Shadowing Practice: Learn English with TV shows: Friends - Joey Finds Out! - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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Hey, Mr. Bing?
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That hotel you stayed at called.
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Said someone left an eyelash curler in your room.
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In this clip, Chandler has just gotten back from a work trip and Joey suspects he's hiding something.
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Keep watching to see what Joey finally finds out.
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Damn Rolos.
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Hey, you're back.
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Hey.
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How was your conference?
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It was terrible.
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I fought with my colleagues the entire time.
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Are you kidding with this?
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So your weekend was a total bust?
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No. I got to see Donald Trump waiting for an elevator.
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Hi.
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Hey, you're back too.
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Yeah.
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Jando, can I talk to you outside for just a second?
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Hey, how was your chef thing?
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It was awful.
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I guess some people just don't appreciate really good food.
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Well, maybe it was the kind of food that tasted good at first, but then made everybody vomit and have diarrhea.
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Chandler?
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Monica?
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Hey.
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Hey, Mr. Bing.
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That, uh, hotel you stayed at called.
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Said someone left an eyelash curler in your room.
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Yes, that was mine.
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Because I figured you hooked up with some girl and she left it there.
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Yes, that would have made more sense.
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You know, I don't even feel like I know you anymore, man.
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On to part two.
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Damn, Rolos.
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Damn is frequently used to express anger or frustration.
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It's very informal, so be careful where you use it.
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Some people consider it a bad word, so be really aware when and where you use this word.
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You better look cute in this picture and no one's gonna want you.
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Do something with your damn paws!
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Whoa, whoa, Sarge, relax.
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In this clip from Friends, Chandler is quite frustrated because Joey leaves Rolo's around everywhere.
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Rolo's is just a type of chocolate with a delicious creamy filling.
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I don't know why Chandler is so angry.
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It's so nice to find random chocolate.
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Damn Rolo's.
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Hey, you're back.
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Hey, how was your conference?
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That was terrible.
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Verb to be plus the preposition back create the idiom which means to return.
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This is perhaps the most iconic English movie quote.
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I'll be back.
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If you want to understand famous movie quotes, make sure you check out this video right here.
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So Joey notices that Chandler has returned from his trip.
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He was at a conference, which is typically a large formal meeting to talk about something on a specific topic.
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Here's a pronunciation tip so you can sound like a native speaker omit the first e sound.
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So it's not conference, it's conference.
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Textbooks don't teach this.
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Hey, you're back.
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Hey, how was your conference?
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That was terrible.
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I fought with my colleagues are you kidding with this?
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Fought is the past tense form of the verb fight, but it doesn't refer to a physical fight.
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In this context, it's a synonym for argue, basically fighting but with words.
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Like when Chandler and Monica had a serious fight about something really dumb.
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Are you mocking me?
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No, I'm not mocking you or your beautiful game.
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We use the idiom, are you kidding?
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When expressing shock, dismay, or irritation.
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Chandler is clearly irritated about Joey and his chocolate addiction.
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I can't relate.
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That was terrible.
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I fought with my colleagues the entire time.
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Are you kidding with this?
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Uh, so your weekend was a total bust?
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Uh, no. I got to see Donald Trump waiting for an elevator.
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Bust is a fun little slang word that means failure.
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If it's a bust, it's a failure.
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It's a pop.
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I pushed my husband into law school.
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That was a bust.
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So, Joey is asking if Chandler's weekend was a failure.
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And it wasn't because Chandler got to see Donald Trump.
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Got to means he had the opportunity to see this public figure.
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So if you get to do something, you have the opportunity to do something.
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Well, I get to travel into space.
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Uh, so your weekend was a total bust?
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Uh, no. I got to see Donald Trump waiting for an elevator.
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Hi.
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Hey, you're back too.
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Yeah.
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Um, Jando, can I talk to you outside for just a second?
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Hey, how was your chef thing?
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Awful.
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When you hear the word outside, you probably think about an outdoor setting like a forest or a field,
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but it can actually refer to any place beyond the enclosed place that you are currently in.
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In this case, Monica's referring to the hall right outside their apartment.
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Joey then asks about Monica's chef thing.
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We use the general noun thing more commonly when speaking than in writing.
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And it's mostly used to refer to physical objects.
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But we also use thing to refer to actions, ideas, or events.
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It's used when we don't know, don't remember, or we don't want to specify what we're talking about.
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Are you on a date?
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No, it's.. it's a work thing.
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Hi.
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Hey, you're back too.
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Yeah.
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Um, Jenner, can I talk to you outside for just a second?
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Hey, how was your chef thing?
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It was awful.
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I guess some people just don't appreciate really good food.
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Yes, when used at the beginning of a sentence has a similar meaning to believe or suppose.
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Okay, so I guess this is, uh, goodbye then.
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Oh, no, no, it's not goodbye.
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I'm not leaving until you get on that plane.
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Back to our original clip, Monica is saying that she believes some people don't appreciate good food.
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Appreciate means to value or admire somebody or something.
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I think we're spoiled because we don't appreciate the things that we have.
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So Monica is just using an allegory to express that Chandler doesn't value her the way he should.
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Let's see how he responds.
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I guess some people just don't appreciate really good food.
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Well, maybe it was the kind of food that tasted good at first, but then made everybody vomit and have diarrhea.
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first is the same as at the beginning or in the initial stages.
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For instance, at first, when I started learning German, I was overwhelmed with all the different resources out there,
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especially because I like to immerse myself in the language.
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The problem was I already knew that the captions on YouTube and Netflix are not reliable.
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Not even for English.
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I can't even imagine for German.
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But then I found FluentU.
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If you're like me and you want to speak like a native, you should definitely check it out.
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With FluentU, you learn English with authentic videos like movie scenes,
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TED talks, and music videos that come with interactive subtitles created by language experts.
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As you watch, you can just click on the words to get context-specific definitions
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and video examples to really learn how to incorporate your new vocab naturally.
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Plus, after each video, there's a personalized quiz and speaking questions.
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If you're like me and all of this is important to you, make sure you sign up below to get your free 14-day trial.
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If you sign up now, you can also get a discount, so get it while you can.
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I guess some people just don't appreciate really good food.
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Well, maybe it was the kind of food that tasted good at first, but then made everybody vomit and have diarrhea.
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Vomit and diarrhea are kinds of disruptions of the digestive system.
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Let's just say that vomit is what comes out from the top and diarrhea is what comes out from down below,
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both in liquid forms.
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Well, maybe it was the kind of food that tasted good at first, but then made everybody vomit and have diarrhea.
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Handler?
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Monica?
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Hey.
