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Select a line to hear it again. Tap any word to see what it means. Underlined words are the key words of this video.

1. 0:00
   Theo Theo: We... mixed our cables? Our lines? Help.
2. 0:04
   Nadia Nadia: Did your bag come?
3. 0:06
   Theo Theo: No! I waited. The shop says I must pick it up.
4. 0:11
   Nadia Nadia: So how will you explain it politely?
5. 0:14
   Theo Theo: We... mixed our cables? Our lines? Help.
6. 0:20
   Narrator Theo knows what he wants to say.
7. 0:23
   Narrator He can't find the phrase.
8. 0:27
   Narrator Five steps for crossed wires.
9. 0:30
   Narrator First, think about the meaning of the phrase.
10. 0:34
    Narrator Theo expected delivery to his home.
11. 0:39
    Narrator The shop expected him to collect it.
12. 0:42
    Narrator Their two messages did not match.
13. 0:46
    Narrator We got our wires crossed about the drop-off time.
14. 0:52
    Narrator The phrase is about honest confusion, not real cables or bad intentions.
15. 1:00
    Narrator To build it, use get, a possessive word, and wires crossed.
16. 1:07
    Narrator The possessive word matches the people involved.
17. 1:10
    Narrator Use our when both of you share the confusion.
18. 1:14
    Narrator We got our wires crossed over the invoice total.
19. 1:20
    Narrator Use my when the mistake is only yours.
20. 1:24
    Narrator I got my wires crossed and walked into the wrong room.
21. 1:31
    Narrator Use their when you talk about other people.
22. 1:34
    Narrator The cleaners and the manager got their wires crossed about recycling.
23. 1:41
    Narrator Keep wires plural, and always keep crossed with its -ed ending.
24. 1:48
    Nadia Nadia: Call them. Stay polite.
25. 1:51
    Theo Theo: I think we got our wires crossed about delivery.
26. 1:55
    Theo Theo: The clerk said the desk and the delivery driver got their wires crossed.
27. 1:59
    Nadia Nadia: Wow. Everyone's confused!
28. 2:02
    Narrator Got our wires crossed, I guess.
29. 2:05
    Narrator He says "got our wires crossed" because both people misunderstood each other, so the mix-up
30. 2:12
    Narrator belongs to them both.
31. 2:15
    Narrator Listen to crossed again.
32. 2:17
    Narrator It's one syllable, and the -ed sounds like t.
33. 2:23
    Narrator Your turn.
34. 2:25
    Narrator Listen, then say it out loud.
35. 2:28
    Narrator I got my wires crossed about the lunch plan.
36. 2:38
    Narrator We got our wires crossed about the address.
37. 2:49
    Nadia Nadia: Did you get the bag?
38. 2:51
    Theo Theo: Not yet. We got our wires crossed about the time.
39. 2:56
    Theo Theo: We've gotten our wires crossed twice now.
40. 2:59
    Nadia Nadia: Then end with a clear plan.
41. 3:02
    Narrator The verb get changes with the tense.
42. 3:04
    Narrator The words wires crossed stay the same.
43. 3:09
    Narrator For a finished event, use got.
44. 3:12
    Narrator We got our wires crossed yesterday.
45. 3:16
    Narrator With have, American English often says gotten.
46. 3:21
    Narrator We have gotten our wires crossed.
47. 3:26
    Narrator British English usually says got instead.
48. 3:30
    Narrator We have got our wires crossed.
49. 3:34
    Narrator Add about or over to name the topic.
50. 3:38
    Narrator The two drivers got their wires crossed over the loading gate.
51. 3:44
    Narrator Somebody's got his wires crossed.
52. 3:47
    Narrator Listen to "his".
53. 3:50
    Narrator It tells us whose wires are crossed: somebody has made a mistake, and the word shows who.
54. 3:59
    Narrator Choose the best answer.
55. 4:01
    Narrator You and a friend each thought the party was on a different day.
56. 4:11
    Narrator A.
57. 4:12
    Narrator The phrase needs a possessive word.
58. 4:15
    Narrator Use our when both people share the mix-up.
59. 4:20
