Shadowing Practice: The Redemption Arc of David Fox | Suits - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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Aren't you Donna Paulson?
347 sentences
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Aren't you Donna Paulson?
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I am.
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And who might you be?
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David Fox.
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Fox Commercial Lease.
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Oh, I know who you are, Mr. Fox.
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You own the building.
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Please, call me David.
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You know, this isn't the only building I own.
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Hmm.
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Exactly how many do you own?
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Thirty-four.
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Well, David, if you think telling me that you own thirty-four properties is going to impress me, you just might be right.
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Well, I do love being right.
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And you know what?
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I wish I could be doing this all day, but unfortunately, this isn't a social call.
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You want us to quadruple our security deposit?
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You took Jessica Pearson's name off the wall, and then you declared you want nothing to do with her.
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That is a material change in your firm.
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It could affect your ability to make rent.
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Look, we did distance ourselves from Jessica Pearson, but we also restructured the firm and were stronger than ever.
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And if you need me to show you the books to prove it, I'm happy to do that.
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It's not gonna be necessary, Donna, but, look, I've got this board of directors that I have to contend with, so if you could draft a letter documenting exactly what you just told me,
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and hand deliver it to my office.
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I just might be able to keep him at bay.
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You know, if you wanted me to come to your office, you could have just asked.
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I thought I just did.
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Is this a bad time?
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You know, I don't think it's possible to have a bad time if you're around.
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Trust me, true words were never spoken.
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And just to make your day a little bit brighter, I have the letter you needed.
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Excellent.
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I don't want you to leave here empty-handed, so I got one for you, too.
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Here you go.
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You're kicking us out?
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I'm giving you 90 days notice.
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Then I'm kicking you out.
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That's a violation of our lease.
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It would be.
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If you had a lease, it was rendered invalid when you restructured, which, if I'm not mistaken, you just gave me proof of right here.
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So all that concern about us not being able to pay our rent was just...
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I believe they call it a ploy.
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Yeah, and I think we know what they call you.
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Why are you doing this?
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You guys have been carrying a below-market lease for years.
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I saw the new girl on the block get promoted to a job she'd never done before.
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I took advantage.
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So all that flirting was just bullst?
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No, I never said that.
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This is business.
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That was fun.
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Well, I don't find it fun.
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Because I may be the new girl on the block, but you just picked a fight with the best lawyers in the city.
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And in case you haven't noticed, they're on the block too.
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You want to go tell Harvey Specter
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and Louis Litt their new COO just got served with that suit and cost them their home, you go right ahead.
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Or you and I can quietly amend the lease.
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The rent increase is 100% over three years.
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And no one ever has to know.
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I've got a present for you.
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All right, let me get this straight.
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You're trying to use a statute meant to protect squatters to keep your lease.
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Not trying.
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Doing.
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And that suit's already been filed, so you can either spend more in legal fees than you'll make increasing our rent, or you can drop this whole thing.
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I gotta admit, this is very impressive.
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Except for one little thing.
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What's that?
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The clause in your lease, which states if the tenant initiates a lawsuit prior to engaging in arbitration, I have the right to terminate your lease within 30 days.
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We didn't initiate the lawsuit.
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You did. Did I?
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That lawsuit was never filed.
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Oh, you son of a bitch.
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You have so little respect for me that you would deal in bad faith twice.
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Hey, look, I did what I had to do, all right?
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And look, this isn't personal.
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Donna, I told you I own buildings all over the city, right?
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I wouldn't be able to do that if I didn't know how to get what I want.
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And when word gets out that you treat your tenants like this, those buildings aren't gonna be worth sh.
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Trust me, when you got views like mine from Central Park to Battery Park, people don't care how they're treated.
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They just want in.
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As a matter of fact, I might have something for you on the other side of town.
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I think you guys are gonna love it.
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Cause now that you've filed this, you're gonna be moving sooner than you thought.
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Rachel, we need to talk.
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What did Harvey say?
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I didn't go to Harvey.
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Donna, why not?
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Because he was busy with something else, and I remembered one of the reasons he promoted me in the first place.
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I don't understand.
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Rachel, I know people.
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I know what makes them tick, and I need you to pull another all-nighter and help me make that asshole back the hell off.
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Okay.
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So you brought along a friend this time.
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Oh, she's not just my friend.
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She's my lawyer.
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Hmm.
