In this lesson, the focus is on learning English with a popular music artist, Dua Lipa. The video explores her unique approach to planning and organizing her schedule, likely developed from her early childhood habits. Viewers can practice understanding and using English vocabulary in real-life situations by listening to her live performance and analyzing the lyrics of her songs, particularly from her new album "radical optimism."

For learners, this lesson provides a mini-session on "Connected Speech," vocabulary, and pronunciation. It emphasizes learning English from real-life contexts, such as music, and encourages viewers to practice through the RealLife English app. The app aids in transferring new vocabulary from short-term to long-term memory using flashcards and spaced repetition, designed to tackle challenges like memorizing phrases during conversations.

Main takeaways from the video:

Please remember to turn on the CC button to view the subtitles.

Key Vocabularies and Common Phrases:

1. obsessed [əbˈsɛst] - (adjective) - Continuously preoccupied by a subject, idea, or thought. - Synonyms: (fixated, consumed, preoccupied)

You'll learn why she's obsessed with planning so much

2. succession [səkˈsɛʃ(ə)n] - (noun) - The order in which things follow one another. - Synonyms: (sequence, series, order)

succession is the order in which things happen one after another.

3. fade [feɪd] - (verb) - To gradually disappear or lose brightness. - Synonyms: (diminish, disappear, wane)

To fade is to gradually disappear or weaken

4. materialize [məˈtɪəriəlaɪz] - (verb) - To make something real or actual, especially something that was not previously tangible. - Synonyms: (realize, substantiate, actualize)

When something materializes, it means it becomes real or visible, especially something that was previously just an idea.

5. debatable [dɪˈbeɪtəbl] - (adjective) - Open to discussion or argument. - Synonyms: (questionable, arguable, contentious)

Were you a good student? debatable

6. radical optimism [ˈrædɪk(ə)l ˈɒptɪmɪz(ə)m] - (noun) - A mindset that involves maintaining hopeful and positive outlooks in challenging situations. - Synonyms: (extreme hopefulness, intense positivity, unwavering optimism)

How do you understand that radical optimism is the concept of a positive mindset?

7. poker face [ˈpoʊkər feɪs] - (noun) - An expressionless face, used to hide emotions. - Synonyms: (impassive expression, unreadable expression)

poker face in this song refers to exactly hiding real emotions.

8. compulsive [kəmˈpʌlsɪv] - (adjective) - Resulting from or relating to an irresistible urge. - Synonyms: (impulsive, uncontrollable, irresistible)

Do you feel like you're obsessive-compulsive?

9. go rogue [ɡoʊ roʊɡ] - (verb phrase) - To act independently and behave differently from expected actions or rules. - Synonyms: (act independently, break the norm, rebel)

go rogue. Yeah, just go rogue for a couple of hours.

10. top up [tɒp ʌp] - (verb phrase) - To add to a quantity to reach a full amount. - Synonyms: (refill, replenish, restock)

She's being creative and playful with this phrase because usually to top up would mean adding more to something to make it full again

Learn English with DUA LIPA

In today's lesson, we're learning English with Dua Lifa. You'll learn why she's obsessed with planning so much. Listen to her favorite song in her latest album, and as always, you will learn a ton of useful vocabulary that you can use in your real life English conversations.

Dua Lipa's live performance at the Tiny Desk Concert, a music session where artists perform acoustic versions of their songs in a small, cozy atmosphere. Wow. Thank you so much. Thank you for having us down here today. I've always wanted to come down and be by the desk. We did a at home tiny desk in 2020, so this feels really, really special. Did anyone see that one, by the way?

The songs that I want to perform for you guys today are from my new record, radical optimism. And this next song is one of my favorites and it's called these Walls. Did anyone see that one, by the way? All right, well we've got a lot to live up to, so hopefully we can top that one up.

In this context, she's expressing her hope to make this new performance even better than the last one. She's being creative and playful with this phrase because usually to top up would mean adding more to something to make it full again.

Now let's talk about the title of her new album, radical optimism. How do you understand that radical optimism is the concept of a positive mindset. It's about staying hopeful and positive, especially in tough situations.

Has it happened to you that you got a chance to practice your English speaking by having a real conversation and that expression that you know you've learned before just doesn't come to you at the moment when you need it? I know how frustrating that feels to be in a conversation and find yourself pausing frequently because you're forgetting all the useful words you've learned. That sucks. I've been there before.

This feeling when you know what you want to say and you just want to be able to express your thoughts as easily as you can do it in your native tongue. Let me tell you, this is exactly why we built the RealLife English app and that's exactly what it can help you with.

Every lesson like this one comes with a deck of flashcards covering the words and expressions that we explain here. By practicing just 10:15 minutes daily with them on our app, you will be able to transfer these new words from your short term into your long term memory. Plus, with the Spaced Repetition software that we've built into our app, you'll retain this vocabulary more effectively by reviewing new words at carefully timed intervals just when you're about to forget them.

Now let's get to the Connected Speech mini lesson.

One of her favorite songs from the latest album is these Walls. It's a breakup song where Dua Lipa thinks about a relationship that has become tense and difficult. Let's listen to that song and learn some new vocabulary with it.

Wake up and we blame it all. I'm being wasted oh this love is fading if these walls could talk then you know they said you f Baby should such careers Cause baby you know no one be topped off.

