0:00 Hi everybody, my name is Alicia.
0:01 In this lesson, I'm going to talk about how to use the word once.
0:05 Let's get started.
0:07 For this lesson, I have three categories of meaning for the word once.
0:11 We'll break these down.
0:13 And then I have one list of expressions that feature the word once.
0:17 So, we'll take a look at the specific meanings of this word
0:20 and then we'll look at some special meanings at the end of the lesson.
0:24 So, let's start with the first meaning.
0:26 The first meaning of once is one time.
0:30 One time.
0:31 So, let's take a look at these example sentences
0:33 and break down how the word once is used here.
0:37 First example.
0:38 I've been to Europe once.
0:41 I've been to Europe once.
0:43 In this example sentence,
0:44 once comes at the end of the sentence and means exactly one time.
0:49 So, we could replace the word once with one time
0:52 and the sentence would still be correct
0:54 and it would have the same meaning.
0:56 I've been to Europe one time.
0:58 So, this is probably the most common use of once.
1:02 Let's take a look at the next example sentence.
1:05 She said she rode a horse once when she was a little kid.
1:10 She said she rode a horse once when she was a little kid.
1:14 So, again, with this use of once,
1:17 we can replace once with one time and the sentence keeps the meaning.
1:22 She said she rode a horse one time when she was a little kid.
1:26 So, again, this use of once means one time.
1:29 One time only.
1:30 Okay?
1:31 Let's continue to the next example sentence now.
1:35 Can you keep a secret?
1:36 Just this once.
1:38 Can you keep a secret?
1:39 Just this once.
1:40 So, I wanted to include this example sentence for this part right here.
1:44 Just this once.
1:46 It's like saying just this one time or this one time only.
1:51 So, sometimes when people want to make a special request,
1:54 they'll use the expression just this once or please do this just once.
2:00 It sounds like just one time.
2:02 Please do this thing just one time.
2:04 So, this is one example.
2:06 Can you keep a secret just this once?
2:08 It's like saying I only want to ask this of you one time.
2:12 So, again, we can simply replace this word once with one time
2:16 and we keep the meaning.
2:17 But, once is a little bit more efficient.
2:20 Okay, let's continue on to the last two examples.
2:23 The last two examples use negatives,
2:26 which I think are very important to talk about with this word, too.
2:29 Let's take a look.
2:31 First, my date didn't ask me a question once.
2:36 My date didn't ask me a question once.
2:38 So, in this situation, the speaker is talking about their date.
2:42 So, the person they went on a date with.
2:44 We call the other person our date.
2:47 So, in this situation, we have a negative.
2:50 The person didn't ask me a question once.
2:54 So, the same one time meaning applies here.
2:57 That means this sentence means my date didn't ask me a question even one
3:03 time.
3:03 So, this use of once
3:06 that we often see with this negative form tends to take the feeling of
3:11 even one time.
3:12 Like we're kind of surprised or shocked in some way.
3:15 You have some expectation, right?
3:17 If you go on a date with someone, you expect, probably,
3:20 they're going to ask you some questions, right?
3:22 So, this person is expressing some shock and surprise.
3:26 Not even one time is what this sentence expresses.
3:29 Let's look at another example of this kind of once.
3:33 We worked so hard to cook a nice dinner,
3:37 but our guests didn't comment on the food even once.
3:42 So, again, we worked so hard to cook a nice dinner,
3:45 but our guests didn't comment on the food even once.
3:50 So, again, this once is like saying one time,
3:53 and again we have this even feeling here.
3:56 In this case, I included the word even.
3:59 So, again, we're emphasizing we expected some comment about the food.
4:04 We worked really hard to cook it.
4:05 So, you think maybe the other person will have some comment about it.
4:09 This is so delicious.
4:10 Where did you find the recipe?
4:12 What's in this?
4:13 And so on.
4:13 There are many comments we can make.
4:15 So, we probably expect some kind of comment
4:18 when we make something for someone else.
4:20 But, the speaker is expressing surprise or shock.
4:23 They didn't comment even one time is what this expresses.
4:28 So, you can use these negative patterns to express that kind of shock,
4:31 and we sometimes do this.
4:33 And it really helps us see like, "Wow,
4:36 this person didn't meet expectations at all."