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Hey, Mr. Bing?
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That, That hotel you stayed at called.
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Said someone left an eyelash curler in your room.
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Mr. is just a way of formally addressing men.
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If you want to know more about formally addressing people, check out this video we did right here.
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really important to know how to address people in formal situations.
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You don't want to accidentally be rude.
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If you leave something in a particular place, then you let it remain there when you go away.
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Like in this case where the eyelash curler remained at the hotel.
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This is an eyelash curler.
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No, it isn't a torture device, although sometimes it can feel like one.
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Ouch.
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It's a tool used to curl eyelashes.
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Hey, Mr. Bing?
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That hotel you stayed at called.
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Said someone left an eyelash curler in your room.
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Yes, that was mine.
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Because I figured you hooked up with some girl and she left it there.
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Here, cuz is just an informal version of the conjunction because.
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Figured comes from an also informal word which means to think, consider, or expect something.
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I always figured you just thought it was Monica's geeky older brother.
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I did.
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Oh.
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So, back to our original scene, Joey thought that Chandler hooked up with a girl.
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Hookup is an informal verb that means to form a brief romantic relationship with someone or more directly,
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to spend the night with someone, if you know what I mean.
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Are Anne and Peter gonna hook up?
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I'm not telling you.
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Yes, that was mine.
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Because I figured you hooked up with some girl and she left it there.
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Yes, that would have made more sense.
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You know, I don't even feel like I know you anymore, man.
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If something makes sense, then that means it's rational, comprehensible, and coherent.
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So in this scene, it's obviously more rational that the eyelash curler belongs to a girl than to Chandler.
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It's obviously a lie and that's why Joey says, I don't even feel like I know you anymore, man.
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Chandler has been lying and sneaking around and Joey is obviously finding Chandler's different behavior strange.
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Yes, that would have made more sense.
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You know, I don't even feel like I know you anymore, man.
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Before we go to scene two and watch how Joey uncovers the truth,
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make sure you download the free PDF where you can review all of these vocabulary words and expressions.
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Hey.
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Hey.
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Hey.
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Oh, hey, Monica.
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I heard you saw Donald Trump at your convention.
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Yeah.
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Yeah, I saw him waiting for an elevator.
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Hey Rach, can I borrow your eyelash curler?
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I think I lost mine.
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Yeah, it's in the bathroom.
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Can I talk to you for a second?
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We're so stupid.
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Do you know what's going on in there?
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They're trying to take Joey.
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Hey.
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Hey.
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Oh, hey, Monica.
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I heard you saw Donald Trump at your convention.
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Yeah, so I'm waiting for an elevator.
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Heard is the verb here in the past tense.
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In this case, its definition is to be told or be informed about something.
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So, Phoebe was told by someone that Monica also saw Donald Trump.
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What I want you to notice here is the pronunciation of the verb waiting.
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Notice how Monica omits the G sound.
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Yeah, so I'm waiting for an elevator.
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This is extremely common in spoken English and it'll help you sound more like a native.
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You can either say waitin' or waitin'.
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I heard you saw Donald Trump at your convention.
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Yeah, so I'm waiting for an elevator.
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Hey, Rach, can I borrow your eyelash curler?
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I think I lost mine.
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Yeah, it's in the bathroom.
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Borrow is when you take something or use something that belongs to someone else, but you have the intention of returning it.
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If not, then that's stealing.
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May I borrow someone's textbook, please?
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Thank you.
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Many people that are learning English tend to confuse the verbs borrow and lend.
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Lend is when you give something to someone and then they're the ones that will return the object to you.
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In other words, if you have it, then you lend it.
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If you don't have it, then you borrow it.
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So, what happened was that Joey linked the fact
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that the eyelash curler that was found in Chandler's hotel room actually belonged to Monica.
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This indicates that they were in fact together.
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So, he freaks out.
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Hey, Rach, can I borrow your eyelash curler?
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I think I lost mine.
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Yeah, it's in the back.
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Oh!
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Oh!
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Oh!
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Oh!
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Joey, can I talk to you for a second?
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Oh!
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Oh!
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Oh!
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We're so stupid.
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Do you know what's going on in there?
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They're trying to take Joey.
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What's going on is just a different way of saying way of saying what's happening.
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In general, take is a verb that means to remove someone or something from a specific place.
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So Phoebe thought that Chander and Monica were taking Joey away from their own group.
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What she means by this is that in previous episodes,
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Phoebe, Rachel, and Joey have formally debated forming their own group of friends.
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Because of Ross's then-fiancée, Emily, did not want him to continue seeing Rachel.
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So Phoebe thinks that Tander and Monica are trying to get or steal Joey to form their own group of friends.
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We're so stupid.
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Do you know what's going on in there?
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They're trying to take Joey.
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Damn Rolos.
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Hey, you're back.
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Hey.
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How was your conference?
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It was terrible.
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I fought with my colleagues the entire time.
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Are you kidding with this?
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So your weekend was a total bust?
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No. I got to see Donald Trump waiting for an elevator.
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Hi.
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Hey, you're back too.
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Yeah.
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Um, Jenner, can I talk to you outside for just a second?
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Hey, how was your chef thing?
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It was awful.
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I guess some people just don't appreciate really good food.
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Well, maybe it was the kind of food that tasted good at first, but then made everybody vomit and have diarrhea.
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Handler?
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Monaghan?
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Hey.
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Hey, Mr. Bing.
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That, uh, hotel you stayed at called.
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said someone left an eyelash curler in your room.
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Yes, that was mine.
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Because I figured you hooked up with some girl and she left it there.
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Yes, that would have made more sense.
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You know, I don't even feel like I know you anymore, man.
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Hey.
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Hey.
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Hey.
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Oh, hey, Monica.
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I heard you saw Donald Trump at your convention.
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Yeah, so I'm waiting for an elevator.
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Hey Rach, can you borrow your eyelash curler?
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I think I lost mine.
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Yeah, it's in the back.
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Joey, can I talk to you for a second?
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Hold on!
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Hold on!
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Hold on!
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Hold on!
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Hold on!
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We're so stupid.
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Do you know what's going on in there?
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They're trying to take Joey.
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Now, let's break down a hilarious friends clip where Rachel
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and Phoebe try to look for Monica's Christmas presents and they end up breaking Chandler.
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Yes, you can also break people, but no, not literally.
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Don't know what break means here?
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Go watch it to find out.

