Hey guys, welcome back to the channel and to another video.
This is the continuation of the series I promised you.
In the previous video, we learned English with an interview.
And in this one, we'll be learning English with a movie.
Elemental, to be precise.
I think it is such a great way to learn a language.
When you have a real-life example and you break it down, you get to learn new vocabulary, grammar and work on your pronunciation, all from something natural and authentic.
So, just like in the previous video, today we'll take a small fragment from the movie elemental, just a short one, because i believe that it is easier to learn and actually remember what you've learned when you focus on a smaller amount of information.
So first let's watch it, and we'll watch it with breaks so that we don't violate youtube guidelines and rules.
I was traumatized.
I can't use a sponge around him.
I was stuck in there for hours.
Poor thing.
I'm all whirlpool tonight.
I can fix it.
I love this scene.
Look at her go.
They are so amazed because she's so different and talented.
Very nice.
Oh, um... Sorry.
That was incredible!
It's just melted glass.
Just melted glass.
You know, what else I love about this scene is that they admire her talent and they don't feel threatened by her and they don't act like enemies as opposed to the fire element.
When they talk about water, they don't like it.
They almost despise it and they are afraid of it.
Every building in the new city is built from just melted glass.
Oh no, you have to do something with that talent.
See, I told you you're special.
Maybe after dinner we play the crying game.
Let me guess you try to cry.
We try not to cry.
You have one minute go.
1979 november, you were okay, gotta take a little break here.
Yeah, this is almost unfair because I have literally never cried.
You got no chance.
Sounds like a challenge.
Butterfly, windshield wipers, half a butterfly Okay.
An old man on his deathbed remembers the summer he fell in love.
She was out of his league and he was young and scared and He let her go, thinking surely summer would come again.
It never did.
Almost out of time.
Amber.
Okay, another little break.
I don't know, if you haven't seen it, you should definitely watch it.
When I met you, I thought I was drowning.
But that light, that light inside you has made me feel so alive.
And all I want now is to be near it.
Near you.
Together.
That was such a good scene.
All right, let's get to it.
Okay, so we'll start with the vocabulary first.
And we'll talk about these words.
I still can't use a sponge around him.
This is something that Wade's mom told him.
So when you say something like I still can't use a sponge around him.
The phrase around someone means when that person is present present or in front of them.
So in this case, it means I can't use a sponge when he's there watching or nearby.
I can't use a sponge around him.
Let's use it in a couple of other examples.
For example, I don't like singing around other people.
So this means that I don't like singing when other people are nearby.
Or this example, don't curse around kids.
This means don't use bad words if kids are present.
Or this example, she gets nervous around her boss.
This means that she feels nervous when her boss is nearby.
So basically around someone means in their presence when they're there.
I was traumatized.
To be traumatized means that something happened that was so scary, shocking or upsetting that it left a deep emotional mark on you.
It is stronger than just saying I was upset or I was scared.
And now let's use it in a couple of examples.
That horror movie traumatized me.
I couldn't sleep for days.
I was traumatized when I lost my pet.
Or this example, he's still traumatized from the car accident.
I was stuck in there for hours.
To be stuck can mean two things.
To be physically stuck, when you can't move or get out of something.
You can say something like, I'm stuck in traffic.
The cars aren't moving, you can't get out.
Or you can say something like, my ring is stuck on my finger.
It just won't come off.
Or you can be metaphorically stuck.
You can feel trapped in a situation or unable to change it.
You can say something like, I'm stuck in my marriage.
You feel like you can't leave or fix it.
Or you can say something like, She's stuck in a boring job.
She doesn't like it, but she can't quit.
Or you could say something like, I get stuck when I try to explain myself in English.
And this means that you can't find words.
So basically, stuck means that you're unable to move forward, either in a physical place or in life situations.
I'm stuck in there for hours.
My bad.
I'm all whirlpool tonight.
The phrase my bad is super casual slang.
It basically means my mistake or sorry that it was my fault.
It is often used in everyday casual conversation when you admit you did something wrong, but in a very light casual, informal way.
You can say something like oops, I forgot to text you back, my bad.
Or that was my bad, I gave you the wrong directions.
Or sorry, I knocked over your drink, my bad.
One important note, my bad is super casual.
You won't use it in a formal setting, like talking to your boss in a serious meeting.
In that case, you'd say, I apologize, or that was my mistake.
Since Elemental plays with characters being elements like water fire air, etc.
The line i'm all whirlpool tonight is a play on words, a pun.
A whirlpool is swirling chaotic water that spins in circles.
So when the character says i'm all whirlpool tonight, it means that i feel all mixed up restless, emotional or out of control.
It's like saying i'm a mess tonight or i've got a lot of going on inside me, since Similar everyday phrases in English you could use are I'm all over the place tonight.
I'm a whirlwind of emotions.
Or you could say, my mind's spinning right now.
Oh no, you have to do something with that talent.
The phrase you have to do something with that talent means that your talent is too good to waste.
You should use it, develop it and turn it into something meaningful.
This sentence is very commonly used in casual conversation.
And let's take a look at a couple of examples.
You could say something like you're amazing at drawing.
You have to do something with that talent or she sings so beautifully.
She has to do something with that talent.
Thought bubble.
This phrase is usually said when someone suddenly gets an idea or a new thought pops into their head.
Almost like a cartoon character with a thought bubble over their head showing what they're thinking.
So basically it's a playful way to say I just had an idea or a thought just came to me.
I'm sure that you know this, but I'm still going to say it.
Nana is another word commonly used for grandma, grandmother.
The phrase, damn, you're good is casual slang.
It means that someone did something really well or impressed you a lot.
It's like giving strong praise or a compliment.
For example, someone wins a video game easily.
You can say, damn, you're good at this.
Or your friend cooks an amazing meal and you can say, damn, you're good in the kitchen.
In short, it's an informal compliment, meaning, wow, you're really skilled.
Okay, Amber wait, you're up.
You're up is a casual way to say it's your turn.
It comes from the idea of being next in line or called to step forward.
An old man on his deathbed.
Deathbed refers to the bed a person is lying in when they're dying or the time right before someone dies.
So you can use it literally and say something like, he confessed the secret on his deathbed.
Or you could use it figuratively, like when you're being dramatic.
I felt like I was on my deathbed after that flu.
It's an exaggeration, means that you felt really sick, not actually dying.
Common phrases that people use with the word deathbed are deathbed confession or on my deathbed.
Deathbed confession means something someone admits right before dying.
And on my deathbed means when I'm about to die.
So basically, the deathbed is the bed or situation when someone is about to die physically or metaphorically.
She was out of his league and he was young and scared.
She was out of his league.
When someone is out of someone's league, this means that the person is considered much better than the other.
Maybe more attractive, richer, smarter, or more successful.
So people think they would normally be a match.
For example, someone might say he's dating a supermodel. she's way out of his league.
Or you could encourage someone and say don't say she's out of your league, you should still ask her out.
So as you can see, it's a very common phrase in dating and relationships.
In short, out of your league means not at the same level, usually socially, romantically or professionally.
Now let's switch our focus to the grammar side of things a bit.
I truly believe that grammar should be learned in context, in real time, so to speak, and I'll die on this hill, because it is so much easier to understand grammar this way, as opposed to just sitting and memorizing rules.
Just melted glass.
Every building in the new city is built from just melted glass.
So why do we say is built in this example?
Well, because this is the passive voice.
So in English we use passive voice when the focus is on the object the building in this case rather than on a person or thing doing the action the builders.
So in active voice the sentence would sound like this builders build every building from melted glass.
And now in the passive voice every building is built from melted glass.
When we talk about how things are generally made or what they're made of, English usually uses passive voice.
You're more interested in the thing itself than in who made it.
For example, wine is made from grapes, the house is made of wood, or cars are produced in factories.
One important note we say is built because these buildings exist now and that's the way they were made.
And when we say was built, We're describing the action of building when it happened in the past.
It doesn't mean that the city no longer exists.
It just emphasizes that the construction happened in the past.
In short, is build focuses on the current reality, whereas was build focuses on the history.
See, I told you you're special.
I told you you're special.
There's a grammar rule that's called sequence of tenses.
That states if the main verb is in the past tense, the verb in the dependent clause should also be in the past tense.
As in, I told you it was raining.
The rain happened in the past, not anymore.
However, there is a key exception that applies here.
If what you're saying is still true now, you don't have to shift into the past.
For example, I told you Paris is the capital of France.
It was true when I told you and it is still true now.
And in our example, I told you you're special.
You were special then. and you are still special now.
This is almost unfair because I have literally never cried.
I have literally never cried.
This sentence is said in the present perfect tense, and you can see how we form it on the screen.
We use it when we're talking about, for example, things we've done or not done at any time in our life up until now, for something that just happened and the result is still important now.
Or when we're talking about changes over time or unfinished time periods today, this week, this year, etc.
Why are we using the present perfect here?
Because we're talking about her whole life up until now.
I have literally never cried.
At no point in her life has she cried.
Now let's talk about another common learner confusion.
Why are we using the present perfect here?
I have never cried.
Instead of past simple, I never cried.
To make a long story short, let's talk about the key difference.
In the present perfect tense, we're talking about life experiences up until now, and there's no time given.
I have never cried.
In my whole life.
Not once.
In the past simple, on the other hand, we need to give a specific time in the past.
And we're talking about something that is finished.
And we can say something like, I never cried in that movie.
That moment is over.
Finished.
You got no chance.
Sounds like a challenge.
You got no chance.
Is it grammatically correct?
Well, technically, but not in standard grammar.
The correct version would be you have no chance.
So why do people say you got no chance?
Because in casual spoken English, especially American English, people often use got instead of have.
It's not formal, but it is super common in everyday conversation.
A couple of examples you'll hear all the time.
I got no money.
She's got two sisters.
Or you got no chance.
You got no chance is informal, casual spoken English.
You have no chance is standard grammatically correct.
Both are understood, but only have works in formal writing.
Have got means the same as have when we're talking about possession, relationship, or conditions.
It is more common in British English though.
An old man on his deathbed. remembers the summer he fell in love.
An old man on his deathbed remembers the summer he fell in love.
Why do we say remembers in the present simple here though?
Why don't we say remembered?
This is what we call the literary present or sometimes narrative present.
Writers often use the present tense when telling a story summary, describing a scene or giving kind of a timeless feel.
It makes the moment feel alive as it's happening right now as we read it.
Why fell in love then in the past tense?
Well, because the thing he's remembering happened in the past.
And what he remembers is an event from a long time ago.
That's why we're using the past tense.
By the way, I have a whole video where I talk about this and about storytelling in English.
So, if you're interested, I'm going to link it somewhere up here and in the description and in the pinned comment.
All right guys, that'll be it for this video.
I really hope that you found it useful and you learned something new and you like this format of the video, and i hope to see you in the next one and let me know in the comments if you like this video, if you like this format and Maybe I don't know if you'd like me to change something.
I asked this question in the previous video and a lot of people said that they loved it.
That's why I didn't change anything.
Anyways, I'm gonna see you in the next one.
Bye.
