“I’m like…”

The thing is, I’m not being rude but…. are fillers, albeit with certain overtones. Normally what follows makes sense anyway.

“I’m like” does not grammatically fit what follows. Sometimes it makes nonsense, as in “ I’m like I was on my way to town when…”.
I mentioned her education because she evidently knows well enough how to form correct sentences and convey coherent thoughts. My grandson rarely uses “I’m like”. His Mum never does. His sister does occasionally though only when talking to people her age, not to older relatives.

If it’s a fashion, I hope it dies out soon.

Cabbie21

Yesterday I met my grandson’s girlfriend. A nice girl, with interesting things to say, but every sentence was peppered with “ I’m like”.
She is a highly intelligent girl, who did exceptionally well well in her GCSEs last year, now about to enter Year 13. Grandson has just completed his A levels with high grades.
Why can’t she speak properly?
Similarly, one of our successful GB athletes, in a tv interview, peppered every sentence with several “I’m like”….I thought she was perhaps a bear of very little brain, but that is not true of my grandson's girlfriend.
Maybe I should have put this in pedants’ corner, but I don’t think I am being pedantic. Just old fashioned??

I wonder what you think of my grandsons future bride.
Beautifully made up all the time. False nails fingers and toes.
Hair extensions etc.
she’s a Dentist, and says like continuously.
Then there is my daughter. Pink/ mauve hair, leg and arm sleeve plus lots of other tattoos. But she earns a 6 figure sum per year because of her brain.
Perceptions 🤦🏼‍♀️

Cabbie21

The thing is, I’m not being rude but…. are fillers, albeit with certain overtones. Normally what follows makes sense anyway.

“I’m like” does not grammatically fit what follows. Sometimes it makes nonsense, as in “ I’m like I was on my way to town when…”.
I mentioned her education because she evidently knows well enough how to form correct sentences and convey coherent thoughts. My grandson rarely uses “I’m like”. His Mum never does. His sister does occasionally though only when talking to people her age, not to older relatives.

If it’s a fashion, I hope it dies out soon.

It’s not a fashion it’s been around at least back to The Only Way is Essex first aired. That was 2010

Dear me.
You only met your grandson's girlfriend for the first time yesterday, and already you are voicing critical thoughts about her. She is apparently intelligent so clearly suitable for your equally intelligent grandson, but my dear, the language!

Your problem, not hers.

This fashion is "only" 20 years old.

If your grandson is not willing to introduce you to another friend of his, now you now the reason.

You know ( ate a k in second know)

Would you expect this girl to wear what you wore when young, do what you did, think what you thought, as well as speaking as you do?
She was probably nervous at meeting you and she probably thought you stiff and critical.

My DH’s go to is ‘I’m sorry but’ before disagreeing with something, really irritates me…..why is he sorry. Noticed DS using the same expression yesterday !!

My lung physician says ‘does that make sense?’ constantly throughout our consultation and it drives me mad. Am I supposed to answer every time, but I don’t think so because he’s then quickly on to his next sentence. Grrr

No-one becomes a successful GB athlete without being highly intelligent, as well as supremely talented, dedicated and fit. Don't denigrate our athletes!

My partner, when relating a story to me, always says 'I'm not exaggerating' and I want to say 'why would I think you were exaggerating?'.

I’ve not heard ‘I’m like …’ for years! Was common to say that about 40 years ago!

Cabbie21

I was shocked and disgusted by your inference that
'the successful GB athlete might be a bear of very little brain '.

This says a lot about you!

She is speaking properly, just using current forms of expression

He said, being used throughout discourse,
ie ‘he’ said,’ ‘ well he said, he said ‘ and finally ‘he turned round and said’).
I imagine a lot of twirling … drives me mad. 😠

However back to the subject, best to keep opinions to oneself.

I think we all have these irritations, as with OP ‘like’ is a pet hate of mine but it is surpassed almost every blooming day by those people , particularly on afternoon quiz shows who firstly big up their education / occupation then spoil the effect by starting every single sentence with SO. Its extremely annoying.

As Magenta8 says at the beginning of the thread, it's verbal tics and, imo, more often than not meant as a kind of conversational shorthand to stress the meaning of what they're saying.

Over 60 years ago all four of the Beatles used "like" as a filler and at the end of sentences. In fact, it was such a Liverpudlian thing almost everyone you met from there said it with that so typical Scouse back of the throat k, like!

Absolutely nothing to do with intelligence or lack of, some people have an ear for verbal rhythms and incorporate tics into their own speech just like picking up different regional accents.

I have never heard anyone say 'I'm like'. Is it a regional thing?

As Hithere says.
And allow her to choose how she speaks which may or may not be to your liking.

As soon as she says "I'm like..." jump in and say "like what?"

Just to reassure people that I did not react in any way in her presence or afterwards about the way the girlfriend spoke. I was just a bit surprised, and venting a little here.
She seems to be a very pleasant girl and GS is happy with her.

In my day it was "y'know". I remember counting how many times the biology teacher said it in a double period. It was 101. You don't hear it much nowadays, so perhaps "like" will die out eventually.

I counted the Maths teacher saying “ Do you see?” 92 times in one lesson.

No, Estrellita, it’s not a regional thing, it’s almost universal amongst young people in the UK. It’s a sort of “cool” verbal habit which I think might be a filler for momentary hesitation, a tiny pause for gathering their thoughts.

I think we all have ways of slowing things down to gather our thoughts in conversation. A common one is “well….”, frequently used to pause for an instant before speaking.