Questions tagged [colloquial-language]
for questions about colloquial language. Colloquial language, colloquial dialect, or informal language is a variety of language commonly employed in conversation or other communication in informal situations.
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A sh*t that's not bowel movement
My gf sent me a message "My sister is showing me a sh*t."
Is that a correct way to write a sentence that doesn't talk about fecal matter? It stood out as weird to me, but I don't know the official ...
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Trend in usage "irregardless of" vs "regardless of'
We see in US English a trend towards saying "irregardless of" in place of "regardless of". The trend is discernible on Google Ngram since 1980. Even "educated" writers in US use it. I don't see it at ...
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What a granny is supposed to say to respond to "Thank You"?
A post gives "8 Ways to Respond to Thank You". I didn't find one is appropriate the following situation.
Imagine that, a granny prepares a breakfast for her grandson.
Grandson: thank you, granny.
...
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"Bop the fizz" - what's the meaning?
What is the meaning of "bop the fizz" in this sentence?
What kind of question is it? "hey who wants to go for lunch?" is a different question from "hey could you bop the fizz for Bigclient?"
The ...
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The history of the word "gay" [closed]
When did the word "gay" which initially had a meaning "merry" and "happy" gain another connotation which is now thought to be preliminary?
As I understand, the word in the main old meaning was an ...
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The difference between Such thing, such a thing, a such thing
Such thing.
Such a thing.
A such thing.
Are all of them grammatically correct? What's the difference between them?
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Relative order of social acceptance of alternate forms of the 'N' word
The word 'nigga' has been around for sometime now in our daily lingo, and from what I understand, it's okay for people of the African American community to use it within, but it's extremely offensive ...
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Someone said to me, "We basically literally did." What were they trying to express to me?
Someone said to me, "We basically literally did." What were they trying to express to me?
Also, can basically and literally be used in the same sentence?
My points to my language partner:
...
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Why do so many people say "equals to" in maths?
It seems to be common to hear x = 3 sin(α) pronounced as
x equals to three sine alpha
I would read x = 3 sin(α) as "x equals three ...", and I believe this to be the correct pronunciation ...
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Differences between Going to and Will in Informal and Formal English
In formal English (or written English), I'm super sure that the Be going to and Will rules are "respected". (Correct me if I'm wrong) For example, probably in formal English, they probably use "Going ...
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What does ”libel schmibel” mean?
Libel schmibel. The dead can't sue.
What does “libel schmibel” mean?
Another word to say it?
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A similar term to "paga fantas"
In my country, we use the informal term "paga fantas" which refers to a man who buys stuff or is willing to get anything for a girl with the intent of seducing her.
In some particular cases, a man ...
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Is the following omission of "it was" permissible in colloquial English?
Bringing up the question wasn't as hard as he'd thought. (It was)
Definitely easier than the letter he'd have to write later.
I tried to find a similar example on Google Books. Unfortunately, ...
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Is it alright to say good afternoon Sirs and Madams in a panel interview?
I will be attending a panel interview (with two men and two women). I don't know their names. I want to be more polite, but I am not sure whether it is alright to say
Good afternoon, sirs and ...
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"Blow" in a conversation
Can "Blow" be used by itself to mean "Blow something up all out of proportion?"
As in:
She was written off as Blowing it (a situation) in an attempt to
implicate him.
(Made up example)
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A joke about explanation and understanding
I want to translate a short joke into English. The result doesn't sound natural, though I guess the idea is pretty clear. How would you rephrase it to sound more colloquial and natural?
Two ...
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"I want to just say..." vs "I just want to say..."
What's the difference? Are they really different, with a nuance, or is it just a matter of preference? Does one point to your level of fluency more than the other?
Made up examples.
"I just want to ...
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what does mean by "getting kicked in the head"?
the context as blow:
Since my mom taught there, I would no longer have to ride the bus with a bunch of rowdy boys and worry about stuff like getting kicked in the head. No kidding ----they actually ...
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What does it "they like me for me" mean?
What does the following mean?
They like me for me.
I have never seen this expression before.
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Meaning of the word "good" in context
It is from this video. It is at 21 minute.
Take a rat. Train it to press a lever ten times, it gets its food. Ten times it gets its food. Ten times it doesn't get its food. Ten times, you are not ...
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"Discover" vs "discovered that."
I thought that "that" was unnecessary in sentences like:
I discovered (that) you can't fake sadness.
Google books surprised me though:
I discovered you (12,300 hits)
I discovered that you (137,...
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"Make excuses" vs "make up excuses."
Since "make up" means to fabricate something, I thought saying "make up excuses" would be more common than "make excuses." But Google Books showed me the opposite.
made up excuses (4,580)
made ...
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Colloquial English way of asking question
Having gone to market, my friend was asked question that what are the items which has been bought. If I want to ask in colloquial slang.How can i ask?
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Word for a piece of art which makes you tear up?
Is there a word to call something that makes you cry how good it is to use in a sentence such as
This song is a guaranteed [teardropper].
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Do I need to know something except phrasal verbs and collocations to use colloquial English?
What do I really need to know about colloquial English except phrasal verbs and collocations?
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How do you call "a bicycle pump" informally?
I said
I borrowed a bicycle pump yesterday.
and it bothers me because I think there should be nicer options (less formal, more conversational).
Is there any colloquial alternative to "a bicycle ...
