Superstitions and Friday the Thirteenth: Learn English with Simple English Videos
20,794 views ・ 2016-05-10
Please double-click on the English subtitles below to play the video.
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Hi everyone! If you spill salt, do you throw
some over your shoulder? This English lesson
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is about superstitions and it has two parts:
first a conversation and then a song with
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a puzzle. So I'm making a playlist. Enjoy!
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How's it going, Jay?
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Terrific! I think I have a big new customer
Really? A big one?
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Yes, they're going to order a thousand units.
Wow!
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They're gonna call me any minute and tell
me.
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Fantastic!
This could be my lucky day.
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00:45
Oh that's so funny
Why?
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Well, today is Friday the thirteenth.
Really?
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Yes. Some people are superstitious about Friday
the thirteenth. They think it's unlucky. But
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you're not superstitious, are you?
No. Well maybe...
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01:04
Well, cross your fingers then.
Oh no!
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01:09
Oh dear, you've spilt the salt.
Oh no!
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Throw some over your shoulders, but keep your
fingers crossed. Oh. Is that your phone?
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Keep your fingers crossed.
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Did you understand everything? Let's check.
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Jay says he has a new customer. But is he
sure?
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How's it going, Jay?
Terrific! I think I have a big new customer.
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He says 'I think', so he's not sure. He's
waiting for a call from them to see if they
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place a big order.
Wow!
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They're gonna call me any minute and tell
me.
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Fantastic!
This could be my lucky day.
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01:57
Some people think that when the 13th day of
the month falls on a Friday, it's an unlucky day.
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02:03
It's a superstition. A superstition is
a belief that some events happen in ways that
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we can't explain by reason or science.
But you're not superstitious, are you?
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No. Well maybe...
'Superstition' is the noun and 'superstitious'
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is the adjective. We can say people or beliefs
are superstitious.
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Oh no!
Oh dear, you've spilt the salt.
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Oh no!
Throw some over your shoulders, but keep your
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fingers crossed. Oh. Is that your phone?
Keep your fingers crossed.
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Do you ever cross your fingers or do other
things for good luck?
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02:54
And that brings me to your puzzle. It comes
in the form of a song about superstitions
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03:00
and it's sung by the wonderful Stevie Wonder.
I've made a video in which you're going to
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see situations where people often get superstitious
and also lots of symbols and objects that
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are associated with superstitions. How many
can you spot?
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Many come from the US and the UK, but some
come from other cultures. So see how many
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you recognize. And perhaps there are other
lucky symbols and interesting superstitions
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in your culture. Please tell us about them
in the comments.
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