I spent $500.

For how many suits?

Five.

What?

In today's lesson, you're gonna learn some nice expressions, vocabulary, pronunciation and legal English with the TV series Suits.

In the scenes we're watching today, Harvey tries to fire Mike on his first day at work.

After he was denied a promotion.

But then, Mike gives him an idea.

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Mike Ross is an extremely clever young man who lands a job as a lawyer even though he's never been to law school.

Harvey Spector, a top lawyer at the firm, is so impressed with Mike's intelligence that he gives him the job.

How can you know all that?

I told you, I like to read.

And once I read something, I understand it.

And once I understand it, I never forget it.

However, after losing his promotion for having lied to a client,

Harvey tries to fire Mike on his first day of work.

Let's see what happens.

Mike.

Hey, I was ready for a great first day.

I'm gonna have to let you go.

What?

I just got reamed for lying to a client.

And if they find out that I lied about you going to Harvard, they'll take away my license.

You what?

Not now, Donna.

Look, I have to put my own interests above yours.

It's nothing personal.

You're fired.

Wait, so you're worried that if I stay, then they might find out that you lied about me and you'll lose your license.

But if you fire me, then I could tell them that you lied about me and you'd definitely lose your license.

Are you telling me that if I throw you under the bus, you're gonna drag me with you?

You put your interests above mine.

I'm just putting mine back up next to yours.

You're rehired.

I was ready for a great first day.

I'm gonna have to let you go.

So in this context, to let someone go means to fire someone.

Another nice word in this context of business and work is downsizing.

Downsizing is when a company has to fire people or let people go because the company is cutting down on costs or reducing in size.

Check out this clip from The Office.

As you know, there's going to be downsizing.

And you have made my life so much easier in that I am going to have to let you go first.

In that I am going to have to let you go first.

What? Why?

What? I just got reamed for lying to a client.

When a person gets reamed, this person is reprimanded or criticized for their bad behavior.

And that's exactly what Jessica, Harvey's boss, does to him earlier in this episode.

Other possible words here could be scold, you know, to scold someone or to lecture someone.

In this case, you behave badly, you do something bad, and then somebody gives you a lecture or somebody scolds you.

Check out these examples.

You're scolding me.

Am I?

You are, silently.

What about her?

Emily, you can't even say her name, can you?

Don't lecture me.

And if they find out that I lied about you going to Harvard, they'll take away my license.

When you find out about something, you discover or learn the truth about it.

For example, she divorced him because she found out he had been going out with another woman.

And if they find out that I lied about you going to Harvard, they'll take away my license.

Going to Harvard.

Did you hear how Harvey pronounces this phrase?

The preposition to is reduced to a n, n.

So he says going a.

Going a Harvard.

Going a Harvard.

That I lied about you going to Harvard, they'll take away my license.

That I lied about you going to Harvard.

And if they find out that I lied about you going to Harvard, they'll take away my license.

Here we can see the first conditional being used.

We can use the first conditional when making a prediction about the future or making a threat.

Now the structure goes if plus simple present plus will.

For example, if it doesn't rain tomorrow,

I'll go to the beach.

That's a prediction.

If you do that one more time, you won't play video games for a month.

That's a threat.

You can also use might or could instead of will.

Check it out.

So you're worried that if I stay, then they might find out that you lied about me and you'll lose your license.

In this case, might means 50% possibility.

They might find out.

Maybe they will find out.

There's a 50-50 chance.

But if you fire me, then I could tell them that you lied about me and you'd definitely lose your license.

Now could here gives this idea of imaginary possibility.

Look, if you fire me, then I could tell them that you lied about me.

You see, that's a possibility that I'm imagining right now.

Are you telling me that if I throw you under the bus, you're going to drag me with you?

Also remember that you can use going to instead of will, just like in this case.

You're going to drag me with you.

Check out these examples where the first conditional is being used.

But if you don't love this, then we'll do it any other place, any other time.

Really.

Ross, you know what?

If you tell me,

I might do it.

If you don't do it, I will.

You know, just learning random words like many people do without studying the proper context in which those words are being used is not a good strategy.

I mean, think about it.

Why do you learn English or any other language?

To communicate.

Right?

And communication happens through sentences, phrases, not individual isolated words.

That's exactly why we created the Fluent with Friends course so that you can improve your vocabulary in English in context.

