“They don't even make eye contact with you!”

English Lesson: They don't even make eye contact with you!

You went to a grocery store where the cashiers are often rude to you. You can't believe that they're so rude. You say this while complaining to a friend about the store employees.

They don't even make eye contact with you!

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They don't even (do something).

Use "They don't ___" for things that people often don't do, or things that they never do. The word "even" shows that you think something is basic.

For example, when an angry customer says:

They don't even make eye contact with you!

...the speaker thinks that making eye contact is a basic level of politeness that all store employees should follow. She can't believe that the employees act this way.

make eye contact with (someone)

"Making eye contact" with someone means looking at their eyes while they look back at you. When two people look at each other's eyes for a long time, you say that they're "staring at" each other. But when they look at each other for just a moment, it's called "making eye contact".

In the United States, it's polite for people to smile and make eye contact with people who they deal with. You should make eye contact with a customer, someone you've just met, someone you see on the street who you recognize from your work, and so on.

you

The word "you" doesn't always mean the person who you're directly speaking with. Sometimes it means "people in general" or "anyone".

Here are some examples of "you" used in a general way:

You need a solid foundation in basic math and science.

You can't beat face-to-face communication, you know?

In very formal English, you can use "one" instead of "you":

One is able to convey subtle nuances through face-to-face communication that are not possible to convey through other means.