Hello, English learners.
Welcome back to EnglishPod.
My name is Marco.
And my name is Catherine.
So what are we talking about today, Marco?
Well, we're talking about one of my favorite topics, which are computers.
Yes, you're a little bit of a nerd.
A little bit.
I love computers and technology and everything that's related to it.
So that's what we're going to be looking at today.
Maybe we're buying a new computer.
Well, I anticipate learning something from this, because there are a lot of those fancy big words that I don't know that have to do with processors and giga things.
So that's going to be coming up in a minute here.
But first, let's just jump right in and take a listen to today's dialogue.
So can you fix it?
I'm sorry, sir.
This computer is not broken or damaged.
It's simply just too old.
That's why your programs and applications are running slow.
There really isn't much I can do.
What do you mean?
I bought this computer just three years ago.
Yes, but technology is ever-changing, and technology is becoming obsolete faster and faster.
Okay, I know where this is going.
How much will it cost me to get a new computer?
Well, this desktop over here is our latest model.
It has a 4 gigahertz processor with 16 gigabytes in RAM and a hard disk with 1 terabyte.
Of course, it includes a mouse, keyboard, and desk speakers.
I have no idea what you are talking about.
I just want to know if it's good and if I'll be able to play Solitaire without the computer crashing or freezing all the time.
This PC is top of the line, and I guarantee it will never freeze.
If it does, we'll give you your money back.
Alright, we're back.
I think it's a very typical case.
You go in to get something fixed and they say we can't fix it, you need a new one.
Yes, and not only a new one, but a bigger and better and faster one.
And more expensive, obviously.
Obviously.
Called the upsell.
The upsell, yeah.
All right.
So there were some very difficult words, I think, because they're very specific related to technology and computers.
So why don't we look at those now in Language Takeaway.
Language Takeaway.
Alright, so the first word we have today is when something is no longer in use.
Okay, so this word is obsolete.
It's obsolete.
Obsolete.
And we're not just talking about like, oh, I haven't touched that pen in like 10 years.
We're talking about a piece of technology that is no longer useful because there's something else that can do a better job.
Right.
And actually, not only with technology, we also have words that are obsolete, right?
Exactly.
Like, thy or thine.
You or yours.
Classical English.
We don't use thy anymore.
No.
Thou art very summery today, Marco.
We don't use that anymore.
That's obsolete English, right?
Or obsolete words.
Exactly.
So obsolete means it's no longer of use.
We have better and newer things in its place.
All right.
And now moving on, when the salesman was describing the characteristics of the computer, He used some prefixes that were a little bit strange right,
Like for example, Giga.
Giga what?
Giga.
All right, so these are actually prefixes that have to do with numbers.
And so this is not just a computer thing.
This is a math thing or a science thing.
Okay, so we've got three different prefixes.
A prefix is something we tack on at the beginning of a word.
So we have hertz or byte, right?
These are little bits of a computer, byte.
Right, so you have like megabytes.
Megabytes, we've all heard before.
That's the smallest here.
We've got megabytes, but bigger than mega, we've got gigabytes.
Yeah, so now, for example, the hard drives are 250 gigabytes.
You might even hear someone say gigs.
You've got a 250 gig hard drive.
But what's bigger than giga?
Now it's the terabyte.
Ooh, terabyte.
Sounds like boom, boom, boom, boom.
Yeah, I actually wondered what would happen after gigabyte because it's so much information already.
And now it's the terabyte.
So it's like 1,000 gigabytes.
So that's like 200 movies.
That's probably more than that.
It's amazing the amount of storage you can have and how small it actually is.
So mega, giga, tera, going from littlest to biggest.
All right.
And well, he described a 4 gigahertz processor.
Mm, OK.
So the processor is our next word.
And this is actually something that determines how fast your computer is going to run.
So it comes from the word to process, right?
Right.
To like calculate or to think.
To do, even.
To do.
So you have different examples, like a word processor.
