How to say “you know” like a native speaker
This can refer to something the listener knows, or act as a conversational marker while you explain or look for words. Use it sparingly in formal presentations.
All phrases · Small talk
Hear “you know” in real speech
Clip 1 · Andy Puddicombe
All it takes is 10 mindful minutes | Andy Puddicombe | TED · 7:19
About this video
Andy Puddicombe discusses making time to be still in a busy life. He asks when the audience last spent ten minutes doing nothing and reflects on how much time people spend lost in thought.
In context
And before we know it, right, we're anxious about feeling anxious.You know, this is crazy.
We do this all the time, even on an everyday level.
Clip 2 · VOA Learning English
James Madison, Rescued rower, Imagery, Guilty pleasure · 25:42
About this video
Caty Weaver and Mario Ritter Jr. introduce a VOA Learning English programme with slower speech for learners. Its stories include James Madison, the rescue of a Pacific rower, and ways to connect vocabulary with personal experience.
In context
What about you, Andrew?You know I like ice cream, too.
And that sounds like something that I could also do a lot.
Clip 3 · J.J. Abrams
The mystery box | JJ Abrams · 8:13
About this video
J. J. Abrams discusses why mystery matters to him in storytelling. He refers to questions about Lost and uses the idea of a mystery box to think about how stories hold an audience's attention.
In context
I wanted to try and fill pages with the same kind of spirit and thought and emotion that that script did.So, you know, I love Apple computers.
I'm obsessed.
When to use “you know”
- Checking shared knowledge: “You know the café opposite the station? Let's meet there.”
- Explaining a feeling to a friend: “It was, you know, a bit awkward.”
Possible connected-speech patterns in “you know”
“You” often becomes weak before the stronger “know”. There is no pronounced K in “know”.
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