In this lesson, we’re going to talk about the idiom “To have a lot on your plate.”

Or, some may say, “To have enough on your plate.”

So, a plate, you know something that you eat on. So, but this idiom is not about food.

You would think if you have a lot on your plate, it’s a good thing, right? But in this idiom, it’s not a good thing.

So, if I say, “Oh, I have a lot on my plate right now,” that means I have a lot of problems to deal with

or I have a lot of work to do, or a lot of responsibilities that I need to attend to.

So, it’s not really a good or a nice situation in most cases unless you really love being busy.

Okay, so to have a lot on your plate, it’s not about food, although it could be if you want to use it literally

like if you’re eating and you say “Whoa! I have a lot on my plate. I’m not that hungry.”

Of course, in that situation, it’s literal and you‘re not using the idiom.

I ‘m going to give you some example sentences now with the idiom “To have a lot on your plate”:

“I really wish I could go to the beach with you, but I can’t. I have a lot on my plate right now.”

“John said he’s really busy and has enough on his plate. I feel bad for the guy.”

“I wouldn’t ask the boss for a raise right now. He’s got a lot on his plate, with the CEO coming in soon.”

This idiom is not generally used in the negative sense. Such as, “I don’t have anything on my plate right now.”

Although, it may be used that way sometimes but that’s not the general usage, normally we use it,

just like I showed you in these example sentences.

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