Transcription
So you're being strangely cryptic as you wrap your magic hair around my injured hand. Sorry, just don't, don't freak out. Flow clean and glow, let your power shine. Make the clock reverse, bring back what once was.
Think for a moment, if you could have any superpower, what would it be? Something exciting, like flying or becoming invisible? How about the power to heal? In the movie Tangled, Rapunzel has that very gift. We say she's endowed with it. Endowed is a word we use when someone is born with a special talent or ability. Her power is activated when she sings the song called "Healing Incantation." An incantation is a series of words that produces a magical effect, like in Cinderella when the Fairy Godmother says "Bibidi-bidi-boo" to transform Cinderella's clothes.
And by the way, do you see those words highlighted in blue? These are the advanced expressions that we will be learning today. And you should know that we're saving all of them in a special deck of flashcards created for this lesson with Tangled on our own app. If you want to remember these words forever and actually use them in your English conversations, this is the best way to do that. Just click the link below to access this lesson from inside our app now, and you can even watch it from there too.
Now, let's watch the first part of the scene and then break down the vocabulary. And at the end of the lesson, you will see that you will understand every single word they say when we watch everything again a final time without subtitles.
Flow clean and glow, let your power shine. Make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine. You, what has been hurt, change the fate's design. Save what has been lost, bring back what once was mine, what once was mine.
[Music]
Please don't freak out.
[Music]
So you're being strangely cryptic as you wrap your magic hair around my injured hand. So Flynn doesn't understand why Rapunzel is putting her long hair on his hand. She's wrapping it around a wound. If your hand is hurt or has a wound, we say it is injured. He also calls her cryptic. What does that mean? Is it beautiful, captivating, or mysterious? When someone is cryptic, they are mysterious and hard to understand. But more literally, we could say something like, "The ancient text was written in a cryptic language."
Rapunzel hesitates to tell Flynn that her hair has magical healing powers, worrying that it might shock him. She says, "Don't freak out," meaning, "Don't get scared." This is a nice, casual phrase natives often say.
So then she starts to sing a healing incantation.
Flow clean and glow, let your power shine.
As she starts to sing, you can see her hair begins to shine brightly. We could also say her hair is gleaming or glowing. These words mean the same thing: to shine or sparkle. Okay, so her hair gleams because it's magic. Power comes from a special magic flower. This flower was used to heal her mother, the queen, when she was pregnant with Rapunzel, and the magic from the flower was passed on to Rapunzel.
[Music]
Has changed. Let's break down the phrase "fate's design." What does that mean? Design refers to a plan or drawing, and fate is our destiny, or what our future holds for us. So when we talk about fate's design, we're referring to a plan created by our destiny. However, in the song, the phrase is used in the plural, as we can see from the apostrophe that follows the letter "s." This is a specific reference to the three Fates from Greek mythology. These goddesses were believed to control people's destinies. So the whole phrase "change the fate's design" means to change what these powerful goddesses have planned for you, to alter your destiny.
Let's watch the second part of the scene and see Flynn's reaction. Did he really freak out or not? And by the way, remember that you can practice all this vocabulary you're seeing today on our own app. It's the best way for you to make sure you never forget the words and expressions you see in these lessons. In fact, it's even better to watch it from there because you get a way more powerful experience. Click the link below to start next. Now, you'll be taken directly to this lesson over there, or just search for "RealLife English" on the App Store or Google Play.
"Please don't freak out."
"I'm not freaking out. Are you freaking out?"
"No, I'm just very interested in your hair and the magical qualities that it possesses. How long has it been doing that, exactly?"
"Uh, forever, I guess. Mother says when I was a baby, people tried to cut it. They wanted to take it for themselves. But once it's cut, it turns brown and loses its power."
"A gift like that, it has to be protected. That's why Mother never let me..."
"That's why I never left."
"And you never left that tower? And you're still going to go back?"
"No."
"Yes."
"It's complicated."
"So, Eugene Fitzherbert, huh?"
"Uh, yeah. Well, I'll spare you the sad story of poor orphan Eugene Fitzherbert. It's a little bit of a... that's a little bit of a downer."
[Music]
Flynn is amazed by Rapunzel's magical hair, which possesses healing powers. "No, I'm just very interested in your hair and the magical qualities that it possesses. How long has it been doing that, exactly?" To possess means to have or own something, and the noun would be a possession, something you own. "There it is, boys! The championship trophy! We will never possess it." "What I really wanted to do today was to give you this, my most precious possession. Open it now."
Let's listen to this phrase again and break down the connected speech that is how natives cut, reduce, and connect their words.
"How long has it been doing that, exactly?"
