Shadowing Practice: The Ones Where They're Broke | Friends - Learn English Speaking with Video

Choose a practice mode

Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.

357 sentences

If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.

Hey, you feeling better?

Yeah, I think that fifth shower actually got the interview off me.

So, do you have any other possibilities?

Oh, yeah, well, there is the possibility that I won't make rent.

Well, if you want, I can lend you some money.

No, no, no, because if I couldn't pay you back right away, then I'd feel guilty and tense every time I saw you.

Oh, okay.

Well, then why don't you, uh, why don't you borrow it from Mom and Dad?

If you feel guilty and tense around them already, you might as well make some money off of them.

Hi.

Hi, darling.

So, what's this?

Some of your old stuff.

Well, sweetie, we have a surprise for you.

We're turning your room into a gym.

Wow, that is a surprise.

Just one little question.

Why not Ross's room?

Gosh, we talked about that, but your brother has so many science trophies and plaques and merit badges.

Well, we didn't want to disturb them.

Oh, God forbid.

You know, that Steffi Graf has quite a tush.

I'm just saying, it's right there.

Hey, guys.

Hi, darling.

Where's my grandson?

You didn't bring him.

No, he's at Carol's and Susan's today.

A woman in my office is a lesbian.

I'm just saying.

Oh, Jack, look, there's that house bank commercial that cracks you up. Where have you been?

Emotional hell.

So did they lend you the money yet?

No, but that's probably because I haven't asked them yet.

Come on, Monica, do it.

Hey, you guys, um, Monica has some news.

Um, yeah, so, uh, listen, I'm sorry I didn't tell you this before, but, um, I -I'm no longer at my job.

I -I had to leave it.

Why?

Because they made me.

You were.. fired?

I...

What are you gonna do?

Judy, Judy, relax.

This is our little harmonica we're talking about.

We taught her well.

Ten percent of your paycheck.

Where does it go?

In the bank.

The bank.

There you go.

So she dips into her savings.

That's what it's there for.

She's gonna be fine.

And if you need a little extra, you know where to find it.

Anything larger back there?

Okay, here you go.

You can pay me back whenever you like.

You have dinosaur checks?

Yeah.

Yeah, I mean, you get your money and you learn a little something.

What's wrong with that?

Nothing, nothing.

Hey, you're a cheapasaurus.

No kidding.

Thank you.

I'm very grateful.

hey mon what is this oh um that was my bathing suit from high school i was a little bigger then

oh i thought that's what they used to cover connecticut when it rains

hi hi listen can we watch cartoons on your television we need a porn break

we spent the last two hours watching in and out and in again

so why don't you just turn it off because then we'd be the guys who turned off free porn

oh good you're here okay hi what you got there oh this well i'm glad you asked

now don't you hate it when you have to cut a tin can with an ordinary steak knife

ah now i know what you're thinking pregnant woman slays four

baby they didn't make you pay for those knives did they no are you sure no

honey you're not going to make enough money to help frank

and alice just by selling knives no no i know that

but i'm just need to make enough money for the second

part of my plan what's the second part of your plan my saturn dealership i'm doing for dinner tonight

Well, I guess I gotta start saving up for Ross's birthday, so...

I guess I'll just stay home and eat dust bunnies.

Can you believe how much this is gonna cost?

Do you guys ever get the feeling that, um, Chandler and those guys just don't get that we don't make as much money as they do?

Yes, yeah.

Really?

It's like they're always saying, let's go here, let's go there.

Like, we can afford to go here and there.

yes yes and it's

and we always have to go to you know someplace nice

you know god it's not like we can say anything about it

because like this is a birthday thing you know and it's for ross for ross

oh my god hey hi hi okay i'm at work

It's an ordinary day, you know, chop, chop, chop, sauté, sauté, sauté.

All of a sudden, Leon, the manager, calls me into his office.

Turns out they fired the head lunch chef, and guess who got the job?

If it's not you, this is a horrible story.

100

Fortunately, it is me.

101

And they made me head of purchasing.

102

Thank you very much.

103

Oh, so cool.

104

Anyway, I just ran into Chandler and Ross downstairs, and they think we should go out and celebrate, you know, someplace nice.

