In over my head

Hello and welcome to The English We Speak, where we explain phrases and expressions used by fluent English speakers so that you can use them too. I'm Feifei.

And I'm Becca.

Ah, you don't sound like your usual happy self.

Well, I just have so much work to do. I feel like I'm in over my head.

Oh no! I'm sorry you feel that way. Is there anything I can do to help?

Hmm, I don't think so. I've just got to focus and get this stuff done.

Alright. But before you do that, would you mind explaining the phrase 'in over your head'?

Sure. Imagine you have many things to do, and it almost feels like you're drowning in your tasks. The phrase 'in over your head' comes from the literal, dangerous situation of being in water that is deeper than your height.

I see. So, it's a pretty negative feeling?

Yes. When you're involved in a situation that too difficult or maybe overwhelming to manage, or you don’t know where to start, you're in over your head.

Let's hear some more examples of this phrase 'in over your head'.

I'm trying to learn Chinese at the moment, and I thought it'd be easier but it's really not. I think I'm in over my head. We're planning a surprise birthday party for Georgie, and we've got so much to do. We're completely in over our heads. My dad's cleaning out the attic but I don't think he realised just how much was up there. I think he’s feeling a bit in over his head.

As we've heard from the examples, you can change the possessive pronoun depending on who you’re speaking about. She is in over her head, and he is in over his head.

Becca, what else do we need to know about this phrase?

Well, don't forget the preposition 'in' at the beginning – in over your head. Because if I say 'over my head' without the preposition 'in', it means I didn't understand something. For example, if I don't understand someone's joke, the joke goes over my head.

I guess it could also apply to a lecture or some instructions.

Yes, anything that is difficult to understand. The lecture went over my head. The instructions went over my head.

Good to know! Your explanation of being in over your head didn't go over my head. That's it for this programme but join us next time to learn more English phrases and expressions. But for now, it's goodbye!

Bye!