4:38 So, all of these sentences express the meaning of one time,
4:43 literally just one time, one instance of something.
4:46 Okay, with this in mind, let's continue to the second group,
4:50 the second category for meaning for this lesson.
4:53 This category is formerly or at a past point in time.
4:59 So, a key here, something that you can use as kind of a hint,
5:03 is that often this use of once refers to something
5:07 that happened in the past,
5:09 in the far past, not like yesterday or last week,
5:13 but when you're talking about history, for example,
5:16 you might see this use of once.
5:18 So, let's break down these example sentences.
5:21 This city was once very popular for its exciting nightlife.
5:27 This city was once very popular for its exciting nightlife.
5:32 So, this once, you'll notice it appears in the middle of the sentence.
5:36 It comes after this was, right?
5:38 So, we're talking about a past condition or a past status of the city.
5:42 This city was once.
5:44 So, this position here shows us in context
5:48 as well that it's not
5:50 so much about one time
5:52 as in one instance of something,
5:55 but rather one time in terms of a past point in time.
6:00 So, we're not talking about like one case of something.
6:03 We're talking about one past point in time.
6:06 So, in this situation, we can replace once with formerly.
6:11 This city was formerly very popular, or we could say, "This city was,
6:16 at a past point in time, very popular for its exciting nightlife."
6:21 The nuance here, then, is that this fact has changed.
6:26 So, in the past, at a point in time,
6:28 it was very popular for its exciting nightlife.
6:32 However, now it's not popular for its nightlife.
6:35 So, we use this once often to emphasize some kind of change from a
6:39 condition in the past.
6:41 Let's look at one more example.
6:43 Her company was once a fun, relaxed place to work.
6:47 Her company was once a fun, relaxed place to work.
6:51 So, again, we have this once here.
6:54 This refers to a past point in time, or a former condition.
6:59 So, this sentence is saying, "In the past, at a past point in time,
7:03 her company was a fun and relaxed place to work."
7:06 So, the nuance here is now it's not a fun, relaxed place to work.
7:11 Maybe it's very stressful and it's very difficult.
7:13 So, this use of once refers to some kind of past point in time.
7:18 You can kind of see the context is very different here.
7:22 We're talking about very different topics over here.
7:24 We're talking about a city, a company, some kind of condition.
7:28 Whereas, when we talked about one-time experiences, we're talking about travel, conversations,
7:36 personal experiences, and so on.
7:38 These aren't so much about conditions.
7:41 Here, we're talking about conditions a bit more.
7:43 So, that's another context hint you can use to help you understand
7:47 which ones is the meaning here.
7:50 Okay, let's continue to the last use, the last category of meaning.
7:54 It's as soon as, as soon as.
7:58 So, let's break down these examples.
8:00 First, call me once you finish work.
8:04 Call me once you finish work.
8:05 A very, very common request.
8:07 So, in this case, we can substitute as soon as for once here.
8:13 Call me as soon as you finish work is also 100% correct,
8:18 but once is a little more efficient.
8:21 So, this once, you'll notice, comes after a verb expression, yeah?
8:26 It's like a command.
8:27 Call me once you finish work.
8:28 This is saying, call me the moment you finish work, or in other words,
8:33 as soon as you finish work.
8:35 It's like asking for a very quick thing to happen once
8:38 or as soon as something else is complete.
8:41 So, when this is done, please do this.
8:43 We can use once to do this very efficiently to communicate this.
8:48 Okay, let's look at the next example of this meaning.
8:51 He can make the rent payment once he gets paid.
8:55 He can make the rent payment once he gets paid.
8:57 So, in this case, the topic is paying rent.
9:01 So, to make a rent payment means to give the person who owns your
9:05 house or who owns your apartment money for the month.
9:07 That's the rent payment.
9:09 He can make the rent payment once he gets paid, once he gets paid.
9:13 So, again, we have this as soon as meaning here.
9:17 So, he can make the rent payment, this will happen after he gets paid.
9:22 So, when this happens, the rent payment will be made.
9:25 We use once to express this sequence.
9:28 As soon as A, B.
9:29 We use once to do this.
9:31 Okay, so, these are the three most common uses of once generally.
9:36 There are a couple of other uses that are a bit less common,
9:40 and they're kind of specific to certain situations, but in most cases,
9:44 these three will be great for everyday communication.
