Break the ice

English with Yoo! 는 일상생활에서 자주 쓰이는 다양한 표현들을 익히는 시간입니다. 오늘의 영어 표현은 Break the ice입니다.

I’ll give you a daily introduction to some meaningful and useful everyday English words and phrases! So let’s get started today!

Hi everyone, this is Jennifer Yoo and with ENGLISH WITH YOO! 안녕하세요 English with Yoo!의 Jennifer Yoo입니다.

[오디오 듣기] Break the ice

오늘의 영어 표현은 Break the ice입니다.

Have you ever found yourself being uncomfortable or shy with people you didn’t know too well? And who was it that broke the ice and loosened that uncomfortable moment? Today we’re going to find out what ‘break the ice’ means. This is another expression that is very common in American English. We’ll start by listening to a conversation that Jody and Daniel had. 그럼 오늘의 대화를 들어보면서 ‘pain in the neck’가 무슨 뜻인지 알아 보겠습니다. 잘 들어보세요.

Break the ice
Jody: I am so nervous. Look at that huge crowd!
Daniel: Just relax. You’re going to be just fine.
Jody: What if I forget my speech? What if I?
Daniel: Stop saying that! You don’t have to worry. Here, I have an idea. Why don’t you break the ice with your audience by starting out with a joke?
Jody: A joke? Ok. I’ll give it a try.

Jody가 연설 해야 하는데 많이 긴장되나 봐요. Daniel에게 “I am so nervous. Look at that huge crowd! 어휴, 긴장돼. 저 사람들 좀 봐.” 라고 하자 Daniel은 “Just relax. You’re going to be just fine. 긴장 풀어. 너는 잘할 거야.” 라고 답하네요. 이에 Jody가 “What if I forget my speech? What if I? 혹시 연설하다 생각이 안 나면 어떡하지?” 라며 걱정하네요. Daniel이 “Stop saying that! You don’t have to worry. 야, 그런 말 하지마. 걱정도 말고. Here, I have an idea. 내게 좋은 생각이 있는데. Why don’t you break the ice with your audience by starting out with a joke? 우선 우스개 소리로 긴장된 분위기를 풀어주는 건 어때 ?” 라고 하자 Jody는 “A joke? 농담하라고? Ok. I’ll give it a try. 알았어. 한번 해보지 뭐.”라고 하더라고요. Keep today’s phrase ‘break the ice’ in mind and let’s hear the conversation again. 그럼 다시 한번 대화를 들어볼까요?

Break the ice
Jody: I am so nervous. Look at that huge crowd!
Daniel: Just relax. You’re going to be just fine.
Jody: What if I forget my speech? What if I?
Daniel: Stop saying that! You don’t have to worry. Here, I have an idea. Why don’t you break the ice with your audience by starting out with a joke?
Jody: A joke? Ok. I’ll give it a try.

오늘의 표현은 break the ice입니다.

To ‘break the ice’ means to break down a social tension or awkwardness and make things more comfortable for people who are meeting for the first time. It’s basically getting over the initial shyness when meeting new people or to relax or loosen in an uncomfortable situation.말 그대로 하면 ‘break the ice’ 는 ‘얼음을 깨다’라는 뜻이지만, 실제는 생전 처음 만난 사람들끼리 어색하고 서먹서먹한 분위기를 깨다라는 표현입니다. 쉽게 말해 ‘딱딱한 분위기를 누그러뜨리다. ’라는 뜻이죠. For freshmen college orientation in America, it’s quite common for the staff to prepare games called “ice-breaker”. Those ice-breaker games are intended to break the ice or social shyness or awkwardness for the new freshmen students who are meeting each other for the first time. 오늘의 표현, ‘break the ice’ 꼭 기억하시고요. Now we’ll listen to this conversation for the last time.

Break the ice
Jody: I am so nervous. Look at that huge crowd!
Daniel: Just relax. You’re going to be just fine.
Jody: What if I forget my speech? What if I?
Daniel: Stop saying that! You don’t have to worry. Here, I have an idea. Why don’t you break the ice with your audience by starting out with a joke?
Jody: A joke? Ok. I’ll give it a try.

오늘 배우신 영어표현, ‘break the ice’는 ‘서먹서먹한 분위기를 깨다’라는 뜻입니다. If you ever meet someone for the first time, why don’t you first try breaking the ice? You can do it! 다음 시간에 다시 뵙겠습니다. 지금까지 ENGLISH WITH YOO에 Jennifer Yoo입니다. Bye bye!