BOX SET: English vocabulary mega-class! 🤩 Learn 8 English 'portmanteau words' in 21 minutes!

Hello and welcome to The English

We Speak. I m Feifei.

And I'm Roy!

Wow, Roy! You've grown your

beard back! I thought you'd shaved

it off. I saw this picture of you on

social media without a beard. Here, look!

That's not me. That's a picture of

my son. He does look like me, but

he's a lot younger than me.

Every picture on here is of your

son! You're really guilty of 'sharenting'.

I am not sharenting! I know what

that means. It's for people who share

way too many photos of their children!

I do not share too much! Besides, he's really cute!

He is cute, because he looks

like his mother! But you need to

be careful how much your share.

Let's talk more about sharenting

after these examples.

There are many pros and cons of

sharenting. We need to think

about them before we post all

these photos of our children.

He needs to stop sharenting -

I see so many photos of his daughter.

Eric, I'm tired of your constant

sharenting. Aren't you worried

that your son won't be happy

about this in the future?

This is The English We Speak

from BBC Learning English and

we're talking about the expression

'sharenting'. Sometimes parents

who commit sharenting are known

as 'sharents'. Roy, you are a sharent!

Haha, I am not! I'm just really proud

of my son. I do agree that you need

to be careful when sharing things about your children.

Yes, there has to be a barrier

between public and private life.

That's why I only share videos

and photos of him doing things

like playing football. Have you seen

how good he is? He's like the new Pele!

I have - he's really good.

And I don't think that's sharenting,

and I suppose even though you

post a lot, there's nothing

too personal. So, I'll stop calling you a 'sharent'.

I think 'sharenting' is related

to too much information. But

we also need to think about

what we post, because in the

future, my son may be very

angry if I embarrass him with

a silly picture of him dressed up like a giant parrot.

But there is a photo of your

son dressed as a giant parrot!

He looks ridiculous! You

should remove that photo.

That's not my son it's me.

I like dressing in animal costumes.

He really does look like you, Roy. Bye!

Bye!

Hello and welcome to The English

We Speak. I'm Feifei... err Rob,

could we have your attention, please?

... oh sorry, Feifei, I was just looking at

the news on my smartphone.

Now is not the time to be looking at the

news - we are presenting a programme.

I know, but there's so much news

to look at and it's all very very...

... depressing? Yes, there has been a lot of

depressing news recently,

but you seem addicted to it.

Look at this! Did you know

we are all going to die... some day?

Enough doomscrolling, Rob!

What's that?

'Doomscrolling' describes continuously

scrolling through endless bad news

stories on your smartphone

app, on social media or on the internet.

It happens a lot during the coronavirus

pandemic. And you're obsessed, Rob -

you just can't stop reading

information that depresses you.

OK, OK - I'll try and find some more positive

news while we hear some examples...

I've been doomscrolling too much and

read so much information about coronavirus that

I can't sleep at night.

Stop doomscrolling! If you read too much

bad news you'll get depressed.

My brother does too much doomsurfing -

he loves to tell us the latest gloom and doom

in the world, so we've stopped listening to him!

This is The English We Speak from BBC

Learning English and we're talking

about doomscrolling -

also called doomsurfing.

That's endlessly looking at depressing

news stories on your

smartphone app, on social media or the

internet. I think it's time we had

some good news stories, Rob.

Yes - and I think I've got one.

Look, a kitten that went missing has been found...

Sweet!

...and look at this - new research says

biscuits don't make you fat...

and look at this story...

OK, Rob. Is there a word for endlessly

looking at good news stories?

Joyscrolling? Happyscrolling?

Well, it's good to see you smiling again.

Well, we all need something to smile

about after the events of this year.

I agree. Bye.

Bye bye.

Hello and welcome to The English

We Speak with me, Feifei...

Yeah, yeah, it was fun, wasn't it, yeah...

and when Neil fell over... I know!

Excuse me, Rob.

Can we begin now?

Oh, right. Sorry - I'll call you back. Bye.

Rob, you know the rules - no mobile

phones in the studio.

We can't have them ringing

when we're broadcasting.

Switch it off, please.

But... but I'm expecting

a very important call and...

Tough!

OK. How can I check the latest

football scores now?

And ring my mum, and I wanted

to send a text to Dan and...

Rob, are you OK? You're starting

to sweat. Oh no, I think

you've got NOMOPHOBIA!

Oh no! What's that? I know,

I'll look it up on my phone.

No phones, Rob! But I can tell you

that nomophobia is the fear of not having

or not being able to use your mobile phone!

Let's hear some examples of other

nomophobia sufferers...

My brother has definitely

got nomophobia - he never switches

his phone off, even when we're at the cinema.

My phone is being fixed and I'm feeling

quite anxious - maybe

I've got nomophobia?!

Calling all nomophobes - it's time

to switch off your phones,

have a digital detox and

start talking to people rather

than staring at a small screen!

