Shadowing Practice: Learn English with RATATOUILLE — Linguini's Secret - Learn English Speaking with Video

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356 sentences
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1
Morning, little chef.
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Rising shot?
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Oh no. Idiot!
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I knew this would happen!
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I let him run into my place and tell him what's mine is his?
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Egg's gone!
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Stupid!
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He's stolen food and hit the road!
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What did I expect?
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That's what I get for trusting a rat!
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What?
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Uh...
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Hey, is that for me?
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Mmm, that's good!
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In this hilarious clip from Ratatouille, Linguini wakes up to find his new cooking partner, Rammy the rat, has already whipped up an omelette for breakfast.
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Rise and shine is a cheerful way to wake someone up.
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Rise and shine!
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right after breakfast they hit the road which means they left or went away.
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These
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and other advanced words are already waiting for you on the
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RealLife English app where you can have a vocabulary practice with the flashcards covering all the words
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and expressions you'll be learning today with Ratatouille.
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You can find a special link in the description below and just remember to download the RealLife English app.
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If you are new here every week we create lessons just
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like this one to help you understand your favorite movies and TV series without getting lost, without missing the jokes, and without subtitles.
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So hit that subscribe button and bell down below not to miss a single new lesson.
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Ratatouille is a movie about breaking stereotypes and pursuing your dreams.
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This unlikely duo teaches us a valuable lesson.
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And when things seem impossible, teamwork can help you overcome any challenge.
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Let's watch it together!
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Oh, you got...
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GAAAHHHHH!
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GAAAHHHHH!
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This is not gonna work, little chef!
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I'm gonna lose it if we do this anymore!
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We gotta, we gotta figure out something else.
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Something that doesn't involve any biting or nipping or running up and down my body with your little rat feet.
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Biting?
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No!
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Scampering?
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No!
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No scampering or scurrying!
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You understand, little chef?
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Little chef?
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Oh, you're hungry.
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Yeah, so funny.
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He says, I'm gonna lose it.
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What does it mean here by saying I'm gonna lose it?
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This is not gonna work, Little Chef!
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I'm gonna lose it if we do this anymore!
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I'm gonna go crazy.
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I'm gonna just go insane.
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Yeah, like lose control, right?
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Yeah, lose control of myself, of my mind.
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Okay, so for example, the Beatles fans in the past, you know, when the Beatles started playing, the fans would just lose it.
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So you could say, oh, they lost it.
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Yeah, he just like, he feels like overwhelmed with everything's going on.
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Yeah, just too much motion around it.
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So he can't keep cool.
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Nice word there to overwhelmed when there's too much, right?
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So he will lose it if they keep doing that, if the little chef keeps doing that.
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So he says that they got to figure out something else.
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We got to figure out something else.
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So when you figure something out, you kind of solve a problem.
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You find a way how to solve something, how to fix things.
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And what I find interesting about this phrase is is that the order in which you say the words can change.
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Like you can say to figure it out, to figure it out.
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There's some connected speech there, figure it out.
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There's a tap T that becomes like a D sound, at out, figure it out.
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But in this case, he says, figure out another way to do something.
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So you're placing the object, another way to do something or something else after figure out.
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So you can say it either way, depends on how you're phrasing it.
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And by the way, connected speech, good that you mentioned it, because in the phrase, I'm gonna lose it, there's also an interesting pattern, right?
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It's, I am going to lose it.
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He says, it's just, I'm gonna lose it, just as one chunk.
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I'm gonna, and then lose it.
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The Z sound from lose, it just connects to it, to that, lose it, I'm gonna lose it.
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We gotta, we gotta figure out something else.
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Something that doesn't involve any biting or nipping or running up and down my body with your little rat feet.
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You're biting, no. Scampering, no. No scampering or scurrying!
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You understand, little chef?
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So many actions that a rat can do on your body, like biting, nipping, scampering, right?
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What are all those words?
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What's the meaning of all those words?
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Yeah, so nipping, which is quite funny to just picture it, is to bite quickly and sharply.
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Like often in a small and light way, you're just like pinching, you know, like you're nipping.
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It's almost pinching, I just wanted to say, it's almost like pinching.
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He also said scampering, what is that?
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Yeah, scampering, it makes me think about like animals or even small children, because scampering is running quickly, right?
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With like little light steps.
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And he describes that as like running up and down my body with your little rat feet.