Right, so it's like Microsoft Word.
It allows you to make Word documents.
You can also say to process data.
You're trying to calculate it.
But in this case a processor is like a little brain.
That's the center of the computer and that's where all the information gets processed.
Yeah, so it's the brain of the computer, essentially.
And the bigger it is, the faster it can go.
Exactly.
And well, if you don't have a very good processor, your computer is bound to freeze.
Okay, so freezing is another keyword, especially when talking about computers.
This one drives me nuts.
To freeze, it means to stop moving.
Right.
Right?
So, well, it has a couple different meanings.
You might have heard it about ice before, but to freeze here, we're talking about stopping moving.
So we have a game called freeze tag, where if I touch you, you have to stop running.
Right.
But here we're talking about a computer freezing.
I'm moving my mouse and I'm typing.
And all of a sudden, my mouse doesn't move.
I can't close or open or do anything.
And it's really frustrating.
Especially if you're doing something and you didn't save your work.
It's gone.
So if your computer freezes, then usually you have to restart it or turn it off or not.
So that is about it for those words.
But let's take another listen and slow the dialogue down this time, so we can catch some of those big words.
So can you fix it?
I'm sorry, sir.
This computer is not broken or damaged.
It's simply just too old.
That's why your programs and applications are running slow.
There really isn't much I can do.
What do you mean?
I bought this computer just three years ago.
Yes, but technology is ever-changing, and technology is becoming obsolete faster and faster.
Okay, I know where this is going.
How much will it cost me to get a new computer?
Well, this desktop over here is our latest model.
It has a 4 gigahertz processor with 16 gigabytes in RAM and a hard disk with 1 terabyte.
Of course, it includes a mouse, keyboard, and desk speakers.
I have no idea what you are talking about.
I just want to know if it's good and if I'll be able to play Solitaire without the computer crashing or freezing all the time.
This PC is top of the line, and I guarantee it will never freeze.
If it does, we'll give you your money back.
Great, so we are back.
So now let's jump into today's Fluency Builder.
Fluency Builder.
All right.
So on Fluency Builder, we're going to take a look at three different phrases.
For example, the salesman was describing technology and said that it's ever-changing.
Okay.
So this is a little poetic line here.
So ever-changing means always changing.
Always.
Always changing.
And so we can say that the ocean is ever-changing.
Okay.
You know, the waves are always changing.
But in this case, he's saying that technology is always changing.
It's always progressing into something new.
And so that is a key selling point for this guy.
Right.
So this is actually a very interesting word.
We can use it like in your example, beyond technology, like the way like the sea is ever changing.
So why don't we listen to a couple of other examples?
Example one.
There's always something new in this ever changing world.
Example two.
Times are ever-changing and we must prepare ourselves better every day.
Example 3 The flu is an ever-changing virus that continues to claim many lives.
Alright, we're back so now we understand the ever-changing.
So the man who's trying to buy this computer, or at least get his computer fixed, really starts to get frustrated with the salesman.
And he says, okay, I know where this is going.
So he hears the sales pitch.
He hears this guy trying to loosen him up a little bit.
He says, I know where this is going.
So what does this mean, this where something is going pitch?
So basically, what direction a conversation or a topic or a situation is taking.
Okay, so he's saying, I know why you're telling me these things.
I know your motive.
Or I know what's happening.
I know what you're going to say.
Okay, so he's essentially saying, I know you're going to try and sell me a computer.
Right.
So, you can use it in other circumstances, right?
For example, a relationship.
I don't know where this is going.
Right, what is going?
Classic breakup line.
I just don't think I know where this is going anymore.
So in reference to the relationship, right?
Yeah.
We don't know what's happening.
Are we serious?
Are we maybe going to get married?
I don't know anymore.
I can't tell where this movie is going.
It's so like, oh, here and there and boring.
You don't know the plot.
Yeah.
All right.
