Hey there, this is Teacher Ola Podcast episode 106. Learn English With Shakira ‘Don’t Wait Up’
My name’s Ola and I am an online English teacher, I teach through one to one classes and I want you to know I believe you can eliminate your language blockade. I’ve overcome a massive blockade myself and I know how to do it. This podcast is for you if you’re an English learner who wants to speak English with more confidence and get rid of speaking barriers. You’ll boost your vocabulary, brush up your grammar, and improve your pronunciation. Go to my website for full transcripts and worksheets to each episode. Happy learning!
Shakira has dropped a new single, and I love Shakira. Shakira, hakira. Hips don’t lie. I’ve been her fan long before ‘Whenever, Wherever’ so I tend to consider myself a true fan. Ok, it’s not about me, it’s about vocabulary today. A tiny bit of grammar, some pronunciation elements, it’s all mixed up as always. Let’s hear the song facts first, then the lyrics, vocabulary element and then finally the sentences to practice. Let’s begin.
In one of the recent interviews Shakira said: “This song is a song that I’ve been waiting to write and have for a long time. So this is actually heaven sent, I think, because really, it has been in my mind and it has already existed for a while inside of me.” “It has been living inside of me in some sort of metaphysical way, and it just sort of materialized. But it’s been there for a while. I’ve been looking for the song.
I wanted a house song, a house sounding song, and this song has taken me through so many roads and it has taken me on an adventure, to unexpected places,” she continued. “Like from the dance that I had to develop, the choreography that I put together for the song, I learned a complete new language for my body, learning how to dance to house music, to exploring so many different roads also while making the video, it has been a super creative journey that has, I think, made me grow professionally and creatively and artistically.” The video, by the way, was filmed in Tenerife which is, like, the best place in the world. I haven’t seen the whole world, but I feel like Tenerife is my place on Earth. But, that’s just a side note.
Shakira also revealed that she was nervous about releasing a song in English again.
“I have to say, I’m very nervous because it’s my first English song in a long time because I’ve been focusing on Spanish songs only lately, but this song came about and I’m like, yeah, it’s time. It’s time to do this again and I’m happy, and I’m so inspired right now.”
The house-influenced track is an anthem for leaving your lover behind and taking time for yourself on the dance floor: “Don’t let your mind think it’s someone else,” Shakira sings. “I need to do something for myself.” The video finds Shakira in the club, and also surfing. Ok, let’s see the lyrics.
Do you remember how we lit up the room?
And how you felt before you met all my different moods?
But now I drive you mad when I hit you with the truth
Do you remember how we lit up the room – to light something. Past form of the verb is lit. Light – lit – lit, spelled l – i – t. To light up means to become or to make something become bright with light or colour. There was a firework display and the whole sky lit up. Here, they used to light up the room, they made others feel excited and happy just because they had showed up. People’s faces, people’s eyes used to light up when they entered the room. They were such a great couple, they were so good together, but now it’s gone. Probably. Ah, one more thing. To light up means to begin to smoke a cigarette. He went out and lit up a cigarette.
To meet all different moods – to meet moods well this may be new for you, this collocation to meet somebody’s moods. We don’t collocate our versions of these words, I mean we – Polish people. Still, moods, emotional states, emotional needs are things we should be able to meet. To get to know and connect with them. If you meet your emotional needs you acknowledge them, address them, and fulfill them.
To drive someone mad – Idiomatic expression. Always fun to learn one. Let’s see. If someone drives you mad, they cause you to become mentally disable, unhinged, insane. Dealing with all the paperwork in this place is enough to drive a person mad! The second meaning, and this one is usually in place is to make someone angry. To irritate someone, to upset, to annoy someone. For example: OK, it was funny at first, but now your jokes are just driving me mad! Don’t worry that you don’t have time to repeat the sentences, because after this part of the episode we’ll move on to the practical part where you’ll have enough time to train yourself. You’ll listen and repeat all the sentences from this episode.
To hit with the truth – to hit someone with something means to tell someone something interesting or shocking or surprising or nerve wracking. For instance: The next morning, Ana hit him with the truth.This could not have been pleasant. The second meaning is to punish or try to harm someone by doing something that will cause problems. To hit someone with a lawsuit to give an example.
Ok, coming back to the lyrics. Listen and repeat:
Don’t let your mind think it’s someone else, someone else
I need to do something for myself,
Don’t wait up
Don’t wait up, up, up, up, up
Don’t wait up
Don’t wait up, up, up, up, up
Don’t let your mind think it’s someone else – here I just want to stir your attention to the fact that our mind is not necessarily our ally. At times it’s our enemy, it suggests things which aren’t true, and we end up misinterpreting the reality. Thank God we can and we should take control over our minds. Here, Shakira reminds us not to let our mind fool us.
We have to remember and understand in the first place that the person who is the most important one is me. It’s you. Noone else. Don’t let your mind think it’s someone else. It’s not, it’s you. Well, you can take this example and project it on any area of your life where you feel you are lacking or you’re imperfect or something is out of whack. Don’t let your mind, your brain control you and don’t let your feelings take over. You are in control of your fear and your language blockade.
Don’t wait up – Finally we’ve landed here, at the chorus. What does it mean? Don’t wait up? Let’s first look at the meaning employed in the song. Don’t wait up, go to bed, I’ll be late, you should sleep. I’m going to stay up longer, I’ll be out on the town, with my friends or on my own, just go to bed, don’t wait up. So, if someone decides to wait up, what they do is they wait for somebody to come home at night before you go to bed. In many films you can see a spouse or a parent waiting up. In the armchair in the darkness. For example: I was worried and waited up until you got home safe and sound.
