Expression: Turn the tables

Are you ready to turn the tables?

Today you'll learn this expert level English expression.

Hi there, it's Jeff and this is Plain English where we help you upgrade your English skills.

This is episode number 844 so the transcript translations and quiz are at PlainEnglish.com-844.

Turn the tables is an expert level English expression.

It means to reverse the situation.

If you're losing, if you're at a disadvantage and you reverse the situation and now you're

winning and now you have the advantage over the other person, then you have turned the tables.

I used this expression in a story about the country Turkey and how it wanted to change

the spelling of its name in international organizations.

Turkish speakers have long struggled with English pronunciation and by changing the spelling

of the name, Turkey was looking to turn the tables on English speakers.

Like English speakers struggle with a Turkish looking word instead of the other way around.

So that's how this expression first appeared in Plain English.

Now here are the full lesson about how to use this expert level English expression.

Turn the tables.

Before we start today's story, I just like to remind you that the podcast is just

one part of how we can help you upgrade your English skills.

At PlainEnglish.com, you can make faster progress with active learning strategies.

You can take quizzes, do activities, listen to the fast version of the audio, watch video

workshops, practice what you learn, and even join a live call with JR and me.

It's all about helping you build your skills to become a better, more confident English

speaker.

Sound good?

Go to PlainEnglish.com to start your free 14-day trial today.

Now let's jump into today's story.

Today's English expression is turn the tables.

We use this expression when two people are in opposing situations and usually one person

has an advantage.

When you turn the tables on someone else, you switch positions with that person and you

usually move from a disadvantage to an advantage.

It's common to use this when describing how fortunes change in a competition.

Any NBA fans in the audience?

I know there are.

I wrote this lesson back on April 24th and I was keeping an eye on the Chicago Bulls

and Milwaukee Bucks.

They're playing in the first round of the NBA basketball playoffs, at least they were

back on April 24th.

It's a seven game series, so the first team to win four games wins the series.

The first game was very close.

Both teams played well, but the Bucks won by a score of 93 to 86.

Then the Bulls turned the tables in one game too, another close game by a score of 114

to 110.

The Bulls turned the tables on the Bucks.

In the first game, the Bucks won and the Bulls lost.

The Bucks had the advantage, but in the second game, the Bulls turned the tables.

That means they took their disadvantage, their loss in game one, and they made it an advantage

by winning game two.

Now I don't need to tell this audience that English speakers have an advantage when cultures

come together.

It always seemed to be the non-English speaker who has to adapt and speak the other language.

Now some speakers have it easier than others.

English is easier to learn for native speakers of Dutch, for example, or German.

It's harder for speakers of Chinese, or I don't know, Turkish.

All right, Turkish native speakers of Turkish usually are the ones who struggle in international

meetings when they try to pronounce words in English.

But now, as you heard today, the country's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, wants to turn

the tables.

He wants English speakers to call his country Turkia, which is how Turks themselves say it.

And as you can hear, it's not easy for us to say it that way.

No one wants to turn the tables.

So normally, it's Turkish people who have to adapt to pronounce English words.

Now he wants English speakers to have to pronounce a Turkish word.

He wants to turn the tables if only on this one small piece of the English language that

he can control.

The job market is hot these days, right?

In normal times, the employer has the advantage during the hiring process.

Usually, the job applicant needs the job more than the company needs the employee.

If the tables are turned these days, today, employers are desperate for employees.

And during a job interview, applicants are turning the tables.

Usually, it's the employer asking the questions, trying to make sure the applicant lives up

to the company's standards.

Now, though, it's often the applicants who are asking the hard questions, making sure

the job and the company live up to their own high standards.

The positions are reversed and the advantage has moved from the employer to the employee.

The tables are turned.

I recorded this lesson a few years ago and the tables have turned again.

At that time, employees held all the leverage with employers.

That was especially true for junior workers, recent college grads.

They were at an advantage in their job search.

But now, the tables have turned again.

Now, junior workers are finding it difficult to land that first job, what with the advent

of AI.

So remember, whoever is up now can always be down later.

There's always someone looking to turn the tables on the person with the advantage.

Well that's all for this plain English.

This was episode number 844, so you can find the full transcript and practice opportunities

at plainenglish.com slash 844.

See you back here on Monday.

Listen up if you speak Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, German, French, Italian, Japanese,

Polish or Turkish.

One of the most frustrating things about listening and reading in a second language is being

confused by unfamiliar words or phrases.

When you listen to plain English or when you read the transcript, you probably encounter

some words you don't know.

When that happens, you have a few options.

You can stop the audio, go look up the definition, then return to the episode, find your place,

and press play again, but that's exhausting.

Before you can just skip it and be confused, that's no fun either.

But what if you could see the translation of the word into your language instantly without

having to stop the audio, without having to look anything up?

Well you can at plainenglish.com.

For each episode, we translate about 100 words and phrases from English to 9 languages.

Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, German, French, Italian, Japanese, Polish and Turkish.

And we highlight those words in blue.

All you have to do is hover your mouse over the highlighted word and you will see the

translation instantly.

It works great on mobile too.

It really makes listening a lot more satisfying and it's a great way to expand your vocabulary

in English.

The best way to see these translations is to sign up for a free 14-day trial at plainenglish.com.

During your trial, you can read as many transcripts as you like, all with the translations into

your language.

So sign up for your free trial today at plainenglish.com.