when one is not working
What are you always studying in your spare time?Blue Jasmine · 2013 — Capítulo 7 de 15 · 2'04" · B2
Boss Asks Her for a Drink, Explained: I don't mean to pry
On the surface it's a work conversation: someone is studying interior design on the clock and is told not to let it interfere. Underneath, the talk slides from "the business at hand" to her teeth, her looks and her boyfriend — and "I don't mean to pry" lands between personal questions.
Qué pasa
At work, one person asks what the other studies in her spare time. She says she's learning to use a computer and wants to study interior design online. The reply is that the ambition is commendable, but studying on work time is a problem if it interferes with the business at hand. Then comes a drink invitation, compliments on her teeth and looks, and a question about her boyfriend.
Atento a
a natural flair forthe business at handI'd love it if you couldkeep an eye on it
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Expresión de la escena
I don't mean to pry
I don't want to intrude
The polite disclaimer comes right after the private question, and the awkward laugh exposes the contradiction.
I don't mean to pry, but is everything okay at home?
También en esta escena
- a natural flair for
an inborn talent for something
- the business at hand
the work needing attention now
- I'd love it if you could
a soft but pressing request
- keep an eye on it
watch something closely
- straight-A student
a student who gets top grades
Todo lo marcado en esta escena
29 notas en 32 frases
In fast speech, 'what are you' can blur together; keep the words light rather than clipped.
What are you always studying in your spare time?get trained to operate something
Well, I'm trying to learn to use a computer.want to — Common in speech; avoid it in formal writing or interviews.
I wanna study interior design online.an inborn talent for something
Someone explains why interior design suits them, framing a feel for space and color as inborn talent.
You know, I have a natural flair for space and color and an eye for choosing soft furnishings.a good sense for choosing something
You know, I have a natural flair for space and color and an eye for choosing soft furnishings.during paid working hours
It's very commendable, but I can't really have you studying on work time if it interferes with the business at hand.get in the way of something
It's very commendable, but I can't really have you studying on work time if it interferes with the business at hand.the work needing attention now
A praise-first warning that quietly pulls the conversation back to the work that needs doing now.
It's very commendable, but I can't really have you studying on work time if it interferes with the business at hand.causative have: It means 'I cannot allow you to keep doing this'; have + person + -ing stresses an ongoing action.
It's very commendable, but I can't really have you studying on work time if it interferes with the business at hand.The t in can't can almost vanish before really; keep have you unstressed.
It's very commendable, but I can't really have you studying on work time if it interferes with the business at hand.see that-clause: The pattern means 'make sure that it does not happen'; it refers back to the promise.
Please, see that it doesn't.going to — Fine in casual talk; use 'going to' in formal settings.
I was gonna ask you a question. Yes?drink together with someone
Would you have a drink with me?I would be very glad if you could
I'd love it if you could.Link 'love it if' as one smooth run, with a light t in it.
I'd love it if you could.a short drink or brief occasion one stands for a drink here
Well, it would have to be a quick one because, you know, I'm meeting my boyfriend for dinner.arrange to have dinner with someone
Well, it would have to be a quick one because, you know, I'm meeting my boyfriend for dinner.modal obligation: Would have to softens the obligation, and one stands in for a drink.
Well, it would have to be a quick one because, you know, I'm meeting my boyfriend for dinner.reveal a great deal about someone
I was just saying you can tell awful lot about people when you look in their mouths.a great deal — Colloquial; usually 'an awful lot' in full.
I was just saying you can tell awful lot about people when you look in their mouths.know which signs to check
Or careless? You have to know what to look for.watch something closely
Someone asks for the time and says they need to watch it, meaning they must not lose track of the clock.
Do you have the time? I have to keep an eye on it.turn out harder than expected
This computer thing is proving a little more difficult than I imagined.used to: Used to marks a past state that is no longer true.
It's funny, really, because I used to be a straight-A student in college.die one by one until few remain
You know, but they say every year, millions of brain cells just die off.receive praise about something
I'm sure you get many compliments on them.be in a committed relationship
Right after a compliment, the question probes whether her relationship is serious, sounding caring but invasive.
Are you serious with your boyfriend?not intend to ask private questions
I don't mean to pry. Heh. Uh...Boss Asks Her for a Drink, explicado
What's really going on
Two conversations run at once. One is procedural: "I can't really have you studying on work time if it interferes with the business at hand." The second is an appraisal of the person being questioned — "You have good teeth," "you're a very beautiful woman," "Are you serious with your boyfriend?" Each remark arrives dressed as small talk, and the disclaimer "I don't mean to pry" lands between personal questions, so the politeness only highlights the intrusion. The answers stay polite but guarded — a drink that has to be quick, a boyfriend waiting for dinner, homework still to do.
Theme
PowerThe person who controls the schedule also controls the conversation, sliding from a work warning into questions about her private life.
RomanceA drink invitation is offered casually, while the reply keeps a boyfriend in the frame and asks for it to be quick.
Escucha con atención
- What are you — In fast speech, 'what are you' can blur together; keep the words light rather than clipped.
- can't really have you — The t in can't can almost vanish before really; keep have you unstressed.
- love it if — Link 'love it if' as one smooth run, with a light t in it.
It's very commendable, but I can't really have you studying on work time if it interferes with the business at hand.Praise first, boundary second: the ambition is commendable, but studying on work time is a problem if it interferes with the work in front of you.
Would you have a drink with me?A direct invitation, framed as a casual drink — easy to accept, deflect, or cut short.
Well, it would have to be a quick one because, you know, I'm meeting my boyfriend for dinner.A yes with a time limit, plus a boyfriend mentioned early: it accepts the drink while keeping it brief and tied to her existing plans.
I don't mean to pry. Heh. Uh...A polite disclaimer about prying — coming between personal questions, it highlights the intrusion instead of excusing it.
Preguntas sobre esta escena
Why does the conversation turn to her teeth?
The line "you can tell awful lot about people when you look in their mouths" sets it up: teeth are offered as a way of reading character, and from there the talk moves to her looks and her private life.
Is the drink invitation a date?
The line itself only asks for a drink. The answer — "it would have to be a quick one" plus a boyfriend waiting for dinner — keeps it short and casual, so the scene never settles whether it is a date.
Why does she mention being a straight-A student?
She says she used to be a straight-A student in college, which makes struggling with the computer seem a little funny: her old academic success is set against her current difficulty.
Why mention a boyfriend at all?
"I'm meeting my boyfriend for dinner" gives a practical reason to keep the drink short: she already has plans. It answers the invitation without a flat refusal, while leaving the question of romance open.
Blue Jasmine · 15 capítulos
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Viendo · Capítulo 7I don't mean to pryBoss Asks Her for a Drink
Capítulo 8slick operatorJasmine Can't Study During the Fight
Capítulo 9beat around the bushDr. Flicker Hits on an Employee
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Capítulo 12swept me off my feetJasmine Tells the Boys Her Story
Capítulo 13put something behind youAugie Confronts Jasmine on the Street
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