105

someplace nice how much do you think

106

i can get from my kidney all right what's going on okay look

107

you guys i really don't want to get into this right

108

now i think it'll just make everybody uncomfortable all right all right

109

you can tell us yeah hello

110

it's us all right we'll be fine yeah okay um uh we three feel like

111

that um sometimes you you guys don't get that uh we don't have as much money as you

112

okay i hear you we can talk about that well then

113

let's what well um i i guess i just never think of money as an issue that's

114

because you have it that's a good point

115

so um how come you guys haven't talked about this before

116

because it's always something you know like with monica's new job or the whole ross's birthday hoopla

117

whoa hey i don't want my birthday to be the source of any kind of negative there's gonna be a hoopla

118

Basically, there's the thing and then there's the stuff after the thing and it's...

119

If it makes anybody feel better, then we can just forget the thing and we'll just do the gift.

120

Gift?

121

The thing's not the gift?

122

No, the thing was we were gonna go see Hootie and the Blowfish.

123

Hootie and...

124

Oh, my...

125

I can catch them on the radio.

126

No, now I feel bad.

127

You wanna go to the concert?

128

No!

129

Look, hey it's my birthday and the important thing is

130

that we all be together all of us together not at the concert okay yeah thank you thanks yeah

131

so the ebola virus that's gotta suck huh hey jack look at the window there's my name hi me

132

I remember the day I got my first paycheck.

133

There was a cave -in in one of the mines, and eight people were killed.

134

Wow, you worked in a mine?

135

I worked in a Dairy Queen.

136

Mine.

137

Oh, God, isn't this exciting?

138

I earned this.

139

I wiped tables for it, I steamed milk for it, and it was totally...

140

not worth it.

141

Who's FICA?

142

Why's he getting all my money?

143

I mean, what?

144

Chandler, look at that.

145

Oh, this is not that bad.

146

Oh, you're fine.

147

Yeah, for a first job, you can totally, totally live on this.

148

Oh, yeah.

149

Yeah.

150

Hey, by the way, great service today.

151

Oh, yeah, yeah.

152

Oh, excellent.

153

You know that girl you went to college with who became a movie director?

154

Oh, yeah, Dana Keystone.

155

She was in my movement class.

156

What's a movement class?

157

It's Chandler's way of pretending he didn't take mime.

158

Oh, well, listen, anyway, she's directing the new

159

Al Pacino movie.

160

You gotta get me an audition.

161

Oh, I don't know, man.

162

I haven't talked to her in, like, ten years.

163

Oh, no, no, please, please, Chandler.

164

I would owe you so much.

165

You do owe me so much.

166

You owe me $3 ,400.

167

Hey, hey, dude.

168

Why are you changing the subject?

169

What?

170

Will you make the call, or what?

171

Oh, okay, I'll try.

172

All right, thanks.

173

You're the best.

174

Now, listen, the last day of auditions is Thursday, okay?

175

So I got to get in there by Thursday, okay?

176

Just remember Thursday.

177

Thursday.

178

Can you remember Thursday?

179

Yeah, so Tuesday?

180

Rachel?

181

Oh, my God!

182

I swear I've seen birds do this on Wild Kingdom.

183

What are you guys doing here?

184

Well, we were in the city shopping, and your mom said you work here, And it's true.

185

Look at you in the apron.

186

you look like you're in a play hey hey hey how much did you guys tip the super

187

this year yeah we were gonna get 50 but

188

if you guys gave more we don't want to look bad oh actually

189

this year we just made him homemade cookies

190

and 25 it is you gave him cookies money is

191

so impersonal cookie says someone really cares all right we're broke but cookies do say that I can see that.

192

A plate of brownies once told me a limerick.

193

Peef, let me ask you something.

194

Were these, uh, funny brownies?

195

Not especially. But you know what?

196

I think they had pot in them.

197

So, you guys, who else did you tip with cookies?

198

Uh, the mailman, the super...

199

Oh, and the newspaper delivery guy?

200

oh my god what I don't think you're gonna like this oh gosh oh

201

there's a cookie smashed in the sports section oh can he did my password puzzle yeah

202

but not very well unless 14 across Gershwin musical actually is bite me bite me bite me bite me found

203

you in my bed how'd you wind up there

204

You are a mystery

205

Little black curly hair

206

Little black curly hair

207

Little black, little black, little black, little black Little black curly hair

208

Thank you

209

Now, if you want to receive emails about my upcoming shows then please give me money so I can buy a computer

210

It all just happened.

211

I am so, so sorry.

212

I was gonna do it, really.

