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English & TV
Learn with TWO AND A HALF MEN
In this section, we analyze parts of the TV show script to learn and understand the use of daily English language.
Read the passages and try to understand them. Then, read the vocabulary explanation. Finally, read the passage again.
From the episode 'Did you check with the captain of the Flying Monkeys?'
Charlie: Hey, Jake, what's this? A phone message?
Jake: Yes, some lady called for you.
Charlie: Who? I can't read your writing.
Jake: [reading the paper] "You're a big selfish jerk."
Charlie: Okay, I know who this is. Amy. Probably Amy.
Jake: Yep, Amy. She wants you to call her back.
Charlie: Yeah, that'll happen...
Jake: Why not?
Charlie: Because I never said I'd call her back. Remember this, Jake: never make promises to women that you don't intend to keep. And you know how you do that?
Jake: Always keep my promises?
Charlie: That might work. A better way is never make promises.
Jake: What happens if Amy calls again?
Charlie: Okay, I'm glad you asked that. When the phone rings at Uncle Charlie's house, we don't just willy-nilly pick up the receiver and answer it. No. What we do is we check the caller ID and only pick up if we want to talk to that person.
Jake: Like Mom?
Charlie: That depends. Your mom, yes. My mom, no.
Jake: How come you don't want to talk to your mom?
Charlie: I'll tell you all about that when you're old enough to drink.
Jake: What if I want to talk to your mom?
Charlie: Okay, that kind of attitude is gonna break down the whole system.
Jake: Yes, some lady called for you.
Charlie: Who? I can't read your writing.
Jake: [reading the paper] "You're a big selfish jerk."
Charlie: Okay, I know who this is. Amy. Probably Amy.
Jake: Yep, Amy. She wants you to call her back.
Charlie: Yeah, that'll happen...
Jake: Why not?
Charlie: Because I never said I'd call her back. Remember this, Jake: never make promises to women that you don't intend to keep. And you know how you do that?
Jake: Always keep my promises?
Charlie: That might work. A better way is never make promises.
Jake: What happens if Amy calls again?
Charlie: Okay, I'm glad you asked that. When the phone rings at Uncle Charlie's house, we don't just willy-nilly pick up the receiver and answer it. No. What we do is we check the caller ID and only pick up if we want to talk to that person.
Jake: Like Mom?
Charlie: That depends. Your mom, yes. My mom, no.
Jake: How come you don't want to talk to your mom?
Charlie: I'll tell you all about that when you're old enough to drink.
Jake: What if I want to talk to your mom?
Charlie: Okay, that kind of attitude is gonna break down the whole system.
| selfish | egoísta. Egoísmo se dice selfishness. |
| jerk | imbécil |
| yep, yeah | Forma coloquial de yes (sí) |
| to call back | devolver la llamada |
| to make a promise | hacer una promesa, prometer |
| to keep a promise | mantener una promesa |
| willy-nilly | quiera o no quiera |
| to pick up | levantar |
| receiver | auricular, tubo del teléfono |
| caller ID | identificación de llamada |
| how come...? | Expresión coloquial familiar equivalente a '¿cómo es que...? |
| old enough | lo suficientemente viejo/mayor. Nota que en este tipo de construcción se coloca primero el adjetivo y luego la palabra enough. |
| kind | tipo, clase |
| gonna | Forma coloquial de going to (ir a) |
| to break down | averiar, fracasar |
Jake: Dad, no, don't pick up the phone!
Alan: Why not?
Jake: It might be your mom. Or a woman... [looking at the caller ID] It's Amy again. She just won't give up.
Alan: Charlie, look, I appreciate your need for privacy, but I think you're sending a bad message to my son about how to deal with women.
Charlie: How so?
Alan: He thinks it's okay to avoid somebody just because the conversation might be uncomfortable.
[Charlie ignores him]
Alan: Charlie? OK, that's not funny.
Charlie: Look, if I'm teaching the kid anything, it's honesty.
Alan: Really? Walk me through the lesson, Charlie. Educate me.
Charlie: Okay. I tell women upfront I'm not looking for a long-term relationship. If they don't believe me, or they're determined to change my mind, I have a right to avoid that conversation. And the phone company obviously agrees with me, otherwise they wouldn't have invented caller ID.
Alan: Why not?
Jake: It might be your mom. Or a woman... [looking at the caller ID] It's Amy again. She just won't give up.
Alan: Charlie, look, I appreciate your need for privacy, but I think you're sending a bad message to my son about how to deal with women.
Charlie: How so?
Alan: He thinks it's okay to avoid somebody just because the conversation might be uncomfortable.
[Charlie ignores him]
Alan: Charlie? OK, that's not funny.
Charlie: Look, if I'm teaching the kid anything, it's honesty.
Alan: Really? Walk me through the lesson, Charlie. Educate me.
Charlie: Okay. I tell women upfront I'm not looking for a long-term relationship. If they don't believe me, or they're determined to change my mind, I have a right to avoid that conversation. And the phone company obviously agrees with me, otherwise they wouldn't have invented caller ID.
| to pick up the phone | contestar el teléfono |
| to give up | abandonar, darse por vencido |
| to deal with | ocuparse de, tratar con |
| uncomfortable | incómodo |
| walk me through the lesson | muéstrame paso a paso |
| upfront | francamente, sinceramente |
| long-term | a largo plazo |
| determined | decidido |
| to avoid | evitar |
| to agree with somebody | estar de acuerdo con alguien |
| otherwise | en caso contrario |
Alan: Charlie, I think we've got a bigger problem. Our mother is missing.
Charlie: Don't try to cheer me up.
Alan: I'm serious. I called her home, her car, her cell, nothing.
Charlie: Did you check with the captain of the Flying Monkeys?
Alan: Charlie!
Charlie: She's probably just sulking because I screwed up her dinner party last week.
Alan: That's what I thought to. Except I called her office and they haven't heard from her either.
Charlie: Okay, that's weird.
Alan: Yes, I think somebody needs to go over there and make sure she's okay.
Charlie: Good idea. You do that and I'll stay here in case she calls.
Alan: Why don't you go and I'll stay here in case she calls?
Charlie: No, I gotta be honest, I like my idea better.
Alan: Well, I'm not going there alone.
Charlie: I'm not going at all.
Charlie: Don't try to cheer me up.
Alan: I'm serious. I called her home, her car, her cell, nothing.
Charlie: Did you check with the captain of the Flying Monkeys?
Alan: Charlie!
Charlie: She's probably just sulking because I screwed up her dinner party last week.
Alan: That's what I thought to. Except I called her office and they haven't heard from her either.
Charlie: Okay, that's weird.
Alan: Yes, I think somebody needs to go over there and make sure she's okay.
Charlie: Good idea. You do that and I'll stay here in case she calls.
Alan: Why don't you go and I'll stay here in case she calls?
Charlie: No, I gotta be honest, I like my idea better.
Alan: Well, I'm not going there alone.
Charlie: I'm not going at all.
| to be missing | estar desaparecido |
| to cheer somebody up | animar a alguien |
| cell | Forma corta de cellular phone, en inglés americano. En inglés británico se dice mobile, forma corta de mobile phone. |
| to sulk | enfurruñarse, enojarse |
| to screw up something | estropear, arruinar algo |
| weird | raro, extraño |
| to go over there | ir hasta allí |
| to make sure | asegurarse de |
| gotta | Forma coloquial de have got to (tener que) |
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