Interviews

High-intermediate

If you had $10,000, and you only had two hours spend it, what you would do with the money?

Here are some words and expressions that appear in the video:

pay off (phrasal verb): pay a debt in full
– I plan to pay off my car loan by the end of the year.

bring up (phrasal verb): start to talk about something
– When are you going to bring up the issue of your grades with your parents?

dang it (expression): showing some anger, frustration, or annoyance
– Dang it! I don’t have enough money to buy food right now.

psh (expression): showing a feeling of disagreement, disbelief, or skepticism
– Psh! This car is definitely not worth $22,000 no matter what you say, so I’m NOT going to buy it!

teleport (verb): (usually used in science fiction) to move someone or something instantly from one place to another
– It would be wonderful if I could teleport myself across the world to visit different countries over the weekend.

comfy (adjective): informal for comfortable
– This sofa is really comfy. I need to get one just like it.

food chain (noun): in this case, figurative language to represent the order of things

– Those employees at the higher end of the food chain will get bonuses this year. However, people like me who have only been with the company for less than a year won’t get anything.

Now, watch the interview and answer the comprehension questions. You can also turn on the automatically-generated captions for the video once you start it.

Randall: In this video, Aubrey, we’re gonna talk about a spending spree. And imagine, for example, that you’ve just won a special ticket, a special prize to spend $10,000 in two hours or less. But you cannot use the internet to do so. In other words, you need to get into your car and drive to different locations. Where would you go and how would you spend the money? $10,000 in two hours.

Aubrey: Now, am I allowed to take this money to the bank and pay off my car loan?

Randall: Uh, you could, uh, let’s just, I think you probably use that entire money for that. But let’s just talk about just other things besides a car loan.

Aubrey: Now, now, clarification. Right. Can I keep my receipts and return these items later, or is this for keeps?

Randall: No, no, no. I can see you’re thinking and it’s really great that you brought up the idea about paying off a car loan, ’cause that’s probably the first thing or the last thing some people would think about. Right. About other obligations that they already have. So, number one, no, you can’t pay off the car loan, but great idea. And number two, no, you can’t return the items.

Aubrey: Dang it. And I have $10,000.

Randall: Yeah. And you can buy some of those things and give them away to, you know, people like me. So, go ahead. How would you spend your money in two hours?

Aubrey: Can I sell the items?

Randall: Uh, you cannot sell the items. Keep it simple. You’re, you’re asking for different iterations of how this is going to play out. Let’s just for you. You can’t return the items. You can’t resell the items. You have to keep them.

Aubrey: And I only have two hours.

Randall: Yep, you have two hours. Go ahead.

Aubrey: And I don’t have the internet.

Randall: Nope.

Aubrey: Can I have assistants?

Randall: Uh, like an assistant?

Aubrey: Yeah, like I’m going to the furniture store. You go to Best Buy and get me a TV.

Randall: No, no, no, no, no, no, no. You can’t do that. You’re asking for a lot of different, uh, considerations here, but I’m glad you’re asking.

Aubrey: Yeah.

Now, you don’t have two hours now. You only have an hour and 45 minutes.

Aubrey: Oh no!

Randall: because you asked me all of these questions. Go ahead. What would you do?

Aubrey: Um. Well, I’d like to teleport to a nice furniture store and get

Randall: Okay, you’re driving there. It’s gonna take you ten minutes.

Randall: Oh, no.

Aubrey: Okay, go ahead. What would you buy at the furniture store?

Aubrey: Well, I want a new couch. Like my couch is great, but if I have $10,000, I’m getting a nicer couch, maybe a recliner or some great bookcases, and then I’d better rush over to Best Buy and get a washer dryer and a new TV.

Randall: Okay, so first of all, furniture store to furnish your apartment and then at Best Buy, you said a TV. Is that.

Aubrey: Right? A new TV and a washer dryer. Okay. Okay. And maybe a fridge.

Randall: Okay. A fridge. Okay, then what’s next? You still have money left?

Aubrey: Do I? ‘Cause I bought a nice couch.

Randall: Yeah. Now you still have money. You have $10,000.

Aubrey: I want a

Randall: It was on sale at the furniture store.

Aubrey: I want one of those really fancy $2,000 ergonomic office chairs.

Randall: Okay. Okay. And why would that be important to you?

Aubrey: Because I sit in an office chair all day, and it would be nice to be comfy.

Randall: Okay, so office supplies, TV, you have some other items. Uh, what would be some of your last stops?

Aubrey: Um, groceries. Although that might take more than what I have. Uh,

Randall: Okay. ‘Cause you have that new refrigerator, remember?

Aubrey: That’s right. The new fridge that they’re going to deliver because I paid for that. I, I paid extra for them to take away the other stuff.

Randall: And let me ask you, if you could spend some of the money on someone else.

Aubrey: You only gave me two hours. I don’t have time to think about this.

Randall: Well, well, I’ll give you an extra 15 minutes.

Aubrey: Oh, okay. Okay.

Randall: What would you do? What would you do? How would you spend the, the last amount of money?

Aubrey: Hmm? Well, I’d get nephew some presents.

Randall: Okay.

Aubrey: Um, let’s see. Nephew gets presents, my sister gets presents. Definitely my puppy and my kitten get presents.

Randall: All right. I think I understand where I am on the food chain.

Aubrey: Hey,

Randall: Alright,

Aubrey: You gave me the ten grand.

Randall: I know.

Aubrey: You don’t need any of it back.

Randall: All right. Well, thank you, Aubrey, for sharing your thoughts on how you would spend that $10,000 in two hours or less.

Intermediate:

1. If you won $10,000 and had two hours to spend it, what are the rules of spending mentioned in the conversation?
2. How does the conversation highlight the importance of planning and making quick decisions when given limited time and resources?
3. What items did Aubrey mention she would buy with the money, and why did she choose those specific items?

Advanced:

1. Analyze the challenges and constraints of spending a significant amount of money within a limited time frame, as discussed in the conversation.
2. Discuss the ethical implications of using the money for personal desires versus considering others and giving back, as explored in the latter part of the conversation.
3. Imagine you were given the same opportunity to spend $10,000 in two hours without using the internet. How would you plan your spending strategy and justify your choices?

The following activities deal with related topics to give you additional language practice.

• Grocery Shopping
• Street Market
• Washer and Dryer