M: Hello everyone! Welcome back to EnglishPod! My name is Marco. 
E: And I’m Erica. 
M: And today we are at a wedding ceremony. 
E: Alright, nice. 
M: Another nice wedding. 
E: Yeah. 
M: But, of course, it wouldn’t be EnglishPod, unless we have something unexpected 
happening at this wedding. Okay, so we’re gonna be talking about hands.  
E: Oh… but, Marco, what is there to say about a hand? 
M: Well, as you may or may not know each finger has a name on your hand. 
E: Okay. 
M: So, we’re gonna learn how… w… so, we’re gonna learn what those names are in English. 
E: Perfect. And also we’re gonna learn about some common phrases, that you might hear in 
an English wedding.  
M: Exactly, because, I think… Exactly, because usually it’s old English… 
E: Yes. 
M: Maybe English that’s not used anymore. 
E: Alright, well, I’m excited to find out what this unexpected event is, so let’s listen to our 
dialogue for the first time. 
A: ...The rings please. May this ring be blessed so
he who gives it and she who wears it may abide
in peace, and continue in love until life’s end.
B: With this ring I thee wed. Wear it as a symbol of
our love and commitment
A: Honey, that’s my pinkie. The ring goes on the ring
finger!
B: This one?
A: That’s my index finger!
B: Oh, right. This one, right?
A: Umm... that’s the thumb, Nick.
B: Okay, Okay, I got it! This is the ring finger!
A: That’s my middle finger, Nick. This is my ring fin-
ger!
 
M: Alright, embarrassing moment for the groom, right? 
E: Yes. 
M: Confusing the fingers in front of all his friends and family, not good. So, I mentioned 
before that we’re gonna learn the names of each finger in your hand, so let’s get started, 
let’s take a look at these in “language takeaway”. 
Voice: Language takeaway. 
E: Alright, well, why don’t we start with the smallest finger… 
M: Okay. 
E: On your hand. 
M: The smallest finger on your hand. That’s called the… 
E: Pinkie. 
M: Pinkie. 
E: Pinkie. 
M: Sometimes people call it the little finger. 
E: Yes. 
M: Right? 
E: Yep. 
M: So, a pinkie. And the next finger. 
E: Is the one the groom couldn’t find. 
M: Okay, the ring finger. 
E: The ring finger. 
M: So, this is, of course, like the name says, where the wedding ring is usually placed… 
E: Exactly. 
M: On this finger. 
E: Yeah. 
M: Now, the next one is a controversial finger. 
E: That must be the middle finger. 
M: Okay, easy, middle finger. So, why is it controversial? 
E: Well, you know, if you put your middle finger up… And you put all… 
M: Hehe. Like you’re doing right now to me? 
E: Hehe. Yes. I’m sorry, Marco, I’ll do it this way. 
M: Hehe. 
E: And all other fingers down… 
M: Aha. 
E: You are making a very rude gesture. 
M: It’s a rude… 
E: Rude sign. 
M: So, ho… what would you call that? 
E: I would call that giving the middle finger. 
M: Giving the middle finger or… 
E: Yeah. 
M: I’ve also heard the phrase - flip someone off. 
E: Yes, or also flip the bird. 
M: Flip the bird… 
E: Yeah. 
M: Exactly. 
E: Yeah. 
M: Or give him the bird. 
E: Yes. 
M: Hehe. 
E: So, all phrases that you can use, when you are showing only your middle finger… 
M: Right. 
E: To somebody. 
M: It’s not very polite. 
E: No, don’t do it. 
M: Don’t do it. 
E: Yeah. 
M: Or unless somebody deserves it, I guess. Hehe. 
E: Well… 
M: Alright. 
E: We won’t talk about that, but what we will talk about is the next finger. 
M: The index finger. 
E: The index finger. 
M: Index finger. 
E: So, this is the finger you use to point. 
M: Right. 
E: Yeah. 
M: The index finger… Any idea why they call it the index finger? 
E: Cause when you’re looking through the index of a book, you always use this finger. 
M: Right, I… I think you also use this finger to pass pages on a book, right? 
E: Yeah. Okay, don’t believe anything I just told here. 
M: Hehe. Well, we’re not sure maybe you guys know the real answer to this. 
