A bright spark: The English We Speak

46,596 views ・ 2019-01-14

BBC Learning English


Please double-click on the English subtitles below to play the video.

00:08
Feifei: Hello, this The English We Speak. I'm Feifei.
0
8880
3480
00:12
Rob: And hello, I’m Rob.
1
12360
1520
00:13
Feifei: Hey, Rob. You know we've got a
2
13880
2320
00:16
'bright spark' in our office?
3
16200
2260
00:18
Rob: A bright spark? Oh yes – by that you
4
18460
3120
00:21
mean someone intelligent…
5
21580
2240
00:23
Feifei: Well…
6
23820
900
00:24
Rob: Someone full of energy…
7
24720
1600
00:26
Feifei: I didn't exactly…
8
26320
1460
00:27
Rob: Someone with clever ideas. Feifei,
9
27780
3260
00:31
there's no need to waste everyone's time.
10
31040
2340
00:33
Just say my name! Rob is the bright spark
11
33392
3159
00:36
in the office.
12
36551
1079
00:37
Feifei: Ermm... Rob, that is just one
13
37630
2981
00:40
definition of 'a bright spark'. A bright
14
40620
3180
00:43
spark can describe someone who is
15
43800
2140
00:45
clever, intelligent with lots of energy. But
16
45940
3320
00:49
this isn't the definition that applies to you Rob!
17
49260
3240
00:52
Rob: So come on, Feifei. When else would
18
52500
2160
00:54
you describe someone as 'a bright spark?
19
54660
2900
00:57
Feifei: Well, it can be used sarcastically
20
57560
2900
01:00
and humorously to describe someone
21
60460
2220
01:02
who thinks they are intelligent
22
62680
2180
01:04
but actually does something stupid. A bit
23
64860
3320
01:08
like this…
24
68180
820
01:12
Which bright spark suggested we go for a
25
72040
2380
01:14
walk on the wettest day of the year?!
26
74420
2680
01:17
Come on, own up – who's the bright spark
27
77100
3230
01:20
who turned the power off and caused
28
80330
1970
01:22
everything in the freezer to melt?
29
82300
2420
01:24
Are you the bright spark who told the
30
84730
1766
01:26
other team our game plan? I think you
31
86500
1640
01:28
owe us an apology.
32
88140
1340
01:33
Feifei: This is The English We Speak from
33
93040
1980
01:35
BBC Learning English. And we've
34
95160
1780
01:36
discovered that 'a bright spark' can either
35
96940
3040
01:39
be a very smart person or someone who
36
99980
2674
01:42
has done something stupid. So I'm sorry
37
102660
3660
01:46
to say, Rob, you are the second kind of
38
106320
2500
01:48
bright spark!
39
108820
1040
01:49
Rob: Oh really. Why is that?
40
109860
2100
01:52
Feifei: You left the window open last night
41
112020
2140
01:54
and this morning I found all my
42
114160
2420
01:56
documents and scripts blown all over the floor.
43
116580
3000
01:59
Rob: Are you sure? A bright spark like me
44
119580
3360
02:02
would never do something like that.
45
122940
1880
02:04
Feifei: Rob, it's exactly what a bright spark
46
124820
2660
02:07
like you might do – and it means I've lost
47
127480
3000
02:10
the last page of this script.
48
130480
1840
02:12
Rob: Oh really! I think I can remember
49
132320
3560
02:15
what it said. Something like - 'Sorry, Rob.
50
135880
3380
02:19
You are wise and clever and the brightest
51
139260
2940
02:22
spark I have ever known'.
52
142200
1280
02:23
Feifei: I don't think so, Rob. Which bright
53
143480
3080
02:26
spark would write something as cringey
54
146560
2320
02:28
as that?
55
148880
555
02:29
Rob: Err... Time to go I think.
56
149440
2900
02:32
Feifei: Good idea. Bye.
57
152340
1400
02:33
Rob: Bye.
58
153740
740
About this website

This site will introduce you to YouTube videos that are useful for learning English. You will see English lessons taught by top-notch teachers from around the world. Double-click on the English subtitles displayed on each video page to play the video from there. The subtitles scroll in sync with the video playback. If you have any comments or requests, please contact us using this contact form.

https://forms.gle/WvT1wiN1qDtmnspy7