Learn English with Anglophenia

Swear like the British


icon
Published: 1.27.2022
Level 4   |   Time: 3:02
Accent: British

Anglophenia describes how to swear using words and expressions unique to Britain.


triangle Directions 목표 Direcciones Instruções


  1. READ the VOCABULARY

    It is important to read the vocabulary before you watch the video. This will improve your ability to understand the video. It will also help you understand how the new vocabulary is used naturally.

  2. WATCH the VIDEO

    The first time you watch the video, just try to understand the overall situation.

  3. ANSWER the QUESTIONS

    First try to answer all the questions from memory. Then rewatch the video and try to answer the questions that you missed.

  4. WATCH and READ the SCRIPT

    Watch the video again while you read the script. Reading and listening at the same time will help you hear each individual word and improve your listening accuracy.

  5. DO the ACTIVITIES

    There are several different activities that focus on test preparation, vocabulary, grammar, and sentence structure.

  1. LEA el VOCABULARIO

    Es importante leer el vocabulario antes de ver el video. Esto mejorará su capacidad para comprender el video. También le ayudará a comprender cómo se usa el nuevo vocabulario de forma natural.

  2. VER el VIDEO

    La primera vez que vea el video, intente comprender la situación general.

  3. RESPONDE a las PREGUNTAS

    Primero intente responder todas las preguntas de memoria. Luego, vuelva a ver el video e intente responder las preguntas que se perdió.

  4. MIRAR Y LEER

    Mire el video nuevamente mientras lee el guión. Leer y escuchar al mismo tiempo lo ayudará a escuchar cada palabra individual y mejorará su precisión auditiva.

  5. HACER LAS ACTIVIDADES

    Hay una serie de actividades diferentes que se centran en la preparación de la examen, el vocabulario, la gramática y la estructura de las oraciones.

  1. 어휘 읽기

    비디오를 보기 전에 어휘와 배경을 읽는 것이 중요합니다. 이렇게 하면 비디오를 이해하는 능력이 향상됩니다. 또한 새로운 어휘가 어떻게 자연스럽게 사용되는지 이해하는데 도움이됩니다.

  2. 비디오 보기

    비디오를 처음 볼 때 전체 상황을 이해하려고 노력하세요.

  3. 문제에 답하기

    먼저 모든 질문에 답을 해보세요. 그런 다음 비디오를 다시보고 놓친 질문에 답해보세요.

  4. 비디오 보면서 대본 읽기

    대본을 읽는 동안 비디오를 다시 보세요. 읽기와 듣기를 동시에 하면 각각의 단어를 듣고, 듣기 정확도를 향상시킬 수 있습니다.

  5. 액티비티 하기

    듣기 정확도, 발음, 어휘, 문법 및 문장 구조에 초점을 맞춘 다양한 액티비티가 있습니다.

  1. LER o VOCABULÁRIO

    É importante ler o vocabulário antes de assistir ao vídeo. Isso melhorará sua capacidade de entender o vídeo. Também ajudará você a entender como o novo vocabulário é usado naturalmente.

  2. ASSISTA ao VÍDEO

    Na primeira vez que assistir ao vídeo, tente entender a situação geral.

  3. RESPONDA às PERGUNTAS

    Primeiro, tente responder a todas as perguntas de memória. Em seguida, assista novamente ao vídeo e tente responder às perguntas que você errou.

  4. ASSISTA e LEIA o SCRIPT

    Assista ao vídeo novamente enquanto lê o roteiro. Ler e ouvir ao mesmo tempo ajudará você a ouvir cada palavra individualmente e a melhorar sua precisão auditiva.

  5. FAÇA as ATIVIDADES

    Existem várias atividades diferentes que se concentram na preparação para o teste, vocabulário, gramática e estrutura de frases.