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Can you just imagine that?
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It just makes me shivers, you know, like my body.
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Yeah, yeah, yeah.
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Because it's tickling as well, as if it was tickling, right?
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So he says, no skimpering or scurrying.
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Now that's a more advanced and really interesting word, scurrying.
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What is that?
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Yeah, makes me think that it's a kind of a combination of the word scary and hurry.
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Yeah, so scarily hurry.
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Scaring is moving hurriedly when you are in a rush.
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Yeah, and you again make those short quick steps.
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Yeah, it makes me think of squirrels, which is an interesting.
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Oh, pretty yeah exactly it's similar work the word sounds similar
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right scurry squirrel the animal squirrel it scurries right it's like
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it hops in it it moves quite fast with all those quick steps
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hey guys did you know
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that you can pause this video now find the special link to the vocabulary practice in the description below
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and continue watching it inside the real life english app Why don't you try it now?
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All you need is to have the app on your smartphone and tap on the link below.
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By having the vocabulary practice just 10-15 minutes a day, you'll be able to transfer these new words from your short term into your long-term memory.
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Plus, with the spaced repetition software that we built into this app,
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you'll retain vocabulary more effectively by reviewing new words at carefully timed intervals just
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when you're about to forget them i highly recommend you check
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it out the app is free to download just look for real life english in the app store
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or google play store it's free to get started so go
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and get it now all right ed let's watch the second part of this clip
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which is a little bit longer but that's exactly the part
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when they try to figure out the system
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and you might be surprised at the end of this clip if you haven't watched the movie Okay,
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so let's think this out.
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You know how to cook, and I know how to appear, uh, human.
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We just need to work out a system, so that I do what you want, in a way that doesn't look like I'm being controlled by a tiny rat.
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Chef, oh, would you listen to me?
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I'm insane, I'm insane, I'm insane!
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Your refrigerator talking to a rat!
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Linguini?
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We gotta communicate.
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I can't be constantly checking for a yes or no head shake from a rat!
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The rat!
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I saw it!
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A rat?
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Yes, yes, a rat right next to you!
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What are you doing in here?
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I'm just familiarizing myself with, you know, the vegetables and such.
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Get out!
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One can get too familiar with vegetables, you know! That was close.
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Are you okay up there?
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How did you do that?
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Whoa!
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That's strangely involuntary!
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One look and I knew we had the same crazy idea.
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Okay, so let's think this out.
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You know how to cook, and I know how to appear human.
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Okay, so everybody knows the verb to think, but how does it change if we add out here?
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So what does it mean to think out?
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When you're thinking more carefully, maybe you're planning, you're considering something or planning more carefully and you're taking extra time to do it,
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so you're thinking it out.
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I also liked how he pronounces the phrase how to differently, so he uses it twice.
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You know how to cook and I know how to appear human, right?
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So in the first case, he uses the connected speech here, how to, how to.
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Yeah, so we reduce to to a schwa sound, ta, and connect two words together, how to.
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You know how to cook.
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And then he takes a pause.
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That's why to is not reduced in this case.
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And I know how to, takes a pause, appear human.
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Yeah, he was thinking what he can do actually, yeah, appear human.
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We just need to work out a system so
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that I do what you want in a way
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that doesn't look like I'm being controlled by a tiny rat
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chef oh would you listen to me I'm insane I'm insane I'm insane nice
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so we just explained uh the phrasal verb to think out
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there's another phrasal verb to work out he says we should
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work out a system could you define it please yeah that's
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it's a nice phrase right to work out a system
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because workouts if you don't know this expression you could think it's like exercising like physical exercising right
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but to work out a system is just to create or figure out an effective way of doing something.
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And really you can collocate this with other phrases, like you can work out a way to do it, figure it out, as you said.
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So it's very similar to that in that sense.
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And it has connected speech here too.
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It's another word chunk.
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So work out, work out a, work out a way, work out a system.
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And what happens there is the K connects, the K sound connects with out.
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So work out.
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And the T in out becomes a flap T, the american t which connects with uh the short a the article a
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so work out a i really like the example of the passive voice here
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so he says i'm being controlled you may be confused by it
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but if you look at this being part rings a bell right a i
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and g tells you about continuous progressive tenses
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so i am being controlled is actually a present continuous yeah i am doing something but in a passive voice.
