Listening transcript · Episode 22

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B1–B2IdiomsAbout 15 min + dynamic ads5 PDF versions available

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⚫ Welcome to Your English Toolbox, your Slow English Podcast where we train your ears step by step.

⚫ I am Martin.

⚪ And I am Julia.

⚪ Thank you for being here with us today.

⚫ Before we start, I want to ask you a small favour.

⚫ If you learn something new today, please leave a comment when you finish listening.

⚫ Your comments are the way platforms recognise that our community is alive, active, and growing.

⚫ Every single comment helps us reach more learners and keeps this project strong.

⚪ Today we explore eight highly frequent slang expressions that native speakers use constantly.

⚪ You will hear them in YouTube videos, TikTok comments, gaming chats, podcasts, and everyday conversations.

⚪ These words move fast. ⚪ They change.

⚪ They evolve.

⚪ And if you do not understand them, you can feel lost, even if your grammar is perfect.

⚫ So our mission today is simple.

⚫ We slow down the slang.

⚫ We explain it with clear examples.

⚫ We use it in stories.

⚫ And we help you recognise it when you hear it in real life.

⚪ The eight expressions in today’s episode are based, sus, bruh, ate, vibe, salty, flex, and down bad.

⚪ Each one has a different emotional flavour.

⚪ Some are funny.

⚪ Some are dramatic.

⚪ Some are sarcastic.

⚪ Some come from gaming culture.

⚪ Others come from Black American English, pop culture, or online communities.

⚫ And at the end of this episode, you will understand all of them with confidence.

⚫ You will also hear a long story combining all eight expressions in one narrative.

⚫ That story will help you remember everything naturally and easily.

⚪ Based is a very interesting expression.

⚪ It means you are saying something confidently and honestly, even if other people disagree.

⚪ It means you are not afraid to speak your truth.

⚫ If someone says, “That’s based,” they mean, “That’s brave,” or “That’s true,” or “I respect what you said.”

⚪ Example.

⚪ You say, “I think slow learning is better than fast learning.” ⚪ Your friend responds, “Based.” ⚪ It means they support your opinion completely.

⚫ Based can also mean that something is morally grounded or aligned with good values.

⚫ For example.

⚫ “Helping beginners without judging them is so based.”

⚪ Mini-scene.

⚪ Imagine you are studying English, and someone laughs at your accent.

⚪ You look at them and say, “I am improving every day.” ⚪ Another person who heard you says, “Based.” ⚪ They admire your confidence.

⚫ Sus means suspicious.

⚫ It is short, fast, and extremely common online.

⚫ People use sus when something feels strange, dishonest, or not quite right.

⚪ Example.

⚪ Your friend says, “I studied for ten hours today.” ⚪ You look at him and say, “That sounds sus.”

⚫ Another example.

⚫ A coworker says, “I didn’t eat your lunch,” but there is sauce on his shirt.

⚫ You whisper, “Sus.”

⚪ Mini-scene.

⚪ Imagine you ask someone, “Why were you late?” ⚪ And they answer, “I was fighting a giant duck.” ⚪ You look at them and say, “Bruh… that’s sus.” ⚪ And now we already used another slang word that is coming soon.

⚫ Bruh is a universal reaction word.

⚫ It is like “seriously?” or “really?” or “come on.” ⚫ It expresses disbelief, frustration, surprise, or even admiration depending on the context.

⚪ Example.

⚪ You drop your phone for the fifth time today.

⚪ You say, “Bruh.”

⚫ Example two.

⚫ You see an amazing sunset.

⚫ You say, “Bruh, look at that sky.” ⚫ In this case, bruh means “wow.”

⚪ Bruh can also be used when something is obviously ridiculous.

⚪ Example.

⚪ The teacher says, “This assignment is due tomorrow morning.” ⚪ The whole class reacts with, “Bruh.”

⚫ Mini-scene.

⚫ You enter your room and see your dog sitting on your laptop like a king.

⚫ You look at him and say, “Bruh, why?”

⚪ Ate is modern slang meaning someone did something extremely well.

⚪ It comes from the idea of “devouring” the challenge.

⚪ If someone “ate,” they performed perfectly, confidently, beautifully.

⚫ Example.

⚫ Your friend presents a project with great energy, great structure, and a great voice.

⚫ Later you tell him, “You ate.”

⚪ Example two.

⚪ Someone posts a dance video.

⚪ The comments say, “She ate,” meaning she performed amazingly.

⚫ Mini-scene.

⚫ Your coworker gives a speech in English.

⚫ You watch, and your jaw drops because it is so good.

⚫ After the meeting, you smile and say, “You ate that presentation.”

⚪ Vibe is one of the most common modern words in English.

⚪ A vibe is the emotional atmosphere of a person, place, or situation.

⚪ It can be positive or negative, calm or chaotic.

⚫ Example.

⚫ “This café has good vibes.” ⚫ It means the place feels pleasant, relaxing, or friendly.

⚪ Example two.

⚪ “He gives me strange vibes.” ⚪ That means the person feels a bit uncomfortable or unusual.

⚫ You can also vibe as a verb.

⚫ It means to relax, enjoy, listen to music, or just feel good in a situation.

⚪ Mini-scene.

