -ing form for an activity: “give up smoking”, not “give up to smoke”.
Possible connected-speech patterns in “give up”
Link the V in “give” directly into the vowel of “up”. Keep the V voiced so the phrase does not sound like “gift”.
Related phrases
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A slow line to begin with: listen to how “don’t need to” runs together, then say it at the speaker’s pace.
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