Advanced English Conversation Lesson #2: Love ❤️ (learn real English w/ subtitles)

Hello everybody! This is Jack from

tofluency.com, and we are back with

another conversation that is going to

help you learn real English. Now, today

we're going to talk about Valentine´s Day

and romance.

Yeah! Valentine's Day and romance because

we are filming this February. Now, be sure

to check out the description because

I'll leave a list of the different phrases

and vocabulary that we use in this

lesson, and we're going to try to speak

at more or less our normal speed and

this will give you great listening

practice. So, Valentine's Day can you tell

everyone what Valentine's Day is?

Valentine's Day is February 14 of every year.

It's a holiday which is supposed to

celebrate romantic love, so the love

between two partners, and it's a

holiday where there's sometimes a lot of

pressure to do things in a certain way

but it can also be quite fun, and as

we were talking about it, we realized that

we had a lot of memories of Valentine's Day from

growing up what it was like to

celebrate this holiday, which is really a

romantic holiday in school - when you're child.

Yeah, and we had some good memories and some

bad memories. I think we're only going to

share the good memories, and one of

the big things is, on Valentine's Day, one of the main

that people do is to send and

receive cards, so let's talk about that -

how you did that school in America.

Yes! Absolutely, and so basically the

whole Valentine's Day celebration was

everybody would buy or make cards for

everybody in their class, and usually

attach a little piece of candy, so...

Oh, candy as well... it came with candy.

Of course! Usually, the most popular ones were

Hershey Kisses and Conversation Hearts.

So both of these are types of chocolate?

No! Well, Hersheys

Hershes is, you know what a Conversation Heart is?

Oh, we call that something else.

Is it one of those little round candy,

like, sweet things with some kind of

message on it... YES! What did we call call these?

I'll leave this in the description. It's gonna...

I can't remember but, yeah, we used to have

these as well... Absolutely, and they would

say a little message like: 'Fax me'

which really dates... Fax me? Send me a fax!

Now it would be 'send me a Snap'.

Yeah, it's probably like email me or

Instagram me. I don't know if it would fit in a

little tiny candy... I'm sure they would fit in.

So, you would attach those to

the card and send them to one person, two

people, ten? The rule was really

everybody in the class. Really? we didn't

have that rule. Well, that was when we were

younger.

And then, as you get older, and it's

less typical to give people Valentine's

unless you are in a romantic

relationship with them. Or you like someone, right?

Yeah, or you like them.

I don't remember sending Valentine's Day

cards to everyone in the class, but I do

remember you would send a card to one

person, basically, and you would put from

your secret admirer.

Really? Yeah! So the idea is that you

don't tell people who the card is from.

Right! A lot of times, though, they would

guess who it is, based on your

handwriting,

I remember... because what

you'd do is you'd give the card to a friend to

give it to them or you'd put in their locker,

you'd put on their desk so they that they

don't know who it is, but you could

always write your name, some people did

write their name too.

So Jack... be honest, how many secret admirer

Valentine's Cards did you send? I used to

send one... one every year.

One every year? I think so...

Sometimes, I was in, you know,

"relationship" when I was 12 or 13, so

I would send a card to that person

obviously. But other than that it was, yes,

sometimes I didn't send them.

Sometimes you didn't But most years you did? I think most years I did.

And how often did you sign

your name and how often were you a

secret admirer?

I can't remember. I remember receiving cards from

secret admirers... plural, but

I don't remember sending cards,

sending, you know, "from your secret admirer"

Ever? Never?

I can't really remember doing it. So, you only gave one

special girl a card every year?

I think so. And you signed your name?

Yeah! Because I was in a relationship

Do you think that there was a, because I

remember, especially once you got a

little bit older, there there was a lot of

pressure to be in a relationship for

Valentine's Day. We didn't have that.

I'm pretty sure we didn't have that.

And it was nothing additional. I don't

remember going on, like a date, around

Valentine's Day or making a big deal (our of it)

Maybe we had presents too... I just can't

remember, but, yeah, I know in America

though, dating is big, and this is

something that we didn't really

understand growing up, watching American

TV, and it's what we learned from watching

things like Friends and Dawson's Creek

that dating is big. What is a typical thing

that people do for a date on Valentine's Day?

Well, it depends, ovbviously, on whether

you're 12 or you're in your forties and

anywhere in between.

Let's talk about...

Let's talk about, you know, adults....

Adults? Okay, probably going to a nice

restaurant. That's typical... So, what you would

consider to be kind of a fancy meal,

where you dress up... we have

our baby here, by the way, you may hear her.

She's very excited about us having

this conversation.

She's trying to join in. Sorry, to a restaurant...