213

But then I was standing there with $327 in one hand and $238 in the other hand, and I was thinking, wow,

214

it's been a long time since I had...

215

$327 plus $238.

216

Joey, we had a deal.

217

That's why you're here.

218

I've got to fire you.

219

And I've got to pay rent.

220

Look, how about this, you don't fire me.

221

Instead, I stay here, I gain their trust, and then they'll start listening to all the nice things I've been saying about you.

222

What kind of things you've been saying?

223

Well, nothing yet.

224

They really hate you, and I want to fit in.

225

I'm so excited about our wedding plans, and I guess pretty soon we'll be making a big withdrawal from the Monica Wedding Bund.

226

What?

227

But you tell her, Jack, I can't do it.

228

What happened?

229

You still have the Monica wedding fund, don't you?

230

We have it.

231

Only now we call it the beach house.

232

I can't believe you spent my wedding fund on the beach house.

233

We're sorry, honey, but we just assumed if you got married after you turned 30, you'd pay for it yourself.

234

You bought the beach house when I was 23.

235

Which means you had seven years of beach fun, and you can't put a price on that, sweetie.

236

I really do feel bad about this, though.

237

We started saving again when you were dating Richard, but then that went to hell, so we redid the kitchen.

238

What about when I started dating Chandler?

239

Well, it was Chandler.

240

We didn't think he'd ever propose.

241

Clearly, I did not start drinking enough at the start of the meal.

242

I can't believe it that there is no money for my wedding.

243

We might still have some money if your father hadn't thought it was a good idea to sell ice over the Internet.

244

It seemed like such a simple idea.

245

Stupid, Jack.

246

The word is stupid all right enough

247

i don't want to hear about it anymore good luck chandler okay everybody stop what you're doing

248

i need envelope stuffers

249

i need stamp lickers well hey who did these resumes for you me on my computer well

250

you sure used a large font uh yeah well uh waitress at a coffee house

251

and uh cheer squad co -captain only took up so much room hey that's funny you're funny chandler

252

You're a funny guy.

253

You know what else is really funny?

254

Something else I might have said?

255

I don't know.

256

I don't know.

257

Weren't you the guy that told me to quit my job when I had absolutely nothing else to do?

258

Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!

259

Just really calm down.

260

It's gonna be okay.

261

No, it's not gonna be okay, Ross.

262

Tomorrow is my last day, and I don't have a lead.

263

Okay, you know what?

264

I'm just gonna call Gunther, and I'm gonna tell him I'm not quitting.

265

Well, you don't want to give in to the fear.

266

You and your stupid fear.

267

I hate your fear.

268

I would like to take you and your fear.

269

Hey, I got great news.

270

Run, Joey, run for your life.

271

You know what, let's just go.

272

No, hey, we're not leaving till we get paid.

273

I don't know who she thinks she is.

274

Enough is enough.

275

Hey, Widow.

276

How long and listen to him.

277

Widow.

278

Excuse me.

279

Excuse me.

280

Thanks.

281

Clearly, this is a very, very hard time for you.

282

But we provided a service, and we deserve to be paid because you ate that service.

283

And we are not leaving here until we are paid every penny.

284

Because you know what, Lanny?

285

We're part -time caterers, and we have no place else to go.

286

All right.

287

I'll get my bag.

288

Good.

289

I'm gonna leave some cards here.

290

Please, think of us for your next event.

291

Hello.

292

Hi.

293

We'd like to close our accounts.

294

Close your accounts?

295

Is there some kind of problem?

296

No, no. No, we just like to close them.

297

Okay.

298

Ms. Lambert handles all our closures.

299

Would you come over here, please?

300

Hi, I'm Karen.

301

I want to quit the bank!

302

So you didn't leave the bank?

303

No. And somehow we ended up with a joint checking account.

304

What are you ever gonna use that for?

305

To pay for the gym?

306

You don't really have to make it a themed wedding, and the theme could be, look how much money we've got. Do you know?

307

I mean, you could put money in the invitations.

308

You could have, like, little money place settings.

309

And you could start with a money salad.

310

I mean, it'll be dry, but people will like it.

311

Would you stop?

312

We've only been going on a couple of weeks.

313

I mean, we don't even know if he's gonna propose.

314

Yes, but this is Pete, okay?

315

He's not like other people.

316

On your first date, he took you to Rome.

317

For most guys, that's like a third or fourth date kind of thing.

318

Well, if that's what it is, then it's crazy.

