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The Intern · 2015 — Capítulo 8 de 18 · 2'59" · B2

Intern Sets Up Facebook Profile, Explained: brownnose

One person is filling out a Facebook profile; the other is looking for a diversion. What sounds like a tutorial turns into a quiet compliment: “I'm not trying to brownnose you,” followed by a list of what makes the other person admirable.

Qué pasa

One person helps another fill out a Facebook profile: photo, profile questions, favorite music and books, relationship status. The tutorial keeps drifting into personal territory, and an offer to be friends on the site turns a website function into a small gesture.

Office chatSmall talkComplimentingExplainingB2mediumamericanClean
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Atento a

figure it outbetter late than neverbrownnoseat the end of the day

00:00 / 02:59
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Expresión de la escena

brownnose

flatter someone to gain favor

He denies flattery before praising her, trying to make the compliment sound earned rather than cheap.

He is always trying to brownnose the boss.

También en esta escena

  • figure it out

    work out how something works

  • better late than never

    doing it late is still better than not at all

  • at the end of the day

    when everything is considered

  • relationship status

    whether someone is single, married, etc.

  • widower

    a man whose wife has died

Todo lo marcado en esta escena

30 notas en 68 frases

Sonidoyou're on

Let 'you're on' glide together; don't stop between the words.

So you're on facebook, huh?
Expresión · B1figure something out

work out how something works

He admits he is still learning how the site works, sounding a little awkward but honest.

Well, I've been trying to figure it out.
Gramática · B1I've been trying

present perfect continuous: It presents the effort as ongoing, not finished.

Well, I've been trying to figure it out.
Sonidobeen trying to

Keep 'been' and 'to' light; stress 'trying'.

Well, I've been trying to figure it out.
Expresión · B1better late than never

doing it late is still better than not at all

The line makes his late start feel acceptable, with a light, encouraging tone.

Well, better late than never.
Sonidolate than never

Hit 'late' and 'never'; let 'than' almost disappear.

Well, better late than never.
Expresión · B1have better things to do

have more important things to do

I'd love some, but, really, you've got better things to do.
Expresión · A2have a photo of yourself

have a picture of yourself

You have a photo of yourself?
Expresión · B1look something/someone up

search for information about someone here it means searching online, not looking upward

- No. I need one? - If you want to look up All those hotties from high school, you do.
Jerga · B2hotties

attractive people — Casual teasing among friends; avoid it at work or about someone present.

- No. I need one? - If you want to look up All those hotties from high school, you do.
Expresión · A2say cheese

smile for a photo

- Say cheese. - Cheese.
Expresión · A2send something to someone

send something to someone

Okay, I just need to send that to you.
Gramática · B1who inspire you

relative clause: The clause narrows 'people' to those who inspire you.

people who inspire you...
Expresión · B2run across someone

meet someone by chance here it means meet by chance, not cross on foot

I'm not trying to brownnose you, But I've been in business a long time, And I've never run across anyone quite like you.
Jerga · C1brownnose

flatter for favor — Informal and often negative; not for formal emails.

I'm not trying to brownnose you, But I've been in business a long time, And I've never run across anyone quite like you.
Gramática · B1do inspire

emphatic do: The added 'do' makes the compliment stronger and more sincere.

You do inspire, Jules.
Expresión · B2at the end of the day

when everything is considered

He uses the phrase to pull the story back to his core judgment, sounding certain.

I just knew, at the end of the day, That
Expresión · B1favorite quote

best-loved saying

Mm. You have a favorite quote?
Expresión · B1do the right thing

act morally or correctly

"You're never wrong to do the right thing."
Expresión · B1one of my all-time favorites

one of the things I like best

Uh, geez. Sam Cooke, one of my all-Time favorites.
Expresión · B1be crazy about something

like something very much

Crazy about "harry potter."
Expresión · B1come out

be published or released here it means the books were published

Yeah, like, read them all the week they came out.
Expresión · B1relationship status

whether someone is single, married, etc.

She asks it like a profile field, but the question quickly moves the talk into personal territory.

Um, okay, what's your relationship status?
Gramática · B1I think we should just say single

object clause: The clause holds the suggestion, and 'should' makes it gentle.

I think we should just say single, then?
Expresión · A2be friends with someone

be friends with someone

I'll be friends with the other interns.
Expresión · B1show someone how to do something

show someone how to do something

They'll show me how to do it in the morning.
Gramática · B1how to do it

wh-infinitive: It packages the method into a compact object after 'show'.

They'll show me how to do it in the morning.
Sonidopart of the

Let 'part of the' bunch together, with a faint 'of'.

You are now officially part of the facebook generation.
Jerga · B1Good deal

sounds good — Casual approval; use 'sounds good' in formal writing.

Good deal.
Expresión · B1adult conversation

grown-up talk, not work or small talk

After the profile help, one speaker calls the talk nice and adds that it was not about work; the tone is warm and a little personal.

It was nice to have an adult conversation with an adult man, You know what I mean?

Intern Sets Up Facebook Profile, explicado

What's really going on

On the surface this is tech support: someone cannot figure out Facebook and someone else walks them through it. The real exchange is more intimate. The profile questions—religion, politics, people who inspire you—turn a generic form into a way of asking personal questions, and the answer “Jules Ostin” immediately needs a disclaimer: “I'm not trying to brownnose you.” The line does two jobs at once: it pays a direct compliment and protects it from sounding like cheap flattery. Later, “Widower” lands with a simple “I'm sorry,” and the offer “You can friend me” turns a website function into a small human gesture. The scene stays light, but the form is doing the work of a conversation they might not otherwise have.

Theme

GenerationsA first-time Facebook user is walked through profile questions by someone more familiar with the site; the tutorial becomes a small bridge between different habits.
FriendshipThe profile questions move from music to “Widower” to a simple offer to be friends on the site, turning a chat into a moment of connection.

Escucha con atención

  • you're on — Let 'you're on' glide together; don't stop between the words.
  • been trying to — Keep 'been' and 'to' light; stress 'trying'.
  • late than never — Hit 'late' and 'never'; let 'than' almost disappear.
  • part of the — Let 'part of the' bunch together, with a faint 'of'.
"You're never wrong to do the right thing."

A favorite quote offered for the profile: doing the right thing is never wrong.

I'd love some, but, really, you've got better things to do.

A polite way to accept the offer while worrying about taking up the other person's time.

Well, I've been trying to figure it out.

An honest admission that the new site is still confusing; it frames learning as trial and error rather than expertise.

It was nice to have an adult conversation with an adult man, You know what I mean?

A thank-you for talk that was not about work; the question invites the other person to agree.

You are now officially part of the facebook generation.

A playful congratulations after the profile is set up, treating a small online step as membership in a generation.

Preguntas sobre esta escena

What does “brownnose” mean in this scene?

It means to flatter or curry favor. The line “I'm not trying to brownnose you” comes right before a compliment, so the speaker is trying to keep the praise from sounding like cheap flattery.

Who is named when the profile asks about people who inspire you?

“Jules Ostin.” A later line adds “You do inspire, Jules,” so the name is both an answer to the profile question and a direct compliment.

What does the other person suggest after hearing “Widower”?

To put “single” on the profile instead. The suggestion is “I think we should just say single, then?” and the answer is “Yeah.”

Why is the last exchange called “an adult conversation”?

Because the line says it was with “an adult man” and “not about work.” The reply “I know what you mean” confirms that the feeling is shared.

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