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Just Friends

Just Friends English, baby! Video Lesson

Date: Sep 16 2008

Themes: Friend, Soap Opera

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

Not too long ago in most cultures, men and women didn’t just hang out with each other and be close friends. But being friends with people of the opposite sex can be really interesting and fun, and nowadays, most people recognize that men and women can be friends without any sort of romantic or sexual relationship.

Of course, that’s easy to say until it’s your boyfriend or girlfriend spending a lot of time with someone of the opposite sex. Maybe even someone who once had a big crush on your partner. Jason recently heard that Mason is jealous of the fact that Jason has been spending time with Amanda. Watch him and Amanda talk about the situation and friendship in general.

3. Watch - Watch the video without reading the dialog.

Dialog

1. Watch and Read - Watch the video and read the dialog at the same time.

2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Jason

Jason

Amanda

Amanda

Jason:  So I was thinking about it and I realized that with the exception of Mason, pretty much all my friends are girls.

Amanda:  That’s kind of funny because I feel like all my friends are guys.

Jason:  Yeah, that’s weird.

Amanda:  It’s nice though. A lot of people don’t get that because they wonder why that is, “Why you can’t relate to your own gender? What is that about?”

Jason:  What is that about? Do you have any thoughts?

Amanda:  I just think I’m more of a tomboy, so a lot of the topics that come up with a group of girls, I just really can’t relate to, so I pull away a little bit and I think they see that as being…It’s not that I feel like I’m better or above. It’s not about that at all. It’s just me gravitating more towards what I think is comfortable.

Jason:  I think that I like that women communicate. Dudes put on all these fronts and women are just down to say how they feel, you know?

Amanda:  Well, you know, that’s funny because on that same point but on the flip side, I don’t want to sit around with my girlfriends and talk about emotions all the time. Right?

Jason:  Totally…just in moderation.

Amanda:  It’s a sob story constantly, all this drama. So you hang out with a bunch of dudes and you can talk about it briefly, and then put the lid on it and just move on to something else. That’s why I hang out with you!

Jason:  It’s just weird sometimes because people’s significant others get jealous when they have lots of friends of the opposite gender.

Amanda:  That’s hard.

Jason:  Like, Beren was telling me the other day that she heard that Mason’s like super jealous of us hanging out.

Amanda:  Like, my Mason?

Jason:  Yeah.

Amanda:  I don’t…Is she sure?

Jason:  I don’t know.

Amanda:  Because I think maybe she misread him or something. Maybe he was having a bad day because…

Jason:  Could be.

Amanda:  ...I think he’d be totally fine with it, only ‘cause he knows what my story is, you know?

Jason:  Yeah, totally.

Amanda:  When we started seeing each other, I had a whole bunch of guy friends, so why would he have a problem with you?

Jason:  Yeah, I don’t know.

Amanda:  Are you worried? Like, is it awkward for you?

Jason:  No, I mean, I don’t know, I figured he knew we were hanging out, it wasn’t a big deal, I figured he knew it was totally platonic.

Amanda:  I’ve been open about it, kinda.

Jason:  I don’t know. I’m not too worried about it. It seems unreasonable if he is upset, but I doubt he is, I guess.

Amanda:  Yeah. Do you think I should bring it up?

Jason:  Eh, if you feel like it. Or you could just wait and see if he brings it up, whatever. It’s probably fine.

Amanda:  Now I feel kinda weird.

Jason:  Sorry.

Amanda:  Do you think maybe we’re sitting too close? Like, what if he’s camped out behind that tree over there, right? Like the body language? Jason…

Jason:  Twentysomething inches between all twentysomethings.

Amanda:  ...what are you doing, buddy?

Jason:  Nothing. I haven’t moved.

Amanda:  OK. I probably should have worn pants. My bad.

 

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Discussion

Most of Amanda’s friends are guys and most of Jason’s friends are girls. Jason likes that girls aren’t afraid to say how they feel, and Amanda finds it easier to relate to guys.

It can be hard to date someone like Jason or Amanda with so many friends of the opposite sex. It’s especially hard for Mason since he knows Jason used to want to date Amanda. Jason heard that Mason was really upset about him hanging out with Amanda. Amanda thinks Mason would be fine with it, but she suddenly feels uncomfortable sitting next to Jason.

Do you have friends of the opposite sex? Does your partner? Do you think Mason ought to be jealous or do you think that Jason and Amanda are just friends?

