I Don't Feel So Good

Marco: Hello English learners! Welcome back to another lesson with us at EnglishPod! My name is Marco.

Erika: And I’m Erica.

Marco: And today we don’t feel very good.

Erika: That’s right, um, actually, in this lesson we’re talking about a hangover.

Marco: A hangover, wow! That’s a… that’s an interesting word. What does that mean?

Erika: Well, when you… when you drink beer or wine or vodka and you drink too much of it…

Marco: Uhu.

Erika: The next morning you have a hangover.

Marco: Aha, okay, so, a lot of our listeners have probably experienced a hangover before…

Erika: It’s very likely.

Marco: But the problem is when you have to go to work the next day.

Erika: Yes, um, and you might need to actually miss work, but you need some good, um, words and phrases to describe how bad you feel.

Marco: Okay, so, let’s listen to this dialogue for the first time. We have a guy describing his hangover and why he missed work that day.

Erika: Alright, so, he’s never drinking again, but then at the next chance for a party he’s already ready to go.

Marco: I think that’s the typical lie of every person that drinks.

Erika: Hm.

Marco: They say “I’ll never drink again”, but a week later or a month later they… they are again.

Erika: Or a day later.

Marco: Hehe. Alright, so, we saw some great vocab here, so let’s look at it now in “language takeaway”.

Voice: Language takeaway.

Erika: We’re gonna look at five words here. Now, the first one, um, they talked about how Mike’s birthday is a drink fest.

Marco: A drink fest.

Erika: It’s a drink fest.

Marco: Alright, so, we have this word drink fest. Now, what is this fest part?

Erika: Well, maybe you recognize the word October Fest.

Marco: Okay, or festival.

Erika: Uhu, so, fest is like a party – there’s lots of food, there’s lots of drink. A drink fest is an event where there’s a lot of drinks.

Marco: Okay, so, can I have different types of fests?

Erika: Yeah, this is a really informal, sort of slang way of saying “There’s lots of something”. So, I could say “Oh, my God! It’s a puppy fest!”

Marco: So, there’re a lot of puppies.

Erika: Aha.

Marco: Or I can say like a fast food fest.

Erika: Okay, so, we’re eating a lot of fast food.

Marco: There’s a lot of fast food.

Erika: Yep.

Marco: Alright, so, fest, interesting.

Erika: Uhu.

Marco: Now, when he was describing his hangover, he said that he felt really nauseous.

Erika: Nauseous.

Marco: Nauseous.

Erika: Now, I always have a hard time spelling this word, so N-A-U-S-E-O-U-S, nauseous.

Marco: Nauseous. It kind of seems like you should say [nausios].

Erika: Right, but…

Marco: But you say [nashas].

Erika: Yeah, okay. So, when you’re feeling nauseous, what do you feel like?

Marco: So, you feel dizzy, you don’t feel very well.

Erika: Like your stomach hurts.

Marco: Yeah, and your head is kind of spinning.

Erika: Okay, and you feel like you might throw up.

Marco: Right, exactly. Now, this word that you just mentioned throw up is actually our next word and, well, we’re not gonna describe it. Why don’t we just listen to a person throwing up?

The sound of a person throwing up.

Erika: Oh, Marco, that was horrible!

Marco: Hehe. Well, that’s the only way we can actually explain throw up. I mean it’s kind of hard word to explain, but I’m sure everyone understands now what it means, right?

Erika: Okay, the… the word is to throw up.

Marco: To throw up.

Erika: To throw up. Our next word, now, our guy who’s hung over, he said “I was so dehydrated”.

Marco: Dehydrated.

Erika: To be dehydrated.

Marco: So, this is an adjective…

Erika: Uhu.

Marco: And it means that I have no water in my body.

Erika: Exactly.

Marco: Okay, so, I’m dehydrated – I need water.

Erika: Yeah, common feeling after drinking too much beer, hah?

Marco: Exactly.

Erika: Now, our final word, he… he said he had a headache and he said ”My head’s been pounding all day”.

Marco: Okay, so, his head has been pounding all day.

Erika: Uhu, now, this verb pounding, it sounds like this…

The sound of pounding.

Marco: Alright, so, a clear example of what your head feels like when you have this very bad headache.

Erika: Uhu, you can also say “I have a pounding headache”.

Marco: I have a pounding headache, exactly.

Erika: Or my head is pounding.

Marco: Alright, so, five great words that we just looked at right now, so why don’t we listen to our dialogue a second time? Let’s slow it down just a little bit and then we’ll come back and take a look at some phrases.

