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Original poster

Teach me British slang

64 replies

mrsdaresee · 17/02/2023 21:22

Hi all. So I have been living in the UK since 10yrs. I do speak good English but being south Asian the accent shows. I have never worked and so do not have had the opportunity to learn more of British way of speaking. But not as my DD has started going to the nursery I have to speak with the teachers and admin staff. I feel a bit embarrassed by the way I'm lacking in knowledge of the British slang Example - when I meet a teacher they randomly say Hello You okay? Or You alright?. By the time I reply they move away??? Is this just an extension of Hello? Like you say Hello you okay? And move on or should you wait for an answer? So even If I say yeah I'm fine, should I be asking them how they're doing as well? Also when my GP says Hello how are you today? What should my typical response be? I'm fine doctor! Or should it be I'm fine and yourself?( I fined it weird asking the GO about his health). Also please do give me more ideas of such common greetings and how do I not look like an ignorant fool when speaking to the other person.

OP posts:
Original poster
mrsdaresee · 17/02/2023 22:31

@thenightsky yeah It's been 10 yrs I have been in the UK but as mentioned earlier I have never worked here so i have never had the opportunity to learn more about the daily conversation on a formal level!

OP posts:
DungareeDana · 17/02/2023 22:31

With the GP I'd just treat it as if she had just said 'Hello'.

Hello how are you today?
Hello there doctor, I'm here about my finger.

For people like teachers I'd reply generically. It is just another way of saying hello.
Good thanks
or
fine.

For friends and family you actually say how you are!

Macaroni46 · 17/02/2023 22:31

thenightsky · 17/02/2023 22:22

You've been here since you were 10? Really?

Where in the country are you? Here in Lincolnshire if someone says 'how you?' the answer in normal a very fast 'sound thanks yourself'.

No. She's been here for 10 years!

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Original poster
mrsdaresee · 17/02/2023 22:35

@thenightsky It's been 10yrs since I have been here I was not 10yrs old when I moved here sorry for the confusion

OP posts:
tabulahrasa · 17/02/2023 22:36

If it helps - I know greeting people like that also confuses Americans and their first language is English.

But yes, it’s basically just an extended hello, and I also never know how to answer doctors who do it, because what I want to say is, no, obviously or I’d not be here....

watcherintherye · 17/02/2023 22:58

Acquaintances on the school run,
regardless of how either of you are actually feeling:

Hi, how are you?
Fine thanks, you?
Good, thanks

At the Doctor’s:

Hello, how are you?
Not too bad thanks, doctor
What can I do for you?
Well……

Best friend:

Hi, how are you doing?
I’m feeling a bit down, to be honest, how about you?
Aw, I’m ok. Why are you feeling down?
or
God, me too. I’ve had the most awful week etc.etc……..

ComeTheFckOnBridget · 17/02/2023 23:05

"Alright?" Or "Hey, alright?" Or variations thereof are effectively just greetings.
Respond with "alright"

Usually when someone says "hello how are you ?" You reply with fine/alright/not bad thanks and you?

Or more formally "hello, how do you do?" To which the only response is "how do you do?" Because this is a formal greeting, not a question.

If the GP asks you how you are when you're there for an appointment, just be honest because presumably that's why you're there :)

And, trust me, you don't look like an ignorant fool!

MsMcGonagall · 17/02/2023 23:15

With the doctor, it's time to tell him why you're there.

Hello how are you

I've got a horrible earache I've had it for 3 days

There would be no point saying I'm fine at the doctors, surely would be a lie!

moggerhanger · 17/02/2023 23:19

Sometimes it's all in the inflection. "Not bad" can be anything from "truly excellent" to "a bit crap, but could be worse". Depends on the tone of voice.

"Quite good" means it's rubbish.

KnickerlessParsons · 17/02/2023 23:42

"Sup?" means "what's up?", which also means "hello", and you don't have to answer by telling the other person what is up (what's going on in your life).

"Alright but?" also means hello.

latetothefisting · 18/02/2023 00:00

So none of those examples you've mentioned are slang. Sorry not trying to be pedantic just in case you start trying to Google slang and get more confused. They are just greetings and as pp have said you can just reply with "hi, hello, all right" etc.

In terms of accent I think most people would be fine with you speaking naturally and find it weird, and possibly as if you were mocking them, if you tried to put a different one on or for example used very specific regional slang. That's not because you're from outside the UK, just that some accents and phrases are very specific to the area so it sounds odd and unnatural to use them unless you are from the same region.

So for example things like you've said above "hi, all right, how are you" are fine but I wouldn't say "all right me lover" if I moved to Bristol or "bout ye?" In northern Ireland even if someone greeted me that way because it would sound weird and I would feel weird!

DinosApple · 18/02/2023 00:23

This morning the doctor said 'Hi how are you?' to me as I walked through the consulting room door...
A usual response asked by literally anyone else at all would be 'Fine, you?'
But I just said 'hi...' back because clearly I wouldn't be there if I was fine! Once I'd sat down and the door was closed I told her what was up.