I wish I had something like this back in the day when I was still at an intermediate level.

I would watch a lot of TV series to practice my English, but I had to learn English pretty much by myself.

If I'd had something like the Fluent with Friends course back then, my English would have improved much faster.

Our course guides you through every episode of the first two seasons of Friends, contextualizing and teaching you the most important vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar, and cultural aspects you need to know in order to take your English to the next level.

Even academic studies say that Friends is the best TV series out there to learn English with.

So don't wait any longer to start developing your English fluency and having a ton of fun.

You can get started today for free by joining our three-part masterclass.

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All you gotta do is click up here or down in the description below to sign up and get started with the course today.

Alright?

Now let's get back to the lesson on suits.

Wait, so you're worried that if I stay then they might find out that you lied about me and you'll lose your license?

Check it out.

Lied about me.

So here we have the D for lied that connects with the A for about.

So we hear lied, lied with a flap sound.

Lied.

And then we say lied about.

The T for about is a stop T.

About, about.

So, lied about me.

That you lied about me.

That you lied about me.

Are you telling me that if I throw you under the bus you're gonna drag me with you?

Now this is a nice expression to throw someone under the bus.

When you throw someone under the bus you cause this person to suffer in order to save herself or gain some sort of personal advantage.

And that's exactly what Harvey is doing to Mike here in the scene.

By firing Mike,

Harvey is throwing Mike under the bus.

Here's another example from suits.

Think about what you're saying.

I don't need to think about it.

I'm not throwing those guys under the bus.

Mike, we've come too far.

I don't care.

Are you telling me that if I throw you under the bus you're gonna drag me with you?

Which image shows a person being dragged?

The word drag is an interesting word.

Imagine you have a very heavy bag but it's so heavy that you can't pick it up.

You can't carry it.

So what do you usually do?

You have to drag it, right?

You drag the bag by, you know, moving it across the floor because you can't pick it up.

That's the meaning of drag.

But the verb drag is a verb that is used to describe a person

But the verb drag in this context has more of a figurative meaning.

Harvey is saying if I throw you under the bus you're gonna drag me with you?

In other words if I fire you and make you lose your job you're gonna make me lose my job as well?

You're gonna hire me as well?

That's what he's asking.

You put your interests above mine and I'm just putting mine back up next to yours.

We have a nice connected speech pattern here.

When you see the situation of T plus Y the sound that we make is usually

So here we hear put your put your

When you are rehired you are hired again.

The simple fact that you are using the prefix re means again or repeat.

For example

You see?

Got it?

What you just saw could be called blackmail.

Blackmail is the act of demanding benefits in return for not revealing damaging information about someone.

Mike blackmails Harvey into not firing him.

Now Harvey does the same with his boss Jessica.

Let's watch it.

You do that and you'll force me to put you in front of the ethics board.

I don't think you will.

And why not?

Because you were obligated to notify them the second I lied to Gerald.

But you didn't.

You put me in front of the board right now

I'll put you right up there with me.

I'll um

I'll give you your promotion.

But you have to do something for me.

Anything.

Ah.

Pro bono.

Anything but that.

Harvey

Pro bono cases are how we as a firm show that we care about more than just ourselves.

I'm not saying we shouldn't do them.

I'm saying I shouldn't do them.

And it's how you can show me that you care about more than just yourself.

You'll handle this yourself.

You will not pass it off.

Absolutely.

Here's what's gonna happen.

This is a great phrase to preface what you're about to say.

To preface is a verb.

It means to introduce or begin a speech by doing something.

This phrase here's what's gonna happen is a nice way to prepare the other person for what you are about to say.

Check out this example.

Here's what's going to happen.

The police will arrest you and I'm sorry but I will be pressing charges.

You're gonna give me back my promotion.

In speech the words you and your are also often reduced.

You is reduced to you while your is reduced to your.

That's the sound we hear here.

You're gonna.

You're gonna.

You're gonna give me back my promotion.

You're gonna give me back my promotion.

I'm gonna approach every client I've ever closed and I'm gonna take them with me.

You do that and you'll force me to put you in front of the ethics board.

Another common reduction here.

In front of.

What happens here is the T for front is dropped and then we just pronounce the N which then connects with the preposition of which sounds like a schwa sound.

A.

So frona.

You do that and you'll force me to put you in front of the ethics board.