Men Vs Women 15 Things We Say And What We Really Mean

There are quite a few differences between men and women. The most obvious difference is the fact that our bodies are so wonderfully different. Other than that though, there are tons of differences. I mean, one of us likes to watch This Is Us and cry into our glass of wine, while the other doesn't enjoy that activity as much.

The differences between men and women can start when it's playing with Legos vs playing with Barbies. However, these differences continue on through adulthood and manifest in the simple things we say everyday. Men and women may say the same thing, but mean something totally different. It's another frustrating, amazing difference between men and women. But, you already knew all of this. You already knew that when a woman says she'll be ready in five minutes, it's much, much different than when a man says he'll be ready in five minutes. “I'm fine,” also means something different in women language than in men language. Of course, if we all spoke the same language all the time, dating would be much easier. But where is the fun in that? If everything we said was what we meant, we wouldn't be able to decode text messages with our girlfriends for hours and hours.

Below are fifteen phrases that mean one thing when a woman says it and another thing when a man says it. Scientists clearly need to study this phenomenon.

14 "I'll be ready in five minutes."

Women: When a woman says she'll be ready in five minutes, it can mean a variety of things. The one thing it almost never means is that she will, in fact, be ready in five minutes. She may be saying this because she's ~ trying ~ to be ready in five minutes, even though she still has to curl her hair, contour her face, pick out a pair of shoes and apply mascara. That's not five minutes of priming, friends. If a woman says she'll be ready in five minutes, expect her to be ready in 20 minutes. It'll just make things easier for everyone involved.

Men: When men say this, they really mean five minutes. They most likely just have to brush their teeth and - boom - they're ready. Maybe they'll even change their shirt or run a comb through their hair just for funsies. Just know that when he says five minutes, he probably means five minutes.

13 "How do I look?"

Women: When a woman asks how she looks, it means different things depending on who she asks. If a woman asks another woman how she looks, she's probably genuinely curious about her look. Whether it's because she's trying a new style or has been dancing for the past two hours, asking another woman means she is looking for an honest answer. If a woman asks a man how she looks, she isn't looking for the cold, hard truth. In fact, she's most likely fishing for a compliment. Note to all men, the answer to this question is also something like, “You are fire. You're the hottest woman here and you slay every day."

Men: If a guy asks a woman how he looks, he isn't fishing for a compliment, but he's rather really curious about how he looks. Men look to women for fashion advice. It's usually assumed that women know more about fashion than men do. If the question is purposed before leaving for the evening, feel free to critique his looks. When you tell a guy to change his tie because it clashes, he isn't offended. Men are usually comfortable with the fact that women tend to know more about clothes.

12 "I miss you."

Women: The 'I miss you' line is referring to an ex. When women tells an ex she misses him, what she's really saying is, "I drank a bottle of wine by myself while crying to The Notebook. I'm lonely and I want you to hug me." If a woman tells her ex she misses him, she's usually looking for a little male companionship. She misses the way it feels when a man spoons her. She does not actually miss her ex. "I miss you," always means, "I miss being in a relationship." Sorry, boys.

Men: If a guy says he misses his ex, it usually means, “I want to have ex-sex with you.” Does he miss his ex? Maybe, because we don't want to generalize too much. However, guys mostly use the I-miss-you line in order to get a woman into bed. If you get physical with a guy after he tells you he misses you, keep in mind that he may just miss having sex with you.

11 "I wouldn't mind watching it again."

Women: It's Netflix and chill time. A man and a woman are scrolling through the movie selection. He suggests watching something she's already seen, to which she responds, “I wouldn't mind watching it again.” What she's really saying is, “Look at how laid-back and flexible I am. I'd be a cool girlfriend.” She's really just trying to be agreeable. Hidden in there is also a dash of, “Be a gentleman and keep scrolling until we find something neither of us have seen." If a guy picks up on this subtle cue, he could really win some brownie points.

Men: In the same situation, if a guy says, “I wouldn't mind watching it again,” he really means, “I hope we don't actually watch this movie.” He's also trying to be agreeable, but with a large dash of, "I hope we get busy during this lame movie I've already seen." If he's willing to re-watch a movie, it's because he hopes to be busy doing, uh, other things besides watching the movie.

10 "Um, it was okay. What did you think?"