triangle Vocabulary 어휘 Vocabulário Vocabulario


  • ☐ ☐ ☐ swear [v] - use bad language
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ sensitive [adj] - easily made angry or sad
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ not your thing [exp] - something that you are not interested in
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ Anglo-Saxon [adj] - a group of people (originally from Germany) who lived in Britain starting in the 5th century
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ versatile [adj] - has many uses, flexible
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ run out of [phv] - not have any remaining
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ tasty [adj] - delicious
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ tell (s/o) off [phv] - tell someone strongly that they have done something wrong
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ neuter [v] - remove the testicles of a male dog
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ elaborate [v] - give more information
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ mess around [phv] - not be serious, not be focused, waste time
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ make fun of [exp] - say negative things about someone, usually in a friendly or fun way
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ tease [v] - say negative things about someone
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ proper [adj/adv] - very
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ sod [n] - a piece of ground with grass on it
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ soil [n] - earth, ground, dirt
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ team it with [exp] - combine it with
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ inconsiderate [adj] - not thinking about the happiness of other people
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ reveal [v] - give the answers or outcome
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ Game of Thrones [n] - a popular American TV show about knights and dragons [ Link ]
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ emphasis [n] - extra force or strength
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ hardly anything [exp] - almost nothing
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ leave a tip [exp] - give a small amount of extra money for good service
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ ease [v] - make less, make easy

[n] - noun,  [v] - verb,  [phv] - phrasal verb,  [adj] - adjective,  [exp] - expression



triangle Questions 문제 Questões Preguntas


  1. She _______ the word bollocks.
    likes
    doesn't like

  2. The word "bollocks" comes from ______.
    an older word
    a type of food
    a part of a woman's body

  3. In this sentence:
    I've run out of milk. Bollocks!
    "Bollocks" means ______.
    Damn!
    Great!
    The best!
    You are lying!
    I don't understand!

  4. In this sentence:
    Bollocks! I can see you hiding the milk behind your back.
    "Bollocks" means ______.
    Damn!
    Great!
    Tell me!
    You are lying!
    I don't understand!

  5. In this sentence:
    This milk is the bollocks.
    "Bollocks" means ______.
    great
    terrible
    disgusting
    not really milk

  6. In this sentence:
    I got a right bollocking from my mom for drinking all the milk.
    "Bollocking" means ______.
    a problem
    a mistake
    a lecture
    an invitation
    an explanation

  7. In this sentence:
    This milk is the dog's bollocks.
    "The dog's bollocks" means ______.
    cold
    sour
    good
    dirty
    the best
    disgusting

  8. In the US, "pissed" usually means ______.
    angry
    drunk
    wasting time

  9. In this (British) sentence:
    John was right pissed last night.
    "Pissed" means ______.
    angry
    drunk
    wasting time

  10. In this sentence:
    John is on the piss.
    "On the piss" means ______.
    getting angry
    wasting time
    running away
    being out drinking

  11. In this sentence:
    John was just pissing about all day at the office.
    "Pissing about" means ______.
    getting angry
    getting drunk
    wasting time
    leaving

  12. In this sentence:
    Relax. He is just taking the piss (out of you).
    "Taking the piss" means ______.
    giving you alcohol
    wasting your time
    making you angry
    teasing you

  13. In this sentence:
    I told John to piss off.
    "Piss off" means ______.
    work harder
    drink more
    calm down
    go away

  14. The real meaning of "sod" is ______.
    an old person
    a type of food
    a piece of soil and grass

  15. In this sentence:
    Will you just sod off?
    "Sod off" means ______.
    work harder
    drink more
    calm down
    go away

  16. In this sentence:
    That inconsiderate sod nearly revealed the ending of the movie.
    "Sod" means ______.
    a helpful person
    a selfish person
    an smart person
    an old person

  17. In this sentence:
    Has anyone seen my sodding glasses?
    "Sodding" means ______.
    lost
    damn
    work
    important

  18. In this sentence:
    A: How much did he leave for the tip?
    B: Sod all.
    "Sod all" means ______.
    very little
    everything
    how much
    I don't know



triangle Listen & Repeat 듣고 따라하기 Ouça e repita Escuchar y repetir [ ? ]

Listen & Repeat


This activity has two purposes.

The first purpose is to improve listening accuracy. Learners can often understand the general meaning of a video but still not hear and understand many of the words that are said. This is because native speakers tend to say the functional words unclearly. (eg. don’t know, going to, want to, can’t, must have) This activity is designed to help learners improve their ability to hear these words.

TIP: Learners should listen, and then try to repeat exactly what they hear. Then they should click “Show” and read the sentence. After reading the sentence, learners should listen again and try to hear each word.

The second purpose is to improve pronunciation.

TIP: Learners should listen to and read the sentences at the same time. Then learners should try to copy the pronunciation and intonation of the speaker exactly.