The point to that is I was born here, and that threw me!

Where I live if someone says they're 'on the drag' it doesn't mean they cross dress, it means they are running late.

Rainbowshit · 18/02/2023 00:26

Isanyholeagoal · 17/02/2023 22:12

Another classic one is ‘see you later’ or ‘see you soon’

neither of which mean you will see that person soon but actually mean goodbye in the majority of cases

I said ‘see you soon’ to a lady at work last year and she asked me when 😂

Ha ha.

I said see you later to a work man leaving our house and DH have me such an odd look and asked when exactly I was planning to see the workman later. 😂😂

Definitely a regional variation.

ensayers · 18/02/2023 00:38

"Hi y'allright?" Or "how are you"
It's not a genuine question, I tend to not answer about how I am at all, but would reply with the same
So if they said "hey how are you" I'd reply "hi chuck how are you"
They might then say they're fine or give you a run down on their problems that you don't want to hear!
I call a lot of people chuck, it just means erm, friend I guess, for somebody that you don't know the name of...other parts of the UK use luvvie or love,chick, chuck or duck. Pal, buddy, geezer, mate, bro for men more often.

Talking to the GP is an exception because they ask hi how are you and they genuinely want to know, otherwise you wouldn't be there, so in that one instance, I'd give them a real reply, and I'm sure they get tons of people asking them back how they are lol

alexdgr8 · 18/02/2023 00:38

yes, OP i suggest you avoid using slang, as it's a bit of a minefield; you might give offence without realising.
i think what you are looking for is colloquial british english, or everyday english.
some people find foreign accents difficult to understand, and speaking a language well includes having a good enough accent, for clarity.
sometimes it is the rhythm or stresses that need to be mastered, again for clarity.
i suggest you look at some tv programmes, and listen to radio.
by the way, we don't say i have been here since 10 years.
we say for 10 years, or
since 2012.

treasurefoil · 18/02/2023 00:46

Walking down the road , 'hi how you doing' 'good thanks you, 'good ta see you soon'

Honestly the biggest way to fuck someone over is saying no I'm not alright, or expanding on why your good. It's a fake question, trying to be polite rather than care, no one wants a different answer.

But that's not slang that's just local conversation really

alexdgr8 · 18/02/2023 00:53

by the way OP please do not imitate the swearing so many casually use on here, as that will certainly offend people and give a very bad impression.

flatpack1 · 18/02/2023 01:08

Breadhead1 · 17/02/2023 21:59

Im from London and I say "alright" instead of hello. Typically the response would be
yeah, you alright?

Yes same here. "Alright" is just a form of hello and I would either nod or respond with the same "Alright"

MistyGreenAndBlue · 18/02/2023 01:27

Well, according to my late granny the correct response to "How are you?" Is
"Ohhh - not so clever."
or possibly "I've been better oh dear me." Grin

LadyGAgain · 18/02/2023 01:36

Depends where you're living OP. Where I'm from we have words that no one else understands!

RosesAndHellebores · 18/02/2023 01:50

You could adopt a truly British response OP, it is entirely mute. Just nod and smile.

I'm sure I hear good morning, or morning more often than alright

sashh · 18/02/2023 04:05

mrsdaresee · 17/02/2023 21:22

Hi all. So I have been living in the UK since 10yrs. I do speak good English but being south Asian the accent shows. I have never worked and so do not have had the opportunity to learn more of British way of speaking. But not as my DD has started going to the nursery I have to speak with the teachers and admin staff. I feel a bit embarrassed by the way I'm lacking in knowledge of the British slang Example - when I meet a teacher they randomly say Hello You okay? Or You alright?. By the time I reply they move away??? Is this just an extension of Hello? Like you say Hello you okay? And move on or should you wait for an answer? So even If I say yeah I'm fine, should I be asking them how they're doing as well? Also when my GP says Hello how are you today? What should my typical response be? I'm fine doctor! Or should it be I'm fine and yourself?( I fined it weird asking the GO about his health). Also please do give me more ideas of such common greetings and how do I not look like an ignorant fool when speaking to the other person.

Are you in Lancashire?

Lancashire 'hiya, all right?' is 'Hello' in most of the rest of the UK.

MarshaMelrose · 18/02/2023 04:22

You won't lose your accent now. Don't waste time trying. Very few people care if you have an accent.

I've been here for 10 years.
I've been here since 2013. (Defined point in time)
I moved here 10 years ago.

RhadamanthNemes · 18/02/2023 04:39

@mrsdaresee

So!

How are you?

Pretty good. Even if you're not! It's conversational filler. No-one other than your close friends and family wants to know how you actually are.

If you're seeing the GP

How are you?

Not bad, I'm here because...

How do you do, or how are you doing are English conversation starters. They are not actually questions.

How do you do?

The correct answer is NOT I'm very well thanks. It is;

How do you do.

RhadamanthNemes · 18/02/2023 04:41

Or, if in Yorkshire

R'eyt.

R''eyt.

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