Understanding
We usemeanto explain or ask what a word or phrase refers to. We form questions withmeanwith the auxiliary verbdo:
Whatdoes‘strike’mean?
Not:What means ‘strike’?
We don’t normally usemeanin the continuous form when we are talking about expressing ideas:
What does that signmean?
Not:What is that sign meaning?
Talking about intentions
We usemeanto clarify something that we have said or to explain what we intended to say:
A:You have to take the road by the church.
B:Which church?
A:Here’s whatImean,Lynn: there are two roads ahead. Take the right-hand road.
We usemeanfollowed by ato-infinitive to express intentions:
Sorry, Ididn’t meanto upset you.
Imeantto call you before I left. I forgot.
We often usekeep meaning tofor longer-term intentions:
I’ve got to go to the dentist. Ikeep meaning tomake an appointment.
Talking about significance
We usemeanto say that something is important or significant:
The braceletmeanta lot to her. It had belonged to her grandmother.
Does this namemeananything to you?
Mean:result in
We can usemean+ noun to talk about one thing resulting in another:
Higher fuel prices willmeanhigher airfares.(will result in or involve)
Talking about necessity or obligation
We usemean + -ingform to talk about something necessary or the result of something:
I’ll have to catch the 7 am train to Nottingham, whichmeansgetting up at 5 am.(I need to get up at 5 am.)
We also use the passivebe meant toto express obligation. It has a similar meaning to ‘be supposed to’:
Why are you watching TV? You’re meant tobe working.
See also:
Modality: expressions withbe
Mean by
We can usemean byto ask what somebody is specifically thinking of when they use a word or phrase:
A:We don’t want to discourage her from studying.
B:It depends what youmean by‘discourage’.
A:Well, I mean make her think we can’t afford to pay for her.
Means(noun)
Even though it ends in an ‘s’,meansis a singular noun. We use a singular verb with it. We use it to talk about a method of doing something:
The most economicalmeansof travelling to Aberdeen is by plane.(the most economical method or way)
Not: …most economical mean… or …most economical means are…
I mean
We useI meanvery commonly in speaking as a discourse marker. We use it when we want to add to what we have just said, to make a point clearer or to correct what we have just said:
The law is not fair.I mean, it’s just not right that he didn’t go to prison.(adding)
It cost over £200.I mean, that’s more than most of us can afford.(making something clearer)
We need to ask Helen,I meanHarriet.(correcting)
We often useI meanwhen hesitating, to make something negative less strong or to soften a disagreement:
A:What do you think of Ben?
B:Well,I mean,he’s not very confident and not always sure what he’s supposed to be doing.
I think Peter probably has a strong view about that. It’s interesting …I meanI … what I said earlier andI meanPeter might disagree with me.
When we are not sure what to say, we sometimes useI mean. We often pause before or after it:
She’s not coming back, erI mean, erm … she and I have broken up.
We don’t useI meanto introduce opinions. It is not the same asI think:
Ithinkwe should stay at the Lakeside Inn.
Not:I mean we should stay at the Lakeside Inn.
You know what I mean
We often use the phraseyou know what I mean(orif you know what I meanordo you know what I mean?) in speaking, to check that our listener understands what we are saying or to show that we assume the listener has the same opinion about something:
A:I just can’t go to Norah’s house.
B:Why’s that?
A:I just don’t like all the cats.You know what I mean?They’re everywhere even in the beds.
B:Yeah, I have to say I’m not a fan of cats either. (A is checking that B understands that she doesn’t like all the cats in Norah’s house and she assumes that B is going to understand)
Ken isn’t very helpful,if you know what I mean.
We’ve got white on the walls in the back room now, but I think he feels as though, pink is not the right colour for the front room,do you know what I mean?
See also:
Discourse markers (so, right, okay)
Mean: typical errors
We use auxiliarydoin questions withmean:
What does ‘rosehip’mean?
Not:What means ‘rosehip’?
We don’t useI meanto introduce opinions:
I thinkpeople shouldn’t start university until they are 20.
Not:I mean people shouldn’t…
Meansis a singular noun. We use a singular verb with it:
A very relaxingmeansof transport is the train.
Not: …very relaxing mean of transport are the train.