Welcome to LIVE CONVERSATIONS “NEW ZEALAND: Lesson 6!” Any questions or comments? Please write us at: support@realenglishnow.com

Please watch the video below. Remember: Don’t write anything. Just watch and listen. By the end of the lesson you will understand everything!

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Greg: So the next one…Here is, here is an interesting question for you. This was taken probably, I don’t know, thirty minutes after the seal shot (picture). So how do you imagine we went from seals down in the water, to getting a picture of the top of the mountain in the clouds? We were on the boat thirty minutes ago. Now, how in the world did we get this picture?

Mark: You know, depending on the angle, you could’ve taken a…some sort of gondola up, perhaps. Or….I guess a gondola would be my first guess.

Greg: Ok, that’s a good guess. But no, we didn’t take a gondola. We took a helicopter tour, actually.

Mark: Sheesh. So, all in one day you did bus, boat, and helicopter?

Greg: Yeah. The helicopter tour was not planned, though. A helicopter tour just broke out. But, the tour guide said, you know, it’s another eight hours back to town after you do the tour of Milford Sound. That, of course, is not the most appealing idea. And he was saying, you know, we’ll get back into town around eight o’clock at night or something like that. He said, however, there is an optional helicopter tour that will take you around Milford Sound. It will take you up to a glacier and it will drop you off back in town. And that only takes, you know, thirty minutes or so to get back to town. Or an hour. Something like that.

Mark: As opposed to eight hours or…

Greg: As opposed to an eight hour drive, you get the helicopter experience to see the top of the world and all of that, and drops you back home, basically.

Mark: That’s what we call a no brainer in English.

Greg: Right. It is a no brainer until the person raises their hand and says, “Yeah… How much is it?” Until then it is clearly a no brainer. However, it was five hundred dollars per person.

Mark: Wow.

Greg: Yeah. So, suddenly, that’s, you know, if you are two people, for example me and Megumi, that’s an extra thousand dollars unexpected.

Mark: Yeah.

Greg: Right. So, my stepfather said, “I’m going on the helicopter tour. Do you guys want to go?” Because he was all…He was not up for the ride back, definitely.

Mark: Sure.

Greg: He wasn’t interested in that. So, we said, “Well, we would like to go, but we don’t have an extra thousand dollars.” Because the trip itself is already costing us enough and….you know….

Mark: Yeah.

Greg: …We just don’t have it. We just, you know….We’ll suffer through the bus ride back.
Mark: Yeah.

Greg: And my stepfather, being the cool guy that he is, he said, “It’s alright,” you know, “I’ll pay for it.” So, my stepfather paid for our tickets.

Mark: That’s always nice.

Greg: Yeah, so that was definitely cool. Thank you, once again, to him.

Mark: Yeah.

Greg: And, so this is why we can see the top of these things, because we took the helicopter tour. And the cool part, though, was going to a glacier. Helicopter tour was really cool because first, you’re….You know, everything was really pretty when you were down in the water area looking up at it. But then when you flew up and you could see the top of these mountains and everything, with the clouds, it was very cool see vegas. Then, we landed on a glacier. I have never been on a glacier on the top of the mountain, so that was cool, too.

Mark: That’s great.

Greg: What we’re looking at here, the interesting point is that this is a little river. And look at how shallow it is, you know…

Mark: Yeah.

Greg: You wouldn’t….You would think you could just walk across it quite easily.

Mark: I’m sure you could.

Greg: Yes. So in this very shallow water, they’re actually having these jet boats.

Mark: Wow, look at that thing!

Greg: I wouldn’t call it a tour, it’s more of a ride, but jet boat ride. So, just wanted to show that.

Mark: I’ve never seen anything like that. Have you?

Greg: No, I hadn’t seen anything like it actually. It never got scary, per se, but he was taking us like really close to rock…rock faces (surface of the rocks), and boulders and things. I was like, “This is incredible that he has not had a wreck (accident).” But literally, if you were to put your hand outside the boat in some places you would have lost it on a boulder or a rock. I mean, he was going that close to them. It was amazing.

Mark: Geez! I’m sure he told to keep your hands inside the vehicle at all times.

