Native English Expressions | Ep.7
Do you feel lost when listening to native speakers? It’s likely because textbook English isn’t enough. Welcome to Native Expressions Ep.7.
Real conversations are full of idioms, phrasal verbs, and cultural nuances. This series curates authentic expressions directly from podcasts and YouTube videos to help you sound more natural and confident.
To see these idioms in action, check out the 1:14–5:14 mark of this video, where today’s expressions were originally used: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7muA1KCCUc
Native Expressions Ep.7 | 1 – 5
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEWz4SXfyCQ&t=407s
6:47-11:19
Hello everyone!
Today, I’ve prepared some powerful native expressions from a 5-minute highlight clip of one of the most popular videos on Joe Rogan’s podcast — a show with over 20 million subscribers.
This clip is an interview with a guest who participated in a project researching alien technology. After you finish studying, I highly recommend listening to the original native audio using the link below.
Alright, let’s get started – Listen & Repeat!
inkling
a small, vague feeling or idea that something might be true
He didn’t have any proof at that moment, but the strange change in routine gave him an inkling that something unusual was happening.
facility
a building or place designed for a specific purpose
He entered the secret facility in the mountain, wondering what he might see inside that day.
Native Expressions Ep.7 | 6 – 10
hangar
a large building where aircraft or spacecraft are stored
When the hangar doors opened, he immediately sensed that something inside was not ordinary.
flying saucer
a round, disc-shaped aircraft often associated with UFO stories
He was shocked when he saw a flying saucer sitting inside the hangar instead of the equipment he expected.
advanced fighter
a highly developed and technologically improved military aircraft
He tried to reassure himself by thinking the disc was just an advanced fighter built in secret.
hilarious
extremely funny; causing a lot of laughter
He thought the situation was so hilarious that he couldn’t stop smiling, even though everyone else seemed tense and serious.
reprimand
to officially tell someone they have done something wrong
He was shocked when a guard reprimanded him the moment he touched the mysterious craft.
Native Expressions Ep.7 | 11 – 15
slid
moved smoothly along a surface without lifting up; the past tense of *slide*
He quietly slid his hand along the side of the strange craft, curious about its texture.
armed guard
a security officer carrying a weapon
An armed guard walked closely behind them, making it clear that the place was highly restricted.
keep one’s eyes forward
to look straight ahead and not look around
The guard ordered them to keep their eyes forward as they entered the room.
at one’s side
in a position next to one’s body
He had to walk with his hands at his side, trying not to draw any attention.
weird
strange or unusual in a way that is hard to understand
Seeing such a secretive reaction from the guard made him realize something truly weird was going on.
Native Expressions Ep.7 | 16 – 20
introduce someone to
to make someone known to another person
He remembered the day they introduced him to Barry, the lab partner who couldn’t stop talking about the project.
subcomponent
a smaller part that helps make up a larger machine or system
They examined several subcomponents of the craft in the lab to understand how the whole system worked.
anxious to
very eager or impatient to do something
Barry was so anxious to get a new partner that he talked nonstop as soon as they met.
demonstration
an act of showing how something works
During the demonstration of the reactor, he realized the technology was far beyond anything he had seen before.
catch one’s attention
to make someone suddenly notice something
The way the reactor functioned immediately caught his attention because it didn’t match normal scientific explanations.
Native Expressions Ep.7 | 21 – 25
reactor
a device or machine where controlled reactions take place to produce energy
Watching the reactor in action convinced him that this was not ordinary military equipment.
exist technologically
to be possible with current scientific knowledge or engineering
He was stunned because the machine didn’t seem to exist technologically based on everything he had learned so far.
briefing
a short meeting or document that gives important information
He remembered reading a briefing that warned the job might involve strange and unusual technology.
give someone the impression
to make someone feel or believe something, even if it’s not said directly
The reports he read earlier gave him the impression that the project would be unlike anything he had done before.
hands-on
involving direct physical work or experience rather than theory
This was his first hands-on moment with the device, and it shocked him.
Native Expressions Ep.7 | 26 – 30
hemisphere
half of a sphere, like a dome
The reactor looked like a small hemisphere sitting on a metal plate, about the size of a basketball.
gravitational field
an invisible force that pulls objects toward something with mass
He was stunned when the machine created its own gravitational field, something he had never seen.
produce
to make or create something
But this strange device actually produced gravity, which made him realize how unusual the technology was.
turn on
to activate a device or machine
There is no machine we can turn on to create gravity the way we turn on an electromagnet.
brag
to talk with too much pride about something you have or can do
Barry seemed to brag when he encouraged him to touch the strange sphere.
Native Expressions Ep.7 | 31 – 35
like poles (of a magnet)
two ends of magnets that are the same (north–north or south–south) and push each other away
When he reached toward the device, it pushed his hand back just like like poles of a magnet.
cushion feeling
a soft, padded feeling as if something is gently pushing back
As he moved his hand closer, he felt a strange cushion feeling that kept him from touching the sphere.
push away
to force something or someone back from you
The device seemed to push away his hand without him even touching it.
something else
very different from the usual; surprisingly unusual
The strange force made him realize this technology was truly something else.
be aware of
to know about something or understand it
He knew that nothing he was aware of in science could create that kind of force.
Native Expressions Ep.7 | 36 – 40
overview
a short description that gives the main ideas of something
The overview he had read earlier suddenly made sense when he realized the project was even more advanced than he expected.
apparently
based on what seems to be true or what you have heard, even if you are not completely sure
After seeing the strange technology with his own eyes, he realized that everything in the briefings was apparently true.
alien craft
a vehicle or machine believed to come from beings outside Earth
When he saw the unusual shape and impossible technology, he understood why people thought it might be an alien craft.
back engineer
to study a device in detail to understand how it was made so you can recreate it
Their mission was to back engineer the craft and figure out how its technology worked.
duplicate
to make an exact copy of something
They hoped to duplicate the alien technology using materials they already had.
Native Expressions Ep.7 | 41 – 45
compartmentalize
to separate information or tasks into independent parts so people only know what they need
They compartmentalized all projects so no one could see the full picture except the top researchers.
power and propulsion
the systems that create energy and make a vehicle move
His team focused only on power and propulsion, trying to understand how the craft generated movement.
in case
used to explain that something is done to be prepared for a possible situation
They shared short reports from other teams in case their research ended up being related.
very clear
easy to understand with no confusion
After working with the device, it became very clear that the information in the briefings was true.