Hello guys, I’m Nysha and welcome to today’s lesson. Are you someone who speaks English yet sometimes uses the same set of words and phrases repeatedly in conversation? Not knowing how to use alternative, different types of words when talking and also communicating your thoughts and ideas in writing? Do you want to expand your vocabulary, get better at speaking fluent English and sound more like a native English speaker? Well then today’s lesson is precisely for you.
I’ve put together a list of everyday words and expressions that I and other British native speakers frequently use in daily conversation. So today, I will teach you what they are so you too can start using them and create an impression with your effortless English speaking skills, especially around native English speakers.
Complete Lesson Transcript : –
So come on let’s get started. So the first one on the list is “I better”. I better is another way to simply say, ‘I should’ so if you feel it’s time that you should do or say something then instead of saying I should, try saying ‘I better’. “I better get some rest before I take the early morning flight.” “I better tell her the truth, she’s really upset with me.” So see this is a simple way to replace saying I should with I better and do use it. Next we have “what’s his face”, “what’s her face”. Don’t look at me like that this is a very common thing that British people do say, it’s an informal slang sentence filler to replace the uh, umm… when you’re trying to remember someone’s name in a conversation and you just can’t remember, so let’s have a look at this conversation you know person one says, “oh you know, I bumped into your friend in town today” and person two says, “oh you did, who? Which friend did you bump into?” So then person one says, “Um, you know I can’t remember name, what’s her name… oh yeah, Tina, Tina yeah… Tina.” See so many uh and umm in that sentence, right? But now let’s use this expression instead, what’s-her-face, what’s-his-face in this conversation, so person two says, “oh you did, who? Which friend did you meet? and person one says, “I met, what’s-her-face, Tina… yeah I met Tina.” See automatically that that gap, uh, umm reduces and you don’t have to use that and your speech can just be a lot more fluent. If it’s a guy’s name you’re trying to remember, you would say ‘what’s-his-face’ just replace what’s-her-face with what’s-his-face. So right next we have the expression, “I couldn’t care less”. I couldn’t care less, I’m sure you must be able to work out the meaning of this phrase, right? If someone or a particular topic of discussion doesn’t matter to you and you don’t really care about it, then the next time somebody asks you for your opinion on that person or topic then instead of saying you know ‘I don’t care’ use the phrase ‘I couldn’t care less’ as its reply phrase. Here’s some example sentences using I couldn’t care less, “your ex-boyfriend was at the party with his new girlfriend, did that bother you?” And your reply can be, “No, I’ve moved on and to be honest I couldn’t care less.” “I’m gonna do what I feel is right, I couldn’t care less what people think of my decision.” See simple way of saying that you don’t really care but in a better way saying I couldn’t care less. Next we have, “don’t worry about it”, “no worries” and “no problem” these are all informal ways to simply say ‘it’s okay’. See three different ways to say it’s okay. We use the words it’s okay so much in daily conversation but why make our English speaking skills so boring by repeatedly replying it’s okay in situations. Instead of saying it’s okay try saying no worries, “sorry I had to cancel our meeting yesterday I was feeling really unwell” and your reply can be simply “no worries.” I’m so sorry I completely forgot to call you” what can you say? You can just say, “Ah! No problem.” “Hey thanks for waiting for me” and your reply can be “don’t worry about it” do use these phrases to avoid seeing the boring it’s okay as a standard reply. These three rephrases can also be used to say ‘you’re welcome’. “Thank you for the lift to work this morning, I was really running late.” “Ah! No worries.” “Thanks for all your help today, I really appreciate it.” “Don’t worry about it” or reply with a simple “it’s not a problem”. Next we have “could’ve”, “should’ve”, “would’ve” simply short for ‘could have’, ‘should have’, and ‘would have’ as you may have realized, natives have the habit of shortening words when talking. Why take the extra effort to say all the entire words when the meaning of what you’re saying remains the same and is easily understood when the words are shortened. So why say I could have gone when you can quickly say I could’ve, see it’s quick. Here are some examples, “I would’ve believed you but then you burst out laughing”. So