Hello and welcome to The English We Speak,
where we explain phrases used by fluent English speakers so that you can use them too.
I'm Feifei.
And I'm Phil.
Ow!
Ooh, you look like you're in pain, Phil.
Are you OK?
I'll be OK.
I hurt myself playing football, but I'm sure I can tough it out.
Tough it out?
Are you sure you can, Phil?
Anyway, that's a great phrase to learn.
What does tough it out mean?
If you tough it out, then you work through a painful or difficult situation.
You stay strong and don't change your plans.
And it's not just for physical pains like yours.
We can use it for difficult situations.
For example,
you might be working for a company that can't afford to employ enough people and you just have to tough it out until they've got some more money.
Let's hear some other people using this phrase.