If you say when you switch careers, it means changing your job or profession. By saying they might switch careers, she's suggesting they're so good at hiding their true feelings, just like professional poker players, that maybe they should consider it as a new job.

poker face in this song refers to exactly hiding real emotions. It comes from poker, a card game where a poker face means keeping a neutral facial expression so others can't tell what you're thinking.

When your love becomes weaker, you are losing this connection and slowly drifting apart. Then your relationship is fading.

You're fucked is a strong slang expression implying that someone is in serious trouble or in a hopeless situation. Here it suggests that their couple has reached a difficult point with no easy solution.

Now let's watch the short clip from the interview where Dua Lipa says that she's obsessed with planning.

It seems like you're very, very, very, very busy. Like maybe busier than anyone in the whole world. Is that true? I don't know about anyone in the whole world, but busy. What's your daily schedule like?

Oh, I'm obsessed with my schedule. Oh, good. Okay. Because I plan everything. Like, I'd put in, have a shower and go on.

It really showers. Get ready and you know, everything is like, down to the minute. You write down take a shower. I mean, I write down, like, what? succession? For real? So even your fun is scheduled.

Well, I just need to. I need to, like, plan things. So in order for me to be able to, like, do work and take care of me, I like to plan things. And that way I feel like I can do it all.

Is it at all loose? Like, if you said, could you go like, you know what? I'm gonna go to Smart and Final and buy corn dogs. go rogue. Yeah, just go rogue for a couple of hours. I could. It really. It just depends how the day goes, but I like to stick to it.

Do you feel like you're obsessive compulsive? Like, is that the reason why you write all that stuff down? I just, I like being in control.

Have you always been like that, even as a kid? Yeah, I had to do lists, like, from when I was tiny. Like, my parents would find them around the house of do my homework, get ready, go to school.

Were you a good student? debatable. But look, it was. I like to, like, write things down, like my ideas and my plans and my dreams and you know, how they would materialize in school.

Turns out Du Lipa is obsessed with her schedule. It's something she takes seriously and might even take it to the extremes. So if you're obsessed with something, it means you think about it constantly and it's a big Deal for you.

Have a shower and go on. Is it really showers? Get ready and, you know, everything is, like, down to the minute. You write down, take a shower. I mean, I write down, like, what? succession. Pay attention to the pronunciation of the word succession. The double C will be pronounced as Ks, and double S gives a sh sound. The stress falls on the second syllable. succession. Dua uses it here to talk about having a set order for her daily tasks, like take a shower, get ready, and so on.

succession is the order in which things happen one after another. This word often appears in royal contexts, like the line of succession for the throne, where it shows the order of who will rule next.

Before that night I first saw you, I had a premonition, a succession of disconnected images.

Is it at all loose? Like, if you said, could you go like, you know what? I'm gonna go to Smart and Final and buy corn dogs. go rogue. Yeah, just go rogue for a couple of hours. I could. It really. It just depends how the. How the day goes, but I like to. I like to stick to it.

It's worth noting the correct pronunciation of the word loose. Be sure to hold the long sound and end with a soft S sound, avoiding the Z sound, which would make it sound like loose, a completely different word. Loose means not strict, relaxed, or flexible. Here Jimmy asks if Dua ever has flexibility in her strict schedule.

Common collocations include loose plans, not strict plans, and keep it loose, which means being calm and relaxed. That's it, guys. Keep it loose. Keep it loose. Don't be shy with those hips.

Jimmy mentions this store as an example. Example of doing something spontaneous or out of routine. Corn dogs are fried hot dogs on a stick coated in a corn batter and fried. They are a popular food at fairs and carnivals in the US

go rogue. Yeah, just go rogue for a couple of hours. I could. It really. It just depends how the day goes, but I like to. I like to stick to it.

To go rogue means to break away from the usual rules or routine to do something spontaneous. Jimmy asks Dua if she could be a little rebellious and do something unexpected.

Dua responds by saying that she tries to follow her schedule closely and stick to it. When you stick to a plan, it means you follow it carefully and stay committed.

Do you feel like you're obsessive compulsive? Is that the reason why you write all that stuff down? Obsessive compulsive refers to a personality trait where people feel a strong need to control things. OCD, or obsessive compulsive disorder, is a psychological condition, though in casual use, obsessive compulsive can simply mean being highly organized or detail oriented.

Have you always been like that, even as a kid? Yeah, I had to do lists, like from when I was tiny. Like, my parents would find them around the house of do my homework, get ready.

Something tiny is very small in size. Dua uses this word to refer to herself as a child. This isn't a common way to talk about one's childhood. You'd usually say since I was a child or since I was little. Here she wanted to emphasize that she's been obsessed with planning and to do lists from a very young age.

Were you a good student? debatable. But look, it was. I like to, like, write things down, like my ideas and my plans and my dreams and, you know, how they would materialize in school. debatable means something is uncertain and people might have different opinions about it. Dewage joking that whether she was a good student or not is up for debate. This adds a playful touch, suggesting that she might not have been a perfect student even though she liked making to do lists.

When something materializes, it means it becomes real or visible, especially something that was previously just an idea. So the word materialize comes from material meaning physical substance. So it's like an idea becoming solid or real.

Your plans, goals and your dreams can materialize or become true.

And that's it for today. Remember to practice new words and expressions you learned in this lesson with the flashcards on our RealLife app. You'll find a special link right in the description below. Just use your smartphone to get started. It's the easiest way to make these words stick with you forever. And if you're staying with us on YouTube, give this video a like and subscribe to our channel. This way, you help other learners find these videos as well.

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