Video lesson
Listening practice
Listening practice is only available in the extended version of the lesson on my ☕ BuyMeACoffee page here:
➡️ Check yourself: watch full scene without subtitles:
Intro
Hi everyone, and welcome back to ‘English Watch and Learn’! In our last lesson, we saw Nate and Sherry’s awkward coffee spill. Now, they’re at a diner. This scene is great for learning how to order food, ask ‘getting to know you’ questions, persuade and encourage someone, explain personal information. Let’s watch the conversation!
Learn vocabulary and phrases
The server says,
‘Welcome back, honey.’
‘Honey’ is a friendly, informal word that often used to show that you love someone, or by servers to greet regular customers.
‘I see you’ve brought a friend this time.’
This shows Sherry has been to this diner before.
Sherry introduces Nate:
‘Yeah, this is Nate.’
A simple and common way to introduce someone.
The server asks,
‘What can I get you?’
This is a very common phrase a server uses to ask what you want to order.
Nate replies, ‘Just a milkshake, please. Vanilla milkshake.’ He’s ordering a drink and adds ‘Please’ to be polite.
‘You don’t want any food?’ Sherry is surprised he’s only getting a milkshake.
Nate says, ‘Uh… Nah. I’m good.’ ‘Nah’ is a very informal way to say ’no.’ ‘I’m good’ here means ‘I don’t want anything else’ or ‘I’m satisfied.’
‘Then I’ll have…’, Sherry starts to order for herself, but then she remembers something important: ‘Oh! Please tell me you**’re not out of** the cherry pie.’ ‘To be out of something’ means to have no more of it. She really hopes they still have cherry pie. The server says, ‘It’s your lucky day.’ This phrase means something good and unexpected has happened. ‘Got one left’ is short for ‘I have one (piece of pie) remaining.’ ‘Oh, yes!’ - Sherry is very happy.
Now they start talking. Sherry asks, ‘So… what’s your deal?’ This is an informal way to ask ‘Tell me about yourself’ or ‘What kind of person are you?’ It can also mean ‘What’s your situation?’
Now they start talking. Sherry asks, ‘So… what’s your deal?’ This is an informal way to ask ‘Tell me about yourself’ or ‘What kind of person are you?’ It can also mean ‘What’s your situation?’
Sherry explains why she’s asking: ‘You’re just always, like, I don’t know, in your office, and you never come out to the happy hours.’ ‘Happy hours’ are times when bars or restaurants offer discounted drinks, and it’s a social event for coworkers. She’s saying Nate seems very private.
‘I guess I’m just not really a… very social person.’ Nate means he doesn’t enjoy being around many people or going to social events very much.
Sherry asks a direct question: ‘Do you have a girlfriend?’ Nate answers, ‘No. No, I don’t. Um, not… Not right now.’ The hesitation and ’not right now’ might suggest he’s been single for a while or finds the question a bit personal.
The server says, ‘Holler if you need anything.’ ‘Holler’ means to shout loudly. Here it is an informal way to say ‘call me’ or ‘let me know.’
Sherry eats her pie and exclaims, ‘Oh, my God! This is so good.’ She’s expressing great enjoyment. Then she offers Nate some pie: ‘Do you want some?’ and ‘You should have a bite.’ ‘A bite’ means a small piece.
Nate keeps refusing: ‘Oh, no, I’m okay,’ ‘I’m good,’ ‘Really, Sherry, I’m fine.’ His final refusal is very strong: ‘I can’t. I can’t! I can’t. I’m sorry. I just can’t have any pie.’ The repetition shows this is serious for him. This makes Sherry curious.
Sherry asks, ‘What do you mean, you can’t?’ She doesn’t understand why he’s so insistent. Nate finally decides to explain: ‘I have a genetic disorder.’ A ‘genetic disorder’ is a health problem caused by changes in a person’s genes.
Sherry says, ‘Go on,’ meaning ‘continue telling me.’ Nate explains his condition: ‘It’s called CIPA. Congenital Insensitivity to Pain with Anhidrosis.’ That’s a very long and technical name!
He simplifies: ‘It affects my nervous system… basically makes it so I can’t feel pain.’ ‘Basically’ means ‘in the most important or fundamental way.’ He cannot feel physical pain.
Nate adds, ‘Or hot or cold.’ So he can’t feel temperature either. ‘And that’s why I can’t have the pie. Or any solid food, really…’ ‘Solid food’ is food that is not liquid. The reason is shocking: ‘unknowingly, I could… bite my tongue off.’ ‘Unknowingly’ means without realizing it. Because he can’t feel pain, he might seriously injure his mouth while eating without knowing.
Sherry realizes: ‘Oh, the coffee earlier.’ She understands now why he didn’t care about the hot coffee spill. Nate confirms: ‘Yeah, I couldn’t feel that at all.’
‘They basically spent my entire childhood at the hospital.’ Nate explains the negative side of his childhood.
‘average life expectancy’ - how long someone is expected to live - for CIPA was 25. “average” means a level that is considered to be typical or usual. This led Nate’s parents to be very protective, he says ’they sort of locked me up,’ meaning they kept him very safe by keeping him inside and limiting his activities.
Sherry says, ‘I’m sorry,’ expressing sympathy. Nate replies, ‘I’m still kicking.’ This is an idiom meaning ‘I’m still alive and doing okay despite difficulties.’
Sherry, even after hearing all this, still asks, ‘does that really mean that you can’t have just a little bite of this pie?’ She’s still focused on the pie! It shows her personality – maybe a bit persistent or not fully seeing the danger for him.
Nate repeats his reason, but Sherry tries to reassure him: ‘You’re not gonna bite your tongue off, Nate.’ She praises the pie: ‘This is the best cherry pie on the west coast, okay? I swear to God.’ ‘The west coast’ refers to the western part of the USA. ‘I swear to God’ is a strong way to say ‘I promise’ or ‘I’m telling the truth’.
Sherry says, ‘If anything goes wrong, I’m right here.’ She’s offering support.
Sherry says, ‘Let the magic happen’. It’s an informal and playful way to say ‘Let the good experience or the positive effects begin.’ She’s encouraging Nate to enjoy the taste of the pie, suggesting it will be a wonderful, almost ‘magical’ experience for him.
Nate is overwhelmed: ‘This is pie? This is pie.’ It’s a huge moment for him. And then her final surprise, she’s asking him out on another date!
Great work! Try using these words and phrases in your own conversations.
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