Hi Emma!

You go to a restaurant - probably the most

stereotypical romantic cuisines are French

cuisine. French, yeah. Maybe

Italian, and you would have a fancy

meal with your loved one. Right! And I imagine

things are... it's very difficult to get

into restaurants on Valentine's Day...

Absolutely! I think you have plan in advance.

Yeah! Book in advance, planning in

advance, and you know, take initiative and

say: "Okay, we're going to go to this

restaurant. We're gonna book it in early

January. We're going to go on Valentine's Day...

I think it's different once

you get married, but I know during the

dating stage

there's a lot of pressure on the

male in the relationship, if it's a

male-female relationship to book the

restaurant and get the flowers.

Yeah, it's a lot of pressure.

A lot of pressure, but yet feel like it's generally not the men

who care as much about Valentine's Day.

Typically not... Yeah...

But they... Yeah, I feel like they've got the

pressure to do it and the woman expects

something. Generally, you know now... traditionally

Jewelry, chocolates, perfume.

I wouldn't get perfume.

Yeah, it's a little personal but I mean

I think that people do get it.

I think chocolate is always safe for me

in case you're

wondering. I always love chocolate

and of course, jewelry... By the way, I'm just

kidding, there is no presure on Jack.

No pressure at all. I don't feel any pressure. I've got

a question, though, about dating and

relationships. If you say you're

dating someone, are you in a relationship?

That's a good question. I feel like there's...

you're dating someone in general, you're

in a relationship when you have that

conversation where you say that you want

to be exclusive... So

you won't date other people.

Ok so when you... you can go on a first

date with somebody...

And then if you go on a second and third

day, that's when you would start having a

conversation about: Ok are we in a

relationship?

Yes! and I know like with us, we were...

I.. we can't explain it.

We were traveling around the

world, but we did have that

conversation (We did), and after that, we

were in a relationship.

We were in a long-distance relationship because we weren't in the

same place, so we actually started in a

long-distance relationship and I feel we

you know spend time together in the same city,

It's kind of interesting... But we met each other in person

Which is not always the case now.

Well that's it because things have changed.

In the past, let's go back 20

years, you would have to approach

somebody and ask them the question

directly,

either, meeting someone at a bar, meeting someone through a friend, at a

party, but now obviously online dating

is a big thing. I think online dating

is the way people meet their their husbands

and wives now.

Definitely... It's a huge change. It really is.

It's just, erm, changed the way that people

date and start relationships. Have you

ever online dated? I have online dated.

When it wasn't very popular or

common, I think it was in 2005,

2005-2006. I used to... well, I put my profile up there and

you know contacted

people, went on a few dates, you know. It was fun.

What information about your

profile? So, if I had been looking on

your online profile, what would I see? You would

see a very young version of me with

information about the music that I like.

I was really into music back then.

I think I talked about that...

What bands did you put on your profile?

Bob Dylan, New Young, Artic Monkeys... they're they three that I always remember...

And then, erm, I

think it there was like different questions that

you could ask and answer. And I can't, really, sorry,

I can't remember what I had on that to be honest.

"You can't remember:" I... I choose not to remember

Choose not to remember... But based on your

music profile, I think I would have

wanted to go on a date with you.

Well, I think music is one of the

big things that people ask about first, you know,

What kind of music do you like?

But, yeah, online dating.. it was fun, it worked, you know,

it was okay. I met some people but obviously

I didn't get into any relationships from it.

And then I went travelling and, then, I met Kate

so, yeah. I want to talk

about a date nights because a lot of

people are thinking about having a date

night for Valentine's Day and what some are

typical date nights in America? We're

back

with Emma! Kate, you were just saying

Date night! Date night, and what kind of things that

people do when they go on a date.

Let's just talk about someone who is in

a relationship or someone who is

married... What kind of things do

people like to do? I think that probably

some of the most popular things to do

are to go see entertainment, whether that's a

movie in the cinema or a live band...

Right! So, to go to a live show, to go to

the cinema, the theatre, maybe...

Or to go out for a meal

Yeah, they're the two main things really.

Or bowling? That's an old style date...

That's an old style date

Which is, it was very popular, I guess in the eighties,

Is that right, seventies, eighties...

To go bowling

I think about Greece. Is it Greece One

that they go bowling?

I'm trying to remember - one of the Greases

they do go bowling.

Yeah, anyway, that's what i have in

my head when I'm thinking about, you know, going

bowling. So is that your ideal date?

