Todd: OK, Kawabe! (Hai) Can you tell us about your English success story.

Kawabe: English success story (Yeah, yeah) It's not a success story but I can tell how I learned. OK, first of all, I don't think I learned English as a foreign, a foreign language because I loved to listen to music, especially rock n' roll when I was a teenage. So when you love music, you become, like you, you want to sing with it so you memorize the whole lyrics and you know stuff and, so to me it was like, just, you know, a hobby, it was just a fun purely. It was the pure fun for me so, I didn't think I studied.

Todd: Wow, that's great! So did you listen without reading the words, the lyrics, or did you just listen and read the lyrics at the same time?

Kawabe: Um, both! (Both) Both, yeah! Sometimes, I'd see words which I don't understand, so I look up the dictionary and you know check the meaning and, you know, the things was always like this.

Todd: Um, so did you do anything else besides music?

Kawabe: Ah, what else? Yeah, the movie! The movie! Like, yeah, I loved to, one of my favorite movies, the Blues Brothers, because you know, that movie is interesting, and first of all, that funny, you know the funniest movie and like a great comedy in the history I think and that movie was famous for it's music, right, you know, that movie's soundtrack is great, and I have the CD in my room. And then..

Todd: You have it in your room?

Kawabe: Yeah!

Todd: Really!

Kawabe: Yeah! I do and, so I saw that movie so many times. I don't remember how many times I saw that, and when you , you know, after the repetition, you know watching the same movies so many times you memorize a whole like words and sentence, what John Belushi was saying, what Dan Aykrod was saying, so it was a great study I think, for me!

Todd: Wow! That's a great..

Kawabe: But at that time I don't think that was studying you know!

Todd: Yeah, it was fun! So you enjoyed it!

notes Vocabulary notes (text only) explain key vocabulary and phrases from the interview. Learn more here.

lyrics

Memorize the whole lyrics.

'Lyrics' are words that are put to a tune to make a song.

Notice the following:

That song has wonderful lyrics, it is one of my favorites.

Do you ever listen carefully to lyrics?

pure fun

It was the pure fun for me so I didn't think I studied.

'Pure fun' is used to describe something that is only done to give you enjoyment, not for any other purpose.

Notice the following:

I want to go out and dance because it is pure fun for me.

Wow! Today was pure fun, don't you think?

soundtrack

That movie's soundtrack is great.

A 'soundtrack' is the collection of songs that have been picked to go along with a film or television program.

Notice the following:

My favorite songs are always from movie soundtracks.

I think the soundtrack really made the film.

so many times

I saw that movie so many times. I don't remember how many times I saw that.

When you do something 'so many times' it means that you have done it repeatedly. We frequently use this phrase, followed by 'that', to give reason for something else.

Notice the following:

I have driven to work so many times that I know the journey off by heart.

I have told you so many times to tidy your room.

sentence

Watching the same movies so many times you memorize a whole like words and sentence.

A 'sentence' is a group of words that work together to express an idea. All of the words in a sentence are connected in their form and meaning. It ends with a full stop and starts with a capital letter.

Notice the following:

Don't forget to use sentences in your writing.

I know that sentence by heart.