Hey there! This is TOP episode 342. Learn English with Toy Story 5 “I Knew It, I Knew You’
**You read English. You understand English. You’ve been learning for years, but when it’s time to speak your mind just freezes, and the words don’t come out. If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. My name’s Ola, and this is Teacher Ola Podcast. I’m here to help you finally speak out loud. This isn’t about perfect grammar or fancy vocabulary. This is about your voice. Your words. Your real English.
**Today we’re going to learn some really useful phrases from a song. These lyrics are from the newest Toy Story 5 movie, and since it’s just come out, I thought it would be a great opportunity to look at some natural English expressions and talk about how we actually use them in everyday conversations.
And before we start, I want to remind you that if you want to work on your English with me, you can join my five-week programme. You practise with me on WhatsApp every day, and I give you detailed feedback on your pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, and your English in general. We also meet once a week for five live sessions where we practise and improve step by step. And the best part is we do it iun a small group! So much fun!
Enrollment is open right now and if you want to test my method for free, you can do it at teacherola.com/test. Now, let’s get into today’s phrases.
**The first one is:
“I memorized the sound of your barefoot steps.”
Let’s focus on the word ‘memorize’.
To memorize means to learn something so well that you can remember it without looking. You put something in your memory.
For example:
I memorized her phone number.
I’m trying to memorize these new words.
She memorized the whole speech before the presentation.
If you memorize these phrases, speaking will become easier.
Notice that we usually memorize something specific: a number, a text, a speech, words, information.
Now let’s move on to the next phrase:
**“I remembered I loved you.”
Here the important word is ‘remembered’.
Sometimes we forget something, and then suddenly it comes back to us. We realize: “Oh yes, now I remember.”
For example:
I forgot his name, but then I remembered it.
I suddenly remembered where I left my keys.
She remembered she had already seen that film.
I didn’t remember at first, but then it came back to me.
**“Man, it’s been a while.”
This is a very natural phrase when you haven’t seen someone for a long time. You can say:
“It’s been a while!”
when you meet an old friend, a colleague, or someone you haven’t talked to recently. These are other similar phrases:
Long time no see!
It’s been ages!
I haven’t seen you in forever!
It’s been so long!
**“But I knew it. I knew you.”
The verb ’know’ is tricky because it changes:
know – knew – known
Let’s practise:
I know the answer.
I knew the answer yesterday.
I have known him for years.
And some everyday examples with knew:
I knew it! (use it when something happens and you were right)
She knew exactly what to do.
He knew my name.
**“But now you look me in the eye.”
‘To look someone in the eye’ means to look directly at someone, usually when you are being honest or serious.
For example:
He looked me in the eye and told me the truth.
She couldn’t look me in the eye.
Look me in the eye and say that again.
He looked me in the eye and said, “I trust you.”
These small phrases are everywhere in everyday English, so try to use them in your own sentences.
Now it’s time for the practical part. This is the moment when we actually practise these sentences and make them part of your active English.
And please, I really want you to speak out loud. Don’t just read these sentences silently. Don’t say them under your breath. Your brain needs to hear you speaking, and your mouth needs to practise making these sounds. You need to train those speaking muscles.
So, repeat after me. Let’s practise 10 sentences together.
I memorized her phone number.
If you memorize these phrases, speaking will become easier.
I forgot his name, but then I remembered it.
She remembered she had already seen that film.
It’s been a while.
It’s been so long.
I knew the answer yesterday.
I have known him for years.
I knew it.
He looked me in the eye and told me the truth.
**Great job. Keep practising, because speaking gets easier when you actually speak.
Well done! Before you go, don’t forget to head over to teacherola.com/342 and download the free worksheet that goes with this episode.
**Today we looked at five really useful phrases from the new Toy Story 5 song and learnt how to use them in everyday English, we have:
memorize – when you learn something so well that you can remember it
remember – when something comes back to you after you forgot it
it’s been a while – a natural phrase when you haven’t seen someone for a long time
know – knew – known – three forms of this important verb
look someone in the eye – when you look directly at someone, usually showing honesty or confidence
But remember: learning phrases is only the first step.
Speaking becomes easier when you actually speak.
That’s why I created my method. In my five-week programme, we don’t just learn English passively. We actually use it. You send me voice messages every day, I listen to you, and I give you detailed feedback on your English. Plus, we meet once a week for a live session where we practise even more. Because a few minutes of active speaking every day can change much more than hours of only watching, reading, or using apps. You already know a lot of English. Now it’s time to start using it. If you want to test my method, I’m waiting for you at teacherola.com/test. Come and try it for free. I’d love to work with you.
**Thank you so much for listening. Stay fearless, take care, and say it out loud. I love you, I believe in you, and I know you are ready to speak English. I’m your teacher, Teacher Ola, and you’ve been listening to the Teacher Ola Podcast.
Bye for now.