We got to get out of here before they take me away.
Take you away?
You're going to leave me?
No way.
That's my body you're in.
Oh, OK.
Do you think you can walk?
I don't know.
I failed body test drive like 436 times.
But will you try?
OK.
I'm a cat.
I can make this.
I'm just gonna rest here for a minute.
No, no, no, no.
They'll be back any minute.
Come on!
Hey!
Now, push the down button.
Move your... No, careful.
Those fingers are my livelihood.
Ugh!
What is the purpose of life?
All of us have asked ourselves this question at some point right?
Well, in today's lesson we will not only learn advanced English expressions and pronunciation, but we will also try to answer this profound question with Pixar's Soul.
In this animation, a music teacher, Jill Gardner, dies right as he's about to fulfill his lifelong dream of playing in a jazz band.
He is so devastated that he tries to escape the afterlife.
He connects with a new soul, 22, that truly does not want to become human.
But in a turn of events, they're both accidentally sent to Earth and hilariously, 22 ends up in Joe's body and Joe's soul in a cat.
By the way, we are going to learn a lot of advanced vocabulary in today's lesson.
So if you want to be able to use all these expressions confidently the next time you have a conversation in English, try the magic flashcards on a real-life app.
They use a scientific method that brings back words for review right when you're about to forget them, so you will remember them forever.
Super easy get the premium lesson with soul, with all the flash cards, for free now using the link down in the description below.
Alright, let's return to the hospital and understand all of this advanced vocabulary during this body mix-up.
Let's start with a common phrasal verb.
To take someone away means to force that person to leave a place.
In this case, Joe is in a cat's body and he is where the hospital staff will remove him from the room.
You might also often hear it used like Here's another example ruining my life.
What music's the only thing that makes me happy and you, you want to take that away.
You'll never understand.
Joe spoke really fast here.
And without subtitles, I bet it'd be pretty difficult for you to understand.
Now this is largely because of something called connected speech.
That's how we natives cut, reduce, and link our words together in fluent speech.
If you're like most learners, you weren't taught this in school.
Listen again.
First, have got to often reduces to just gotta.
You've noticed this before, right?
When a T is between two vowel sounds, it usually morphs into a tap T, which sounds like .
And we hear that in gotta.
But we also hear it twice in get out of, get out of.
Finally, of often reduces to just a schwa sound, uh, uh.
Let's put that all together.
Your speaking will only improve with lots of practice.
So listen to Joe again and try to say that just like he did.
Oh, okay.
Do you think you can walk?
I don't know.
I failed body test drive like 436 times.
A test drive is when you try out a car before buying it to see how it performs.
But the humor is that here 22 is talking about literally test driving a human body, trying it out to see if she likes being alive.
By the way, in everyday conversation, you might test drive anything before committing to it.
Like I'm test driving this productivity app for a week.
Joe also needs to get used to his cat body.
So he says When you say I can make this, you're saying that you can successfully do something difficult, especially something physical like a jump or challenging move.
Joe, in the cat's body, is confident he can make the jump, but it doesn't really work out.
Now, this common expression means very soon or at any moment now.
We can see 22 is really having trouble managing a human body and Joe is worried she will damage his hands.
So he says
It's the last thing I need, some animal chewing its way in here.
Jumping forward.
As Joe notices, 22 enjoying life, from eating pizza to listening to music, to meeting new people, to watching children play and leaves falling from a tree.
Something beautiful happens.
He starts to realize life is not about fulfilling some predetermined purpose.
Rather, it's about living presently and enjoying every moment.
We'll see one of these moments that is illuminating for Joe when 22 gets a haircut in his body.
They say you're born to do something, but how do you figure out what that thing is?
I mean, what if you pick up the wrong thing or somebody else's thing?
You know, then you're stuck.
I wouldn't call myself stuck, but I never planned on cutting heads for a living.
Wait, but you were born to be a barber, weren't you?
I wanted to be a veterinarian, so why didn't you do that?
I was planning to when i got out of the navy.
Then my daughter got sick.
Barber school is a lot cheaper than veterinarian school.
Well, that's too bad.
You're stuck as a barber and now you're unhappy.
Whoa whoa, slow your roll there, joe.
I'm happy as a clammer man.
Not everyone can be charles drew inventing blood transfusions, or me playing piano with dorothea williams.
I know You are not all that.
Anyone could play in a band if they wanted to.
Don't pay Paul any mind.
People like him just bring other people down so they can make themselves feel better.
Oh, I get it.
He's just criticizing me to cover up the pain of his own failed dreams.
You cut deep, Joe.
What do you think 22 meant when they said, if you pick up the wrong thing?
You grab the wrong tool, you choose the wrong career path.
You lift something incorrectly.
Exactly while this phrasal verb has many meanings, in this context it means to choose or start doing something.
We often use this for hobbies.