The "h" sound in "hair" is dropped. The "t" sound in "it" becomes a stop "t" sound. And the "z" sound is linked to the following vowel sound. And so all three words form one chunk: "has it been."
"How long has it been doing that?"
Now listen again and try to repeat.
"How long has it been doing that, exactly?"
"How long has it been doing that?"
[Music]
"Exactly. Forever, I guess. Mother says when I was a baby, people tried to cut it. They wanted to take it for themselves."
Did you catch the reduction that's happening in the word "wanted"? "They wanted to take it for themselves." There's a common pattern for the "nt" combination. The "t" sound usually gets dropped. "Wanted" becomes "wan-ed." The "d" from "wanted" is morphed into a reduced "t," and then the "k" sound from "take" is linked to the following vowel.
"Wanted to take it."
Listen and repeat.
"They wanted to take it for themselves."
"They wanted to take it for themselves."
"But once it's cut, it turns brown and loses its power."
How do you understand the phrase "once it's cut"? Here, she's talking about her hair. "Once" means "as soon as." So the phrase means that the moment someone cuts her hair, it loses its power. Analyzing the grammar in this, we see this structure functions like a zero conditional with a time clause because it describes a general truth. But instead of using "if" or "when," it uses "once" to indicate that the second action happens immediately after the first.
"So, Eugene Fitzherbert, huh?"
"Uh, yeah. Well, I'll spare you the sad story of poor orphan Eugene Fitzherbert. It's a little bit of a... that's a little bit of a downer."
When you spare somebody something, you avoid saying something that might bother them. For example, the common phrase "I'll spare you the details" means "I won't tell you unpleasant or boring details of the story." When you spare someone, it may also mean that you keep them their life, so to speak. You have mercy on them. Check out these two examples of how this word can be used differently.
"Oh, that sounded desperate."
"It was. I met someone and we..."
"Please, spare me the details."
"Happily."
Here, she asked her not to share any details with him. And here, we have both a reference to saving a life and avoiding unnecessary talking.
"Yes, finally. Thank you. Almost makes me want to spare your life."
"Oh, you want to spare me? How about you spare me the chitchat?"
"All right, let's do this."
So Flynn doesn't want to tell her his "sad story," a sad story that, according to him, is "a bit of a downer." A downer is something that brings people down emotionally or lowers their mood. See this example.
"Oh, your mom has..."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. She's doing all right, though. I, I moved in with her to take care of her and stuff like that. It's good to really get to know her before, you know, uh, she moves on. Kind of down that story, though."
"What about you, man? What's your living situation like these days?"
Now listen again to the pronunciation of this phrase.
"I'll spare you the sad story of poor orphan Eugene Fitzherbert. It's a little bit of a... that's a little bit of a downer."
It's all connected, and we hear that the "t"s are pronounced as a flap "t," like "d." So "little" is pronounced as "liddle," and "bit of a" becomes "bitta."
"A little bit of a downer."
"That's a little bit of a downer."
"That's a little bit of a downer."
[Music]
Now, let's watch the last part of the scene where Flynn, whose real name is Eugene Fitzherbert, tells Rapunzel the story. Hide his nickname.
"There was this book. A book I used to read every night to all the younger kids. The tales of Flynn Rider. Swashbuckling rogue. Richest man alive. Not bad with the ladies either. Not that they'd ever brag about it, of course."
"Was he a thief, too?"
"Uh, well, no. Actually, he had enough money to do anything that he wanted to do. He could go anywhere that he wanted to go. And, and, and for a kid with nothing, I don't know, I just seemed like the better option."
"You can't tell anyone about this, okay? It could ruin my whole reputation."
"Ah, we wouldn't want that. Well, a fake reputation is all a man [Laughter] has."
"Um, well, I should... um, I, I should, I should get some more firewood."
"Hey, for the record, I like Eugene Fitzherbert much better than Flynn Rider."
"Well, then you'd be the first. But thank you."
Hey, so if you are new here, you should know that every single week, we make new lessons like this one with your favorite movies and TV series to help you understand fast-speaking natives without getting lost, without missing the jokes, and without subtitles. So if this sounds like something that you want to be able to do, subscribe and hit the bell down below so you don't miss any of our new lessons.
So it turns out Flynn chose his nickname after a hero from a childhood book he loved. "There was this book. A book I used to read every night to all the younger kids. The tales of Flynn Rider. Swashbuckling rogue. Richest man alive. Not bad with the ladies either." Imagine him brave, daring, and maybe a little bit of a bad guy, like a pirate, but very charming. That's "swashbuckling rogue." Swashbuckling means adventurous and brave, and rogue means a dishonest but charming person. Most often, you will hear it in the phrase "to go rogue," which means to behave in a way that is not normal or expected.