Bowling? No. What is your

ideal date? My ideal date, I think it would be - what I

really liked about Spain was when you

could just go to a few bars and get a

little something to eat and a little

tiny bit of wine and go somewhere else

and you experience different

atmospheres and it feels like you're

going on an adventure instead of going

to one place and just sitting down for a

big meal, I like to be out and about and

to go to small bars, to stand up, to go

outside, you know, because then it feels like

you've got some movement there, and you

can talk about different things, you know.

That's what I enjoy doing.

We have talked about doing that here

Yes! But we have just never got around to it

Not for a long time...

Well since we've had children, really,

to go bar-hopping as it's called or you know,

restaurant hopping. Yes, it's really fun

to do that, I fell.

What about yourself?

What my ideal date is?

I think (WITH ME!)... Obviously,

First of all, you are the main ingredient in my ideal

date. I think so. Yes, you are.

It would be... Probably to go somewhere outside

if we're considering this as a long date so maybe

to go on a hike or something like that

and then to just get a really casual meal

and maybe see some live music

Yeah, live music I think that's fun.

To go to a concert

So, you've got that sense of going to a couple of

places and movement too.

I just feel like if you're sitting

down at the same restaurant for 2 or 3 hours

it can get a little bit boring and, you

know, it's good to have like different

experiences and move around a lot

or just delicious

I like going to restaurants too but I think

that when we think about, you know, what's the

the perfect date,

that's more you want to do

something a little bit more exciting.

Sometimes, we are restricted for time so

we have to, you know, "okay, we've got an hour and a half -

go to the restaurant" you know, order quickly

absolutely, especially, with an infant

Yeah - I thought I could end with some

love idioms that we can share, we can

have a quick conversation about each one.

I've got three. The first one is soulmate.

Do you believe in soul mates?

I would say that I didn't

believe in soulmates but then I know

this is going to sound so cheesy but you

kind of made me believe in soulmates

because we just connected so immediately

and it was such a coincidence that we

even met. We were from different

continents. We weren't even supposed

to be in the same place at the same time

and we were and we met and we've made a life out of that.

That's a great answer. Do you

believe in soulmates? Not really I know

I'm sorry I haven't really

thought too much about it and you know

and really got into depth with it but

I'm, I feel it's more like: there a certain

amount of people that you're compatible

with ok and if you meet that person then

you have to take advantage of it,

you know, and make it work. Do you believe

in the phrase: "Opposites attract"? Yes, I think

I do

Do you think we were opposites? In some

ways, I mean, yeah there's a big

difference... Different countries and,

there are some things.

And the idea of a soulmate

is that one person only one person.

Actually when just after I met you

and you didn't meet this guy - a guy called Paul

who stayed at the same hostel as us.

He was a mathematician and he takled

about - he worked out that there's I think

it was 1 in 100,000 women who would be

suitable for him.

Wow! And that he would have to

meet so many people and go to

specific places to increase the odds of

meeting one of those people. He got married

recently. Was he the kind of person

that would have a lot of

I don't know, requirements to be.... he was very

picky? Well, yes, from what I remember.

yeah really nice guy, though. I've got another one.

To have a crush on someone -

Can you explain what that means? To have a

crush on someone. That's a good one.

To have a crush on someone is to like them romantically

yeah but a lot of times it's a

secret crush. And it's before you really

get into it, you can't say I have a crush

on getting my wife or my husband. It's

like when you're not in a relationship

with someone and you know... You like them

so we always used to say: like someone

like but when you say it in a certain way like ...

You like someone. And you can also say: Do you

like like that person? Yes we used to

say that too! Do you like like them

or just like them? So, to like

like someone means you have a

crush on someone. I really like that, and

then the final one. To go on a

blind date.

Oh, yeah. What can you explain what that means?

So a blind date is when you meet

someone to go on a date and you have

never seen them before in your life.

So, it's somebody that a friend of a

friend has set you up with or maybe

you met them online and you don't know

kind of what they look like you've never

met them in person and

so that's a blind date. I've never

ever been on a blind date. I have never been on a blind date.

Good, I feel like a good

question to ask everyone is, the soul

mate question... Do you want to ask it?

I want you to ask the questions in

these videos. I know, I like asking you questions,

I feel like you have to answer me too when

the camera's on. Okay! So, do you believe in

soulmates? That there is just one person

out there who is meant to be for you?

It is a great question and

feel free to expand on your answer and

let us know if you have any questions

about the words and phrases we used here.

We've got a lot of things here, you know

to send cards, to get cards, secret

admirers, to go on a date, date night -

didn't talk about needing a babysitter...

Soulmates, have a

crush on someone and to go on a blind.

And once again I'll leave the vocabulary in

the description so you can read this and

learn the words and phrases that we both

used in this conversation. So, thank you

very much for watching and we'll see you

in the next lesson.

Thank you! Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day! Bye Bye!