You learn like when i decided to pick up german in high school, or how i'd like to pick up guitar this year.
Listen to this example here.
Let me show you how it's done.
I didn't spend all that time around witches without picking up a few tricks.
Cutting heads is slang for cutting hair or being a barber.
When you do something for a living, that's your job, your livelihood as we saw earlier.
And I loved the two casual expressions that Des used next.
First, slow your roll is a way to tell someone to calm down or not rush to conclusions.
In other words, Des is saying that just because he did not expect to become a barber, it does not mean he is unhappy.
For example, if you arrive late for a date with your husband and you can see he is annoyed, you might say slow your roll.
Let me explain before you get angry.
And a happy as a clam just means extremely happy and content.
Why clams?
The full expression is actually happy as a clam at high tide, because at high tide clams are safe from people digging them up.
And I bet that you would be happy as a clam if you could use all the expressions you're learning today at work, with friends or while traveling.
But slow your roll.
If you don't review these expressions you're learning, you're sure to forget them in hours or even minutes.
I've been there in learning six languages myself.
That's exactly why we created the magic flashcards that I told you about earlier.
And that's not all.
If you're the type of person who can read, write and understand well, but speaking is still a challenge.
We have the new RealLife AI Coach.
You can watch short five-minute lessons with your favorite series and movies, learn new everyday expressions and then use them in a real conversation in a safe environment with your AI coach.
Give it a try and get more confident, natural English speaking in just minutes.
Click the link in the description to get started.
Moving on, have you heard of the person that Des mentions?
Charles Drew was a brilliant surgeon and medical researcher who developed improved techniques for blood storage and created the first large-scale blood banks.
He made groundbreaking contributions to medicine that have saved countless lives.
Dez is pointing out that not everyone can make such huge, world-changing contributions, and that's okay.
And at the beginning of the movie, Joe got the opportunity to achieve his dream by playing in Dorothea Williams' band, a fictional jazz musician based on the real jazz saxophonist Tia Fuller.
So Joe's childhood rival, Paul, overhears 22 mention this and says, You are not all that.
Now, this is a soft insult, meaning that someone is not as special or impressive as they think they are.
It comes from the expression all that and a bag of chips which means someone who is really great.
And it's not just used for people.
You could say something like the movie was okay but it wasn't all that.
Check out these examples.
You're all alone.
Now let's hear Joe's comeback.
Anyone could play in a band if they wanted to.
Don't pay Paul any mind.
People like him just bring other people down so they can make themselves feel better.
Oh, I get it.
He's just criticizing me to cover up the pain of his own failed dreams.
Pay someone mind means to listen to them or care about their opinion.
If you don't pay them mind, you just ignore them.
A friend might tell you, Here's another example.
Now, if you bring someone down, you make them feel bad, sad or discouraged.
You could do this by criticizing or insulting someone or being negative.
Miss Sylvester, I want to thank you.
For what?
For teaching me a valuable life lesson.
When you really believe in yourself, you don't have to bring other people down.
And if you cover something up, you hide it.
Like you might cover up something on your desk that you don't want your boss to see.
In this case, it's used figuratively.
Paul is hiding his own disappointment by criticizing others.
Cover-up is also used for hiding the truth, like how politicians attempt to cover up scandals they are involved in.
And let's hear Paul's response to this insight.
When something cuts deep, it hurts emotionally in a profound way.
Just like a physical wound, but emotional instead.
If you break up with your partner after several years, that cuts deep.
Now we'll watch a final impactful scene where 22 reflects about their time on earth, when it's time for them to go back to the great before.
So, you ready?
Huh?
To go home.
What'd you think of Earth, anyway?
I always said it was dumb.
But... I mean... Just look at what I found.
Your mom sewed your suit from this cute spool.
When I was nervous, Des gave me this.
A guy on the subway yelled at me.
It was scary.
But I kind of liked that, too.
Truth is, I've always worried that maybe there's something wrong with me.
You know?
Maybe I'm not good enough for living.
But then you showed me about purpose and passion and...
Maybe sky watching can be my spark, or walking.
I'm really good at walking.
Those really aren't purposes, 22.
That's just regular old living.
Man, this scene is absolutely beautiful.
After experiencing simple joys eating pizza, listening to music, getting a haircut 22 starts to appreciate many of the everyday human experiences that we take for granted.
22 thought being a human was dumb, but they changed their mind.
What'd you think of Earth anyway?
I always said it was dumb.
What'd you think of Earth, anyway? he actually dropped the word do altogether.
When you is preceded by a word ending in T, it usually morphs into a chu sound.
So what do you becomes whatchu.
Whatchu think.
Whatchu think.
Practice it with Joe.
Just look at what I found.
Your mom sewed your suit from this cute spool.
These are spools, a common item in a sewing kit.
Joe's mom is a seamstress, so she has plenty of these.
22 found one and kept it as a treasure, showing how we can find meaning in small, ordinary objects.
