This is why we can't have nice things – YouTube Dictation Transcript & Vocabulary
Welcome to FluentDictation, your best YouTube dictation website for English practice. Master this C1 level video with our interactive transcript and shadowing practice tools. We've broken down "This is why we can't have nice things" into bite-sized segments, perfect for dictation exercises and pronunciation improvement. Read along with our annotated transcript, learn essential vocabulary, and enhance your listening skills. 👉 Start dictation practice
Join thousands of learners using our YouTube dictation tool to improve their English listening and writing skills.
📺 Click to play this educational video. Best viewed with captions enabled for dictation practice.
Interactive Transcript & Highlights for Dictation
1.- This is a video about things like cars, phones, and light bulbs and an actual that made them worse
2.This video was sponsored by NordVPN, more about them at the end of the video I am outside Livermore Fire Station, number six
3.And in here, they have the longest, on light bulb in the world
4.It has been on for 120 years since 1901
5.There it is
💡 Tap the highlighted words to see definitions and examples
Key Vocabulary (CEFR C1)
conspiring
B1To secretly plot or make plans together, often with the intention to bring bad or illegal results.
Example:
"were conspiring together to make their products worse?"
essentially
B2In an essential manner; in essence
Example:
"of what is essentially an everlasting light bulb?"
conspiracy
B1The act of two or more persons, called conspirators, working secretly to obtain some goal, usually understood with negative connotations.
Example:
"phones, and light bulbs and an actual conspiracy"
continuously
B2Without pause.
Example:
"continuously on light bulb in the world."
inventing
B1To design a new process or mechanism.
Example:
"Inventing a viable electric light was hard,"
executives
B1A chief officer or administrator, especially one who can make significant decisions on their own authority.
Example:
"there was a secret meeting of top executives"
consolidated
B2To combine into a single unit; to group together or join.
Example:
"but by now they had largely been consolidated"
interests
B1The price paid for obtaining, or price received for providing, money or goods in a credit transaction, calculated as a fraction of the amount or value of what was borrowed.
Example:
"After all, it would be in each of their individual interests"
motivated
B1To provide someone with an incentive to do something; to encourage.
Example:
"But all evidence points to the cartels being motivated"
nightlight
B1A small, dim light or lamp left on overnight
Example:
"It was meant to be a nightlight"
| Word | CEFR | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| conspiring | B1 | To secretly plot or make plans together, often with the intention to bring bad or illegal results. |
| essentially | B2 | In an essential manner; in essence |
| conspiracy | B1 | The act of two or more persons, called conspirators, working secretly to obtain some goal, usually understood with negative connotations. |
| continuously | B2 | Without pause. |
| inventing | B1 | To design a new process or mechanism. |
| executives | B1 | A chief officer or administrator, especially one who can make significant decisions on their own authority. |
| consolidated | B2 | To combine into a single unit; to group together or join. |
| interests | B1 | The price paid for obtaining, or price received for providing, money or goods in a credit transaction, calculated as a fraction of the amount or value of what was borrowed. |
| motivated | B1 | To provide someone with an incentive to do something; to encourage. |
| nightlight | B1 | A small, dim light or lamp left on overnight |
Want more YouTube dictation drills? Visit our practice hub.
Want to translate multiple languages at once? Visit our Want to translate multiple languages at once? Visit our Multiple Language Translator.
Grammar & Pronunciation Tips for Dictation Practice
Chunking
Notice how the speaker pauses after specific phrases to help comprehension.
Linking
Listen for connected speech patterns when words flow together.
Intonation
Pay attention to how pitch changes to emphasize important information.
Video Difficulty Analysis & Stats
Downloadable Dictation Resources & Materials
Download Study Materials
Download these resources to practice offline. The transcript helps with reading comprehension, SRT subtitles work with video players, and the vocabulary list is perfect for flashcard apps.
Ready to practice?
Start your dictation practice now with this video and improve your English listening skills.