TIP: Exaggerating the intonation and feeling of the speaker is useful. It may feel awkward or funny, but it will help you sound more natural.

Escuchar y Repetir

Esta actividad tiene dos propósitos separados.

El primer propósito es mejorar la precisión auditiva. Los estudiantes a menudo pueden comprender el significado general de un video, pero aún no escuchan ni comprenden muchas de las palabras que se dicen. En particular, los hablantes nativos tienden a decir las palabras funcionales (p. Ej., No sé, voy a, quiero, no puedo, debe haberlo hecho) de manera poco clara. Esta actividad está diseñada para ayudar a los alumnos a mejorar su capacidad para escuchar estas palabras.

CONSEJO: Los alumnos deben escuchar y luego intentar repetir exactamente lo que se dijo. Luego deben hacer clic en "Show" y leer la oración. Después de leer la oración, los alumnos deben volver a escuchar e intentar escuchar cada palabra.

El segundo propósito es mejorar la pronunciación.

CONSEJO: Los alumnos deben escuchar y leer las oraciones al mismo tiempo. Luego, los alumnos deben intentar copiar la pronunciación y la entonación del hablante.

CONSEJO: Es útil exagerar la entonación y el sentimiento del hablante. Puede parecer incómodo o divertido, pero te ayudará a sonar más natural.

듣고 따라하기

이 액티비티에는 두 가지 목적이 있습니다.

첫 번째 목적은 청취 정확도를 높이는 것입니다. 학생들은 종종 비디오의 일반적인 의미를 이해할 수 있지만 여전히 많은 단어를 듣고 이해하지 못합니다. 특히 원어민은 기능적 단어 (예 : 모르겠다, 갈 것, 갖고 싶어, 가질 수 없어야 한다)를 불분명하게 말하는 경향이 있습니다. 이 액티비티는 학습자가 이러한 단어를 듣는 능력을 향상시킬 수 있도록 고안되었습니다.

팁 : 학습자는 듣고 나서 말한 내용을 정확하게 반복해야 합니다. 그들은“Show”를 클릭하고 문장을 읽어야 합니다. 문장을 읽은 후 학습자는 다시 듣고 각 단어를 들어야 합니다.

두 번째 목적은 발음을 향상시키는 것입니다.

팁 : 학습자는 동시에 문장을 듣고 읽어야 합니다. 그런 다음 학습자는 화자의 발음과 억양을 따라 해 보아야 합니다.

팁 : 화자의 억양과 느낌을 과장하는 것이 유용합니다. 어색하거나 재미있게 느껴질 수 있지만 더 자연스럽게 들리는 데 도움이 됩니다.

Ouvir e repetir


Esta atividade tem dois propósitos.

O primeiro objetivo é melhorar a precisão auditiva. Os alunos geralmente podem entender o significado geral de um vídeo, mas ainda não ouvem e entendem muitas das palavras que são ditas. Isso ocorre porque os falantes nativos tendem a dizer as palavras funcionais de forma pouco clara. (por exemplo, não sei, vou, quero, não posso, devo ter) Esta atividade é projetada para ajudar os alunos a melhorar sua capacidade de ouvir essas palavras.

DICA: os alunos devem ouvir e tentar repetir exatamente o que ouviram. Em seguida, deveriam clicar em “Mostrar” e ler a frase. Depois de ler a frase, os alunos devem ouvir novamente e tentar ouvir cada palavra.

O segundo objetivo é melhorar a pronúncia.

DICA: os alunos devem ouvir e ler as frases ao mesmo tempo. Em seguida, os alunos devem tentar copiar exatamente a pronúncia e a entonação do falante.

DICA: É útil exagerar na entonação e no sentimento do falante. Pode parecer estranho ou engraçado, mas ajudará você a soar mais natural.


Directions: Play the audio clip and try to repeat what you hear. Click "Show" to see the text.

Instrucciones: Reproduce el clip de audio e intenta repetir lo que escuchas. Haga clic en "Show" para ver el texto.

Instrucciones: Reproduzca el clip de audio e intente repetir lo que escucha. Haga clic en "Mostrar" para ver el texto.

지시 사항 : 오디오 클립을 재생하고 들리는 내용을 반복해 보십시오. 텍스트를 보려면 "Show" 를 클릭하십시오.


Clip 1

Today, we're going to learn how to swear like the British.