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Well, I guess you brought her along to withdraw your suit
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because you finally figured out there's no way to outsmart a man like me.
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No, she finally figured out what makes a man like you tick.
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And what makes you tick is being able to say to every woman you meet
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that you own the best buildings in the cities with the best views because if you can't say that,
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then people might notice that you're really just an insecure little man who builds buildings to cover up his weaknesses.
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Get out of my office.
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Oh, we will.
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But if we do, those views that you covet, they're going away.
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What are you talking about?
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Oh, did you think I just came here to tell you I know what makes you tick?
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We now control the air rights across from six of your most prominent properties.
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So instead of their unobstructed views of the park, your top floor tenants will now be looking out at a 40-foot-high box of tampons.
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What do you want?
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I think you know what we want.
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You keep your lease as is.
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Not quite.
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We're gonna need you to reimburse the cost of the air rights.
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And we'll take a 10% haircut on our lease.
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I'd call you a name right now, but I'm guessing you'd sue me.
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David, I really don't care what you call me right now, because like you said, this isn't personal.
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It's just business.
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Here's our amended lease.
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David Fox.
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I'm Harvey Specter.
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Of, uh, something, something Specter lit.
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Don't tell me us changing our name's gonna be an issue again.
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No, it's not.
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Donna Pauls has sought of that near new lease.
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Well, Donna has a way of getting what she wants.
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Speaking of what people want, why don't you tell me why they're here?
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I need your help.
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There's a cleaning woman on our floor who can't afford to pay her mother's medical bills.
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Turns out, technically, she's a facilities manager, which means she's not eligible to make overtime.
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A maid with a manager's title?
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I mean, sounds to me like she's being empowered.
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You and I both know that title is just a way to get around paying what she's earned.
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I don't know any such thing.
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Oh, bull .
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She's your employee.
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Wrong.
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I contract all my cleaning services out to another company.
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A company I don't run.
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You're gonna tell me that company is anything more than a piece of paper and a P.O box?
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Why don't you pay them a visit and find out?
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Listen, David, all I'm asking is do the right thing.
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Pay her for her work.
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You know, why don't you reach into your own pocket?
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Because that's what you're asking me to do.
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And I do this for her, I gotta do it for everyone.
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And if you don't do it for her, you will have to do it for everyone.
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You better watch what you say to me, because in case you forgot, you're still living under my roof.
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And if you don't back off, I'll take that roof and everything else you have, because you just violated half a dozen laws by threatening a tenant.
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You want to take me on, you go for it.
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Because I didn't get where I am by letting people like you push me around.
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Anna, it's Harvey Specter.
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Mr. Specter, I didn't expect to hear from you so soon.
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Does this mean that...
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I'm afraid it's not going to work.
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What?
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I tried talking to them, and there's nothing I can do.
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You mean you don't want to make a problem for your firm?
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No. Anna, there's another firm out there I can recommend to you.
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I can't afford to pay another firm.
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You wouldn't have to.
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Look, the guy who used to do cases like this doesn't work here anymore, but he used to work at a clinic, and I'm talking about sitting you up there.
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I should have known you'd pawn me off.
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I'm not pawning you off.
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I promise.
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I will go down there and make sure one of the two lawyers I know handles this personally.
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Okay.
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If you trust this firm, then I trust you.
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Okay, Harvey, what the hell is going on with that cleaning woman?
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Robert...
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You said you weren't gonna pick a fight, and you did, and now our elevators aren't working.
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You wanna know what's going on?
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David Fox just retaliated against Anna by firing her, and I'm about to knock his teeth out.
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You will do no such thing.
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Relax, Robert.
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We can handle a clogged toilet or two.
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Did you hear what I just said?
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I'm not talking about toilets.
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The man just shut down our elevators.
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Harvey, I thought that you were gonna take this thing to the clinic.
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That's what I did, Donna.
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But Nathan and Oliver weren't there.
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There were cases piled high on every desk, and nobody there would care about her the way I needed them to.
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So I turned around, and I walked right out.
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I see.
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How did I get here, Donna?
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I'm at odds with Robert and Louis
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and now even you over something two months ago shouldn't have even shown up on my radar.
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I'll tell you how you got here.
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And I can't believe I didn't see this the second you started this thing.
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Harvey, you're missing Mike.
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Seriously, Harvey, this is great, but...
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Why didn't you talk to Mike?