E: Alright. 
M: And our last finger, the most important one… 
E: The thumb.  
M: Thumb. 
E: T-H-U-M-B. 
M: The thumb. 
E: Thumb. 
M: Okay, so, that’s the short but fat finger… on your hand. 
E: That… the very moveable one. 
M: The moveable one. 
E: Yeah. 
M: The one that you use to play… Playstation… and all that stuff. 
E: Video games. 
M: Yeah. 
E: Okay, so the pronunciation here. Do you say the B at the end of this word? 
M: No, I wou.. actually only pronounce the M. 
E: Yes. 
M: The thuM. 
E: The thuM. 
M: Yeah, I… you wouldn’t say the thumB. 
E: No. 
M: Uhu. Okay, so, now that we’re clear on all five fingers, let’s listen to our dialogue again 
and then we’ll come back and talk about these difficult phrases that the priest used. 
A: ...The rings please. May this ring be blessed so
he who gives it and she who wears it may abide
in peace, and continue in love until life’s end.
B: With this ring I thee wed. Wear it as a symbol of
our love and commitment
A: Honey, that’s my pinkie. The ring goes on the ring
finger!
B: This one?
A: That’s my index finger!
B: Oh, right. This one, right?
A: Umm... that’s the thumb, Nick.
B: Okay, Okay, I got it! This is the ring finger!
A: That’s my middle finger, Nick. This is my ring fin-
ger!
 
E: Well, this is really common wedding speak, isn’t it? 
M: Yeah, it’s really common. That’s what usually the priest or the person, who is marring 
somebody, would say. 
E: Why don’t we look it some of these phrases now, because it’s really interesting to talk 
about their meaning. So, the first one – may this ring be blessed. 
M: May this ring be blessed. 
E: May this ring be blessed. 
M: So, what does it mean when you bless something or someone? 
E: Well, usually, the… the religious leader does this, right? 
M: Aha. 
E: And he’s giving good wishes to that thing. 
M: Could be for an object or to a person, right? 
E: Yes. 
M: You can be blessed as well. 
E: Yeah, and so these good wishes usually come from God. 
M: Okay. Great, so, what about our next phrase? 
E: Abide in peace. 
M: Abide in peace. 
E: Abide in peace. 
M: Wow, so, this verb - abide. 
E: It means to live. 
M: To live. 
E: Yep. 
M: To… 
E: To be. 
M: To be in peace. 
E: Yeah. 
M: But it’s very fancy and I don’t know if you use it anymore. 
E: No, I think, you would… you would never use this word in conversation or even very 
rarely in writing. It’s… it’s quite old. 
M: Yes, definitely I would agree. So, abide in peace. 
E: Uhu. 
M: Okay, what about our next phrase? I like this and it’s the common phrase you’ll hear in 
all movies and in all marriages. 
E: Yep. 
M: With this ring I thee wed. 
E: With this ring I thee wed. 
M: With this ring I thee wed. 
E: Okay, we’ve got two words in here that are also older English words, so… Thee. 
M: Thee. 
E: T-H… 
M: E-E. 
E: T-H-E-E. 
M: Thee. 
E: So, this is an… this is a Middle-English term for “you”. 
M: You, right? 
E: Yes. 
M: So… I would s… can I say “I love thee”? 
E: You could, that would be very romantic.  
M: Hehe. 
E: That also inappropriate for the office. 
M: Hehe. But… it’s very old and… I guess you would… if you’re reading Shakespeare you 
would definitely… 
E: Yeah, yeah, yeah. 
M: Come upon this, right? 
E: Yes, yes. 
M: And what about wed? 
E: This is also an old word for… an old verb for the action of marring someone. 
M: So, I can say “we will be wed next year”. 
E: Hm… 
M: Uhu. 
E: But… don’t say that now, because you’ll sound quite silly. 
M: Hehe. Yeah. 
E: It’s too old-fashioned. 
M: Yeah, I guess so. But it’s good to know, if… especially if you guys are reading 
something… 
E: Yes. 
M: A little bit more classical. 
E: Or you plan to get married to an English person. 
M: Hehe. Alright, and our last phrase – wear it as a symbol of our love and 
commitment. 
E: Wear it as a symbol of our love and commitment. 