319

Monica's right.

320

We're talking about getting married here, okay?

321

She can't just rush into this.

322

Oh, what do you know?

323

You married a lesbian.

324

You know, actually, I'm kind of glad they're leaving because, uh, I need to talk to you about something.

325

What's up?

326

Well, this, uh, this may be a little awkward.

327

Listen, if you want to borrow money, it's kind of a bad time.

328

I'm buying dinner for 128 people tomorrow night.

329

Hey, can I go with a Porsche?

330

Okay.

331

I'll roll you.

332

But, uh, what is it not?

333

A place to entertain my lady friends.

334

and what else is it not place to eat spaghetti very good thanks what do you need

335

it for anyway oh uh the powerball lottery is up to 300 million

336

and they don't sell tickets here in new york so oh

337

so you're driving up to connecticut yeah connecticut not west virginia

338

hey maybe i'll drive you up

339

there i'd like to buy some tickets myself yeah with chandler not getting paid we could really use 300 million dollars

340

yes because if i was at my old job we'd say 300 million no thank you

341

hey will you get me tickets too yeah me too sure oh

342

i have an idea why don't we all pitch in 50 bucks we'll pull our money together

343

and then if we win we'll split it oh that's a great

344

no thanks you don't want to win the lottery uh sure

345

i do i also want to be king of my own country

346

and find out what happened to amelia airheart still on amelia airheart the woman just vanished susie ross

347

you don't want in on this no do you know what your odds are of winning the lottery

348

i mean you have a better chance of being struck by lightning 42 times yes

349

but there's six of us

350

so we'd only have to get struck by lightning seven times

351

i like those odds seriously you guys i can't believe

352

you're gonna spend 250 on the lottery i mean that's such a bunch of boo hockey

353

i'll ask who hockey oh oh we think emma's about to start talking

354

so we're trying to be careful about what words we use in front of them yeah

355

so get ready to hear a lot of boo hockey gosh darn it

356

and brother pucker how do you know she's gonna start talking well

357

when i talk to her i almost feel like she understands what i'm saying kind of like joey what's that now

Download App

Everything you need to speak fluently

AI PronunciationScore every sentence

IPA PracticeMaster every sound

VocabularyBuild your word bank

Vocab GameLearn while playing

Scan QR

Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play

Same Channel

836

Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This speaking lesson is built on the video “The Ones Where They're Broke”. This video has 357 sentences and 2934 words to shadow. The speech runs for 19:59. The speaker talks at a steady 147 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 85% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 66 of its 357 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.

Key vocabulary in this video

15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
chandler noun	/ˈt͡ʃændlɚ/	A person who makes or sells candles.
cookie noun	/ˈkʊki/	A small, flat, baked good which is either crisp or soft but firm.
ross noun		A swamp.
bite verb	/baɪt/	To cut into something by clamping the teeth.
lottery noun	/ˈlɑtɚi/	A scheme for the distribution of prizes by lot or chance, especially a gaming scheme in which one or more tickets bearing particular numbers draw prizes, the…
hockey noun	/ˈhɑ.ki/	Any of a family of sports in which hockey sticks are used to move a ball or puck into a goal.
knife noun	/ˈnaɪ̯f/	A utensil or a tool designed for cutting, consisting of a flat piece of hard material, usually steel or other metal (the blade), usually sharpened on one edge…
gosh	/ɡɑːʃ/	A mild expression of surprise or enthusiasm.
chop verb	/t͡ʃɑp/	To cut into pieces with short, vigorous cutting motions.
curly adjective	/ˈkɝli/	Having curls.
odd adjective	/ɑd/	Differing from what is usual, ordinary or expected.
ordinary adjective	/ˈɔɹdɪnɛɹi/	Having regular jurisdiction; now only used in certain phrases.
honey noun	/ˈhʌni/	A sweet, viscous, gold-colored fluid produced from plant nectar by bees, and often consumed by humans.
lightning noun	/ˈlaɪt.nɪŋ/	A flash of light produced by short-duration, high-voltage discharge of electricity within a cloud, between clouds, or between a cloud and the earth.
lesbian noun	/ˈlɛz.bi.ən/	A female animal that performs courtship, pairing or mating behavior with other female animals.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
calm down verb		To become less excited, intense, or angry.
come over verb		To affect in a sudden, unprecedented or surprising manner; to overwhelm a person's ordinarily contrary impulse.
find out verb		To discover, as by asking or investigating.
go out verb		To leave, especially a building.
take up verb		To pick up.
turn off verb		To power down, to switch off, to put out of operation, to deactivate (an appliance, light, mechanism, functionality etc.).
turn out verb		To end up; to result.
wind up verb	/waɪnd ˈʌp/	To wind (rope, string, mainsprings, etc.) completely.

