15 Positive Words to Use Right Now [American Slang — Advanced Vocabulary]

If someone says they're totally stoked or amped - for example I'm stoked about

this video - do you have any idea what they're talking about?

Or if I told you this lesson is going to be legit.

What do you think I mean by that?

If you're not sure that's exactly what we're going to focus on.

Today I want to help you add 15 new positive slang words to your English

vocabulary right now.

Now I do need to be honest and tell you that I don't use all of the slang that

I'm going to teach you today.

The truth is some of it just isn't part of my vocabulary and there are also some

examples that I feel a little bit too old to use.

There's always slang that tends to be used more often by young people but I'm

teaching you these slang words today because number one you might want to add

some of them to your vocabulary.

And number two these are slang words that you're going to hear in conversations,

on TV and in movies. And I want you to understand what they mean.

So in this lesson I'll share with you exactly what these new slang words are,

what they mean and how to use them.

Then at the end I've got an opportunity for you to immediately practice using

them.

Now before we get started there's one little reminder about slang.

Slang is casual so you might use this language with co-workers that you know

really well, friends and family members. All right,

number one for today is props.

I'm giving you props for joining me in this lesson today.

So what exactly are props and why am I giving them to you?

Props is a word that we use when we want to say that we respect someone or we

want to highlight something amazing that they've done and it's actually a

shortened form of the word proper.

For example to show someone their proper respect.

I'll give you another example of how you might use this word.

And it's a little bit like telling someone that they've done a great job with a

colleague at work.

You could say something like I've got to give you props for how you handled that

difficult client. She was really annoying.

Number two is kudos and this is super similar to props to give someone kudos is

basically congratulating them, giving them respect,

or telling them that they've done a great job.

So we can use this in all kinds of situations.

For example a great boss might say:

That project was a huge success. Kudos to everyone on the team.

Number three: epic. When something is great, amazing or memorable,

you could also use the word epic to describe it.

For example we had an epic vacation. When you use that word,

it's more than good. It's better than great even.

It's amazing.

It was the most awesome vacation you've ever had or if you're binge watching a

show that you really love.

And the final episode was completely unexpected and amazing.

You might say that it was epic.

Now we are focused on positive slaying today but the word epic can also be

combined with the word fail when something really stupid or ridiculous happens.

For example last weekend I was at my brother's house and I walked into a glass

door. It was a total epic fail and super embarrassing.

Number four: on fire.

When we describe someone or something as being on fire it means that it's going

really well or they're doing a fantastic job.

For example our team is on fire right now and we're going to finish the project

before the deadline. Number five is amped.

This is one of several words that we have in English that talk about how we feel

when we're super excited about something.

For example I'm totally amped about this concert tonight or I'm totally amped

for my vacation. Similar to amped is number six: psyched.

Again psyched means that you're really excited about something and looking

forward to it.

For example you might say that your daughter is really psyched about her

birthday party this weekend. Number seven to have a blast.

This one is very common.

When someone says that they had a blast it means they had a really good time or

even a fantastic time.

Maybe one of your friends recently had a birthday dinner and at the end of the

evening you can say: Thank you so much. I had a blast.

We also use this before something happens when we want to tell someone that we

hope they have a really good time.

For example if you're going on vacation next week I might say have a blast on

your vacation. In other words have a great time.

Number 8 is nailed it.

If you've joined us for Fluency School or any of our courses you've definitely

heard the Speak Confident English Team use this. It's one of our favorites.

It's a common way to say that someone did something perfectly well or they did a

great job so often when I'm working with my students on how to improve

confidence and fluency when they do something really well,

I love to say that they've nailed it.

At the end of this lesson you'll definitely get the opportunity to practice some

of this new slang and if you get it right I'll let you know that you nailed it.

Number nine is next level.

And this one is interesting because it could actually be good or bad.

So we have to be really careful and clear about how we're using it.

If something is next level,

it goes beyond normal or average.

So that means something might be really impressive or totally ridiculous.

I'm going to give you two example sentences and I want you to see if you can

tell which one has a positive meaning and which one is negative.