9:47 So, keep in mind some of the context clues that I talked about here.
9:52 Personal experiences and conversations for one time,
9:55 conditions and statuses for past points in time, and verbs,
10:00 actions for as soon as.
10:02 Okay, great.
10:03 So, now let's move along to some expressions that feature once.
10:07 These are some very common expressions that use the word once,
10:11 and the meanings are sometimes very different from those we discussed earlier in the
10:16 lesson.
10:16 So, let's break them down.
10:18 First, we have at once, at once.
10:21 This means immediately or right away.
10:25 It can also, in some more formal situations,
10:28 it might sound a little old-fashioned.
10:30 It can also be used to mean both.
10:32 So, let's take a look at some example sentences.
10:35 First, call an ambulance at once.
10:38 Call an ambulance at once.
10:40 So, an ambulance is an emergency medical car.
10:42 So, there's an emergency,
10:44 call an ambulance at once means call an ambulance right now, immediately.
10:48 It's important.
10:49 So, we can use at once to express this.
10:52 One more.
10:53 He came home at once.
10:55 He came home immediately.
10:57 He came home right away.
10:58 So, at once expresses this feeling of doing something immediately, at the moment.
11:04 Lastly, I want to give one example of this both use.
11:08 So, this example, as I said, sounds a little bit old-fashioned,
11:12 and we don't use it so much.
11:14 You maybe will see it in writing, some writing pieces somewhere,
11:17 but we don't use it as much in everyday communication.
11:20 Let's take a look, though.
11:22 The song was at once sad and beautiful.
11:25 The song was at once sad and beautiful.
11:27 So, this means both.
11:29 The song was both sad and beautiful.
11:32 So, this at once, if you look at it and you think,
11:34 "Does this mean immediately?
11:36 Does this mean right away?"
11:37 It doesn't seem to make sense in this situation.
11:40 Like, immediately the song was immediately sad and beautiful?
11:44 It sounds strange, right?
11:45 So, this at once is kind of like saying at the same time
11:49 or simultaneously.
11:51 The song was simultaneously sad and beautiful.
11:54 So, again, as I said, this isn't so commonly used today,
11:57 but you might see it from time to time.
11:59 Okay.
12:00 Let's move on to the next expression.
12:02 The next expression is once and for all.
12:04 Once and for all.
12:05 We use this typically after we've been working on a challenge for a
12:09 while or we've been trying to solve a problem.
12:12 We've been working hard as a sports team or as a company,
12:15 something like that, and we get to the last step.
12:18 We want to make a statement about the last step or the final step.
12:23 We use once and for all sometimes to do this.
12:26 So, this expression is like saying definitely or finally or for the last time.
12:31 So, let's look at our examples.
12:33 First, let's win the game
12:35 and show everyone we're the best team once
12:39 and for all.
12:40 Let's win the game
12:41 and show everyone we're the best team once
12:43 and for all.
12:44 So, this is something a sports team might say at the championship game,
12:48 the last game of the year.
12:50 So, let's show them we're the best team once and for all.
12:53 Sounds like we want to show other people that we are the best.
12:57 We are here at the last stage.
12:59 We're going to do this for the last time.
13:01 Let's make it big.
13:02 That's kind of the feeling of once and for all.
13:05 Let's look at one more example.
13:07 Her great plan solved the company's sales problems once and for all.
13:12 Her great plan solved the company's sales problems once and for all.
13:16 So, in this example sentence, we know the problem.
13:19 The company has some kind of sales problem
13:21 and this person created a great plan.
13:24 So, her great plan solved this problem finally at the end after lots
13:30 and lots of struggles once
13:31 and for all.
13:32 So, it's kind of like saying you can think of this once part
13:36 as kind of like being with one action
13:38 or one instance or one case the problem was solved
13:42 or they were able to overcome the challenge forever.
13:46 That's kind of one way to understand this.
13:48 With one movement or with one action they were able to make a change
13:52 forever.
13:52 That's kind of the feeling of once and for all.
13:55 Okay, let's move on to our next expression.
13:58 The next one you may already know it's every once in a while.
14:02 Every once in a while.
14:03 Please note native speakers sometimes write every once
14:07 and a while incorrect every once in a
14:10 while in a while.