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Because I thought instead of calling and asking for a solution.
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I'd rather call and tell him a story with a happy ending.
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And you don't send in the puppy to clean up the dog's mess.
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Something like that.
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In that case, you're gonna need this back.
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No, I'm not, because you're gonna be the one to give it to David Fox.
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Why me?
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Because we still need to get him to agree, and we can either do it with a sledgehammer or a velvet glove.
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I get it.
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You're saying I'm a sledgehammer.
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Something like that.
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Listen, Harvey, if you're gonna send me in there to negotiate this, I need to know that I have carte blanche to do what it takes to close him.
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I know.
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You do.
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Donna Paulson.
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David Fox.
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You know, if you're here to harass me about this cleaning lady, then you can just turn right around.
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I'm here because of this.
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You're filing a class action lawsuit?
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We're not.
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Eastside Legal Clinic is, which means that no matter what you do to us, it's not going away.
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And if you try to fire anybody else, you'll be getting another one of those, and it won't be for overtime.
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It'll be for retaliation.
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You'll be in court for the rest of your life.
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Why are you here instead of Harvey Spector?
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Because if Harvey were here, he'd drop that down, walk out, and go to war with you.
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I, on the other hand, have a compromise. Which is?
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Give Anna Reed her job back.
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You start paying those people what they're worth. And?
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You get free legal services from Harvey Specter himself for the next year.
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Oh, come on, bull.
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There's no way he agrees to that.
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Oh, he'll agree to it all right.
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So you mean he doesn't already know about it?
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No, he doesn't.
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But he gave me the authority to close this thing, and that's what I've determined it's gonna take.
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Because neither one of you is gonna compromise unless you know the other one is getting shafted.
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One condition.
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Nope, this is take it or leave it.
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You won't even hear my condition.
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No, I won't, because I have no interest in going to dinner with you to close this deal.
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So, what's it gonna be?
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War or win-win?
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Okay, David, what exactly is it that you want?
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Because you certainly don't need me to hold your hand while you buy a building.
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I do if that building's owner is my biggest rival.
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And because that owner knows what an asshole you are, you need to make sure he doesn't know you're the one doing the buying.
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See, this is why I'm paying you the big bucks.
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Oh, wait, I'm not paying you anything.
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Just so we're clear, you get one of those.
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Because I may have to represent you, but I don't have to tolerate your mouth.
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And just so we're clear, this guy's a douche, not an idiot.
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He's gonna be looking for me to try to buy that building, so I need you to be smart.
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And that's the second time you brought this up, which makes me wonder if there's something going on here, because hiding a buyer isn't illegal, but it sure as hell can be.
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The only thing going on here is that John Billups has a piece of candy, and I want to take it from him.
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All right, what do we have here?
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Tell you what we have.
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I got a building.
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I don't want to sell it, and these two are in here crying to you.
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You don't have a lawyer?
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I don't need a goddamn lawyer.
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We're not crying.
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We are representing the community.
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Because that building was built in 1896, and all we're asking for is a TRO until the Landmark Commission can make a decision.
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Give me a break.
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They're not representing the community.
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They're representing David Fox.
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I did not say he was my client.
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And even if he did, that doesn't mean this is connected to that.
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How about the fact that Mr. Fox has been shoveling
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and my biggest tenant tens of thousands of dollars a month to stay in his lease, so I couldn't kick him out.
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Is that connected?
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What?
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Your Honor, those payments are repayments for an unrelated debt.
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Oh, .
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Peter Mento doesn't have two pennies to rub together, much less tens of thousands to loan David Fox.
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And the details of someone's personal financial arrangements are not your business.
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That's enough.
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If you two want to push this up the hill at the Landmark Commission, be my guest.
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But I see no reason to stop this man from making a living in the meantime.
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Your restraining order is denied.
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Okay, what we need to do...
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How the hell did you find out about those payments?
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I'll tell you how.
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You went to Fox behind my back.
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No, I had your back.
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You had nothing.
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I brought you something.
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Well, that something just blew up in our faces because he's been using those payments to launder money, peddle influence, or God knows what other crime.
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And that is exactly why I didn't tell you, because Donna told me you don't trust him.
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You're damn right I don't trust him.
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Because when a man like that hides money, it's not because he's secretly donating to goodwill.
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Harvey, he is our client.
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No, he's not.