Women: Here we are being agreeable again, y'all. When you do something on a date, you'll likely discuss it after. If you see a movie, go to a show, have dinner, or whatever else you could possibly do on a date, he will ask, “What did you think?” If the woman says, “It was okay. What did you think?” she's feeling you out. She may have loved it. She may have hated it. Either way, she's testing the water. If she gushes about a dinner that the guy thought was sub-par he may think she has bad taste. If she hated a movie that he loved, it may make him wonder if she's a snob. Naturally, we have many opinions. If she says it's okay then asks for your opinion, she's testing the water.

Men: He could be trying to go the agreeable route too, but also if he says “It was okay. What did you think?” he probably wasn't paying attention. That romantic comedy you saw on the second date? Yeah, he wasn't paying attention and that's why he said, “It was okay. What did you think?” However, points to him for taking you to see a romantic comedy, right?

9 "I don't know. What are you in the mood for?"

Women: Ah, this is like a trick question. When asked what she wants for dinner, a woman will respond, “I don't know. What are you in the mood for?” In fact, this is how a woman will answer that question about 93% of the time she's asked what she wants for dinner. It's like a natural response programmed into women's brains. When someone asks what we want for dinner, we automatically say that. It's like when the doctor hits your knee and your leg springs up. It's automatic. Whatever happens next, he'll have to figure out what you secretly want for dinner and get it for you.

Men: If a guy says this, he's being polite. Guys usually know what they're in the mood for. And honestly, they would eat just about anything so it doesn't matter.

8 "I'm going out with my friends on Saturday."

Women: When a woman says she's going out with her friends on a Saturday, that means she's about to turn up. She is going to look like a absolute queen while she's out with her girlfriends. In fact, she may go even more glam for her girl time than she will for her man time. Girls nights are for trying out a new high fashion look. They are for drinking too many drinks and confiding in your girls. You may go dancing. You may end up eating ice cream at 4 am. Who knows? It's a girls night! When a woman tells a man that she's having a girls night, she'd like him to show just a bit of jealousy. Not too much jealousy, but just the awareness of how hot she'll look while she's out on the town.

Men: When a man tells a woman that he's hanging out with his friends on a Saturday, it means he'll be getting some beers with his friends. Maybe, they'll even do some shots. Complete different reactions are desired. Men would like women to just be cool with a guy's night, no jealousy.

7 "Let's take things slow."

Women: If a woman tells a man that she wants to take things slow, it means that she wants him to take her seriously as girlfriend material. When a woman wants to be taken seriously as a prospective girlfriend, she'll play by “the rules,” aka not putting out at all until the third date, waiting a certain amount of time to respond to his calls, and not making the first move. Think Charlotte on Sex and the City. It's the whole giving away the cow if the milk is for free adage. If a woman makes a to-do about taking things slow, it's because she wants you to know that you're not getting the milk for free. You better wifey her up first.

Men: If a guy says that he wants to take things slow, it's because he's trying to use reverse psychology on you. Okay, okay. Maybe, he's a romantic who cries during Me Before You and can't wait to get married. Maybe he really, truly wants to take things slow for the sake of the relationship. However, sometimes guys will say this to seem like the sweet, sensitive guy, which will make a woman more likely to hook up with him. If he says he wants to take things slow, don't let that seduce you. That could be the whole point.

6 "I'm fine."

Women: When a woman says, “I'm fine,” there is only one thing for sure - She is not fine. She is not fine at all. If she says, “I'm fine,” she really means, “Something is wrong and I expect you to figure it out, Sherlock.” She will most likely act odd until you've found out why she was not fine. “I'm fine,” is a phrase you never want to hear. It means the day/week/month/year will not be fun until you find out why she's not fine. When you finally realize that she's upset about the fact that you forgot to text her back three weeks ago, you can apologize and move on. It is only after you've figured out why she's not fine that she can actually be fine.

Men: When a guy says, “I'm fine,” he really means that he's fine. That's it.

5 "It's okay."

Women: “It's okay” is similar to “I'm fine,” but a little bit different. When a woman says, “I'm fine,” you have to get to the bottom of it before it's over. “It's okay,” is different in that aspect. When a woman says, “It's okay,” she means that it's okay… right now. Whether he canceled plans, liked his ex-girlfriend's Instagram post or whatever else he could have possibly done, he'll apologize and she'll say, “It's okay.” It will seem okay, like the fight is said and done. It will seem like she's forgiven you for liking your ex-girlfriend's Instagram post, but she hasn't forgiven you. “It's okay,” really means, “I'm going to act cool, but when you screw up again, I'm totally going to bring this up.” Women forget nothing. Remember that, men.

Men: “It's okay” means “It's okay.”

4 "Don't worry. It's not a big deal."