⚪ You enter a room with soft lights, calm music, and warm colours.

⚪ You say, “This place is a vibe.”

⚫ Salty means jealous, bitter, annoyed, or frustrated, usually in a funny way.

⚫ When someone is salty, they react dramatically to something small.

⚪ Example.

⚪ Your friend loses a game and refuses to talk.

⚪ You laugh and say, “Don’t be salty.”

⚫ Example two.

⚫ Someone says, “I am not angry,” but they clearly are.

⚫ You whisper, “Salty.”

⚪ Mini-scene.

⚪ You get a promotion at work.

⚪ Your coworker congratulates you, but their smile is fake.

⚪ Later your other friend says, “He was salty.”

⚫ Flex means to show off something proudly, usually in a fun or playful way.

⚫ It can be positive or teasing depending on the tone.

⚪ Example.

⚪ “She is flexing her new shoes.” ⚪ That means she is showing them off confidently.

⚫ Example two.

⚫ A friend says, “I only slept four hours, but I feel great.” ⚫ Someone replies, “We get it.

⚫ You are flexing.”

⚪ Mini-scene.

⚪ You cook a perfect meal and post a photo online.

⚪ Someone comments, “Okay chef, flex.”

⚫ Down bad means extremely sad, desperate, or emotionally defeated, usually because of love or rejection.

⚫ It is dramatic, funny, and exaggerated.

⚪ Example.

⚪ “He looked at her Instagram for two hours.

⚪ He is down bad.”

⚫ Example two.

⚫ “She wrote him a five-paragraph message at three in the morning.

⚫ She is down bad.”

⚪ Mini-scene.

⚪ You see your friend listening to sad music in the dark.

⚪ You ask, “Are you okay?” ⚪ He says, “No. ⚪ I am down bad.”

⚪ Now it is time for a full story that uses all eight slang expressions naturally.

⚪ This story will help the vocabulary stay in your memory.

⚫ Last Saturday, we went to a new café near the river.

⚫ The place had warm lights, soft music, and friendly energy.

⚫ The moment we entered, I said, “This place is a vibe.”

⚪ We sat down near the window, and a few minutes later, our friend Daniel arrived.

⚪ He looked confused, nervous, and a little chaotic.

⚪ I asked, “What happened?”

⚫ Daniel sighed and said, “I just had the weirdest morning of my life.”

⚪ He explained everything.

⚪ His date cancelled on him with a strange text message.

⚪ The message said, “Hey, something came up, sorry.” ⚪ But she was posting photos on Instagram at the same time.

⚫ I said, “Bruh.” ⚫ Julia whispered, “Sus.”

⚪ Daniel continued.

⚪ “I am not angry,” he said.

⚪ But his voice sounded very salty.

⚫ We ordered our drinks, and while we waited, Daniel showed us a video he made.

⚫ It was a short clip where he cooked an amazing breakfast. ⚫ Perfect eggs, perfect toast, perfect camera angle.

⚫ Julia said, “Wow, you are flexing.”

⚪ Daniel laughed and said, “You know what?

⚪ She missed out.

⚪ This breakfast was based.”

⚫ When the waiter brought our drinks, something hilarious happened.

⚫ The waiter accidentally tripped a little, but he recovered with style and saved all the glasses.

⚫ I said, “He ate.”

⚪ Later, we asked Daniel what he planned to do now.

⚪ He looked out the window dramatically.

⚪ He said, “Nothing.

⚪ I am down bad.

⚪ I need time to heal.”

⚫ Julia smiled and said, “Bruh, you are being dramatic.”

⚪ Suddenly, Daniel pointed outside.

⚪ “Wait,” he said.

⚪ “Is that her?”

⚫ We turned around and saw his date walking by.

⚫ She looked happy and relaxed.

⚫ Daniel whispered, “This is sus.”

⚪ We watched them meet outside the café.

⚪ They talked for a minute.

⚪ Then she laughed, touched his arm, and gave him a small gift.

⚫ Daniel returned to the table smiling like a teenager.

⚫ “What happened?” I asked.

⚪ Daniel said, “She apologised.

⚪ She explained everything.

⚪ And she gave me cookies.”

⚫ I said, “Based.”

⚪ Julia added, “So you are not down bad anymore?”

⚫ Daniel laughed and said, “No. ⚫ Now I am up good.”

⚪ The three of us smiled.

⚪ And the café continued to feel like a perfect vibe.

⚫ Let us review quickly.

⚫ Based means confident truth.

⚫ Sus means suspicious.

⚫ Bruh is a reaction word.

⚫ Ate means someone performed amazingly.

⚫ Vibe means emotional atmosphere.

⚫ Salty means bitter or jealous.

⚫ Flex means show off.

⚫ Down bad means emotionally defeated.

⚪ These expressions are everywhere in modern English.

⚪ You will hear them in short videos, podcasts, comments, and conversations.

⚪ Now you can understand them with confidence.

⚫ If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a comment before you go.

⚫ Your comments show the platforms that our community is real, strong, and growing.

⚫ This support helps us continue creating new episodes every week.

⚫ Tell us which slang expression you liked the most or which one you want to practice next.

⚪ Thank you for listening.

⚪ We will see you in Episode Three.

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