No more fake idioms! 🙏 Here, have 25 real conversation phrases (that British people REALLY use!)

Hello, lovely students, and welcome back to English with Lucy.

Now, I love learning idioms in other languages.

It helps me to fit in.

It makes me feel like I'm integrating more.

But my constant fear and anxiety is that

I sound weird when I say them, or maybe they're really old-fashioned.

And I do have a confession.

Sometimes, I do hear students sounding

quite unnatural.

Most British people do not walk around

saying how do you do and cheerio in our everyday lives.

So, that's why I've created this lesson. 25 Everyday Conversation Phrases.

Phrases that we actually use that won't make you sound old-fashioned or unnatural.

I want you to learn these phrases and have them in your toolkit, in your

vocabulary so that you can use them when you see an opportunity in a conversation.

To help you with this, I have created a free PDF that goes with today's video.

In it, you'll see the 25 Everyday Conversation Phrases from the video in a dialogue.

So, in the video, I'm going to teach you 25 Everyday Conversation Phrases.

In the PDF, I show you these phrases in context, in a dialogue, with a

downloadable audio.

There is also a link to an interactive

exercise pack that's only available to people who download the PDF.

If you would like to get the PDF, the audio and the interactive exercise pack,

just click on the link in the description box, you enter your name and your email

address, you sign up to my mailing list and the PDF will arrive directly in your inbox.

After that, you'll automatically receive my free weekly PDFs alongside my news,

course updates and offers.

It's a free service, and you can

unsubscribe at any time.

Also, you might be thinking, how can I

practise my conversation if I don't have a conversation partner, or I don't have a

teacher to practise with?

The best way to practise your

conversation is with a qualified teacher so that they can give you feedback and

correct you on the spot.

I'm learning Italian this way, and my

husband, Will, is learning Spanish.

We both found our tutors on LanguaTalk.

We loved the platform so much that we became a part of it, so technically, I'm

sponsoring myself here.

The quality of English teachers on

the LanguaTalk platform is insane.

They accept such a tiny percentage of applicants.

The majority of teachers offer a free trial lesson, and I can also give you $10

off your first purchase with LanguaTalk.

All you have to do is message the support

team with the code CONVO10 after your first purchase.

The link for LanguaTalk is in the description box.

Okay, let's start with conversation phrase number one.

I'm easy, I'm easy.

This means I don't mind, or I'm easy to please.

We say this when we're happy to do what someone else wants to do, or if we're

happy for someone else to make a choice.

What do you fancy for dinner?

I'm easy.

Number 2, I have two variations here.

One is more British, and one is slightly more American English.

We have it's beautiful out, and it's glorious outside.

Can you guess which one is more British and which one is more American?

It's beautiful out is more American.

It's glorious outside.

We also say it's beautiful outside, but when we're talking about the weather, we

really tend to use the adjective glorious.

It's beautiful out, and it's glorious

outside mean it's really nice weather.

A common collocation is glorious sunshine.

We don't get a lot of it in the UK, so when there is sunshine, we are going to

talk about it.

Number 3 is can do, can do.

This is a very common response when someone asks you if you want to do

something, and you don't want to say yes, but it's rude to say no.

If someone responds with can do, they probably aren't very enthusiastic about

your idea, but it all depends on tone of voice.

Take a look at these examples.

Shall we go to the cinema tonight?

Can do, which means no.

Can you complete this task for me?

Can do, meaning yes, I can.

Number 4, this is an idiom, to go down a treat.

If something goes down a treat, it means that people enjoy it very much.

Dad's pasta salad always goes down a treat at parties.

People really enjoy it.

Number 5 is something hits the spot,

to hit the spot.

This idiom means that something is

exactly what is needed or something has the effect it should.

We often use it with food and drink.

For example, a glass of lemonade with

lots of ice always hits the spot on a glorious day that we used it from before.

Number 6, daylight robbery, daylight robbery.

Can you guess what this one means?

It's a very informal phrase we use to describe a situation when something costs

a lot more than we think it should.

Unfortunately, I feel like I'm using this

phrase more and more nowadays  with bloody inflation.

For example, I had to pay £4 for a bottle

of water- daylight robbery!

Note that this tends to be highway

robbery in American English.

Number 7 is to have a thing about

something or somebody.

If you have a thing about something or

somebody, you love or hate it or them.

Various options there.

Sometimes you love or hate it or them in a way that isn't reasonable.

We often say to have got a thing about or to have a thing about.

He's got a thing about chickens.

He's terrified of them.

It's not reasonable, but he does have a thing about them.

He's scared of them.

Or, I have a thing about kittens in

woolly hats.

I just love them!

Number 8, give me ___ any day, give me ___ any day.

Give me something or somebody any day means I much prefer this to whatever you

just mentioned.

You will also hear any time instead of

any day.

For example, her new music is fine, but

give me her stuff from the 80s any day.

Number 9 is to throw a spanner in the works.

To throw a spanner in the works, this idiom means to cause problems that delay

a plan or stop it from succeeding.

For example, the sudden downpour really

threw a spanner in the works for our picnic.

In American English, instead of spanner,

they tend to say monkey wrench or just wrench, to throw a wrench in the works.

Number 10 is to make a dent in something, to make a dent in something.

This common idiom means to reduce the amount of something, and we often use it

to talk about money or work.

For example, I've been working for hours,

but I've hardly made a dent in my to-do list.

