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Daily English Pod
Daily English Pod is a space for learning English beyond grammar and textbooks.
During the week, you’ll learn practical vocabulary, expressions, idioms, and real-life English- the language people actually use in everyday conversations, emotions, and work.
On weekends, we slow down. Through ideas from psychology, philosophy, and real human experience, we explore language as a way to better understand life, emotions, identity, and growth.
This podcast is created by Jale, an English teacher with 13 years of teaching experience and a Master’s degree in English language and literature based in Canada, who teaches with patience, clarity, and care, and believes learning works best when students feel seen, respected, and safe to think aloud.
The goal is simple but meaningful: to help you understand English deeply, use it confidently, and connect it to your real life. English here is not just a skill. It’s a gentle companion for clearer thinking, honest expression, and deeper human connection.
Daily English Pod
I took the liberty of
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I took the liberty of
When you take the liberty of doing something, you do something without asking for permission first, usually because you believe it will be useful or helpful.
Example:
Imagine you and a friend have been talking about trying a popular new restaurant.
You finally agree to go on Saturday.
You know the restaurant gets extremely busy, so you make a reservation before all the tables disappear.
Later, you tell your friend:
“By the way, I took the liberty of booking us a table for seven. I hope that’s okay.”
Your friend is delighted.
“Perfect! I was actually going to do that tonight.”
You didn’t ask first.
But you took a small initiative because you thought it would make things easier.
Have you ever done something for someone…
without asking them first?
Maybe you thought:
They’ll probably appreciate this.
Or:
This will save them some time.
So you went ahead and did it.
There’s a wonderfully useful expression for moments like this.
Hello everyone, and welcome to Daily English.
Today’s expression is:
I took the liberty of…
One more time:
I took the liberty of…
When you take the liberty of doing something, you do something without asking for permission first, usually because you believe it will be useful or helpful.
For example:
“I took the liberty of booking us a table.”
There’s a little nuance here.
You’re acknowledging:
I know I didn’t ask you first.
So depending on the situation, taking the liberty can be thoughtful…
or perhaps a little too forward.
Let’s look at two examples.
Example 1 — A restaurant reservation
Imagine you and a friend have been talking about trying a popular new restaurant.
You finally agree to go on Saturday.
You know the restaurant gets extremely busy, so you make a reservation before all the tables disappear.
Later, you tell your friend:
“By the way, I took the liberty of booking us a table for seven. I hope that’s okay.”
Your friend is delighted.
“Perfect! I was actually going to do that tonight.”
You didn’t ask first.
But you took a small initiative because you thought it would make things easier.
Example 2 — Helping without being asked
Now imagine someone close to you is going through an overwhelming period.
They have a hundred things to think about, and you can see that they’re struggling.
Instead of saying:
“Let me know if you need anything,”
you notice one small thing you can actually take off their plate.
Maybe you prepare some food for them.
Maybe you organize something they’ve been worrying about.
When you see them, you say:
“I hope you don’t mind. I took the liberty of taking care of it for you.”
Sometimes people are so overwhelmed that even asking for help becomes another task.
And in those moments, quiet initiative can mean a lot.
But I think there’s an important balance here.
Taking the liberty of doing something can be generous.
But it can also cross a boundary if we assume too much.
Helping someone doesn’t always mean deciding for them.
Sometimes the kindest thing is to step in.
And sometimes the kindest thing is to ask first.
Perhaps the real skill is knowing the difference.
📍 Now it’s your turn.
Have you ever done something for someone without asking because you were fairly sure they would appreciate it?
Could you say:
“I took the liberty of…”
And has someone ever taken the liberty of doing something for you that made your life a little easier?
Thank you for being here today.