Women: This line is very similar to, “It's okay.” It's not a good thing. If she says, “Don't worry. It's not a big deal,” that means that whatever happened will definitely come back to haunt you. She'll bring this up again. However, there is a slight difference between, “It's okay,” and “Don't worry. It's not a big deal.”

“It's okay,” will generally be used for something that genuinely made her angry, y'know like liking your ex-girlfriend's Instagram photo. Just don't like your exes' Instagram photos, guys. We'll know and we'll be pissed. On the other hand, “Don't worry. It's not a big deal,” is used for more everyday disappointments. If a couple sees the movie he wants to see instead of the movie she wants to see, she may use this line. This means that she'll use this fact later in order to drag him to a romantic comedy. If he cancels plans so he can hang out with his dudes, she'll use this to force him to go to a cooking class with her.

"Don't worry. It's not a big deal," means you aren't in trouble, but you will owe her.

Men: Oh, men. They use this line and they use it well. When you ask a guy about something and he says, “Don't worry. It's not a big deal,” it usually is. If you ask him about the time he liked his ex-girlfriend's Instagram photo, he may say, "Don't worry. It's not a big deal." Be on high alert if he says this. That means that it is a big deal.

3 "I've had the worst day ever."

Women: When a woman tells you she's had the worst day ever, it means she had a difficult day. That part is true. The other secret part is how one must react to such a sentence. If a woman tells you she's had the worst day, she is really saying, “I've had the worst day ever, and I'd like you to talk to me about it for forty-five minutes. Then we'll watch Grey's Anatomy, Scandal and How to Get Away With Murder. Oh, and pour me a big glass of wine now. Thanks!” She did not simply have a bad day. There's much more to it.

Men: When a man says that he's had the worst day ever, it's, again, true that he's had a hard day. His full sentence is really, “I've had the worst day ever. Let's drink beer and not talk about it.” That is much easier to decode.

"I'm not that drunk."

Women: When a woman says this, it's because she's trying not to appear all that drunk. She may have had one martini too many with her girlfriends and now, she's meeting up with a dude she's into. She doesn't want to seem like a lush. She doesn't want to seem like she can't hold her alcohol. She knows she's drunk, but she will lie through her teeth about it. When a woman says “I'm not that drunk,” she really means, “I'm hammered, but trying to act like I'm not that drunk. Now, let's get pizza."

Men: When a man claims to not be that drunk, it's usually because he doesn't think he's that drunk. If it's the final quarter of a football game and he's extra rowdy, he'll claim that he's not that drunk. He's just into the game, you guys. However, he'll not realize that he's had nine beers through the course of the game. Guys will drink without thinking too much about it, while women know that they've had two glasses of wine and four sips of their third glass.

2 "Oh, so you did go out last night?"

Women: If a woman phrases something like this, beware. It means she already knows. It could be about you going out last night, you texting your ex-girlfriend, you planning a guys' trip without telling her - whatever the issue, she already knows you're doing it. It's likely that she found out through an awkward source. She doesn't want to be like, “Hey, I saw you checked in at the bar so I guess you went out last night and didn't invite me, huh?” She also doesn't want to be like, “Hey, when you went to the bathroom, I scrolled through your texts and saw you hit up your ex about her uncle passing away. What's up with that? You trying to hit that?” Phrasing it like a question means that she doesn't have to reveal her source. It's a trap. You're already caught so just roll with it.

Men: When he says this, he means, “Oh, so you went out last night? If I knew I would have played Madden for five hours instead of hoping to hook up. Hope you had fun.” It's less accusatory and more like a shoulder shrug, while women are usually on the hunt.

1 "I love you."

Women: Okay, I love you should be the one phrase that means the same thing to everyone, but it doesn't. When a woman says I love you, she means, “I love you. I'm ready for marriage. I hope we have three beautiful children and two rescue dogs. Should we buy an SUV tomorrow or what? I like a pear shaped diamond, by the way.” Yes, when women say I love you, they generally see a whole future. If they're dropping the L-bomb, it means long, long, long-term.

Men: Guys don't always see as far down the line as women do. When a man says I love you, he means it… but it's just that guys don't think about the future in so much depth. They have no idea about the SUV or the two rescue dogs, but they sure will find out about that stuff.

Men and women may mean totally different things when they say these 15 phrases, and that's what makes it so much fun being of the opposite sex, right? Sure, it's sometimes frustrating, but it's certainly fun to figure out what he actually means. I mean, if we all just said exactly what we meant, we'd all have so much more free time. Who wants that much free time?