Greg: Yes, he did.

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1.

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how in the world? = It seems impossible, so how…?
Remember, in these four groups of sentences below, a native speaker will usually use the 2nd version. So, “How in the world?” is the advanced phrase we want to learn.

That was an amazing illusion! It seems impossible, so how did he do that?
That was an amazing illusion! How in the world did he do that?

It seems impossible, so how did you convince your mom?
How in the world did you convince your mom?

It seems impossible, so how did you beat him?
How in the world did you beat him?

It seems impossible, so how did you take this photo?
How in the world did you take this photo?

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2.

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sheesh = an expression of (negative) surprise, wow

Wow, that was a lot of work!
Sheesh, that was a lot of work!

Wow, I say one little thing and she yells at me.
Sheesh, I say one little thing and she yells at me.

Wow, my new car had engine problems after only one day of driving.
Sheesh, my new car had engine problems after only one day of driving.

In one day you took a bus tour, a boat tour, and a helicopter tour? Wow, that would make me tired.
In one day you took a bus tour, a boat tour, and a helicopter tour? Sheesh, that would make me tired.

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3.

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to break out = suddenly started

A fight suddenly started at school today.
A fight broke out at school today.

Panic suddenly started in the stadium.
Panic broke out in the stadium.

A riot suddenly started in the prison.
A riot broke out in the prison.

A helicopter tour suddenly started.
A helicopter tour just broke out.

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4.

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to be all = to say (colloq.)
NOTE: This is very similar in use as “to be like”

I said, “When are we eatin’? I’m hungry!”
I’m all, “When are we eatin’? I’m hungry!”

He said, “That’s crazy!”
He’s all, “That’s crazy!”

She said, “Are you kidding me?”
She’s all, “Are you kidding me?”

My Grandfather said, “I do not want to ride that bus again. I’m taking the helicopter.”
My Grandfather was all, “I do not want to ride that bus again. I’m taking the helicopter.”

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5.

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to be up for = to be interested in

Is anyone interested in some Chinese food?
Is anyone up for some Chinese food?

Are you interested in a movie?
Are you up for a movie?

Are you interested in lunch?
Are you up for lunch?

He was not interested in the long bus ride back.
He was not up for the long bus ride back.

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6.

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to suffer through = to tolerate

I can’t tolerate another minute of this boring lecture!
I can’t suffer through another minute of this boring lecture!

We had to tolerate a boring tour.
We had to suffer through a boring tour.

I had to tolerate her speech.
I had to suffer through her speech.

I can’t afford the helicopter ride, so I’ll tolerate the bus ride instead.
I can’t afford the helicopter ride, so I’ll suffer through the bus ride instead.

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7.

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per se = even though that’s what you might think

It’s not a debate even though that’s what you might think, but just a discussion.
It’s not a debate, per se, but just a discussion.

It’s not an amusement park even though that’s what you might think, but it’s still a lot of fun.
It’s not an amusement park per se, but it’s still a lot of fun.

It’s not a comedy even though that’s what you might think, but it’s still very funny.
It’s not a comedy per se, but it’s still very funny.

It never got scary, even though that’s what you might think, but he was taking us very close to rocks.
It never got scary per se, but he was taking us very close to rocks.

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Easy: That was an amazing illusion! It seems impossible, so how did he do that?

Advanced: That was an amazing illusion! ___ __ ___ _____ did he do that?

Easy: Wow, I say one little thing and she yells at me.
Advanced: _____, I say one little thing and she yells at me.

Easy: A fight suddenly started at school today.

Advanced: A fight _____ ___ at school today.

Easy: I said, “When are we eatin’? I’m hungry!”

Advanced: __ ___ , “When are we eatin’? I’m hungry!”

Easy: Is anyone interested in some Chinese food?

Advanced: Is anyone __ ___ some Chinese food?

Easy: I can’t tolerate another minute of this boring lecture!

Advanced: I can’t _____ _______ another minute of this boring lecture!

Easy: It’s not a comedy even though that’s what you might think, but it’s still very funny.

Advanced: It’s not a comedy ___ __, but it’s still very funny.