1009 Talk someone into/out of something

Explanation

Talk someone into something: Persuade someone to DO something.
Talk someone out of something: Persuade someone NOT TO DO something.

Origin

Literal: Using speech (talk) to guide someone towards (into) or away from (out of) a specific action or decision.

Alternatives

Slang/Informal:

Into: Twist someone's arm (implying pressure), Get someone to bite (get them interested/agree), Egg someone on (encourage, sometimes towards risky action)
Out of: (Fewer specific slang terms, often just expressed directly) Steer someone clear of

Milder/Standard:

Into: Persuade to, Convince to, Encourage to
Out of: Dissuade from, Advise against, Discourage from

Vulgar/Emphatic (Expressing the persuasion effort or outcome):

Into: They badgered the shit out of me until I agreed. (implies relentless pressure)
Out of: Thank fuck someone talked me out of that dumbass idea.

Situational Appropriateness

Very common in informal and semi-formal conversation. Less common in highly formal writing (persuade to / dissuade from preferred).

Misunderstanding Warnings

Straightforward, but the distinction between into (doing) and out of (not doing) is crucial for learners.

Examples

Into: My friends talked me into going skydiving.
Into: Can you talk him into joining the team?
Out of: Thankfully, she talked him out of quitting his job.
Out of: I tried to talk her out of buying that ridiculously expensive bag.

Dialogue

Alex: I was *this close* to impulse buying a motorcycle yesterday.

Ben: No way! What happened?

Alex: My brother talked me out of it. Reminded me about my student loans.

Ben: Probably for the best!

Alex: Yeah. He talked me into putting that money towards my debt instead.

Response Patterns

Regarding past action: Oh really? Did you end up doing it? or Good thing she talked you out of it!
Regarding a request: I can try, but he's pretty set on it. or What reasons should I use to talk her into it?
Confession: I shouldn't have let them talk me into it.

Common Follow-up Questions/Actions

After being talked into/out of something: How do you feel about that decision now? or What arguments did they use?
When attempting to talk someone into/out of something: Planning the arguments, anticipating resistance.

Conversation Starter

No. Refers to specific instances of persuasion related to actions.

Intonation

Stress usually on talk, the object pronoun (me, him, her), and into or out of.
TALKED me INTO it.
TALKED him OUT OF it.

Generation Differences

Universally understood and used.

Regional Variations

Common in all major English-speaking regions.

Bring someone around

🎲 Play the [something] card

[1009] Talk someone into/out of something