About This Lesson

In this lesson, you will practice English listening and speaking skills by watching a clip from the popular TV show, Friends. The scenario features Chandler and Joey, exploring everyday conversational English as they navigate friendship and humorous misunderstandings. By immersing yourself in this natural dialogue, you will not only improve your comprehension but also enrich your vocabulary. Utilizing the shadowing technique, you'll mimic the actors' speech patterns and expressions to enhance your fluency and confidence in speaking English.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • Damn: An informal expression of frustration or anger. Use it cautiously, as some consider it inappropriate.
  • Rolos: A brand of chocolate with a creamy filling mentioned humorously in the context of friendship.
  • Back: In this context, it relates to returning to a place or situation. Phrases like “you’re back” are very common in casual conversation.
  • Awful: A common adjective used to describe something that is very bad or unpleasant.
  • Appreciate: To recognize the value of something; in this video, it is used in a culinary context to imply that not everyone values good food.
  • Hook up: A casual phrase used to refer to romantic or intimate encounters.
  • Vomit and have diarrhea: Casual and humorous expressions used to describe a bad reaction to food.

Practice Tips

To effectively practice your English speaking skills, I recommend using the shadowspeak technique with this video clip. Pay attention to the characters’ tone and pace as they engage in conversation. Start by listening carefully to the dialogue without trying to speak. Focus on how the words sound and the rhythm of their speech.

Once you feel comfortable, play the video again and try to repeat what you hear, mimicking not just the words but also the emotion behind them. Aim to sync your speech with the characters as closely as possible. Remember, this video features informal language at a natural conversational speed, which is great for learning realistic dialogue you may encounter in daily life.

Utilizing this method will improve your listening and speaking abilities, making you more fluent in everyday English use. Whether you are practicing alone or with a partner, incorporating material like this from learn English with YouTube can help solidify your skills. Embrace the challenge and enjoy learning with your favorite shows!

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.