The British Phrases Textbooks Don’t Teach

Added: 2026-05-28

[00:00:00]In British English, we don't always say hello, how are you, you're welcome. So, in this video, we are going to explore British phrases that we actually use every day.

[00:00:13]Hiya. You all right?

[00:00:15]British people say hiya more than hello.

[00:00:18]I say hiya all of the time, especially because hello sometimes sounds too formal. So, I use it especially with my friends, like Rafa. Rafa is my friend.

[00:00:30]Hiya, Rafa. Hiya, Sam.

[00:00:34]We also say you all right instead of how are you. Again, this is informal. So, it is something that you'll say to your friends, but also the way we pronounce it is informal. So, we often drop the R at the beginning, and then we connect the you and all right together. So, it becomes you all right. Notice I also don't pronounce the T. You all right?

[00:00:57]Rafa, you all right? Yeah, I'm all right. Are you all right? Yeah, I'm all right. So, if you say I'm all right in British English, it's like I'm fine. Are you making me a coffee?

[00:01:11]Cheers, mate. So, in British English, if you want to say thank you in a casual way, you can say cheers. And notice that I don't pronounce the R at the end.

[00:01:21]Cheers. But if somebody does something really nice for you, maybe it's better to say thank you because cheers can sound a little bit inconsiderate. And then we have mate, which is like an informal way of saying friend. [snorts] And often we don't pronounce the T. So, it's mate. Mate. And I would like to say a big cheers to my mate Rafa for helping us out with this part of the video.

[00:01:47]Cheers, mate. The next one is no worries.

[00:01:51]So, this isn't specific to British English, but if somebody thanks you for something casual, like making them a cup of coffee, instead of saying you're welcome, I would say no worries. It's because you're welcome sounds too much.

[00:02:08]It sounds too formal sometimes. So, I prefer to say no worries. Hakuna Matata.

[00:02:15]The next one is don't say I want, say I fancy.

[00:02:20]I fancy a sandwich, but my fridge is empty. Fancy is something British people say all of the time. You might have heard a British person ask, "Fancy a cuppa?" which means do you want a cup of tea? So, fancy means to want to have something or to want to do something.

[00:02:40]For example, it's sunny outside, I fancy a picnic. But right now, I fancy a sandwich. But my fridge is empty, so I need to pop to the shop. So, this is our next expression. To pop somewhere is something really British to say. It means to go somewhere quickly, to go somewhere for a short time. So, I popped to the shop to buy some milk. I popped to the shop to buy some groceries for my sandwich. And we also use pop out a lot.

[00:03:11]Pop out. This means to go outside, to leave the house for a short time, to quickly leave the house. So, I popped out for some fresh air. It also implies that you're going to be back home really soon.

[00:03:30]Bloody hell, I've lost my key.

[00:03:35]Ah, it's in my back pocket.

[00:03:39]So, bloody hell is something British people say all of the time when we are frustrated. It's a bit rude. It's like hell, but more British. Coming up next, I'm not fussed. I'm not bothered.

[00:03:55]So, if you say I'm not fussed or I'm not bothered, it means I don't mind. So, for example, someone asks you, "What do you want in your sandwich?" And you say, >> [snorts] >> "I'm not fussed. I'm not bothered." Or simply, "Not fussed.

[00:04:13]Not bothered."

[00:04:15]Okay? And then you end up with a boring cheese sandwich.

[00:04:23]Boff-ud.

[00:04:25]Boff-ud.

[00:04:27]I can't be bothered. Bothered is a difficult word to pronounce, and it's a word that we use all of the time in British English. This time, I can't be bothered means I'm too lazy to do something. I don't have the energy to do it. I can't be bothered. I can't be bothered to do anything.

[00:04:53]Is that the doorbell?

[00:04:56]Just [bell] a sec. Hang on a sec. Just a sec. Both of these mean, wait a moment.

[00:05:04]Hang on a sec doesn't mean, wait 1 second. It means wait a short period of time. Hang on a sec. This is something I say all of the time. It's something British people use all of the time for, wait a moment. You might also hear people say, "I'll be there in a jiffy.

[00:05:24]I'll be there in a jiffy." This means, "I'll be there in a moment." Hang on a sec. "I'll be there in a jiffy."

[00:05:35]There's no one there. The next British expression, mind you.

[00:05:40]Mind you is a British expression I use a lot in everyday conversation. And you can use it instead of however. For example, Italian grammar is really hard.

[00:05:52]Mind you, I've been studying a lot. Or I'm really lazy. Mind you, I went for a run yesterday. So, mind you can be used instead of however, and I think it sounds really British as well. So, try using it next time you have a conversation with someone.

[00:06:12]Is that the door again? You're taking the mickey.

[00:06:16]Oh, hi, Mom. Yeah, no, I'm just recording a video.

[00:06:21]If you're taking the mickey, it means you're making fun of someone. So, you're taking the mickey. You can also say taking the piss. Or you could say taking the biscuit in British English. So, taking the mickey, taking the biscuit, really British ways of saying you're making fun of me.

[00:06:39]And the next one is on your bike.

[00:06:45]So, another expression that will make you sound really British is on your bike. And it means go away, get lost.

[00:06:53]You can say it when you're angry, or if you're playing with your friends. On your bike, leave me alone. And the pronunciation is on ya, not on you, on ya. On your bike. On your bike, mate.

[00:07:07]You can also say jog on. Jog on, leave me alone. On your bike, go away.

[00:07:14]And do you know the British expression fair enough?

[00:07:18]So, fair enough is something that British people say all of the time. And it means that's okay. I understand. Fair enough. We use it even if we don't agree with someone. So, for example, you say to me, "Sam, your video is rubbish. It's really bad." I can reply with fair enough. That's okay.

[00:07:40]I understand. I don't necessarily agree, but we all have an opinion.

[00:07:45]Fair enough. By the way, I hope you don't think my video is rubbish. Give it a like and we will go to our final destination.

[00:07:53]And we are back where we started. To be honest, I'm knackered. That's a really British way of saying I'm really tired.

[00:08:03]It's a lot of work making these videos.

[00:08:05]But anyway, I hope you enjoyed the video. Give it a like, subscribe channel and any support you can give the video, that would be absolutely amazing. Also, let me know which expression you like the most. Let me know in the comments and I'll see you in the next video, guys. Bye.