"I can't believe I'm about to say this, guys. She's going rogue."
"But being here with you today makes me realize that true happiness is possible."
"I wish I was a swashbuckling doctor, you know, like a pirate."
"Enough about pirates."
"Wait until you know him better."
"Not bad with the ladies either. Not that he'd ever brag about it, of course." When you brag, you talk proudly about yourself to impress others. Here, Flynn says that his hero was successful with women. In other words, women loved him, but he would never brag about it.
"Oh, when he shows up, keep him distracted. Make him talk about himself. He loves bragging about how great he is."
"You can't tell anyone about this, okay? It could ruin my whole reputation."
How can you tell when natives say "can" or "can't"? It's not that hard if you know this pattern. Listen again to how Flynn says it.
"You can't tell anyone about this, okay? It could ruin my whole reputation."
When the word is negative, it is usually stressed, and you can clearly hear the "a" sound. "You can't tell anyone." When it is positive, it's usually reduced, and if you train your ear, you'll notice the "uh" sound. The stress shifts to the next word instead.
"You can tell."
Let's practice a bit.
"You can see her."
"You can't see her."
"You can come."
"You can come."
"You can take it."
"You can take it."
"You can't tell anyone about this, okay? It could ruin my whole reputation."
If your reputation, that is your image, is ruined, people might no longer respect or trust you. In the scene, Eugene worries that if people find out he's not as cool or confident as Flynn Rider, they won't admire him anymore. So he jokes that sharing his real story could ruin the image he's created.
"Um, well, I should... um, I, I should, I should get some more firewood."
"Hey, for the record, I like Eugene Fitzherbert much better than Flynn Rider."
If you're making a fire, you need firewood, or pieces of wood or sticks and branches of a tree. "For the record" is a phrase used when you want to state something clearly, officially, or for future reference. It emphasizes that what you're about to say is important. People often use it in formal settings, such as legal or official discussions, but it can also appear in casual conversations like Flynn and Rapunzel are having here.
"This isn't exactly your playground. Like, like I'm really going to be afraid of a pretty flower? Bet you didn't see that coming. For the record, I blame you for this."
Are you ready for the test? Let's watch the clips one last time, this time without subtitles, and you'll see just how much easier it is to understand everything they're saying. This method works like magic. And to make it even more fun and engaging, I've prepared some vocabulary quiz questions for you. Let's go.
Flow clean and glow, let your power shine. Make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine. You, what has been hurt, change the fate's design. Save what has been lost, bring back what once was mine, what once was mine.
[Music]
Oh, please don't freak out. If you freak out, you move your hands, you fall asleep, or you react with [Music] fear.
"I'm not freaking out. Are you freaking out?"
"No, I'm just very interested in your hair and the magical qualities that it possesses. How long has it been doing that, exactly?"
What's the word used to say that hair has power? Possess or [Music] possess?
"And you're still going to go back?"
"No."
"Yes."
"It's complicated."
"So, Eugene Fitzherbert, huh?"
"Uh, yeah. Well, I'll spare you the sad story of poor orphan Eugene Fitzherbert. It's a little bit of a... that's a little bit of a downer."
If your story is a downer, that means it's boring, silly, or [Music] sad.
"There was this book. A book I used to read every night to all the younger kids. The tales of Flynn Rider. Swashbuckling rogue. Richest man alive. Not bad with the ladies either. Not that they'd ever brag about it, of course."
"Was he a thief, too?"
"Uh, well, no. Actually, he had enough money to do anything that he wanted to do. He could go anywhere that he wanted to go. And, and, and for a kid with nothing, I don't know, I just seemed like the better option."
"You can't tell anyone about this, okay? It could ruin my whole reputation."
"Ah, we wouldn't want that. Well, a fake reputation is all a man [Laughter] has."
"Um, well, I should... um, I, I should, I should get some more firewood."
"Hey, for the record, I like Eugene Fitzherbert much better than Flynn Rider."
What does Flynn want to go get for the fire? [Music] It's firewood.
That's it for today. Thank you for learning with us. And remember to practice new words and expressions with the flashcards on our RealLife English app. You'll find a special link right in the description below. Just use a smartphone to get started. It's the easiest way to make these words stick with you forever.
"So most of these wishes will never be granted."
"Yet I still protect them like all the others."
"Can't you just give them back instead?"
"Excuse me?"
"The wishes you're not going to grant. You could just give them back, then."
"I don't know. The people can try to pursue them themselves, you know? If they're dangerous, then they can be stopped. But if they're not, you've completely missed the point. People come here because they know they can't make their own dreams come true."