So it's a very common phrase, and it sounds very natural when you say it, right?
It does.
And that's why it's Influency Builder.
It really helps you sound like a more native English speaker when you use these kind of phrases.
And the next one is also very, very good.
When he describes the condition of the computer, he says it's top of the line.
Top of the line.
Now, what line we're talking about, I do not know.
Like above average line.
Right.
So this is the best of the best.
This is the top model or the top computer.
And you can definitely imagine a car salesman using this.
Yeah.
Yes, this BMW is top of the line.
It's the best money can buy.
Yeah, that's another good one.
So basically top of the line is the best of the best, the above average, right?
More than above average.
It's really, it's the best you can do.
And so the guy is saying, listen, this is our best computer.
Really, you should buy it.
And obviously, top of the line usually costs a lot of money.
Yeah.
It's usually for something that costs money, right?
For things.
You wouldn't really use it for a person, right?
He's top of the line.
No, no, no, no, no.
Top-of-the-line, I think, generally refers to electronics and cars or like motorcycles.
And so you often hear top-of-the-line stereo, top-of-the-line TV, top-of-the-line car.
But you wouldn't say this about food or people or art.
Yeah, you wouldn't say this painting is top-of-the-line.
No, not about like very unique things.
You'd say this about kind of manufactured things.
Very good.
So we've taken a look at a lot of great phrases.
Why don't we listen to our dialogue for the last time and then we'll come back.
So can you fix it?
I'm sorry, sir.
This computer is not broken or damaged.
It's simply just too old.
That's why your programs and applications are running slow.
There really isn't much I can do.
What do you mean?
I bought this computer just three years ago.
Yes, but technology is ever-changing, and technology is becoming obsolete faster and faster.
Okay, I know where this is going.
How much will it cost me to get a new computer?
Well, this desktop over here is our latest model.
It has a 4 GHz processor with 16 GB in RAM and a hard disk with 1 TB.
Of course, it includes a mouse, keyboard, and desk speakers.
I have no idea what you are talking about.
I just want to know if it's good and if I'll be able to play Solitaire without the computer crashing or freezing all the time.
This PC is top of the line, and I guarantee it will never freeze.
If it does, we'll give you your money back.
All right, we're back.
So computers.
Catherine, I know you recently got a nice Macintosh.
Yeah.
Yeah, I did.
It's one of those big screen ones, right?
Yeah, it is.
It's a desktop, right?
So it's not a laptop.
And it's got a very fast processor, because Macs started using Intel processors a couple of years ago and that made them much faster.
Wow, and this processor actually has two cores, right?
So basically it has two different brains almost within one processor.
Which gives it really bad headaches.
She complains to me often.
Are you a big Mac fan or PC fan?
I'm a Mac fan.
I've been converted.
My roommate in college, my sophomore year, had a Mac.
And ever since then, I've really gotten into them.
Really?
I went Mac and didn't turn back.
I still honestly cannot really use a Mac.
I get confused.
I'm looking for this for the start button and I'm looking for where my documents are.
It's really hard to change over, right?
But once you do, you don't want to change back because everything is so much easier on a Mac.
Really?
But if you're really into PC gaming, then you should probably stick with it.
Stick with the PCs, because the games just don't really compare on Macs.
But I've heard that also Macs don't really suffer from viruses, right?
No, they don't, which is great, because I always used to get these viruses that would float on my computer.
Because, you know, you open some email and all of a sudden there's nastiness on your desktop.
Well, now I don't really have that problem.
And also there's really wonderful photo editing software and video editing software.
So everything is just really easy to find and easy to use.
What about you, listeners?
Do you prefer the Mac?
Do you prefer the PC?
Or maybe some of our listeners don't really even like computers.
Well, let us know either way.
We're very curious to hear what you have to say.
And, of course, writing on our comments section is great practice for your English.
Right.
So, we'll see you guys there.
And until next time.
Bye, everyone.
Bye.
Thank you.