 

Comments

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sazan pp

sazan pp

Iraq

normi norm  what is the bad result  of sexual relation ship with out marriage?  iam sure you know that  has very very bad result.

07:25 PM Sep 19 2008 |

sazan pp

sazan pp

Iraq

islam dignify women. iam muslim  i have friend in both sex.. but by some relation ship  women loses her dignity.islam protect  women from somthing  that is very very bad.

iam not good in english language  ,i cant express more than that

07:16 PM Sep 19 2008 |

sazan pp

sazan pp

Iraq

you are right totto   ,  islamic law is the best law in the  world.

06:57 PM Sep 19 2008 |

Rammalik

India

Hi

01:27 AM Sep 19 2008 |

qeregetron

qeregetron

Turkey

i dont think so and you are totaly wrong for that you say ” I don´t restrict my girlfriend in a way that I ask here not to see old friends again and put here in isolation just to calm down my jealousy”
well for that reason i saw many familias dismissed and kids you know become unhapy.
if you love anybody you have to jealousy.it is a natural thing to want keeping relationship against person who want to enter into..

06:46 AM Sep 18 2008 |

Totto

Totto

Sudan

  Mromimorm,  Isalam and Isalamic attitude are not  old fashionable ways of living.  Isalm is the most civilized way of living at all time.  It protects women from all evils and men also. 

    Women and men are not the same. Each gender has specific role in a society. Both sexes can be friends, but they have to know thier limits and not to pass them.

  

04:50 PM Sep 17 2008 |

andrea504

China

if the friend of opposite sex  is gay or les. lol. i mean  there is also a  platonic relationship. so man and woman can be friends.

01:51 PM Sep 17 2008 |

郭子

郭子

Taiwan

ya~i come from Taiwan.

12:44 PM Sep 17 2008 |

Djbestboy

Djibouti

this behavior of having friends of opposite sex is really good coz if you have allready adopted to talk with some one of opposite sex all the time then you will become more experianced for seduction and that is good specially for boys who always fear to seduce a girl, and that will lead to a more romantic relationship soon or latter on.

09:51 PM Sep 16 2008 |

dofkele15

dofkele15

Lithuania

Kinda funny video… I liked that… And I think that's sometimes is better to have more friends of the opposite sex…

05:02 PM Sep 16 2008 |

NormiNorm

Germany

I wonder about the statements towards these topic.

It might be, because they are mostly from people of islamic cultures, where as far as I know

the interaction of man and women are very restricted and if concerend as romantic or even sexual (outside a marriage) are resulting in severe punishment. This might be the reason of their, lets say, very old fashioned attidudes. As far as I´m concerned I can only say that for me, grown up in a country where equality between man and women is a key factor of social interactionism, there is no problem of having friends of the opposite sex. If I and my (female) friend are in a relationship, there is no temptation or whatever the guys before were talking about. It depends on true love and even more on mutual respect and trust.

I don´t restrict my girlfriend in a way that I ask here not to see old friends again and put here in isolation

just to calm down my jealousy. That´s definately the wrong way, and by no means a way that will build up

a loving and respectful realtionship.

Like I said it might be a more tempting situation when you live in a country where a kiss in public or holding hands is an unmoral deed and is regarded as going too far.

Just my opinion and idea of different tolerance levels towards social interactions based on your own socialisation.

 

03:58 PM Sep 16 2008 |

195854255

195854255

United States

It is understandable that people would be jealous of his or her significant other hangin out with the opposite sex.   Also it is common.

03:37 PM Sep 16 2008 |

huoshui

huoshui

China

I don't have many friends, most of them are girls. I think girls have a lot of topic together such as clothes, makeup, keet fit, family, cooking ,kids, travelling and etc.

When I talked with boys, most of my topic are policy, economy, business and etc.

So i think that is the difference between boys and girls

03:01 PM Sep 16 2008 |

Estar Come young gal

Malawi

it is true because the more you go out together the more you know each other so its very possible to end up in a relationship.

12:23 PM Sep 16 2008 |

Estar Come young gal

Malawi

better to go together but bear in mind that you are of opposite sex. dont exceed the limits & dont be very close to each other.

12:18 PM Sep 16 2008 |

qeregetron

qeregetron

Turkey

i think opposite sexuality is like fire and gunpowder.dont go together.always in any way it explodes.

06:31 AM Sep 16 2008 |

dearpesar

dearpesar

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

i just wanna say more than 90 percent of getting friend with opposite sex leads to relations…. it may goes slowly or fast

12:22 AM Sep 16 2008 |

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