Name: Learn ENGLISH with the Actors from FRIENDS
Uploaded: 2026-01-16T17:41:34.000Z
Duration: 18 min 25 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

Gerund

So Friends is one of the most successful TV shows of all time, and

it's still huge, hugely popular, decades after it ended.

Now, what makes it so special is that you could see the genuine friendship between the cast members.

They really did hit it off in real life, not just on screen.

It's like their chemistry and the fun they had working together really struck a chord with audiences everywhere, which is a big part of what made the show so magical.

So in an interview Learn English with Today, the cast talks about their characters, the incredible impact the show was already having, and

what it was like filming together during those early seasons.

Along the way, we will learn tons of useful English expressions about success, relationships, careers, and pop culture.

Now, before we get started, you should know that this lesson comes with its own vocabulary flashcards covering all the keywords and expressions we'll see today.

Practicing with these daily is the easiest way for you to remember these words forever.

So if that sounds interesting to you, just click the link in the description below using your phone to get our app, and

start your vocabulary practice right after the lesson.

Now, let's begin by watching the first clip with subtitles.

The show is about six individuals who live in a big apple, and

each of them has separate careers and love interests and are in that phase of their lives where they're not relying on their parents anymore for financial stability and are not yet settled with husband or wife or I was, but.

And so we're in that kind of gray area where we're relying on our friends for kind of emotional support and spiritual support and trying to make it on our own in the big city.

You know, a lot of people say this is a hot show for Generation X.

Ooh, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know you hate that.

But of course, that's how it's been described by some people, that 20 somethings love this show.

No, I don't know why, actually, Truthfully, I don't even know why it's that negative.

Generation X, I guess, implies that we're all aimless and we're just kind of hanging out, listening to, you know, music and watching the Brady Bunch or something.

I think that it just implies that we're aimless and we're not.

We all know where we're going and we're trying to get there.

You're sort of the stable member of the cast.

The show is about six individuals who live in the Big Apple and each of them has separate careers and love interests.

The Big Apple is a famous nickname for New York City where Friends would set.

So David Trimmer, who played Ross, is saying each of the characters in the show had their love interests.

This expression means someone you're romantically interested in or dating.

Rachel's love interests included Ross, Paolo, and later Joey and Monica had relationships with Richard and Chandler.

Each of them has separate careers and love interests and are in that phase of their lives where they're not relying on their parents anymore for financial stability and are not yet settled with a husband or wife.

When you rely on your parents, you need them to take care of you, especially financially.

If you remember in Friends, Rachel stopped relying on her father for money when she left her wedding and moved in with Monica.

So David explains, the characters were in that phase where they hadn't yet settled, which here means establishing in a long term relationship.

So getting married and starting a family, it's like finding your permanent life situation.

God, you know, I can't believe you're not married.

I mean, even when we were kids, I always saw you as that guy that would settle down at a young age.

You know, you were always kind of like an old, young guy.

David says I was because Ross was already married in the first episode where they're, they're not relying on their parents anymore for financial stability and are not yet settled with a husband or wife or I was, but

A gray area is a situation that's unclear where you're between two different phases of something.

For example, say you're casually dating someone for a few weeks.

You're not just friends anymore, but you're not officially their boyfriend or girlfriend either.

So that's a gray area where you're not sure what to call their relationship.

You can think of it like it's not black or white, it's somewhere in the middle.

The characters in this show are in this gray area because on the one hand they don't live with your parents anymore, but

on the other hand, they haven't reached the settled adult phase yet.

They're stuck in between trying to make it on their own in a big city.

To make it means to be successful on your own means doing something independently, alone, without help, together.

Make it on your own means succeeding through your own efforts.

You can think of someone like Oprah, for example, who grew up in poverty and made it on her own to become one of the most successful media personalities in the world.

Ooo, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know you hate that.

But of course that's how it's been described by some people, that 20 somethings love this show.

You can have a hot topic that is something everyone is talking about, or a hot restaurant, for example.

Now, in 1994, Fringe was definitely the hot show everyone is talking about, especially Generation X.

These are people born roughly between 1965 and 1980.

So at that time, Gen Xers were still 20 somethings.

Like the interviewer said, 20 somethings refers to people in their 20s, people from age 20 to 29.

You can also say 30s or teens, for example.

It's a casual way to talk about age groups.

But you all, why don't you like that, Courtney?

The interviewer is asking why the expression, the term Generation X bugs Courtney.

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