“I told you, I didn't want you to see that boy anymore.”
Why it's great
One line delivers a rule, an old warning, and a mother's worry all at once.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
I told you, I didn't want you to cover for him again.
00:00 / 03:15
00:00 / 03:15
Paula Reveals Her Pregnancy, Explained
An American Crime · 2007
Chapter 5 of 16 · 3'15"
Paula is pregnant by a married man and tells only Sylvia, then swears her to silence: "Not a word, until I figure out what I'm gonna do, okay?" On the surface it's two friends talking; underneath, Sylvia is the one person Paula trusts, and that trust will cost her.
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 1:04–1:46
Gertrude Grills Paula About the Boy
42s - 1:58–3:13
Paula Tells Sylvia She's Pregnant
76s
Paula Reveals Her Pregnancy, explained
What happens
At the Baniszewski house, Paula comes home late and her mother accuses her of sneaking off to see a boy. After the fight, Paula finds Sylvia and admits she is pregnant by a married man, begging her to tell no one until she decides what to do. Sylvia promises.
What's really going on
The argument looks like discipline: Gertrude tells Paula, "I told you, I didn't want you to see that boy anymore." But Paula flips it into an accusation, saying her mother just doesn't want her "to make the same mistakes you've made." Gertrude answers with "That's none of your business," which is less a rule than a wound. When Paula turns to Sylvia instead — "I've got problems... I'm pregnant" — the scene quietly marks who has replaced her mother as the person she can talk to. Sylvia swears, "Not a word," but the promise pulls her into a secret the adults in the house never get told. That silence, not the pregnancy, is the real weight here.
Key lines & what they mean
- “I told you, I didn't want you to see that boy anymore.”
- Gertrude reminds Paula she already forbade the relationship, framing the late-night visit as a broken rule.
- “You gotta promise me, that you wont say anything to anybody.”
- Paula asks Sylvia to swear she will keep the pregnancy a secret from everyone, even her own family.
- “I don't know a damn thing to do.”
- Paula says she has no idea how to handle the pregnancy and the married man involved.
- “Not a word, until I figure out what I'm gonna do, okay?”
- Paula insists on total silence while she decides what to do about the baby.
Theme
- Secrets — Paula hides her pregnancy from everyone but Sylvia and makes her promise silence until she can figure out what to do.
- Family conflict — Gertrude interrogates Paula about a boy; Paula throws her mother's own past mistakes back at her.
What this chapter teaches
Teaching points
Review right after watchingMy level5/6
A1–C2 is the CEFR scale. Cards above the level you pick fade, and playback will not auto-pause on them.
Language points
Click a card to jump to its moment in the videoGolden lines
A great line in its own right — why and how to use it“You gotta promise me, that you wont say anything to anybody.”
Why it's great
The plea sounds like an order because gotta and promise me carry real urgency.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
You gotta promise me that this stays between us.
“I don't know a damn thing to do.”
Why it's great
The rough little curse turns plain helplessness into something you can hear.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
I don't know a damn thing to say to her now.
“Not a word, until I figure out what I'm gonna do, okay?”
Why it's great
A demand for silence framed as a question.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
Not a word about the party, until I tell everyone.
Up next · 06knows bestThe scene: Bradley Shows His True FaceTakeaways
What you walk away with- A plea for secrecy can sound like a command.
- Mild profanity shows panic without naming it.
- A short rebuke can shut down a whole question.
- Tag questions invite the other side to agree.
People also search
Questions, then the linesWhy does Paula keep the pregnancy secret from everyone but Sylvia?
Sylvia is the closest person Paula can talk to in the house, and she needs one confidante — but she is also ashamed and afraid of how the married man and her mother would react, so she limits the secret to a single person.
Who is the father, and why does that make things worse?
The father is Bradley, a married man Paula has been seeing against her mother's orders. A pregnancy would expose the affair, and Paula already assumes he will not want a baby, so she feels she has no one to turn to but Sylvia.
Is Paula fair to throw her mother's mistakes back at her?
Gertrude has been left alone to raise many children, so the accusation lands. Paula is lashing out and dodging her own responsibility, but the film lets the line sting rather than settling who is right.
What does "none of your business" mean here?
It is a blunt way of saying the question is not the other person's to ask. Paula uses it to stop Gertrude's interrogation and take back a little privacy in a house where she has almost none.
Why is someone ordered to feed the dog in the middle of the argument?
The command cuts through the fight and shows Gertrude's habit of issuing orders that must be obeyed at once. It also keeps the household running on her terms, even when Paula is defying her.