22, was never interested in becoming human, and throughout the beginning of the movie we see that in the Great Before they find it impossible to find their spark.
Truth is, I've always worried that maybe there's something wrong with me.
You know?
Maybe I'm not good enough for living.
But then you showed me about purpose and passion and...
In Soul's World.
A spark is what everyone thinks to be your purpose, the thing that you were born to do.
But watch what Joe says next.
Regular old living just means normal, everyday life.
Nothing special or extraordinary.
You're a pigeon.
You can walk right past them.
Oh.
Huh.
Joe dismisses 22's joy as unimportant, but the beautiful irony is that 22 is on to something.
The profound message of soul is revealed later when Jerry, a manifestation of universal consciousness, explains that Spark isn't your purpose after all.
Hey, um, we never found out what 22's purpose was.
Excuse me?
You know, her spark, her purpose.
Was it music, biology, walking?
We don't assign purposes.
Where did you get that idea?
Because I have piano.
It's what I was born to do.
That's my spark.
A spark isn't a soul's purpose.
Oh, you mentors and your passions, your purposes, your meanings of life.
So basic.
So spark is just a desire to be alive.
This challenges Joe's views on life's meaning.
It isn't about finding some grand purpose.
It's about enjoying regular old living.
The small moments, the simple pleasures, the everyday experiences that make life worth living.
Now you're prepared to go watch the full movie.
Watching it again myself, I found it profound and beautiful, and the ending even made me cry.
But we're not done yet.
Now it's time to test everything you learned by watching all the scenes again without subtitles.
And I'm going to make it a bit more challenging by asking you some quiz questions.
Let's see what you got.
We got to get out of here before they take me away.
Take you away?
You're going to leave me?
No way.
That's my body you're in.
Oh, OK.
Do you think you can walk?
I don't know.
I failed body test drive like 436 times.
But will you try?
OK.
I'm a cat.
I can make this.
I'm just gonna rest here for a minute.
No, no, no, no.
They'll be back any minute.
Come on!
Hey!
Now, push the down button.
Move your... No, careful.
Those fingers are my livelihood.
True or false.
Your livelihood is your hobby or something you do for fun.
False.
Your livelihood is how you make money to support yourself.
I want to be a photographer, so I'm going to study photography.
I want to be a photographer, so I'm going to study photography for a living.
So why didn't you do that?
I was planning to when I got out of the Navy.
Then my daughter got sick.
Barber school is a lot cheaper than veterinarian school.
Well, that's too bad.
You're stuck as a barber, and now you're unhappy.
Whoa, whoa.
Slow your roll there, Joe.
If someone tells you to slow your roll, they want you to Drive more slowly.
Calm down and not rush to conclusions.
Turn your head slightly.
I'm happy as a clam, my man.
Not everyone can be Charles Drew and Vinton blood transfusions.
Or me, playing piano with Dorothea Williams, I know.
You are not all that.
Anyone could play in a band if they wanted to.
Don't pay Paul any mind.
People like him just bring other people down so they can make themselves feel better.
Oh, I get it.
He's just criticizing me to cover up the pain of his own failed dreams.
You cut deep, Joe.
So, you ready?
Huh?
To go home.
What'd you think of Earth, anyway?
I always said it was dumb.
But... I mean... Just look at what I found.
Your mom sewed your suit from this cute spool.
When I was nervous, Des gave me this.
A guy on the subway yelled at me.
It was scary.
But I kind of liked that, too.
Truth is, I've always worried that maybe there's something wrong with me.
You know?
Maybe I'm not good enough for a living.
But then you showed me about purpose and passion and maybe sky watching can be my spark.
In Seoul, what does a spark actually turn out to be?
Your life's ultimate purpose or destiny?
The thing that makes you excited about living?
Your most important talent? or walking, I'm really good at walking.
Those really aren't purposes 22, that's just regular old living.
Awesome work today.
Again, I can't recommend enough going and watching the full captivating movie.
And if you want to be able to understand fast speaking natives without getting lost, without missing the jokes and without subtitles, just like you've done today with Soul, while every week we make new lessons with your favorite movies and series to help you to do this, to really help you to make learning English a fun, natural and convenient part of your life.
So all you have to do to not miss a single one and to join over 10 million learners around the world who are doing this is to hit that subscribe button and the bell down below.
And if you really want to take your experience to the next level again, try out the RealLife app, where you can, every single day, just with a few minutes, watch a short lesson, learn new expressions and practice actually speaking in real conversations in a safe environment with your ai coach.
And if you're going to stick with us here on youtube, i recommend you check out this lesson next.
Tonight, we drink from our ancestors bowl, as Taltai Vassa once did to bestow this title on you to connect to our past, our present and the future that lies beyond.
May the ancestors continue to guide us.
I am honored to serve our people.
May the ancestors continue to guide us.