Note that we also say to put a dent in something.

Number 11; this is one that my grandparents used to use a lot.

A little bird told me, or sometimes a little birdie told me, which is like a

way we infantilise the word bird.

We make it sound cute, birdie.

We use this informal idiom to say that you heard a piece of information from

somebody, but you don't want to say who.

For example, a little bird told me you're

thinking about quitting your job.

I'm not going to tell you who, but I just

heard it.

Number 12, one word here, spill! Spill!

So spill is a shortened form of the idiom to spill the beans, or now, there's a new

one that's crept into our vocabulary, to spill the tea.

Both of them mean to tell somebody a secret or the latest gossip.

Spill the tea is interesting.

I looked into the etymology of it, and it

comes from black, gay and drag culture, T meaning truth, spill the truth.

The letter T then became tea as in the drink, and now tea is often used to refer

to gossip.

Do you have any tea?

Do you have any gossip?

Spill is a shortened-down version of both

of those, beans and tea.

An example, have you heard what happened

to Javier yesterday?

No, spill.

Number 13 is a keeper, a keeper.

My husband, Will, is a keeper.

When we talk about people, a keeper is somebody who has good qualities who you

could have a long-term relationship with.

You should keep them instead of getting

rid of them.

An example, Jamie has been so supportive

while my dad has been in hospital.

Aw, he is a keeper.

Number 14, you and me both, you and me both.

This is a common expression used to agree

with somebody.

It tells them that you share the same

opinion or had the same experience.

For example, I'm absolutely exhausted today.

You and me both. My son was up all night.

Number 15, a common collocation here,

absolutely gutted, absolutely gutted. Gutted means disappointed or really sad,

absolutely intensifies.

It's a strong adverb-adjective collocation.

Gutted is an extremely British word. An example, I was absolutely gutted when

my team didn't make it to the final. 16, it is what it is, it is what it is.

I'm using the flap T there, it is what it is, but in fast speech, I'd say it is

what it is. This is an expression that we use to say

that we just accept a situation as it is without trying to change it.

We often say it is what it is when we want to stop talking about a subject and

move on to the next topic. Do you know what?

It is what it is.

Let's talk about something else.

Number 17 is just much, much.

It's a determiner.

I know what you're thinking.

Yeah, I know people say much all the

time, but we can use much at the end of a sentence to emphasise what we have said

and it's often used in a funny or comedic way.

For example, you've been talking about

your new game for an hour.

Obsessed much?!

Or you passed the exam even though you didn't study.

Smug much?!

That's quite a tricky one to use, so I've

included some more examples in the PDF.

Number 18, a common conversation phrase I

say every day, do you think it's going to rain later?

I had to put it in this video because I say it every day.

There is always a chance it will rain later in the UK.

Number 19, slightly more positive, we have to brighten up.

To brighten up, that's a phrasal verb.

This simply means to become brighter,

more sun will shine.

If it's been a really rainy day and

someone's complaining about it, you might say, don't worry, it will brighten up

later, the sun will shine later.

An example, there were lots of grey

clouds on the morning of my wedding, but it brightened up later on.

Number 20, better take a brolly.

Better take a brolly.

This is the final phrase about weather, I promise.

Better take a brolly means I or you or we

should probably take an umbrella.

Brolly is slang for umbrella.

Better is short for you had better.

21, to cross that bridge when one comes

to it or when one gets to it.

Sometimes we even say to cross that

bridge when it comes as well.

This is an idiom meaning to deal with a

problem when it becomes necessary rather than worrying about it in advance.

For example, if you want to give up work after the baby is born, you can, we'll

have less money, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Number 22 is to play it by ear, to play something by ear.

This idiom means to deal with a situation without a fixed plan, deciding what to do

as events happen.

For example, I think there will be about

20 students in the class, but there could be a lot more.

We'll just have to play it by ear.

23, for a split second, for a split second.

Can you guess what this one means?

It means for a very short period of time.

I thought I'd lost my purse for a split

second, but I found it at the very bottom of my bag.

Note the purse in British English means the wallet you use to hold money and

credit cards.

Purse in American English is what we in

British English refer to as handbag, a larger bag that could contain your purse.

Number 24, I'm not being funny, but… I'm not being funny, but… we use this phrase

before a statement or opinion, often when we want to be honest and don't want to

offend people.

I'm not being funny, but could you hurry up?

The bus is about to leave.

We often also say no offence, but…

no offence, but… Which is so annoying because whenever you say no offence but,

you are probably going to cause offence.

Our final everyday conversation phrase,

25, is to have a think, to have a think.

This means to take time to consider something.

To have, in this phrase, is what we call a delexical verb.

It doesn't contribute any meaning to the sentence.

Think about it is another option, but to

have a think is informal and conversational.

You can learn more about delexical

verbs in the PDF that goes with this lesson.

An example, you don't have to buy it now,

have a think and call me tomorrow.

Right, that's it for this lesson.

I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope you learnt something.

Remember to download the PDF, and then you'll get access to the conversation,

the audio and the interactive exercise pack.

The link to download it is in the

description box.

If you've enjoyed this vocabulary lesson,

I think you will love my B1, B2 and C1 Beautiful British English courses.

They are packed with vocabulary like this, real British English that you can

use in everyday life.

To find out more about my courses, visit

englishwithlucy.com.

I will see you soon for another lesson.