You're listening to The English

We Speak from BBC Learning English,

and we're talking about

'nomophobia' - the fear of not having or

not being able to use your mobile

phone. Rob's got it right now.

Not long now, Rob, until you can

go outside and use your phone.

Phew! I've got to text Dan

and tell him a really funny joke,

plus add some amusing emojis...

So, really urgent, then? You could

just go and talk to him - he's sitting

right over there.

I can't do that. I have

to use my phone - I do everything

on my phone these days.

I can't live without it. Can I switch on now?

Oh go on, then.

We've almost finished.

Oh no! The battery is dead - it needs charging.

Oh dear, Rob. It looks like

you'll be suffering from nomophobia

for a bit longer.

Bye.

Bye. Could I borrow yours, please?

Are you OK, Neil?

Just clearing out this cupboard,

Feifei. It's full of old junk.

Ooh, what a lot of stuff.

Is that a... gorilla arm?

Yes, that was a fun project.

Interesting.

Ooh, this is the microphone

I recorded my first masterpiece with.

Bit dusty. I wonder

if it still works? Or maybe I should

sell it? Who would buy it?

Neil.

Yes?

I have the perfect solution for you.

Why don't you freecycle it?

That's a good idea.

I exchange a microphone...

for a bicycle, right?

No. You give it away.

You give it to someone for free.

It's another way of recycling.

There are websites that help match you

to people who want these things.

Free... recycle. Freecycle.

Yes, I like the idea. But I would like

a free bicycle even more!

Let's listen to these examples.

When we installed our new kitchen,

I freecycled all the old pots and pans.

I was going to buy a big, shiny monitor for

my computer, but then I found someone

was freecycling their old one. Win win!

Our apartment is tiny and my bike

was taking up so much space.

I couldn't face all the effort of selling it,

so I just freecycled it. Easy.

You're listening to The English We

Speak from BBC Learning English.

The expression we're looking at in this

programme is 'freecycle'.

So, do you freecyle, Feifei?

Sure. I did a big clear out last year

and freecycled lots of stuff. Felt great!

Anyway, what are you doing  with that old microphone?

You know, I feel kind of attached

to it. I might just keep it for now.

Your choice. What about the other stuff?

Well, I do like this gorilla arm. Might

need it for a party one day. And this old

VHS player could be useful. And I couldn't

possibly get rid of this lovely old coat.

Lots of memories...

I don't think you're going to

freecycle any of it, are you?

Not quite yet. Though

I wouldn't mind looking on some

of those freecycling websites.

See if I can pick up any more antique microphones.

But you have no space left in the cupboard!

Haha, we'll see. Bye for now.

Bye.

Hello and welcome to The English

We Speak. I’m Feifei.

And I’m Neil. So how was your

holiday, Feifei? Got any photos?

Yeah! Aren't they cool?

Well, I haven't seen them.

Haven't seen them? Well check out

my social media feeds.

Erm… well, I'll have to wait till I get to my computer.

I can't see anything on this dumbphone.

Dumbphone?!

Yeah, I was getting addicted to my

smartphone – I couldn't stop checking it

every five seconds - so I got rid of it and

now I have this dumbphone! It's brilliant –

it does absolutely nothing apart from phone and text!

Oh I see. The opposite of 'smart' is

'dumb', so the opposite of a smartphone

is a 'dumbphone'.

You've got it! It's very fashionable,

you know. Eddie Redmayne uses one!

Hmm, not sure about that… But

let's hear some examples.

Argh my arm is killing me from

playing around with my phone so much.

Get yourself a dumbphone, like

me. There's nothing to check!

My sleep has improved so much since I

got rid of my smartphone. There's no

temptation to stare at this dumbphone in bed!

I'm sick of being bullied by my smartphone.

I'm going to join the dumbphone revolution!

This is The English We Speak

from BBC Learning English.

We're learning the word 'dumbphone'.

A dumbphone is a simple, old-fashioned

style mobile phone

which can only make calls and send text

messages. 'Dumb' is the opposite of 'smart'.

Some people are choosing to use

them because they think smartphones

distract them too much.

It's a word that's only appeared over

the last couple of years, so you probably

won't find it in a dictionary – but it's been

used a lot in the media. So Feifei, how am

I going to see these holiday snaps of yours?

Neil, just get a new smartphone.

No way. The past is the future!

What next? Are you going to start

coming to work on a horse?

Now that is a great idea! Maybe

I could swap my computer for a

typewriter. And who really needs

electricity when you can have a nice gas lamp…

Goodbye!

Bye.

Hello and welcome to The English We Speak.

I'm Neil and joining me today is…

Argh! Ouch!

…Feifei… who's just walked right into a door.

Hi. I was just catching up on some

messages on my phone and I sort of lost

track of where I was.

Hmm yes, you were walking around like a zombie

– a smartphone zombie.

A smombie is a person who walks around with

their head bowed down, writing messages or

playing games on their phone and not paying

any attention to the world around them!