Erika: Alright, well, it was a little easier to understand this time. Now, you mentioned that we’ve got some great phrases, so let’s go to them now in “fluency builder”.

Voice: Fluency builder.

Marco: Alright, so, as we heard in the dialogue, the party was… I think it was a great party, right?

Erika: Well, it sounds like it was fantastic.

Marco: Well, apparently, it was a great party and he said that he went out with Trevor and things got a little out of hand.

Erika: Things got a little out of hand.

Marco: Right, so, things got a little out of hand.

Erika: Now, to get out of hand, what’s that mean?

Marco: Well, we have some examples, so let’s listen to a couple of them before we explain it.

Voice: Example one.

A: Honey, the kids are getting a little out of hand. Can you do something?

亲爱的，孩子们有点管不住/失控了。你能管管吗？

Voice: Example two.

B: Guys, this argument is getting out of hand. All calm down.

大伙儿，这场争吵有点失控了。大家都冷静一下。

Voice: Example three.

C: The party last night got out of hand. The neighbors called the police.

昨晚的派对玩脱/失控了。邻居们都报警了。

Erika: Okay, so, when things get out of hand, um, you lose control.

Marco: Exactly, they get out of control, just a little bit maybe.

Erika: Yeah, go a little crazy.

Marco: Uhu. Alright, so, things got a little out of hand. Now, the opposite of this was everything was cool.

Erika: Everything was cool.

Marco: So, everything was cool.

Erika: So, basically, everything was okay, everything was relaxed, everything was going fine.

Marco: Exactly, and then Mike came along and then things got a little out of hand.

Erika: Oh, that Mike.

Marco: Hehe. And now for our last phrase, he was describing that Mike’s birthday party was a drink fest, right?

Erika: Uhu, and then his friend agreed, he said tell me about it.

Marco: Tell me about it.

Erika: Tell me about it.

Marco: Now, what does this mean exactly when he says “Tell me about it”?

Erika: Basically, it means “I completely understand”.

Marco: I completely agree with you.

Erika: Yeah.

Marco: Okay.

Erika: So, I could say “Oh, my God, Marco, it’s so hot outside today!”

Marco: Right, and I would say “Ugh, I know, tell me about it”.

Erika: Uhu.

Marco: Right? So, I’m saying “Yeah, I agree with you, you are right”.

Erika: Yep.

Marco: Very good, so, these phrases… Okay, so, three great phrases that we just looked at, let’s listen to our dialogue for the last time and then we’ll come back and talk a little bit more.

Erika: So, it sounds like these guys sure like to go out and have a few drinks, don’t they?

Marco: Yeah, exactly, and I think this is a very common thing among, well, young people, usually…

Erika: Uhu.

Marco: In the United States, you know, after, ah… after a day at the office or something they’ll go, or even Europe, they’ll…

Erika: Yep.

Marco: Go to the pub, right?

Erika: Yeah, but the thing is, uh, that in America and Canada we’re very careful about alcohol and young people, right?

Marco: Yeah, exactly, the legal drinking age in the most part of the United States is twenty one years of age.

Erika: Uhu, and really many, um, parents or families will never let their children drink alcohol until they’re twenty one.

Marco: Right, and also the laws that control alcohol like, for example, on television. If you notice a TV commercial with a beer…

Erika: Uhu.

Marco: Or a wine, you will never see the person actually drinking it, it’s illegal.

Erika: Uh, yeah, that’s true.

Marco: While in other countries it’s okay, you’ll see the people drinking it and…

Erika: Yeah.

Marco: Having fun. And these commercials, they can only maybe put them close to their lips, but not drink it.

Erika: Interesting.

Marco: Uhu.

Erika: And yo… another weird thing is that, um, you know, sometimes you might wanna sit in you back garden or out on your… your… your porch and have a beer after work, right?

Marco: Uhu.

Erika: But in places it’s totally illegal to do that. You can’t be outside with alcohol.

Marco: Right, you can’t be seen drinking or…

Erika: Yeah.

Marco: You can’t be on the sidewalk or on a bus drinking.

Erika: Yeah.

Marco: While in other places you can, right?

Erika: You can just have a beer on the subway.

Marco: So, it’s a little bit different policies on alcohol control.

Erika: Uhu.

Marco: What do you guys think about it? Do you think it’s correct or you think maybe it’s a little bit too exaggerated?

Erika: Come to our website englishpod.com and tell us about it.

Marco: Alright, we’ll see you guys and until next time…

Erika: Thanks for downloading and… Good bye!

Marco: Bye!