Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[zeppy]

Question 1 : what's the meaning "up to" and " kinda" here ?

Ross: So Rachel, what're you, uh... what're you up to tonight?

Rachel: Well, I was kinda supposed to be headed for Aruba on my honeymoon, so nothing!

Question 2 : according to the below dialogue ,Does phoebe say that she should have needed the help from joey, but actually she don't need the help from joey. or Joey needs the help from phoebe. but phoebe don't
want to do it.

Joey: Hey Pheebs, you wanna help?

Phoebe: Oh, I wish I could, but I don't want to.

thank you !

[bud]

Hi Zeppy,

1. 'to be up to' = 'to de doing' --- "What are you up to tonight?" = "What are you doing tonight?" = "What are your plans for tonight?"

'Kinda' is very casual speech. It's an informal contraction (or slur) for 'kind of.' We use 'sorta' (or 'sort of') in exactly the same way. Often we use them to mean 'somewhat' ('to some degree'). "I'm kinda busy right now, Mom. Can I call you back in an hour?" = "I can talk now if it's important. If you only want to chat, though, I'd rather finish what I'm doing first."

In this case, though, we use it to soften the harshness of what we are saying. It's rather painful to admit your weddiing didn't happen, especially a few hours after it was supoposed to take place. Inserting 'kinda' makes it a little more comfortable to admit, and to hear.

2. (You probably know this, but 'wanna' is a slur for 'want to.' "You wanna help?" is a shortcut for "Do you want to help?") Your second answer is the correct one. Joey is asking if she wants to help him, and Phoebe declines.

Hope that helps.

[zeppy]

thank you ! bud .

one more thing , how to understand the word "so " in this context.

Ross: So Rachel, what're you, uh... what're you up to tonight?

Rachel: Well, I was kinda supposed to be headed for Aruba on my honeymoon, so nothing!

[bud]

Hi Zeppy,

'So' has a lot of uses. In this case it means 'therefore.' ---> "so nothing!" = "therefore nothing!" = "therefore (I'm doing) nothing (since there won't be a honeymoon)!"

The 'so' in "So Rachel' is very different. It's what is called a 'conversation filler' and doesn't really have a meaning. It is often used after a long pause in a conversation, or to change the topic of discussion. It's a signal to the listener that now I have something to say, or that now I'm going to start talking about something else.

Hope that helps.