Even if they're in a situation which might

be dangerous – like crossing a road.

Or walking into a radio studio door!

How's your nose?

OK, OK, Neil. You've made your point.

Let's hear some examples.

I'm too terrified to drive past the college

these days. You never know when a smombie's

going step out into the road in front of the car!

I was knocked flying the other day by a smombie

as I was trying to get a bus. I don't even

think she knew she'd bumped into me!

People don't know how to communicate with

each other face-to-face any more. They are

such smombies!

This is The English We Speak from

BBC Learning English

and in this programme we're learning

a really new word which is made up of two

words – smartphone and zombie.

The word is smombie. It's actually

from German and has won

Germany's 'Youth Word of the Year' competition.

But people are now starting to use it in English too.

It describes people who walk around totally

absorbed by their smartphones.

You know, the kind of people who

walk into the road without looking at the traffic…

Or into studio doors.

Enough now, Neil!

Goodbye!

Bye.

Hello and welcome to The English We Speak.

I’m Feifei.

And I'm Roy!

I hear you're on holiday next week!

I bet you're really excited about a lovely holiday

and not having to think  about work for a whole week!

Well, I'm going to the beach,  but I'll still be working –

I'm going on a workation.

Oh right, well, I feel like  I've been on a workation

since March to be honest,

because I haven't been to the office in months.

No, Roy.

You've been working from home.

A workation involves you going somewhere

where you might go on holiday, like a beach,

but working your normal routine.

Ahh that makes a lot of sense.

It's a portmanteau, or combination of two words -

'work' and 'vacation'.

So, that means you'll be working as normal then?

Yes, of course.

Which means that

there will be no office parties while I'm away.

Right, so I guess that means I should

send an email to cancel the office

Olympics while we listen to some examples.

She spent the day working from the hotel bar

and at night she visited the local area.

She really enjoyed her workation.

I'm going on workation next week to be closer

to nature while I work.

Hopefully the internet will be good.

My workation didn't go as planned as it rained

the whole time I was away.

I didn’t manage to see or do anything fun.

This is The English We Speak  from BBC Learning English,

and we’re talking about  the expression 'workation'.

'Workation' is a combination

of the words 'work' and 'vacation'

and it refers to a holiday where you go to another

location but continue working as normal.

Yes, so you could go somewhere like a beach,

skiing resort or tourist area while working.

You can even go to another  country on your workation

if your company permits it.

So, you were planning to hold the office

Olympic games while you thought I wasn't working?

No, I was only joking –

we would never hold any  games or parties without you!

Well, good – because I bring the  fun by winning all the games!

Right, I'm going to get

ready to go on my workation – a week by the beach

and I'll need my sunglasses and swimwear.

I can't wait to go to Brighton beach!

You're going to Brighton – in the  south of the UK – in February?

Well, good luck finding the Sun –

You should probably take a coat on your workation.

OK Roy, bye!

Bye!

Morning, Feifei! Nice bike.

Thanks Rob, you know I always

cycle to work. And what a beautiful sports car!

Oh this old thing? Hey, Feifei, mind

if we take a quick selfie?

What, me in my sweaty cycling

gear and you leaning on your fancy...

Smile!

Right! Let me just post that... out there

"I really respect my super healthy

colleague Feifei cycling to work every day.

It saves money and is so good for the

environment! Much better than lazy

little me driving this old car."

Hang on, let me see. You know,

Rob, I'm not sure how I feel about this

post. I mean, it's a bit of a humblebrag.

A humblebrag?

Sorry - I'll just say it straight. You

make it look like you're praising my

cycling, but in fact you're just drawing

attention to your expensive car.

Hmm.

You look like you're being humble,

but in fact you're bragging - showing off -

about your car. It's a humblebrag.

False modesty.

OK, I get it. You're right. I suppose

that is what I was doing.

You're not the only one. It's

everywhere on social media and in the

workplace these days. Check out these humblebrags:

I never thought I was very good at exams,

so it's a bit confusing that I got top of the

class in all subjects again this year.

I somehow made it to the singing

competition final this year. Think the

judges need their ears testing!

And if you want to take your

humblebragging to the next level, try

hiding your brag inside a complaint.

I'm exhausted because I've just

received two promotions in three months.

I need a holiday!

Help! I can't believe the cakes in first

class aren't sugar-free. I'll be gaining so much weight.

Some pretty impressive

humblebrags there! But what exactly is

the problem with it?

Well, researchers in Harvard and

the University of North Carolina have

found that if you humblebrag, people like

you less. They say you're better off just bragging.

Just plain bragging?

Apparently so. Humblebragging

makes you look less sincere.

Well, that makes sense. Best to say

what I think. Let me change the caption...

Right. "I'm not going to lie, I absolutely

love my new sports car. Feifei's bike isn't

bad either."

That'll do! Let me just comment...

"Get some exercise!"

Very funny. Bye bye!

Bye!