    Theo Theo: I called again. I said, "You got your wires crossed."
60. 4:24
    Nadia Nadia: Ouch. That sounds like blame.
61. 4:28
    Narrator To avoid blame, say we.
62. 4:31
    Narrator Adding I think or it seems softens the message more.
63. 4:36
    Narrator Telling a colleague you got your wires crossed blames them directly.
64. 4:42
    Narrator Saying I think we got our wires crossed shares the responsibility.
65. 4:50
    Narrator In legal letters or contracts, skip the idiom.
66. 4:54
    Narrator Use a more neutral sentence instead.
67. 4:58
    Narrator There was a misunderstanding regarding the terms of payment.
68. 5:02
    Narrator It's a formal way to say there was a mix-up about payment.
69. 5:08
    Narrator Choose the best answer.
70. 5:10
    Narrator You want to point out a mix-up at work without blame.
71. 5:19
    Narrator B.
72. 5:20
    Narrator Using we shares the mix-up.
73. 5:24
    Narrator Saying you can sound like you are blaming your colleague.
74. 5:30
    Narrator Learners often slip on the grammar.
75. 5:33
    Narrator Keep the possessive word, the plural s, and the -ed.
76. 5:40
    Narrator Here is the full form in a sentence.
77. 5:43
    Narrator We got our wires crossed about who would lock the storefront.
78. 5:49
    Narrator The second mistake is about meaning.
79. 5:53
    Narrator A disagreement is not a misunderstanding.
80. 5:57
    Narrator The architect and the builder disagreed about the roof, but they understood each other.
81. 6:05
    Narrator Nobody is confused there, so skip this idiom.
82. 6:09
    Narrator Other lessons cover differing opinions.
83. 6:14
    Narrator A good explanation has two parts.
84. 6:17
    Narrator First, name the mix-up with the idiom.
85. 6:21
    Narrator Second, say the exact plan, so both sides agree.
86. 6:26
    Narrator A full explanation sounds like this.
87. 6:28
    Narrator We got our wires crossed about the collection.
88. 6:32
    Narrator I will pick up the bag today at four.
89. 6:37
    Narrator You can also own your mistake.
90. 6:40
    Narrator I got my wires crossed about the room, but I'm walking over now.
91. 6:46
    Narrator Always end with the action, not with blame.
92. 6:50
    Narrator Then nobody has to guess what happens next.
93. 6:55
    Nadia Nadia: Now the plan, Theo.
94. 6:57
    Theo Theo: I think we got our wires crossed. I'll collect it at five.
95. 7:02
    Nadia Nadia: They agreed?
96. 7:04
    Theo Theo: Yes! Five o'clock, and my bag comes home.
97. 7:09
    Narrator One more.
98. 7:11
    Narrator You and your boss understand each other, but you disagree about the budget.
99. 7:21
    Narrator A.
100. 7:23
     Narrator Nobody is confused here, so it isn't a mix-up.
101. 7:27
     Narrator Crossed wires is for misunderstandings, not opinions.
102. 7:33
     Narrator Now a dictation.
103. 7:35
     Narrator Listen and write the sentence.
104. 8:02
     Narrator Check your sentence.
105. 8:04
     Narrator Did you write my, and wires with an s?
106. 8:10
     Narrator An honest mix-up?
107. 8:13
     Narrator Use get your wires crossed.
108. 8:16
     Narrator Match my, our or their to the people involved.
109. 8:21
     Narrator Keep it polite with I think we, and keep wires plural.
110. 8:28
     Narrator Then give a clear plan for what happens next.
111. 8:34
     Narrator Next, practice using get your wires crossed in the exercises for this lesson.
112. 8:41
     Narrator Like and subscribe for more.

Choose an answer for each question, then check it.

1. Question 1

   Which situation describes crossed wires?

   A A customer and a repair shop assistant have different dates in mind for picking up a bag. B A customer refuses to pay a repair fee because the work was done poorly. C A customer asks for a discount and the assistant offers ten percent off.
   Check my answer Chat with the tutor