Learn some common American English phrases you may hear every day while traveling in the US
Now Playing: Lesson Audio
Unlock Lesson Notes and Transcripts for every single lesson. Sign Up for a Free Lifetime Account and Get 7 Days of Premium Access.
| Ryan: Top 5 Must Know English Phrases. |
| Chihiro: Hi everyone, it's Chihiro. In this lesson, we will look at some very basic English phrases or words that are not usually taught in the classroom, but are so common in everyday speech, it’s worth mentioning here. |
| Ryan: Yes. In this lesson, we’ll introduce 5 phrases that will help you every day! Words that you’ll be really glad you learned. We’ll teach you not only the phrases but more importantly, when and where to use them. Chihiro: Okay, let’s get started. The first phrase which is also a greeting question is, what’s up. Listeners, you’ve probably heard this phrase before in movies and such. But they don’t usually teach this because it’s so casual. |
| Ryan: Right, but since English is often spoken in a casual sense, it’s definitely worth mentioning. It’s another way of saying how are you, and is used between friends or acquaintances that you’ve known for a while. |
| Chihiro: Right, and the answer isn’t fine thanks or a literal answer like the sky but something like |
| Ryan: Nothing much |
| Chihiro: Simple as that. |
| Ryan: Ok, since we looked at a greeting phrase, our second phrase is, see ya later |
| Chihiro: Which is an informal way of saying goodbye. Notice how Ryan said ya instead of you. Other ways of saying goodbye are later or catch ya later, or ciao~. |
| Ryan: The last one is of course not English, but people still use it anyways. |
| Chihiro: Our third phrase or rather word is guys. This word is an informal word for men, but it’s also used to refer to a group of people in general. For example, if I say, have you guys seen my keys anywhere? I’m not only referring only to the men in the room, but pretty much whoever can hear me. |
| Ryan: Yes, so you guys out there listening to us. That’s a good one to remember, both men and women! |
| Chihiro: Alright, what’s the fourth one? |
| Ryan: How about we introduce a fun one? You’re kidding! |
| Chihiro: And what would that one mean? |
| Ryan: It means that whoever is speaking wants to express disbelief to what he or she has just heard! That’s why when you say it, you’ve got to say it with some energy... you’re kidding!! |
| Chihiro: No way! You’re kidding!! |
| Ryan: Or you can say it with caution... like you’re kidding... (slowly with some disbelief) |
| Chihiro: You’re kidding... (slowly with disbelief) |
| Ryan: Ok, that’s enough. Give us our last one. |
| Chihiro: Our fifth one is, you know what I mean? |
| Ryan: No, what do you mean? |
| Chihiro: You know what I mean is used after you explained something... and you want to check to see if the other person understood. That’s when you can use this phrase. |
| Ryan: Right. So it’s kind of like get it? Which means the same thing. |
| Chihiro: It can also be used when you're trying to explain something but you can't find the right words for it. If you ask the person you know what I mean, you’re asking them whether or not they understand. |
| Ryan: Right. In which the answer would be a yes or no. Sometimes people don’t describe things well at all! |
| Chihiro: If you’ve never heard this phrase before, it could be because it can be said very fast. You know what I mean? (said fast) |
| Ryan: Right, it kind of just flows off your tongue... you know what I mean? (said fast) |
| Chihiro: OK, I know what you mean! |
| Ryan: Those of course are just 5 of many phrases or words that are used in conversations a lot. |
| Chihiro: Keep you’re ears open from more words and phrases as you learn English since they can be tricky at times. |
| Ryan: But knowing a few can take you a long way. So keep those phrases in mind. Bye for now and see ya later! |
| Chihiro: Bye, everyone! |
14 Comments
HideHello Leninpriya,
Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Please feel free to ask us any questions you have here or direct to your teacher in the ‘MyTeacher’ feature.
Cheers,
Éva
Team EnglishClass101.com
Nothing new, I need some more phrases.
Hello Igarashi,
You’re very welcome!
We wish you the best throughout your studies.
Please feel free to ask us any questions you have here or direct to your teacher in the ‘MyTeacher’ feature.
Kindly,
Éva
Team EnglishClass101.com
Thanks so much for your efforts 😊😊
Hello Lex,
You are very welcome. 😇
Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
We wish you good luck with your language studies.
Kind regards,
Levente
Team EnglishClass101.com
Hi,
Thanks for replying me....
See ya
Hello Lex,
Thanks again for writing to us. ❤️️
I will definitely correct your written English if you'd like. 👍(Correction: Instead of saying "Could you explain me..." say "Could you explain to me..." - you needed to add the word 'to' as a preposition).
The word 'rather' can be used to correct yourself for what you've already said. In the example from the lesson, the speaker corrected the word 'phrase' to 'word.'
I hope this helps. 😄👍
Sincerely,
Éva
Team EnglishClass101.com
once again...
Hello,
I was reading the lesson transcript file, I have noticed the word "rather" in the following phrase:
"...Our third phrase or rather word is guys..."
could you explain me and expand the common uses for that word, please?
(Please correct me if I have any typing/grammar errors)
Thanks
Hello,
I was reading the lesson transcript file, I have noticed the word "rather" in the following phrase:
"...Our third phrase or rather word is guys..."
could you explain me and expand the common uses for that word, please?
(Please correct me if I have any typing/grammar errors)
Thanks
Hello Amodya,
A big thank you for your post and for the positive feedback!
Feel free to ask us any questions you have throughout your English language studies. 😄😎
Cheers,
Éva
Team EnglishClass101.com