“I built my business from the ground up.”
Por qué es buena
A plain boast that claims everything was earned from scratch.
Registro
Neutral
Úsala tú
I earned all of this from the ground up.
00:00 / 06:05
00:00 / 06:05
Police Question the Thrombeys, Explained
Knives Out · 2019
Capítulo 1 de 14 · 6'05"
One by one, the detectives walk the Thrombey family through the night of Harlan's death, and every answer is a polished self-portrait. One of them stresses that she "built my business from the ground up," while others perform grief before the questions even start. The interviews look routine; they are already collecting motives.
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 1:57–2:24
❝ Monólogo · 4 frases She Built Her Business Herself
26s - 4:09–4:30
❝ Monólogo · 4 frases Passing the Torch
20s
Police Question the Thrombeys, explained
What happens
The police interview the Thrombey family one at a time after Harlan's death. A daughter explains she "built my business from the ground up" and had "our own secret way of communicating" with her father; a son talks about running the family publishing company; a daughter-in-law pitches her skincare brand, Flam, as a way of life. Each is performing.
What's really going on
The interviews are staged as a formality, and that is exactly what makes them useful. Everyone answers with a sales pitch: one praises her own grit - "I built my business from the ground up" - another turns grief into brand copy, and a third insists on the family fortune as if it were a birthright. The grief is real for some, but it is performed for the camera of a police recorder. What the detectives are quietly doing is fixing each person to a motive: who needed money, who resented the old man, who was written into or out of the will. The scene's joke is that the family cannot stop auditioning for the inheritance even while being questioned about a death.
Key lines & what they mean
- “I built my business from the ground up.”
- A boast that casts her as self-made, even as she is questioned about the family fortune.
- “Don't know why I said that.”
- A rare slip that undercuts the polished story someone has just told.
- “I'm assuming this will all be wrapped up before the memorial tonight.”
- A demand for the inconvenience to end quickly, showing more concern for image than grief.
- “We... We had our own secret way of communicating.”
- A claim of special closeness to Harlan, offered as proof she is above suspicion.
Theme
- Money — Each relative measures their worth against the family fortune and the will.
- Family conflict — The polite interviews expose rivalries between siblings and in-laws over Harlan's estate.
Qué aprendes en este capítulo
Puntos de enseñanza
Repasa justo después de verMi nivel0/4
A1–C2 es la escala MCER. Las tarjetas por encima del nivel elegido se atenúan y la reproducción no se pausa en ellas.
Puntos de lengua
Toca una tarjeta para saltar a ese momentoFrases de oro
Una gran frase en sí misma: por qué y cómo usarla“Don't know why I said that.”
Por qué es buena
It retracts a confession the moment it lands, exposing the reflex to hide.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
I don't know why I even brought that up.
“I'm assuming this will all be wrapped up before the memorial tonight.”
Por qué es buena
A courteous assumption that is really a deadline, delivered as if it were a fact.
Registro
Formal
Úsala tú
I'm assuming this will all be settled before the client arrives.
“We... We had our own secret way of communicating.”
Por qué es buena
Intimacy is claimed not by affection but by exclusivity: a code only two people share.
Registro
Neutral
Úsala tú
We had our own secret way of signalling during meetings.
Monólogo
Un personaje sostiene la escena: practícalo entero❝ Father-daughter code
We... We had our own secret way of communicating. I mean, you had to find that with Dad. You had to find a game to play with him, and if you did that, and you played by his rules...
She sells Harlan’s love as a game you only win by his rules.
❝ Walt’s succession speech
I mean, we're all gutted, but, uh, I was happy to have that night with him. To be by his side. To think about our books and what we've accomplished with them. It's like I can still feel his hand on my shoulder. Passing the torch.
Grief first, then he turns companionship into a crown.
Knives Out: tu progreso
Capítulo 1 de 14 · quedan unos 64 min
Siguiente · 02at the behest ofLa escena: Blanc Introduces Himself to the FamilyPreguntas frecuentes
La pregunta, luego la fraseWhy do the police interview the family one at a time?
They want each person's account of the night Harlan died recorded on its own, so the stories can later be compared. The interviews are presented as a formality, but they build the case.
What is Flam?
Flam is the skincare brand run by one of the daughters-in-law. She describes it as promoting a total lifestyle, not just products, and links it back to Harlan.
What does "gutted" mean here?
It is a strong, largely British word for devastated or emptied out by grief, much heavier than simply sad. One relative says the whole family is gutted but was glad to have that last night with him.
Why does Ransom leave the party early?
He is said to have shown up at the gathering and then left early, which makes his movements on the night of the death something the police want to pin down.
Why does the family seem more worried about image than about Harlan?
Their answers read like auditions: they stress accomplishments, brand their grief, and hope the interviews wrap up before the memorial, as if the will matters more than the death.