M: So, now, he’s referring to the rings, right? 
E: Yeah. 
M: Wear the ring… 
E: Yeah. 
M: As a symbol. 
E: A sign. 
M: A representation… 
E: Yes. 
M: Of love and commitment. So, why would you wear a ring as a… as a symbol of 
something? 
E: Well, obviously, you know, love, you can’t see it, you can’t touch it… 
M: Right. 
E: So… so, you need something to show you that it’s there. 
M: Uhu. 
E: So, you need a sign of that love. 
M: Something that you can see. 
E: Yeah. 
M: So, that’s what the ring represents. 
E: Yeah, but how about this word commitment? 
M: A commitment is a strong promise. So, you promise to love that person, to take care of 
them… 
E: Yes. 
M: Et cetera. 
E: Yeah, okay, great. So now, we’re a little bit more familiar with some of the language you 
hear in a wedding ceremony and we also know all of the names of the fingers. 
M: Exactly. 
E: So, why don’t we listen to the dialogue one more time to hear these all in context? 
A: ...The rings please. May this ring be blessed so
he who gives it and she who wears it may abide
in peace, and continue in love until life’s end.
B: With this ring I thee wed. Wear it as a symbol of
our love and commitment
A: Honey, that’s my pinkie. The ring goes on the ring
finger!
B: This one?
A: That’s my index finger!
B: Oh, right. This one, right?
A: Umm... that’s the thumb, Nick.
B: Okay, Okay, I got it! This is the ring finger!
A: That’s my middle finger, Nick. This is my ring fin-
ger!
 
M: Alright, so, now, it’s perfectly clear. And, uh… a romantic dialogue in the end. 
E: Yeah, very romantic. 
M: Hehe. Although, a little bit embarrassing. 
E: Yeah. 
M: So, what about wedding rings? Now, we have different types of rings, right? 
E: Yeah. 
M: We have the wedding ring, the one they… that we just heard. 
E: Yeah. 
M: But we also have an engagement ring. 
E: Yes, yeah. In most English-speaking countries the women is very, very lucky… 
M: Hehe. 
E: Because she gets two rings. 
M: Right. 
E: So, when the man asks her to marry him… 
M: Uhu. 
E: He gives her a diamond. 
M: A diamond ring. 
E: Yeah. 
M: That is usually… that’s the engagement ring. 
E: Uh, and it’s really, really important, that he does this. 
M: Well… 
E: And it’s also really important, that he spends a lot of money on the di… on the diamond. 
M: Yeah, I know about this. Diamonds are forever, right? 
E: An… And the tradition is you must spend at least one month's salary. 
M: Wow. 
E: Yep. 
M: Is that it? 
E: Yeah. 
M: So, the girl gets an… a diamond engagement ring… 
E: Uhu. 
M: And then on wedding day she gets the… the wedding ring. 
E: Yes. 
M: And usually… will she wear both of them? 
E: Yeah, she’ll always wear both of them. So tha… engagement ring glose… goes closest to 
you and then the wedding ring on top.  
M: And the engagement ring, it represents… 
E: The commitment to marry her…  
M: So… 
E: No, wait… the commitment from the man to marry her. 
M: Okay, so that… it’s a symbol that they will get married. 
E: Yeah, it’s a symbol of the promise. 
M: Hm. Now, what happens if they break up and, uh, and they don’t get married? Does he 
get the ring back? 
E: I don’t know, um, okay, here’s the rule.  
M: Hehe. 
E: If he was a jerk… 
M: Hehe. 
E: No. 
M: And… 
E: But… but if… if it was sort of like a happy break up, then okay. 
M: Okay. I guess it’s a big risk, right? 
E: Yeah. 
M: Hehe. Alright, so, that’s all for today guys, let us know if you guys have any interesting 
wedding stories and all that… Sometimes weddings can be embarrassing, people… I don’t 
know… objecting, maybe… I’ve seen the groom faint. 
E: Or even fall in a pool. 
M: Fall in a pool? 
E: Yeah. 
M: So, if you have any stories, please share them with us, come to englishpod.com and 
also if you have any questions or doubts, Erica and I are always there to answer them. 
E: Well, thanks for listening to this lesson everyone and until next time… Good bye! 
M: Bye!