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The passive voice is formed when the action is directed toward the subject and we can easily turn into the active voice.
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For example, the rat is controlling the chef.
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So the chef is being controlled by a rat.
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So you see, it transforms both ways very easily.
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Guys, let me just quickly bring another example for you to practice it more.
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Like, for example, right now, we are explaining the word, or we are explaining the passive voice to you.
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If you want to convert it into active, you can say that this grammar piece is being explained by the real-life coaches.
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We just need to work out a system so
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that I do what you want in a way that doesn't look like I'm being controlled by a tiny rat chef.
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Oh, would you listen to me?
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I'm insane.
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I'm insane.
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So he says that he's being controlled by a tiny rat chef.
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What's that word?
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Tiny.
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I also like another variant of this word as a teeny tiny.
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So tiny or teeny tiny is super small, like something very small.
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And another connected speech pattern here.
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Would you listen to me?
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Could you break it down easy?
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The first instance of pectin speech we see there that the words would you morph into a single would you sound.
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So there's like a j, j, would you, would you, would you.
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Okay, so the rest of that phrase is would you listen to me.
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Yeah, so here what happens is if you remember from the previous lessons we made in this channel, the combination of letters and T usually drops T.
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So, listen and to merge together, listen to, but then we lose the T here, listen to, listen to me.
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Yeah, and to is reduced also to a schwa sound, so it becomes ta.
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So he says, would you listen to me?
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I'm insane.
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I'm crazy.
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Yeah, going crazy, you're losing it, you're insane.
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And guys, now we're going to play the rest of the clip, and it will be a little bit difficult to hear some of the words, because we are out of this refrigerator
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and this is actually how linguine's boss just listens to him
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uh that's why it's a little bit muffled right easy what is muffled yeah muffled well muffled is like
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when a sound is more difficult to hear exactly like you're
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saying maybe like you know oh hello hello hey ksenia hey ksenia hello exactly like that's the muffled sound so Linguini?
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We gotta communicate.
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I can't be constantly checking for a yes or no head shake from a rat.
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Yeah, so those muffled words he was actually saying are gourmet restaurant.
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Yeah, gourmet, the interesting French word, it actually means fancy, high-end dining, right?
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Because as you remember, they are located in Paris and it is well known for its fine cuisine.
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The gourmet restaurant is some fancy restaurant, right?
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Wow, so many interesting advanced words there, Xenia.
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Like high-end, fine cuisine, gourmet restaurant.
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So for all of you watching us, remember that all these advanced words, you can practice them on the real-life app, just like Xenia said earlier.
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So make sure to download it right now.
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And you can even continue watching this lesson there.
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So Xenia, he also says, we will never pull this off, or I will never pull this off.
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What does that mean?
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To pull something off or to pull it off?
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That's a very interesting phrasal verb, actually.
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When you successfully achieve something or complete some difficult task, you can say, oh, I pulled this off, right?
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Or when you're in doubt, like Linguini here, that he doesn't know if he's actually capable of completing this task successfully.
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I also hear it when somebody decides to buy a piece of clothing
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or get a haircut that looks really unique and different and somehow it just fits them and they look cool in it.
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Other people could say, oh you really pulled it off.
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The rat!
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I saw it!
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The rat?
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Yes, yes, a rat right next to you!
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What are you doing in here?
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I'm just familiarizing myself with, you know, the vegetables and such.
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Get out!
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Yeah, that is so funny that he says this phrase here, I'm familiarizing myself with the vegetables.
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Yeah, I couldn't imagine like, you know, he goes into a refrigerator to learn about some vegetables.
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Familiarizing yourself is to get to know something, right?
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But there is an interesting addition.
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He says like and such, right?
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What does this mean?
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So and such is similar things with vegetables and things are similar to vegetables.
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So it's a collocation they can use to say that.
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It's interesting he says vegetables there the way he says it because it's the way natives usually say it.
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But then when his boss says it because it has this French accent, it sounds slightly off, you know, like how most native English speakers would say it. And
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that reminds me of something you shared in the podcast you
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did with Ethan recently of how your daughter used to say the word vegetable.
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Because that's a very difficult word for foreigners.
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And remember the tip that Ethan shared?
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Just say badges.
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Badges.
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Yeah, there you go.
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Yeah, let's leave the link in the description for that episode.
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It's really nice because you guys covered so many different difficult sounds.
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By the way, EZ, do you remember an English word to describe this motion, this movement he just did to avoid this waiter?
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Ah, well, maybe dodge.
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That's a verb.
