Meaning: I empathize with your point of view

With only three words you can make it plain that you are really listening to someone and relate to what they are saying:

• “I’m kinda sad to be back from vacation. I wish I was still on that sandy tropical beach.”
• “I hear ya. After I got back from Acapulco, the view from my apartment depressed me for weeks.”

“Tell me about it,” is the sarcastic alternative, as in “don’t tell me about it because I already know too well!”

Like can be used as multiple parts of speech (comparing similar things, in similes, a synonym for “enjoy”), but it’s slang usage — introduced into youth culture by “valley girls” in the 1980s — is hard to pin down.

• “Oh my god, it was like the worst date I’ve ever been on. Richard was like such a jerk!”

In this example, like could be mistaken for a preposition meaning “similar to,” but it’s actually not! When dropped into sentences in this manner, like is a discourse particle or discourse marker which denotes topic changes, reformulations, discourse planning, stressing, hedging, or back-channeling.

In practical terms, “like” is the word that just falls into the gaps in speech when you might otherwise say “um” or “uhhh.” If you want to hear like in action, there is no better example than Shoshanna from the TV show Girls. She’s like the best!

Important note: Peppering too many likes into conversation can make one sound childish and frivolous — fine for parties but probably not job interviews (but most Americans under the age of 35 say the word more often than they probably realize).

Meaning: great

In the old days, awesome was a word reserved for the truly powerful, fear-inducing and sublime: the view from a mountaintop, the sea during a storm, the voice of God emanating from a burning bush. You know, massive, awe-inspiring things that “put the fear of God in ya.” But awesome has expanded in the American lexicon to include the less awe-inspiring, like a hit single, a hamburger, some new sneakers… if you’re even just mildly excited about something, it can be awesome:

• “I saw the new Star Wars in IMAX over the weekend.”
• “Awesome. Did you like it?”
• “Oh yeah, it was awesome. Hey, can I get a sip of your iced tea?”
• “Sure.”
• “Awesome, thanks.”

Meaning: “Hello, how are you?”

No matter what you learned in English lessons, do not greet a friend or acquaintance with, “How do you do?” What’s up? or the even more informal ‘sup? mean the same thing without making you sound like you should be doffing a top hat. In more formal situations, it’s better to say, “Nice to meet you” or “Nice to see you.”

The beauty of What’s up? is that it is not really a question in need of an answer. Just like the French “ça va?” you can respond to “What’s up?” with… you guessed it: “What’s up?”!

We know you’re thinking it, so here’s the beer commercial that made the phrase world famous.

The Brits love their words for idiot. Besides tosser, you can also sub in wanker, pillock, twit, git, and muppet.

He is not going to take you to court for calling him a ‘wazzock’.

The culture minister called Hillary Clinton a ‘wazzock’.

American Meghan Markle attended college at Northwestern University, but the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge went to uni at University of St. Andrews.

Oy, you won’t want to hear this insult lobbed at you. A tosser is a stupid person (yikes).

Know the phrase “stark naked” and you can probably guess what this one means. It’s also a synonym for crazy, as in “stark mad.”

If you’ve ever read Harry Potter, then you know this one means to kiss or make out. Not even Hogwarts is immune to teen romance!

Skive off from school or work and you’re shirking responsibilities. Hey, everyone likes to play hooky sometimes.

Shopping like Meghan Markle without a royal clothing budget will undoubtedly leave you skint, i.e., broke. A closet full of Stella McCartney dresses doesn’t come cheap!

Shepherd’s pie, Yorkshire puddings, and full breakfast all count as scrummy, a.k.a. scrumptious. Haggis is probably more of, um, an acquired taste.