Name: Learn English with GLADIATOR
Uploaded: 2026-03-19T16:56:32.000Z
Duration: 20 min 21 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...

My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, Commander of the armies of the north, general of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor.

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It doesn't get any better than that, does it?

I mean, Gladiator's gotta be up there in my top five films of all time.

The story, the performances, the photography, the music, and the whole message behind it, everything is so brilliant.

So in today's lesson, we're gonna watch two scenes.

The first one, when Maximus starts to become famous as a gladiator and is invited to go to Rome to fight in the arena to a larger crowd.

And the second one, when he's already in Rome after a fight and the Emperor decides that he wants to meet with Maximus in person.

And I've gotta say, that's one of the best movie scenes in history.

So now let's watch the first scene and then we'll learn with it.

And by the way, at the end of this video, I'm gonna give you the chance to test your comprehension by watching both scenes without subtitles.

And I bet that you'll be able to understand them 100%.

You're a good Spaniard, but you're not that good.

That's enough for the provinces, but not for Rome.

The young emperor has arranged a series of spectacles to commemorate his father, Marcus Aurelius.

I find that amusing since it was Marcus Aurelius the wise, the all knowing Marcus Aurelius the God closed us down.

So finally, after five years of scratching a living in flea infested villages, we're finally going back to where we belong.

Or you should see the Coliseum, Spaniard.

Okay, so these expressions that you just saw highlighted in blue, we're going to explore all this vocabulary now.

Now, if your goal is to remember all of these expressions forever and never forget them and actually be able to use them when you speak, then I'm going to tell you that the best way that you can do that is by practicing with this lesson on Gladiator on our own app, it really helps you become more fluent because on there you don't just watch it passively.

You engage and interact and practice with the vocabulary.

So just click the link in the description below to open the app and it'll continue from there.

So in the scene we see Proximo, a former gladiator who now owns and trains fighters, speaking with Maximus.

Let's have another look at the first couple lines.

The phrase you sent for me means did you call me here?

It's used in formal settings when a person is summoned.

Like an employee being called to a manager's office or.

Or a servant responding to a king to someone means exactly that when someone calls for your presence somewhere.

In the movie, Maximus is called a Spaniard because he was born in Hispania, located in modern day Spain and Portugal, which at the time was a Roman province, a region from the Empire.

Today, Spaniard still refers to a person from the country of Spain.

Some nationalities have these second names, almost like nicknames.

Like you could refer to a British person as a British, a Danish person as a Dane, Turkish, Turk, Arabic, Arab.

And a Polish person that is from Poland could be called a Pole.

You're good, Spaniard, but you're not that good.

When someone calls something magnificent, they're not just saying it's good or great.

They mean it's deeply impressive or worthy of admiration and respect, like a stunning view or piece of art.

So he means that Maximus has the potential to be a legendary fighter.

At this point in the movie, the Emperor is Commodus, the son of Marcus Aurelius, the previous emperor.

So Commodus has organized grand spectacles, that is big, exciting public shows to honor and celebrate his father.

A word you may hear more often than spectacle is the adjective spectacular, which is often used casually to describe something impressive, breathtaking or extraordinary.

In this example, the cake looks spectacular, Gabriel.

I find that amusing, since it was Marcus Aurelius, the wise, the all knowing Marcus Aurelius, that closed us down.

When something is amusing, it's entertaining and funny.

Not laugh out loud funny necessarily, but more like something that is funny in an interesting way.

Proximo thinks it's amusing that the young emperor is bringing back gladiator fights to celebrate his father's memory when he was Marcus Aurelius himself, who stopped the games in the first place.

And when he did that, he consequently closed down the business of trading gladiators.

Just one more obstacle to get round, then it'll all be straight.

Men like you are becoming very fashionable down here.

I find that amusing since it was Marcus Aurelius the wise, the all knowing Marcus Aurelius that closed us down.

In case you don't know, Marcus Aurelius is an actual historical figure who is in fact remembered as a wise ruler.

But Proximo is calling him wise and all knowing sarcastically here to make fun of him, probably because he failed to foresee two major his own son's betrayal and the return of gladiator games.

The expression all knowing refers to a person who knows it all, who knows everything.

So finally, after five years of scratching a living in flea infested villages, we're finally going back to where we belong, the Colosseum.

Proximo creates a dramatic contrast between the glory of the Colosseum and his struggle of life in small villages.

He describes these villages as flea infested, emphasizing their poor living conditions.

When a place is infested with something like fleas or rats, it means they are present in large, uncontrollable numbers.

He also emphasizes how harsh their situation has been with the phrase scratching a living, meaning barely having enough money to survive and struggling just to get by.

We're finally going back to where we belong, the Colosseum.

Going back to where you belong means to go back to a place that feels right for you, where you truly fit in, or where you're meant to be.

You can often hear this phrase in movies and songs.

All that matters now is that you're safe on home where you belong.

The verb belong may also appear in similar phrases like we belong together, meaning that two people are meant to be together.

A person may say, you don't belong here, meaning this place or situation is not meant for you.

You don't belong here, either of you, so I'm sending you home.

In the scene, Proxima means that his best gladiators are meant to fight in a colosseum where they belong, the grandest stage, rather than struggling in small villages.

And by the way, remember that you can practice what you're learning today on our own app.

It really is the best way to make sure that you never forget the vocabulary that you see in these lessons.

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Learn English with GLADIATOR

struggle

phrase

reveal

deserve