Intro

Zay asks Claressa, ‘You wanna come over later?’ The phrase ‘wanna’ is a casual way of saying ‘want to’. So, ‘You wanna come over later?’ means ‘Do you want to come over later?’ This is a very common way to invite someone to your house in informal English. The phrasal verb “come over” specifically means “to go to where the speaker is”, often to hang out, chat, or engage in some shared activity.

Welcome

Hi everyone, and welcome back to English Watch and Learn! I’m Jainie, and today we’re diving into a scene from the movie ‘The Fire Inside’. In the lesson, we’ll explore real-life English conversations, learn some informal phrases, and discover how native speakers use casual language in everyday situations.

We’ll be watching a conversation between Claressa and Zay, where they talk about relationships and boxing. As we go through the scene, I’ll pause to explain key words, phrases, and grammar points so you can understand and use them in your own conversations.

Video lesson

Learn words and phrases

Zay says, ‘How about tomorrow?’ This is a polite way to suggest a different time or day. Instead of insisting on meeting Claressa today, he suggests ’tomorrow.’ This is a great example of how to make suggestions in English. You can use ‘How about…?’ to propose an alternative.

Claressa says, ‘Zay, focus, man.’ The word ‘focus’ means to concentrate on something. When she says ‘focus, man’, she’s telling Zay to pay attention and stop distracting her. The word ‘man’ here is used informally to address someone, like saying ‘dude’ or ‘buddy’. It’s not meant to be rude - it’s just casual.

Zay responds with, ‘I am focused.’ This is an example of the present simple tense, which is used to describe a general state or fact. In this case, Zay is saying that he is focused as a general statement about his current state. The verb ‘am’ is the present simple form of ’to be’, and ‘focused’ is an adjective describing his state. So, ‘I am focused’ means ‘I am in a state of focus right now.’

Zay says, ‘Ressa, come on.’ The phrase ‘come on’ is a very common expression in English. It can mean different things depending on the tone. Here, Zay is using it to encourage Claressa to agree with him or to stop being so serious. This phrase has multiple meanings including ‘hurry up’ or ‘don’t be silly’.

Zay says, ‘I’m just messin’ with you.’ The phrase ‘messing with you’ means ‘joking with you’ or ’teasing you’. It’s a playful way to say that you’re not being serious. Notice how Zay drops the ‘g’ in ‘messing’ - this is very common in informal speech.

Claressa says, ‘I think we need to chill on us.’ The phrase ‘chill on us’ is an informal way of saying ’take a break from our relationship’ or ‘slow things down’. In English, ‘chill’ is a very casual word that means ‘relax’ or ’take it easy’. So, when she says ‘chill on us’, she’s suggesting they should stop dating for a while.

Claressa says, ‘It ain’t about Jason.’ The word ‘ain’t’ is a very informal way of saying ‘is not’ or ‘am not’. It’s not considered proper grammar, but it’s commonly used in casual conversations, especially in American English. So, ‘It ain’t about Jason’ means ‘It is not about Jason.’ She’s saying that her decision is not related to Jason; it’s about her focus on boxing.

Claressa says, ‘I ain’t got time to mess around.’ Again, we see the word ‘ain’t,’ which means ‘am not’. So, ‘I ain’t got time’ means ‘I don’t have time’.
The phrase ‘mess around’ is an informal way of saying ‘waste time’ or ‘do things that are not serious’. So, Claressa is saying she doesn’t have time for things that aren’t important right now.

Claressa says, ‘I need a sparring partner, all right?’ A ‘sparring partner’ is someone you practice boxing with. In sports, especially boxing, a sparring partner helps you train by fighting with you in a controlled way. Also, notice how she says ‘all right?’ at the end. This is a way to check if the other person agrees or understands.

Claressa says, ‘I need workouts and reps, that’s it.’ The word ‘workouts’ refers to exercise sessions, and ‘reps’ is short for ‘repetitions’, which are the number of times you do an exercise. For example, if you do 10 push-ups, that’s 10 reps. So, she’s saying she only needs to focus on training and practicing, nothing else.

Zay asks, ‘You breakin’ up with me?’ The phrase ‘break up’ means to end a romantic relationship. When Zay says ‘You breakin’ up with me?’ he’s asking if Claressa is ending their relationship. Notice how he drops the ‘g’ in ‘breaking’ - this is very common in informal speech. So, ‘breakin’’ instead of ‘breaking’.

Claressa says, ‘Until these Olympics… kinda.’ The word ‘kinda’ is a casual way of saying ‘kind of’, which means ‘a little bit’ or ‘sort of’. So, she’s saying she’s breaking up with Zay ‘kind of’ until the Olympics are over. This shows she’s not completely ending the relationship, just pausing it for now.

Claressa says, ‘I seeded last, Zay.’ In sports, ‘seeding’ refers to the ranking of players or teams in a competition. If someone is ‘seeded last’, it means they are ranked at the bottom. Claressa is explaining that she didn’t do well in her last competition, so she needs to focus on training.

Claressa says, ‘They got people workin’ ’em out all day.’ The phrase ‘workin’ ’em out’ means ’training them’. Notice how she drops the ‘g’ in ‘working’ and shortens ’them’ to ’em’. This is very common in informal speech. So, she’s saying that other boxers have trainers who help them practice all day.

Claressa says, ‘I don’t need any distractions right now.’ A ‘distraction’ is something that takes your attention away from what you’re doing. For example, if you’re studying and your phone keeps ringing, that’s a distraction. Claressa is saying she needs to focus on boxing and avoid anything that might take her attention away.

Good job! Thanks for watching. Keep practicing these words and phrases, and you’ll see your English improve day by day. See you next lesson!

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