And here's a hint.

Definitely pay attention to the vocabulary and my intonation to help you.

Sentence number one: Oh my gosh. Your presentation was next level!

And number two: I can't believe how unprofessional he was.

That was like next level. All right. What do you think.

Which one of those was positive and which was negative.

Number one was definitely positive.

I wanted to tell my colleague that her presentation was amazing.

And number two was definitely negative.

It means that someone was shockingly unprofessional.

Number 10 is lit.

This is one of the slang words that I don't really use because I feel a little

bit too old and it's just not part of my vocabulary.

But you'll hear it often.

And if something is lit it means that it's exciting or great.

For example if your favorite singer just came out with a new song and you love

it you might say that her new song is totally lit.

Now this one again we have to be a little careful with because used in a

different context the word lit could also mean that someone had a little bit too

much alcohol to drink. If one of your colleagues says:

Last night I got totally lit.

They probably mean that they drank way too much alcohol and got drunk or

hammered or loaded - all of those mean to drink way too much alcohol.

Number twelve is woke.

This one has a long interesting history and it's come into general use over the

last several years.

It's generally used to describe someone who's fully aware of what's going on in

the world and some of the most challenging issues of our time.

For example someone who understands and or recognizes the realities of racism or

sexism and so on.

Here's an example of how you might use or hear this word if you've got a friend

who doesn't believe in the realities of racism today,

then she needs to get woke.

Number twelve is legit and when used it means that something is extremely good

or that it's authentic it's real.

If you don't live in Italy but there is an Italian restaurant that opened where

you live and you describe it as being totally legit,

you're saying that it's very authentic and exceptionally good.

And I can tell you that there is definitely an Italian place near me that's

legit.

Number 13 is to be in the loop and that's exactly what you're doing today.

To be in the loop means to be up to date or in the know.

And this is used in business every day in English.

We can also use in the loop with the verbs keep or stay for example after a

business meeting your boss might say: keep me in the loop on this project.

Which means give your boss regular updates about the project.

Or if all your friends are making plans for Friday night but you're not sure

right now if you'll be able to join them, you might say:

I'm not sure I can make it but keep me in the loop and I'll let you know if

anything changes.

In other words you still want all the details because if your schedule changes

you definitely want to join them. Number 14 is bae.

This is another one on the list that I don't really use but it has become

extremely popular. So you'll hear it in song lyrics,

everyday conversation, TV shows and movies.

There is some disagreement about where this word originally came from.

Some say that it's the short form of the word babe or baby,

which we'll talk more about in a moment,

and others say that it's an acronym for the words 'before anyone else.' And we

use it to refer to the person that we're in love with.

So it might be your partner, boyfriend, girlfriend, husband,

or wife but we don't use it for colleagues at the office and we don't use it for

our children either.

It's really for that person that you feel those romantic love feelings for so

you might hear someone say:

last night I stayed home with my bae and we watched Game of Thrones.

And finally positive slang term number 15 is the word babe which we just talked

about a moment ago. Similar to the word bae,

men and women use babe as a term of endearment for that person that they love.

For example you might ask your partner or spouse:

Hey babe where do you want to go for dinner tonight? Or hey babe,

will you go to the grocery store on your way home from work?

And finally babe can also be used to say that someone is extremely good looking

or attractive. For example Bradley Cooper is a total babe in that new movie.

And with that you've got 15 new positive slang words that you can add to your

daily English.

Now before you go I want you to practice some of these words and I've got three

challenge questions for you. Number one:

Who would you like to give props or kudos to and why?

Number two: tell me about a time that you totally nailed something.

What was it or what happened? And number three:

what is something that you're really amped or psyched about?

You can share your answers to those questions with me just below the video in

the comments.

And if you loved this lesson I've got a full playlist for you with other lessons

on advanced vocabulary including my most popular lesson on 10 smart words to use

at work.

You can also let me know that this lesson was helpful to you by giving it a

thumbs up and subscribing to this channel so you never miss a future Confident

English lesson. Thank you so much for joining me.

And I look forward to seeing you next time.