Part 9: One step at a time - The English We Speak

I'm Feifei.

And hello, it's me, Rob.

Hey, Rob.

How are your plans going to get fit?

Oh, Feifei, they are a disaster!

Oh no!

What's gone wrong?

Well, I went for a five-mile run last night,

but I gave up after just one mile – I was exhausted.

And then I went for a ten-mile bike ride,

but only got to the end of the street.

I give up – getting fit is not fun!

Don't give up, Rob! You need to take things one step at a time.

You mean walk – don't run?

Not exactly – just improve your fitness gradually, in stages.

When you do things 'one step at a time',

you improve them gradually in stages – step by step.

So, Rob, improve your fitness 'step by step',

which means the same as 'one step at a time'.

Here are some examples.

I know the instructions look confusing, but

but take them one step at a time and they should make sense.

If you want your cake making to be a success,

you need to follow the instructions one step at a time.

Don't panic! I've written a step-by-step guide on how to turn the heating on, so you should be fine.

This is The English We Speak from BBC Learning English.

And we're talking about the expression 'one step at a time' –

it means to improve something gradually, in stages – step by step.

So, Rob, to get fit, you need a plan – improve your fitness in stages.

OK, so where do I begin?

Well, don't run before you can walk.

So do lots of walking and then a little bit of running.

OK, and after that?

The next stage is to run a bit further and then walk a little.

Set yourself a goal, like from your couch to running a 5K.

Oh, did you say 'couch'? Great, I'm off.

Where are you going?

Well, I'm going to run to my couch – put my feet up and eat lots of biscuits.

Bye.

Bye Rob!