Lesson summary
Video transcript
Bromance. YOLO. Dope. Hangry. On point. If you don’t know what these words mean, then you need to watch this video.
In today’s English lesson, I am going to show you 15 English slang words. For each word, I will give you an explanation and an example sentence. Using these words yourself will help you to sound like a native English speaker. Are you ready? Let’s go!
What is a slang word in English?
Before we get started today, we need to talk about what a slang word actually is. A slang word is a word that is very very very informal and it’s normally only understood by a certain group of people. For example, younger people.
If you say some slang words to older people who are 50/60/70 years old, they may not understand. Slang words are normally only used in spoken language and very informal written communications.
For example, if you’re using your mobile phone to text your friend.
So why do people use slang words? People use slang words to show that they are part of a certain group and that they are cool.
Using slang words can also help you connect with people. If you use a slang word which someone else understands this can help the two people feel like they connect and feel like they understand each other. This is why slang is a very important part of English and of all languages.
Slang word #1
The first word is ‘bromance’. Bromance is a mix of two different words – ‘brother’ and ‘romance’. The word ‘brother’ means when two males have the same mother and father, right? But ‘brother’ can also be a way for one male to call another male if those two males are friends or they know each other.
‘Romance’ is a relationship that normally involves love, kissing, touching and other things, right? So what do you think ‘bromance’ is? ‘Bromance’ means when two males are very close friends but it is not a sexual relationship. They are not gay. For example, ‘Look at them. They are having a moment of bromance.’
Slang word #2
The second phrase is ‘kill it’. The word ‘kill’ means to cause something to die, right? But we don’t want that. That’s not good. The phrase ‘kill it’ can mean when you do something really really well. And note here that the word ‘kill’ is used as a verb. An example could be ‘John killed it on the guitar last night.’ That means John played the guitar very well.
Slang word #3
The next slang word is ‘sick’. The word ‘sick’ normally means when you feel unwell, right? Maybe you have a headache, a fever or a cough. But when we use ‘sick’ as a slang word, it means something that’s very good or something that you like a lot. For example, ‘I like your new shoes. They are sick.’ Another example could be ‘Your new car looks sick.’ This means your car looks really really good. Now please don’t confuse ‘sick’ with the phrase ‘kill it’. ‘Sick’ is an adjective and when we use the phrase ‘kill it’, ‘kill’ is a verb.
Slang word #4
The next phrase is ‘YOLO’. YOLO is an acronym which means ‘You only live once.’ This acronym is saying that life is very short. That means you should do things that are fun and enjoyable even if they are a little bit dangerous. For example, ‘Tomorrow I’m going to buy a motorbike. YOLO.’
Slang word #5
Number five is ‘epic’. The word ‘epic’ means very very good and better than average. For example, let’s pretend last night you went to a concert to see your favourite band and it was really really really good. You could say ‘Last night, the concert was epic.’ That means the concert was awesome, amazing, great.
Slang word #6
The next slang word is ‘busted’. The word ‘bust’ normally means to break, right? For example, ‘You busted the pot.’ But if you use ‘busted’ as a slang word, it means when someone sees or finds out that you did something wrong and then you get in trouble for doing that thing. Maybe you get scolded as well.
So let’s pretend you are at school and you’re doing an exam. There are many other students in the room but you’re not allowed to talk to anyone. But you talk to your friend to try and get an answer for one of the questions and the teacher sees you. The teacher sees you talking to your friend. The teacher then comes over to scold you and tell you that you have to do the exam again. In this situation, we could say ‘You got busted for talking during the exam.’
Slang word #7
The next phrase is ‘on point’. The word ‘on’ means when you’re above something, right? And those two things are touching. The word ‘point’ is when you do this. So what do you think ‘on point’ means? ‘On point’ is something that is perfect. Something that can’t get any better.
For example, let’s pretend you played some basketball today and you feel like you played really really well and that you couldn’t have done anything better. You can say ‘I was on point today.’ That means you played basketball really really well. You can also use the phrase ‘on point’ to talk about clothes or to talk about how someone looks. For example, you could say ‘Your hair looks on point today.’ That means your hair looks really good.
Slang word #8
The next slang word is ‘ride’. The word ‘ride’ is normally a verb which means when you ride a motorbike or ride a horse. But when we use the word ‘ride’ as slang, it means ‘car’. This slang word is normally used in American slang normally between younger males. An example sentence could be ‘Wow, nice ride.’ That means nice car.
Slang word #9
The next word is ‘kicks’. The word ‘kick’ normally means to do this, right? Well when we use the word ‘kicks’ as a slang word, it just means ‘shoes’. Again, this is more popular in American slang between younger people. An example sentence could be ‘Do you like my new kicks?’ This means ‘Do you like my new shoes?’
Slang word #10
The next word is ‘hip’. What you see on the screen now is a ‘hip’, right? But when this word is used as a slang word, it means something that is fashionable or very cool. ‘Fashionable’ means something that is popular at a specific time. Again, this word is normally used in American slang. For example, you could say ‘Those students are very young and hip.’
Slang word #11
The next slang word is ‘coin’. This is a coin, right? It’s a small circular piece of metal which can be used as money. So what do you think ‘coin’ means as a slang word? Yes you’re right! It just means money. So an example sentence could be ‘He has a lot of coin.’ That means he has a lot of money. Please note that we don’t say ‘He has a lot of coins.’ This is wrong and it doesn’t make sense. When we’re using the word ‘coin’ as a slang word, we don’t use S.
Slang word #12
Number twelve. Lit. The word ‘lit’ is the past tense form of the word ‘light’, right? And the word ‘light’ means when you make something burn. For example, when you light a candle. But the slang word ‘lit’ has nothing to do with fire. When we use ‘lit’ as a slang word, it’s an adjective which means very very good or something that was very enjoyable.
For example, let’s pretend last night you went to a party and you had a really good time. It was really fun. You can say ‘Last night, the party was lit.’ That means the party was really really good.
Slang word #13
The next slang word is ‘hangry’. ‘Hangry’ is a mix of two words – ‘hungry’ and ‘angry’. You know what ‘hungry’ means and you know what ‘angry’ means. So what do you think ‘hangry’ means? ‘Hangry’ is an adjective which means you are angry because you are hungry. First, you got hungry and then second you became angry because you were hungry. An example sentence could be ‘She’s always hangry after she finishes work.’
Slang word #14
The next slang word is ‘ghost’. What you see on the screen right now is a ghost, right? But when we use ‘ghost’ as a slang word, ‘ghost’ is a verb which means to end or to stop all communications with someone without telling them.
This word is normally used when a man and a woman are talking. Let’s pretend the man likes the woman but the woman doesn’t really like the man. The woman might ‘ghost’ the man. This means the woman stops all communications with the man, doesn’t tell the man and just disappears. Maybe she blocks his number and blocks his Facebook so he can’t find her again. An example sentence could be ‘Why did you ghost him?’
Slang word #15
The last slang word for today is ‘dope’. The word ‘dope’ normally means marijuana. The drug that you see on the screen right now. But when we use the word ‘dope’ as a slang word, it’s an adjective which means very good. An example sentence could be ‘The music here is so dope.’ That means the music here is really really good and I really like it. Again, this word is normally used in American slang.
Conclusion
For more English, watch this video right here on different ways to say ‘what’ because the word ‘what’ can sometimes be very rude.
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So why do people use slang words? People use slang words to show that they are. So why do people use slang words? People.
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