instead of saying ‘I would have believed you’ quickly just say “I would’ve believed you but then you burst out laughing”. “We should’ve informed them that the meeting is postponed” now the shortened use of could have, would have and should have in these sentences is precisely how natives would say it and you should try to do the same next time you’re in a conversation with someone. Next we have “fair enough”. Hmm… what do you think this phrase means, fair enough? This is an informal phrase used to express that what someone has said to you is acceptable or understandable. So you could say, “fair enough I admit the presentation needs a few changes thanks for your feedback”. So by saying fair enough in this sentence you’re acknowledging that they feel that your presentation needs a few changes you know you can make it better so just acknowledging them and giving them thanks for their feedback by just saying fair enough. “I agree he’s quite an expert at the game which is why he mostly wins and that’s fair enough”. So if someone’s really good at a game you know and you agree that you know it’s justified that they win every time so then you can just say it’s fair enough, it’s understandable that they win every time because there’s such a pro at the game. Next we have “can’t make it”. It’s an informal way to say you can’t attend or you can’t go somewhere. “Hey I’m sorry I can’t make it to your party tonight, I’ve got an important exam in the morning and I still need to finish revising for it” and as we learned earlier in the video, your reply could simply be ‘that’s a shame but fair enough.’ Next we have, “my bad”. My bad this is an informal phrase which is the equivalent to saying, ‘sorry it’s my mistake, or ‘I admit it’s my fault’ the word is ‘my bad’. The word “bad’ is a synonym for a mistake. Now there’s nothing wrong with saying sorry it’s my mistake or it’s my fault every time you make a mistake, but then young Millennials would rather sound ‘hip’ as they mingle and communicate, wouldn’t they? So saying my bad is short, casual and it works. So next time it’s a silly mistake you’ve made which won’t have a severe consequence, instead of saying you know I’m so sorry, I’m sorry it was my mistake, just say ‘my bad’. “You know you did mention it but I think I still bought the wrong bulb, my bad.” The next word for the day is “a rip off”. To get ripped off. A rip off is something that is overpriced. Something that costs more than it’s worth. For example you know designer label clothes are stylish and chic as they may appear to be but I feel they’re a total rip off, totally overpriced well that’s just my opinion. “$350 for those shoes, I’m not buying that, that’s a complete rip off.” “All the stalls in the market were selling a rip off Versace, Louie Vuitton and Chanel merchandise”, meaning totally fake products at rip off prices, so do be careful the next time you want to purchase something costing a lot of money and ensure that the item is authentic to save yourself from being ripped off. Next we have on my list the words “I’m afraid”. You must be thinking I’m afraid means to be scared, right? Well yes, that’s what it normally means, but in British English it is used for politely telling someone something that might make them you know sad, disappointed or angry. Have a look at these example sentences, “I’m afraid the tickets to the concert are sold out”, the person knows that you know you’re really looking forward to this concert, you’re looking to buy tickets and they want to say sorry you know the tickets are sold out, so they’ll politely say I’m afraid the tickets for the concert I sold out. Also if you disagree with someone and think they are wrong, instead of bluntly saying you’re wrong, politely say, “I’m afraid, I disagree with you” someone may not like it but it softens a tone of giving negative or bad news. Next up we have “to grab something”. The English use this phrase which means to get something usually used for food and beverages. “Hey do you want to go grab a cup of coffee quickly before we start work?” So here the person is asking the work colleague if they want to just quickly go and have a coffee before the start of their working day. So there you have it guys words and phrases you can use instead of the usual vocabulary you use to express yourself while talking to someone or well expressing yourself in writing, it could be in a text message you know or when you’re writing an email, so do use these words and phrases and make these little changes in your spoken and written English to ensure your English game is not boring and keep practicing your English guys because as they say and like I keep telling you, ‘practice makes perfect…’ until next time bye-bye, take care.
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