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Like when you dodge, there's even a phrase like dodge a bullet, which is not literal, like somebody firing a gun and you're dodging the bullet.
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But that's more figurative when you avoid a situation that could be problematic for you.
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So you dodge the bullet.
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But that's the word that comes to mind.
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Dodge.
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That's an interesting dodge because I didn't remember that.
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What did pop in my head is the verb duck.
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And it's funny because there is this bird, duck.
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but if you use it as a verb to duck it means exactly
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that to avoid something what is about to hit you
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and probably the etymology of this word is from this thing duck does
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and it lowers its head right so the duck means to lower its head or to avoid something
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How did you do that?
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Oh Whoa, that's strangely involuntary
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That's so funny he is like a muppet right so there is this doll with cords and you like control
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The doll it's like a muppet.
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It's called a muppet.
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You mean like a puppet?
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It's a puppet!
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It's a Muppet or Puppet?
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Muppet is a show, right?
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Yeah.
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I'm not your puppet!
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And there is an interesting advanced word he used.
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It was involuntary.
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What does it mean, involuntary?
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Involuntary.
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And I think the way he says it, involuntary...
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But that's not how you should say it, right?
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The actual pronunciation is involuntary.
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It's when you do something without wanting to or it's not conscious.
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Like when we sneeze sometimes, like we don't plan to and it's just involuntary, right?
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Or if somebody tickles you, you know, to make you laugh or just...
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Your reaction is involuntary.
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So they figured it out how to do it, yeah?
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I highly recommend you check out this movie if you haven't yet done so, because it's super nice, it's family friendly,
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it's inspirational and it's so charming and now it's time for a test.
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Let's watch the clip one more time without subtitles and answer some of our quiz questions.
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biting or nipping or running up and down my body with your little rat feet.
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Biting?
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No!
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Scampering?
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No!
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No scampering or scurrying!
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You understand, little chef?
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Little chef?
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What is nipping?
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Running?
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Jumping?
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Biting?
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Oh, you're hungry.
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Okay, so let's think this out.
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You know how to cook, and I know how to appear...
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...human.
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We just need to work out a system, so that I do what you want in a way that doesn't look like I'm being controlled by a tiny rat.
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Chef, oh would you listen to me?
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I'm insane, I'm insane, I'm insane!
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I'm a printer and you're talking to a rat!
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To work out in this context means to do some training, to develop some plan, to trick the system.
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Oh, you're hungry.
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Okay, so let's think this out.
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You know how to cook, and I know how to appear, uh, human.
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We just need to work out a system so
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that I do what you want in a way that doesn't look like I'm being controlled by a tiny rat.
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Chef, oh would you listen to me?
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I'm insane, I'm insane, I'm insane!
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A refrigerator talking to a rat!
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If you pull something off, you accomplish a difficult task, understand how things work, forget about this unpleasant experience.
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A rat?
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Yes, yes, a rat right next to you!
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What are you doing in here?
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I'm just familiarizing myself with, you know, the vegetables and such.
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Get out!
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Choose the correct word.
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I'm just familiarizing myself about, on, with, the vegetables.
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One can get too familiar with vegetables, you know! That was close.
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Are you okay up there?
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How did you do that? So guys,
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thank you so much for learning with us today, but that's not the end of your learning sessions.
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Remember to review all the vocabulary from today's lessons with the RealLife English app.
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Now please check if you have it downloaded on your phone
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and then using your phone click on the special link in the description under this video
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and you will be redirected right into the vocabulary practice when you will be reviewing once again all these words and expressions.
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This is the easiest way to make these words stick with you forever.
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And if you need a recommendation, here's another fun lesson for you to watch next.
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I think someone is targeting predators on purpose and making them go savage.
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Wow.
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Isn't that interesting?
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Wait, wait, please.
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I know you'll never forgive me and I don't blame you.
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I wouldn't forgive me either.
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I was ignorant.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Learn English with RATATOUILLE — Linguini's Secret”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: word, rat, chef, insane, lose. This video has 356 sentences and 3502 words to shadow. The speech runs for 25:30. The speaker talks at a steady 137 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 82% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 73 of its 356 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.