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"You gonna" vs "you're gonna."
Is "you're gonna" or "you gonna" more common in colloquial English?
Examples:
"You/You're gonna sleep?"
"You/You're gonna ruin the mood."
You/You're gonna try to convince me to come back....
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"You betcha" as a response to "Thank you"
A: Thank you!
B: You betcha!
I've heard the phrase "You betcha" several times as a form of agreement or understanding. Though, I don't understand what it means after the exclamation "Thank you".
...
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The meaning of "I'd 'a' plum got him,"
Inside, Buckley found Bud Dawson utterly ignoring a bullet wound in
his shoulder, while he feelingly wept at having to explain why he
failed to drop the "blamed masquerooter," who shot him. At the
...
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This is the thanks I get?
I would like to know whether the expression this is the thanks I get? is used in English or if there is any other expression conveying the same meaning
The implication is that one shows no signs of ...
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How to understand "got a good bit of use out of them"
‘Fred and George have invented Extendable Ears, see,’ said Ron. ‘They're really useful.’
‘Extendable—?’
‘Ears, yeah. Only we've had to stop using them lately because Mum
found out and went ...
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What does "only half kidding" mean in this context?
Almost immediately, she was lost in the labyrinth of works for sale: Takashi Murakami’s lurid blond plastic milkmaids with long legs and erect nipples; the words “any messages?” spelled out in neon ...
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"I am four or five in"
There is a scene in the movie Drinking Buddies where Gene and Luke are talking in a bar.
Gene: I've been ten minutes out since I got here. I had one of these, and then I said, "I'm gonna have one ...
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"Good Night" / "Good Nights"
Is there an expression like "Good Nights" in spoken/written English that differs from "Good Night"? People who speak Spanish language use "Buenas Noches" which literally means "Good Nights". The same ...
user59956
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Formal way of thanking someone for pointing out a mistake
When a colleague points out a mistake you made, is it too formal to respond: "Thanks for alerting me to this mistake." What would be an alternative to "Thanks, my bad!"
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"Public speak" as a verb
Recently I saw a clip advertising a Canadian library by all sorts of fun actions they do instead of offering people books to read: from shoelace-tying workshops to seminars where people are taught "...
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Are contractions and/or slang used in English exams and tests? [closed]
Are all those correct uses in English or is it just for explaining and not correct for writing on tests or exams?
Would it sound more fluent to write
Ex, Y'all, I'll, They're.
instead of
...
user85483
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Is "transferring data" used when talking about people?
I know that "data" and "transfer" are used when talking about technology and things like that. My question is when talking about people learning new things, can I use the words "data" and "transfer" ...
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What does "my name was down for Eton" mean?
My name was down for Eton, you know, I can't tell you how glad I am I came here instead. Of course, Mother was slightly disappointed, but since I made her read Lockhart's books I think she has begun ...
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"Better go home" vs "better to go home"
Do both mean the same? Or maybe one version is correct and the other one is incorrect?
Example sentence:
It's getting late. Better (to) go home.
(This is colloquial speech.)
Another similar ...
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What do you call the digital displays that show the stations inside subway trains?
I'm talking about this:
The text in the photo says "digital voice announcement." But I wonder if there's another way of referring to this piece of technology. Something like digital announcement or ...
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Can "it's" be omitted in the following case? [duplicate]
She wriggles herself closer to me. (It's) Definitely not my imagination
playing a prank on me.
I wonder if you can omit "it's" in situations like these (at least in informal writing).
I checked ...
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What does it mean by "reach for a banana"?
In this video one of the panel said "he is reaching for a banana" after seeing the robot got down on the desk. I thought this would be an idiom or some phrase that would be found in the urban ...
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Is there a word "Pisser" in English gambling?
I have happened to see a Japanese anime, which is about a natural born gambler, (with English subtitles)
And they (The honcho group and other "workers") are gambling dices.
From 22:51 ～ The honcho ...
user17814
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An expression meaning doing long and hard mental work resulting in extreme mental fatigue
There's an idiom "work one's fingers to the bone" literally linked to manual labor, and I am looking for the like colloquial, idiomatic or slang expression referring to hard mental work. The one that ...
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"Cook" vs "cook up" (when not referring to food)
Example sentence:
Staring at her suspiciously, he asked, "What are you planning to cook up?
A native English speaker said I should add the "up," but another one said I shouldn't. So I'm a bit ...
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What does "there's no way around" mean? [closed]
Excerpt from Game Of Thrones, season 7, the unexpected, secret meeting of Lannister brothers: Tyrion and Jaime Lannister.
Tyrion: Danaerys will win this war, you are (referring to Jaime) a military ...
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Can't we say "don't/doesn't got" while we can say "I got", "He got", "They got" etc.? (American English)
I am used to hearing the positive version of "got" when it is used for meaning "have".
For example, I mean we can say "I got a car.", "He got three children.", "I got no money." etc.
But I am not ...
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Can I just say "Watch" instead of "Watch where you are going"?
Can we just say "Watch." instead of "Watch where you are going."?
Example Context: Let's say somebody hit me on the sidewalk.
Note: I know that it can be rude to say these sentences. You don't need ...
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Is it OK to use "heck" in public occasions?
The dictionary gives the following definitions:
fuck:
to have sex with someone.
used when expressing extreme anger, or to add force to what is being said.
heck:
an expression of usually slight ...
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