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Hi there! This is Jesse from Wall Street English.
Disappointment is not an easy thing to face and expressing it can be more difficult. Today, I’m going to share some expressions which you can say when you want to show people you are disappointed.
1. I was so looking forward to…
When you are happy or excited about something in the future, you can say “I am looking forward to something”. However, when you change the “am” into “was”, the meaning of the whole phrase will be very different – it’s used to express a disappointment.
e.g. I was so looking forward to meeting him in person, but I didn’t expect him to be so mean.
2. What a shame. / It’s a shame.
You can use this phrase when you would like to express sympathy or disappointment.
e.g. Rebecca has resigned!? What a shame!
3. What a bummer. / It’s a bummer.
Something that depresses or disappoints you is a bummer. As it’s a casual American slang, it’s inappropriate for you to say “what a bummer” for something sad, such as death of a friend or relative.
e.g. “How’s the movie?” “It’s a real bummer!”
4. What a letdown. / It’s a letdown.
“Letdown” means something that is disappointing, usually because it did not meet one’s high expectations about it. It can be used to replace “disappointment”.
e.g. Jane had been working hard and it was a letdown when she only got grade C on the recent exam.
5. Burst one’s bubble.
This means to end someone’s happiness by making them realize what is happening or telling them something disappointing.
e.g. We had planned to fly to Thailand to celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary, but the typhoon burst our bubble.
That’s it for today! See you next time.