Key vocabulary in this video

The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

WordPronunciationMeaning
vegetable noun/ˈvɛd͡ʒ.tə.bəl/A plant raised for some edible part of it, such as the leaves, roots, fruit or flowers, but excluding any plant considered to be a fruit, grain, herb, or spice…
scamper verb/ˈskæmpɚ/To run lightly and quickly, especially in a playful or undignified manner.
involuntary adjective/ɪnˈvɑ.lənˌtɛɹ.i/Without intention; unintentional.
scurry verb/ˈskʌ.ɹi/To run with quick light steps, to scamper.
verb noun/vɝb/A word that indicates an action, event, or state of being.
dodge verb/dɑd͡ʒ/To avoid (something) by moving suddenly out of the way.
familiarize verb/fəˈmɪliəɹaɪ̯z/To make or become familiar with something or someone.
muffle verb/mʌfl̩/To wrap (a person, face etc.) in fabric or another covering, for warmth or protection; often with up.
vocabulary noun/vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/A usually alphabetized and explained collection of words e.g. of a particular field, or prepared for a specific purpose, often for learning.
gourmet noun/ɡʊɹˈmeɪ/A connoisseur in eating and drinking; someone who takes their food seriously.
refrigerator noun/ɹɪˈfɹɪd͡ʒ.əˌɹeɪ.tɚ/A household or commercial appliance used for keeping food fresh by refrigeration (short form fridge).
puppet noun/ˈpʌpɪt/Any small model of a person or animal able to be moved by strings or rods, or in the form of a glove.
passive adjective/ˈpæs.ɪv/Being subjected to an action without producing a reaction.
phrasal adjective/ˈfɹeɪzəl/Relating to, or used in the manner of, a phrase.
tickle verb/ˈtɪkl̩/To touch repeatedly or stroke delicately in a manner which typically causes laughter, pleasure and twitching.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

WordPronunciationMeaning
work out verb/ˌwɝk ˈaʊt/To calculate.
figure out verbTo come to understand; to discover or find a solution; to deduce.
run up verbTo run (towards someone or something); to hasten to a destination.
get out verbTo leave or escape.
think out verbTo devise or solve by a process of thought.
check out verbTo record the departure or withdrawal of someone or something (such as guests, employees, books, etc.).
go away verbTo depart or leave a place.

Sentences worth repeating

Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:

  • Hey, is that for me?
  • What does it mean here by saying I'm gonna lose it?
  • Can you just imagine that?
  • Chef, oh, would you listen to me?
  • What are you doing in here?

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

StructureIn the video
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does itbeing controlled · is not reduced · is formed
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thingroad which means · nipping, which is · squirrels, which is
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters nowhas already whipped · haven't watched · has connected

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 103 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, you're, gonna. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

  • The “sh” and “zh” sounds: schwa /ʃwɑ/, shine /ʃaɪn/, collocation /ˌkɑ.ləˈkeɪ.ʃən/, flashcard /ˈflæʃˌkɑɹd/, repetition /ˌɹɛp.əˈtɪʃ.ən/
  • Long words — get the stress right: involuntary /ɪnˈvɑ.lənˌtɛɹ.i/, familiarize /fəˈmɪliəɹaɪ̯z/, vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/, refrigerator /ɹɪˈfɹɪd͡ʒ.əˌɹeɪ.tɚ/, collocation /ˌkɑ.ləˈkeɪ.ʃən/

How to practise with this video

  1. Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
  2. Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
  3. Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like vegetable, scamper, involuntary.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →