Video lesson

Welcome

Hello everyone, and welcome back to our English lesson with “The Life List”! I hope you enjoyed the first part. Remember Alex? She has a list of things she wants to achieve, left by her mother. Today, we’ll watch another scene where Alex meets her friend Brad, and later, we see a tense conversation between Alex and her boyfriend, Garrett. Let’s watch and learn.

Learn new words and phrases

sorry I’m late. - you’re not. I’m early.

Pretty simple, right? Alex apologizes for being late, but Brad says he arrived before the planned time.

Clair de Lune

This is the title of a very famous, beautiful piece of classical piano music by Debussy. Performing this music was one of the items on Alex’s list.

nine down, three to go

This is a common way to talk about progress on a list or a series of tasks. “Nine down” means nine items are completed. “Three to go” means three items are remaining. So, Alex has completed 9 out of 12 things on her list.

Jinx

This is a fun one! In many English-speaking cultures, if two people say the same thing at the exact same time, the first person to say “Jinx!” ‘wins’, and the other can’t speak until their name is called. It’s a children’s game mostly, but adults use it playfully, like Alex does here. It’s like saying, “Haha, we said the same thing!

It seems like Alex doesn’t have problems with that musical challenge, but the next task is to find true love.

how are things with… ?

A very common and natural way to ask about someone’s relationship.

why are you looking at me like that?

Brad notices, Alex says things with Garrett are “good, really good,” but her face says, “Hmm, maybe not that good.”

Let’s look closer at this sentence:

it’s strange, he never wants to stay at my place?

“strange” means unusual and unexpected, or difficult to understand. “stay at my place” could just mean “hang out”, but, in this context of dating, “stay at my place” here means to sleep over at her apartment. Alex is wondering why Garrett never does this. Sounds like she’s got some doubts!

picks

means chooses. Garrett is always the one deciding what they do or where they go.

live entirely in his world… only occasionally will he visit mine

This is figurative language. Alex doesn’t literally tell that Garret lives in another world! She means their relationship feels unbalanced. Everything happens on Garrett’s terms, in his environment - his apartment, his favorite places. “occasionally” means sometimes but not often. “mine” here refers to “my world” or “my place”.

It sounds like Alex is feeling a bit ignored or like the relationship is one-sided. Let’s hear Brad’s advice.

it doesn’t sound like nothing

This is a double negative, which is quite common in spoken English, though maybe not grammatically ‘perfect’. “Doesn’t sound like nothing” actually means “It sounds like something.” Brad is agreeing with Alex that her concerns are valid and not just ’nothing’.

crazy s*** = weird stuff

“crazy s***” is a very informal way to say “weird stuff”. You should use the words “stuff” or “things” instead of “s***”. “weird stuff” means unusual or surprising items, like finding a jar of pickles in chocolate syrup in the fridge. Brad says you can learn a lot about people from their personal space. So true!

get all weird

This means to become strange, uncomfortable, or awkward. Alex notices Brad acts differently when Garrett is mentioned.

friends, of a certain kind

This suggests their friendship is not a simple, easy friendship. It maybe has limitations or problems. Alex’s sarcastic reply, “The kind that don’t really like each other?” shows that she understands why Brad is nervous or not certain.

before it festers

imagine having a small cut on your finger. If you don’t clean it, it can get infected and worse, right? Brad’s telling Alex to fix things with Garrett before the problem grows bigger and more painful, just like an ignored wound. Smart advice!

Now, we jump forward in time. Alex actually had a party at her place and invited Garrett and her friends.

no judging

One of Alex’s guests, Megan, says, “no judging.” That means, “Don’t think I’m mean for asking this!” It’s like when you ask your friend why they ate pizza for breakfast—no judging, just curious!

affair

Okay, so during the party, one of Alex’s friends asked Garrett a very personal, maybe inappropriate question about having an affair.

“affair” means a secret romantic relationship, especially when one person is married or with someone else, with a patient. Garrett is Alex’s therapist. He was NOT happy. Now the party is over…

come across

“how I come across”: This phrasal verb means “how I seem” or “the impression I give to others”. Garrett is upset about the image he presented, or that people might see him negatively.

creep

This is informal slang for a strange, unpleasant, or disgusting person, often someone who makes others uncomfortable. Garrett is horrified that someone might see him this way.

put any thought whatsoever

“put any thought whatsoever”: “whatsoever” adds emphasis, meaning “any thought at all”. Garrett is being critical. He’s suggesting Alex didn’t think carefully when planning the guest list.

that would cover it

“besides me?”: Alex’s response is a bit defensive or sarcastic. She says that she should be the connection, the reason everyone is there. “that would cover it” means “that would be enough reason” for them to like each other and be friendly.

Let’s see how this escalates.

clock it

“I didn’t clock it”: This is a cool, informal idiom! “To clock something” means to notice or realize it. Alex is apologizing for not noticing that Garrett felt uncomfortable or excluded.

inane

“inane”: This adjective means silly, stupid, or lacking meaning or importance. Garrett thought the conversations were pointless.

get my s*** together

Uh oh, this phrase again! Remember, very informal! Here, it means Garrett should fix his life, become serious, or ‘good enough’ for Alex. Megan’s comment suggests that Garrett isn’t quite there yet. It’s definitely something that could annoy someone!

check off

means to mark names or things on a list as correct or as having been dealt with

check true love off your list

Remember Alex’s life list? Megan suggests that “true love” is just another item for Alex to complete, like a task. This makes the relationship sound less romantic and more like a goal to achieve.

insulting

This means disrespectful or offensive.

unconscious way

means doing something without being aware of it or without intending to.

inheritance

means money or objects that someone gives you when they die.

Garrett just accused Alex of being with him for money! How do you think Alex will react? Let’s watch the end of this scene.

give you a moment to reconsider

This sounds polite, but Alex is actually angry. She’s saying, “Think again about the terrible thing you just said. Maybe you want to take it back?” It’s a warning.

where we are in our relationship

Garrett says he doesn’t know “where we are in our relationship,” meaning he’s confused about their love status—are they serious or not?

ridiculous

means absurd, silly, or deserving of laughter. Alex uses it to describe her friends, maybe partly agreeing with Garrett they can be silly, but also defending them and her life.

Great job! We learned awesome phrases. Try using these words with your friends - maybe say “jinx” next time you both order the same coffee. Keep practicing. See you next lesson.

👉 Watch the first part of the lesson: 👇
Learn Real English with a New Netflix Movie: The Life List

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