Sentences worth repeating

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

What are you gonna do?
Can you believe how much this is gonna cost?
You wanna go to the concert?
Why's he getting all my money?
What kind of things you've been saying?

Grammar in this video

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

Structure	In the video
Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result	if we win we'll split
Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on	I've been saying · you've been saying · We've only been going
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	have you been · haven't asked · haven't talked
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	were killed · be paid · are paid

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 141 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'm, gonna. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “th” sounds: bath /bɑːθ/, withdrawal /wɪðˈdɹɔ(ə)l/
The “sh” and “zh” sounds: gosh /ɡɑːʃ/, audition /ɑˈdɪʃən/, rush /ɹʌʃ/, chef /ʃɛf/, invitation /ɪnvɪˈteɪʃən/
Long words — get the stress right: ordinary /ˈɔɹdɪnɛɹi/, uncomfortable /ʌnˈkʌm.fɚ.tə.bl̩/, invitation /ɪnvɪˈteɪʃən/, fortunately /ˈfɔɹ.t͡ʃə.nɪt.li/, harmonica /ˌhɑɹˈmɑ.nɪ.kə/

How to practise with this video

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

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 →

Shadowing Practice: The Ones Where They're Broke | Friends - Learn English Speaking with Video

Choose a practice mode

Download App

Same Channel

Strict rules at Chandler and Joey’s place. #FRIENDS

A Cozy Night In with Twister and Friends | Friends

Joey and Phoebe Are Going to Hook Up | Friends

Joey Is Wearing Makeup | Friends

When no one gets what they ordered... #FRIENDS

We love #FRIENDS like that. Happy #Halloween! 🎃

Joey doesn’t joke. #FRIENDS

Who knows what Rachel will end up marrying… #FRIENDS

If anyone knows about payback, it’s Joey. #FRIENDS

Joey's Girlfriend Wears Thongs (Kinda) | Friends

Great to hear Willy’s still kickin'. #FRIENDS

Ross Gets His Teeth Whitened | Friends

Rachel’s Dad Has Major Beef with Ross | Friends

Our love language is gifts, too. #FRIENDS

Ross’ Red Sweater Ruins Rachel’s Secret | Friends

Breaking news. #FRIENDS

A Joey-approved plan, that’s for sure. #FRIENDS

There’s always room for dessert. #FRIENDS

Everyone Freaks Out Over Rachel’s Move to Paris | Friends

The Ones That Make You Cringe: Part 4 | Friends

Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

Key vocabulary in this video

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Sentences worth repeating

Grammar in this video

Pronunciation to watch

How to practise with this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing Practice: The Ones Where They're Broke | Friends - Learn English Speaking with Video

Choose a practice mode

Download App

Strict rules at Chandler and Joey’s place. #FRIENDS

A Cozy Night In with Twister and Friends | Friends

Joey and Phoebe Are Going to Hook Up | Friends

Joey Is Wearing Makeup | Friends

When no one gets what they ordered... #FRIENDS

We love #FRIENDS like that. Happy #Halloween! 🎃

Joey doesn’t joke. #FRIENDS

Who knows *what* Rachel will end up marrying… #FRIENDS

If anyone knows about payback, it’s Joey. #FRIENDS

Joey's Girlfriend Wears Thongs (Kinda) | Friends

Great to hear Willy’s still kickin'. #FRIENDS

Ross Gets His Teeth Whitened | Friends

Rachel’s Dad Has Major Beef with Ross | Friends

Our love language is gifts, too. #FRIENDS

Ross’ Red Sweater Ruins Rachel’s Secret | Friends

Breaking news. #FRIENDS

A Joey-approved plan, that’s for sure. #FRIENDS

There’s always room for dessert. #FRIENDS

Everyone Freaks Out Over Rachel’s Move to Paris | Friends

The Ones That Make You Cringe: Part 4 | Friends

Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

Key vocabulary in this video

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Sentences worth repeating

Grammar in this video

Pronunciation to watch

How to practise with this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Who knows what Rachel will end up marrying… #FRIENDS