A piece of cake — you've probably heard it before. Literally, it's a slice of cake. Sweet,soft, easy to eat. Butin English, when we say something is a piece of cake, we mean it's really easy to do — simple, quick and stress-free.
A piece of cake— yïn ts tɛda aca käŋ pïïŋ wënthɛ̈ɛ̈r. Wɛtde yic, abɛ̈ɛ̈ny aa yup. Aliim, akɔ̈ɔ̈c, ku puɔ̈lic bi cam. Kuna ye thooŋ matuɔŋdit, yen lueel ɣok yeen kedäŋ lɔn ee A piece of cake, ka ke lueel ku ee lɔn puɔl yen yic bi looi - apuɔlic, lɔɔc looi ku acïn ke nyɔɔŋ-yïn guöp.
Today, you’ll hear it in all kinds of situations.
Yakölë, aba pïŋ kuat tɛ riëëc eben ye yeen luööi thin.
When replying to someone and wanting to say yes. that's easy.
Naye ke dhuuk yïn wɛ̈t nhom tɛn raan ku awic ba lueel lɔn ci yïn yeen gam, kënë ee ke puɔ̈lic.
Sure. It’s a piece of cake.
Apɛth. Ee ke thin puɔlic.
This phrase is very useful when talking about everyday tasks:
Wɛ̈t kënë ee wɛt path bi luöi tɛwën jɛɛm kɔc thin kä looi kolë thok eben:
- Folding laundry? Honestly, piece of cake for me, but my brother finds it more difficult!
- mɛtmɛt alɛ̈ɛ̈thic? Yic mɛɛn, ee ke thiin puɔlic tɛn ɣɛ̈n,ku aye wamääth yiök ke rilic apɛi!
You can also use it at work or school:
Yïn aya aleu ba luööi tɛn luɔɔi wala panpiööc:
- That quiz last week? Oh, total piece of cake. I got every question right.
- athëm waköl laar wik ci jal? Oh, ee ke thin puɔlic. Ɣɛn ci kuät keriëëc eben gutnyin.
Use it to encourage or reassure someone that something’s easy:
Luöi bi yïn raan dɛt dɛɛtpuöu wala muuk raan dɛt puöu lɔn nada kedɛ̈ŋ ee ke puɔ̈lic.:
- Go on, try it, you’ll see, it’s a piece of cake!
- lɔr tuëŋ, them kedu, aba gua tïŋ, yeen ee ke thin puɔ̈lic!
Use it in challenging situations to show something’s not too hard:
Aye luööi tɛ wen yen dhɛ̈ɛ̈l kedɛŋ thin ku bi nyuɔ̈th kedɛ̈ŋ aci yic ril apɛi:
- Climbing that hill? Piece of cake!
- tönytöny tɛ thööny kënë? Ee ke thin puɔlic!
You can also use it to describe things that aren’t literal but still easy or simple:
Yin aya aleu ku ba luööi bi yïn kedɛŋ luɛ̈ɛ̈l ke cie bi luel epɛth ku aŋuɔt leu bi lueel ka puɔ̈lic wala aci yic ril:
- Solving mysteries? He makes it look like a piece of cake.
- leuleu kënë kɔc gɔ̈ɔ̈i? Yen aci looi ke ye ke puɔlic?.
Explore the entire series Words we use by clicking here to listen!
cääth keriëëc eben ka buööth ke ciök Wël yeku luöi erin ku ba thuääny yic tɛn ku ba pïŋ!
This episode is available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Credits:
Host: Akuar Dut Malek
Written by: Josipa Kosanovic
Graphic design: Dory Wang
Educational consultant: Professor Lynda Yates
Produced by: Josipa Kosanovic, Akuar Dut Malek