The second meaning. To wait up – it can be used when you want to ask somebody to stop or slow down so that you can join them. You may have left later, or you can’t keep up with that person and you ask them to wait. Wait up, you’re walking too fast I can’t keep up with you.
I had thought that this could be a perfect occasion to broaden your vocabulary a bit with more phrasal verbs with the word ‘wait’. Not too many, just two. But know that phrasal verbs are a great way to spice up your language so to speak.
The first one is to wait behind. It means to stay somewhere after other people have left. You have a burning question to your teacher, lecturer, boss, manager, but you don’t want anybody else to hear your conversation, so you wait behind until everybody has left. I waited behind to ask the manager a few questions.
The last one is with ‘in’ to wait in. It means to stay at home because someone is going to visit you. I had to wait in for the plumber. I had to wait in for the delivery man.
Ok, that’s it from this verse, listen to and repeat out loud next five lines:
Don’t be afraid if it gets late, yeah
You’ll survive, it’s just one night
Why won’t you put down your phone and look me in the eye?
Got all dressed up for you, but you seem so occupied
Maybe space is all it takes, it’s time to fix us
It gets late – Don’t be afraid if it gets late. What do we have in here? Well, well, well, conditional sentence! Look, this is the first conditional, I have a whole episode about it and the worksheet as well please find that episode if you need to work some more on conditional sentences. When it’s getting late you usually notice that you need to go home, or go to bed, you have to do something in the morning. You can use it as an excuse to leave the place, the group. I’d better go, it’s getting late.
Put down your phone – To leave it. To put it down, to stop holding it and place it somewhere, on the table on the shelf.
Look me in the eye – just one eye. Have you noticed? Funny expression for my liking, because unlike in Polish , we say spójrz mi w oczy. Here, in English we ask to look me in the eye. Spójrz mi w oko. Nice. Look me in the eye and tell me the truth.
To dress up – she got all dressed up for him but he was too occupied with sth else he didn’t even look . She put on special clothes, elegant, smart clothes, it was a special occasion supposedly. Notice that you can also get dressed up as someone, as a pirate for instance. It’s when you go to a fancy dress party.
Space is all it takes – in this situation we’ve found ourselves, space, some time, is all that is required. All that is needed in this situation is a short (or not) break. Short, because she says it’s just one night. We need a breather, a break, time and space apart. That’s all it takes.
The final, last verse. Listen and repeat out loud:
First I kissed you
Then I got mad at you
‘Cause I wish I’d
Be happy without you
If I ditch you
Then maybe you would understand
Then maybe you would understand
To get mad at someone – to get angry at someone. Mind the preposition. We can be angry at someone or we can be angry with someone. I’m not angry with you. It’s like the opposite of to drive someone mad. Right?
If I ditch you then maybe you would understand – that’s baad. I mean conditional here is a bit mixed up. Well, this can be a mixed conditional but thrust me this isn’t common to mix the first and the second conditional. I reckon this was done for the sake of the rhythm and melody of the song. Well, if you need to brush up your conditionals, I have everything you need to do it right. The list of all episodes on conditionals is in the show notes at teacherola.com/106.
One last vocabulary element of the day: to ditch someone. To get rid of somebody because you no longer want or need them. This also applies to objects. He ditched his girlfriend. To ditch a project.
To ditch school means to stay away from school without permission. To skip school. To play truant. Why did you ditch school yesterday?
Ok, that’s all when it comes to the lyrics. Now it’s time to put it all into practice. I have prepared sentences. They are inspired by the vocabulary from the song and they are all totally relatable. I’m positive you’ll find them useful. Say them out loud, OK? This is now the crucial part of your today’s effort so give it all. Ok, let’s do it. I’ll say each sentence twice.
There was a firework display and the whole sky lit up.
His eyes lit up when she walked into the room.
Dealing with all the paperwork in this place is enough to drive a person mad!
I’ll be back very late so don’t wait up for me.
OK, it was funny at first, but now your jokes are just driving me mad!
I was worried and waited up until you got home safe and sound.
Wait up, you’re walking too fast I can’t keep up with you.
I waited behind to ask the manager a few questions.
I had to wait in for the delivery man.
I Look me in the eye and tell me the truth.
I’d better go, it’s getting late.
It’s nothing special, just lunch, you don’t need to dress up.
That’s all it takes.
I’m not angry with you.
He ditched his girlfriend.
Why did you ditch school yesterday?
Awesome work! Be patient, repeat the sentences out loud, complete the worksheet, and focus on your daily portions of English. You will become fluent in no time. It’s gonna take some time obvi, but I promise just stay consistent, this is all it takes.
Go to your inbox and grab the worksheet. If you’re not a member download it from teacherola.com/106.
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Here you have it! Thank you for being here, for doing all the work. I hope you liked the episode, if you did, as always, please leave your rating in iTunes if you can, otherwise please share this episode with someone who loves shakira and someone who knows that hips don’t lie, ok? Share, comment, like, do whatever you can to help this podcast stay afloat!
Be here next, same time, same place we’ll talk about vocabulary. We’ll look at the dog parent’s vocabulary. Thanks for listening, take care. Happy learning. Stay fearless and say it out loud. Bye-bye!