Running Errands

So we’ve talked about a common household chore doing laundry.

Now let’s talk about an errand I mentioned we would talk about errands.

Things that we have to do things that we plan to do usually before we go out.

And these are usually things that are fairly quick they don’t last a long time.

And we have to go out to do them.

We don’t do them at home.

They’re not chores although they’re similar to chores in the sense that they’re kind of daily things.

Things we usually need to do.

There are a couple of common or a few common phrases that we can use when we’re describing errands.

When we’re talking about errands I want to make sure they’re clear.

Number one pickup pickup means to get.

Same as get.

Sometimes it means by sometimes it means take something away from.

So we might pick up some bread from the supermarket.

Of course you’re picking it up but we often use pickup for a lot of different things to mean get which could include buying or maybe not because you could say I need to pick up my friend from the train station.

Does that mean you need to pick them up.

No you’re going to drive to the train station.

Wait and then they’re maybe going to get in the car with you pick up my friend at the airport pick up some groceries pick up a few books at the library books you’re not buying at the library you are renting them renting books at the library so it doesn’t mean buy although it can suggest buy.

This is very common very very common.

OK.

And actually it’s used much more often than buy and grab is used.

These actually these three are used very much the same way.

Hey I’m going to go to the supermarket.

Oh really.

Could you Could you grab me a coke could you please grab me a Coke grab is probably more for buying stuff and getting stuff pickup is a little bit more common for people I think.

So you you wouldn’t as often say I need to grab my friend from the train station.

You’d probably say I need to pick up my friend from the train station.

Could you say get my friend from the train station or get my friend at the airport.

Yeah you definitely can.

Could you get me a candy bar at the supermarket.

Yes.

That’s OK.

I need to get some books at the library.

Yes.

OK so generally speaking these three are very much the same.

So now buy looks a little bit silly because it’s so specific.

And of course you can use it.

I need to go buy some hairspray.

I need to go buy some fruit.

OK.

That’s fine.

That’s fine.

But I really like to use these three because they can be used in so many other ways.

We can’t buy our friend at the airport.

That would be weird.

We can’t we can’t generally buy our kids from school.

That would be very weird.

Or buy some books from the library.

No way.

So yeah this is fine but it’s just more specific.

OK.

Now should we use pay for what we use pay for not to get stuff usually but if we have for example a bill a bill that we need to go out to pay I need to go to maybe the computer repair shop to pay for the repair job that they did for me last week or I need to go to the maybe auto body shop to pay for the work that they’re doing on my car or to pay a bill.

OK whatever but this is just to give people money and it’s usually not focused on getting some thing.

If we’re getting something like it like candy or groceries or fruit we’ll probably use these for.

OK stop by means to go to a place for a short time.

I’m going to stop by my grandma’s house and just say hi.

Now sometimes that could mean we’re going to stay for a while.

Could be an hour or two.

Sometimes we do use it that way.

Please please stop by any time that means come over anytime visit anytime.

Maybe your friend says that hey stop by any time we can watch a movie.

Whatever.

Stop by anytime.

OK.

It’s often used to describe something that happens in a short time but it can be used for something that happens longer.

The more typical way to use this and the way I usually use it is when I am running errands.

I use stopped by to say where I need to go.

I need to stop by the library to pick up a few books.

OK I need to stop by the library to pick up a few books.

Now what about run to.

I mean we need to run to a place.

No but it does give it a feeling of kind of being in a hurry going somewhere in a hurry.

But it doesn’t have to be.

We often just use it to mean I need to go there.

I need to go there but usually we use it when we’re talking about the errands that we need to run.

Listen to that.

Running errands.

Are we running errands.

No.

But there is a feeling of not going to a place and hanging out.

Not going to a shopping center and saying oh I don’t know maybe I’ll just walk around for three hours.

When we talk about an errand we usually have a clear purpose a direction a goal and usually time is a little bit tight.

Again it doesn’t really mean we’re running but it does have a feeling of OK.

Let’s go.

Let’s do it and then let’s leave.

We don’t need to waste time.

For example I need to run to the coffee shop nearby to get some coffee beans because we’re out.

It’s a very common phrase by the way.

We’re out for we’re running low.

That means we’re almost out.

We have none.

We’re running low on coffee beans.

I need to stop by the coffee shop.

I need to run to the coffee shop to grab some of those.

Because we’re almost out.

So these phrases are all really common and we’re going to see them in the example that we’re going to look at now for running an errand and I’d like you to make sure next time you’re describing your own errands that you use these phrases because they’re all super duper common.