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You still work in the Fox case?
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I believe Donna told you I was, and Donna's no liar.
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Why?
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Because I'm back in.
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What changed your mind?
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Fox did.
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Turns out those payments were because Peter Minto was Fox's mentor.
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He wasn't laundering anything.
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He was trying to save that market.
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So he was basically donating to Goodwill after all.
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I guess he was.
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Wait a minute.
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Goodwill.
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Public good.
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What do you got?
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There's a public good requirement for any project.
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Yeah, and this one has it covered with the subsidized housing.
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Because that way, his Chinese investors have to cover it.
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How do you know that?
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Because I got a copy of their agreement.
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And if that good is residential, they take the hit.
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If it's commercial, Billows does.
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And Minto's market is a commercial public good.
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Which means all we need to do is tell those Chinese investors that their trusted partner has been screwing them.
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And Billows either loses his partners or foots the bill himself, which puts him between a rock and a hard place.
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And his only way out is to sell to David Fox.
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Look at that.
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We make a pretty good team, don't we?
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Maybe.
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But the only problem is, it makes this whole project a money loser for Fox. So what?
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You said he's been subsidizing Minto anyway.
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Privately.
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This is in the public eye, which means everyone's gonna think he's either soft or stupid, and I'm telling you, it's that man's worst nightmare.
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What do you want to do?
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Can you get to the Chinese?
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I can.
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You handle them and I'll handle David Fox.
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Sounds like a plan.
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Let me get this straight.
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You're telling me you can get me the building, but it's gonna cost me more to keep Peter in business than I was paying in the first place.
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And on top of that, the whole world's gonna know about it because Bill is gonna make sure they know it.
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Why are you trying to stick it to me even more?
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I want you to know the cost of this thing before you make a decision.
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This is bullsh.
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David.
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God damn it!
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You could have done better.
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And you could have told me the full fking story before I only had two days to stop it. So either.
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I look like a sucker, or I let the guy who gave me my start go out of business.
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Helping Peter Minto stay in business doesn't make you a sucker.
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It does to the world!
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David, the deal is what it is.
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If I could make it any better, I would, but I can't.
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What would you do?
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As your lawyer, I'd tell you, get your emotions in check.
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It's a deal and a stupid move, but if I were in your shoes, I'd take it.
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Take it.
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You know, I never thought I'd be saying this, but you earned my respect.
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Thank you.
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Real-World Business Banter: A Tense Negotiation Scene
Ever wondered how professionals handle tricky conversations in the workplace? The dialogue from this video captures a high-stakes negotiation between Donna Paulson and David Fox, where charm, strategy, and quick thinking collide. It’s the perfect example of how language shifts from friendly to firm—all while staying professional. Whether you’re navigating office politics or closing a deal, this scene teaches you to read tone, respond under pressure, and use language to protect your interests.
5 Must-Memorize Chunks for Natural English
- "material change": A significant shift that affects a contract or agreement (e.g., "Removing her name was a material change to our partnership").
- "keep him at bay": To prevent someone from causing problems (e.g., "I’ll send the report to keep the boss at bay").
- "below-market lease": A rental agreement cheaper than the current market rate (e.g., "We got a below-market lease by signing early").
- "rendered invalid": Made no longer legally valid (e.g., "The mistake rendered the contract invalid").
- "social call": A visit for friendly chat, not business (e.g., "This isn’t a social call—we need to talk numbers").
Your Shadowing Challenge: Master Tone & Timing
Ready to level up your speaking? Try shadowspeak—a technique where you repeat lines aloud immediately after the speaker, matching their pace, tone, and emphasis. Here’s how: Play the dialogue, pause after each line, and shadow it. Focus on Donna’s confident delivery when she says, "If you need me to show you the books, I’m happy to do that"—notice how she stresses "happy" to sound unphased. Then, mimic David’s smooth shift from flirty to firm: "No, I never said that. This is business." Shadowing helps you internalize natural rhythm and pronunciation, making your English sound more native. Do this for 5 minutes daily, and you’ll see quick improvements in your shadow speech skills. Remember: The key is to imitate, not just repeat. You’ve got this—let’s turn those words into muscle memory!
Pro tip: Record yourself shadowing and compare it to the video. You’ll catch small tweaks that make a big difference in your english pronunciation. Keep practicing, and soon you’ll handle tough conversations with the same poise as Donna!
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.