14:11 So, this expression means sometimes or occasionally.
14:15 We like to use it in very casual conversations
14:18 and we usually say it very quickly.
14:20 Every once in a while.
14:21 So, let's break it down.
14:23 I like to go to the movies every once in a while.
14:26 I like to go to the movies every once in a while.
14:29 We can replace every once in a
14:30 while with sometime and it creates exactly the same meaning.
14:34 Again, every once in a while just sounds a little bit more casual.
14:37 Yeah, I like to go to the movies every once in a while.
14:39 That's how a native speaker would probably use this expression.
14:42 One more.
14:43 We eat at expensive restaurants every once in a while.
14:47 We eat at expensive restaurants every once in a while.
14:49 So again, we're expressing this feeling of occasionally.
14:52 Every once in a while.
14:54 Again, this is a set expression which just means sometimes.
14:57 So, okay.
14:58 Let's continue to the last one.
15:00 The last one is actually two but they have the same meaning.
15:03 So, they are once again and once more.
15:07 Once again and once more.
15:08 These both mean one more time.
15:11 One more time.
15:12 So, I wanted to include these
15:14 because I know lots of learners like to request from their teacher,
15:18 can you say that once more or can you say that one more time?
15:21 Just be careful not to mix them.
15:24 Sometimes I hear learners say like "once more time" something like
15:29 that or just "one more".
15:31 Uh no, neither of those are really correct.
15:34 Make sure to say "Can you say that once more?"
15:37 or "Can you say that one more time?"
15:39 So, once again and once more both mean to do something one more time.
15:44 So, our examples.
15:45 First, once again, thank you for coming today.
15:48 Once again, thank you for coming today.
15:50 So, we sometimes do this
15:52 when we're giving presentations to mean I already said this,
15:55 but I'm going to say it one more time.
15:58 This is usually done, like I said, in presentation and speaking situations.
16:03 And in this case, typically the expression comes at the beginning of the sentence.
16:09 Also, sometimes people will use this expression when they feel frustrated.
16:13 Like if someone asks a question repeatedly,
16:16 they get the same question many many times,
16:18 or if there's a rude behavior or something like that.
16:21 That person in charge,
16:23 they might use once again to express their frustration to say "Once again,
16:27 please no talking during the presentation."
16:30 Something like that.
16:31 So, that kind of tone with this expression means I have to say this
16:35 again?
16:36 I'm saying it again.
16:37 So, please pay attention to the speaker's tone.
16:40 Sometimes it's very happy, right?
16:42 Once again, thank you for coming.
16:43 That sounds good.
16:44 But sometimes we use this expression to show
16:47 that we are tired of saying the same thing again.
16:50 Like once again, please be quiet.
16:51 Something like that.
16:52 So, please keep keep an eye out, I guess.
16:54 Keep an ear out for the speaker's tone.
16:57 Okay, last example is Let's practice this part once more.
17:01 Let's practice this part once more.
17:03 So, again, let's practice this part one more time.
17:07 We can use the two interchangeably.
17:09 Or we could say "Let's practice this part once again."
17:12 So, these all mean one more time.
17:14 It's up to you to choose whichever you prefer.
17:17 Just as I said, make sure not to mix them.
17:19 Not once more time or just one more.
17:21 Make sure to say once more or one more time.
17:25 Okay, great.
17:26 So, I hope that this lesson helped you to understand the different ways
17:30 that we use the word once.
17:32 In lots of situations, we use it to mean just one time.
17:35 Sometimes we use it to talk about past points in time, past conditions.
17:40 Sometimes it means as soon
17:41 as and of course we have many expressions
17:43 that also use once.
17:45 And there are other expressions I didn't cover in this lesson,
17:49 but I can hopefully cover them at a future point in time.
17:52 Awesome.
17:52 So, I hope this video helped you to be able to use the word
17:55 once with a little more confidence.
17:58 Of course, if you have any questions
17:59 or comments or if you want to practice making some sentences with the word
18:03 once,
18:03 please feel free to do so in the comment section of this video.
18:06 Also, if you like this lesson,
18:07 don't forget to give it a thumbs up
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18:15 that can help you with your English studies.
18:17 Thanks very much for watching this lesson and I will see you again soon.
18:20 Bye.