Clip 2

But if you're a bit sensitive and swearing is not your thing, simply cover your ears.



Clip 3

I've run out of milk. Bullocks!



Clip 4

Bollocks! I can see you hiding it behind your back.



Clip 5

Mmm mmm! This milk is so tasty. It's the bollocks.



Clip 6

xxx



Clip 7

Now there is often some confusion between the Americans and the Brits when it comes to the word pissed.



Clip 8

Whereas in the U.K., it can mean so so much more. Allow me to elaborate.



Clip 9

But to be pissed off has the same meaning as it does in America, which is to be annoyed with someone.



Clip 10

I am proper pissed off with Paul for going out on the piss with Peter and Pablo, getting pissed in the pub and then pissing around until past his bedtime.



Clip 11

I had to tell him to piss off when he had come home pissed, and it's impossible not to stay the piss out of him the next morning.



Clip 12

Will you just sod off?



Clip 13

That inconsiderate sod nearly revealed the ending of Game of Thrones, Season Four.



Clip 14

Has anyone seen my sodding glasses?



Clip 15

A bit like when the Brits leave a tip in a restaurant. It's usually sod all.



Clip 16

So with that in mind, you should probably sod off.



triangle Vocabulary Review 어휘 검토 Revisão de vocabulário Vocabulario revisión


Directions: Choose the word or expression that best completes the sentence.

Instrucciones: Elija la palabra o expresión que mejor complete la oración.

Instrucciones: Escolha a palavra ou expressão que melhor completa a frase.

지시 사항 : 문장을 가장 잘 완성하는 단어나 표현을 선택하십시오.


  • A: Can you lend me some money?
    B: (Sod off!) I gave 10 quid last week.

  • A: He told me that he was 25 years old.
    B: (Bollocks!) We went to high school together, and I am 35.

  • A: Where are Mark and Peter?
    B: They are (on the piss) again.

  • A: Why did Susan get fired?
    B: She was always (pissing about) at work.

  • A: How much of what the teacher said did you understand?
    B: (Sod all.) How about you?
    A: The same.

  • A: How is the Shepard’s Pie at that pub?
    B: It's (the dog's bollucks).
    A: Great. Let's get some.



triangle Vocabulary Accuracy 어휘 정확성 Precisão de Vocabulário Vocabulario precisión


Directions: Choose the word or expression that best completes the sentence.

Instrucciones: Elija la palabra o expresión que mejor complete la oración.

Instrucciones: Escolha a palavra ou expressão que melhor completa a frase.

지시 사항 : 문장을 가장 잘 완성하는 단어나 표현을 선택하십시오.


  • (Bollocks!) I failed another test.
    → Damn!
  • Oh, my god! This ice cream is (the bollocks) . You have to try some!
    → awesome, great
  • (Bollocks!) I don't believe a word she said.
    → He/She is lying.
  • She missed work again?!? I am sure she was (on the piss) again last night.
    → out (not at home) drinking (alcohol)
  • That is it! (Piss off!) I don't want to talk to you anymore.
    → Go away!
  • Don't worry. She doesn't hate you. She was just (taking the piss) .
    → teasing you, making fun of you
  • They paid me (sod all) for that job, but I got some good work experience for my C.V.
    → very little, almost nothing
  • My (sodding) car broke down again. I need to take it to a garage.
    → damn, f@#king


triangle Discussion 논의 Questões de discussão Discusión


  1. In these two sentences, what do all the underlined expressions mean?

    I am proper pissed off with Paul for going out on the piss with Peter and Pablo getting pissed in the pub and then pissing around until past his bedtime.

    I had to tell him to piss off when he'd come home pissed, and it's impossible not to take the piss out of him the next morning.
  2. How many of these expressions + meanings did you already know? Have you heard British people use them? A lot?
  3. Which expression + meaning did you like the most? Which one do you want to use? Which one will be the most useful?
  4. Can you remember three different uses for the word "bollocks"?
  5. Can you remember three different uses for the word "sod"?
  6. Can you remember three different uses for the word "pissed"?
  7. Are there some other British swear words that you often hear that are not in this video? What are they?
  8. Do people swear a lot in your language? What is the most common swear word in your language? Can you teach your partners the meaning and proper context to use the word?
  9. The speaker mentions that swearing has been scientifically proven to ease pain and help people bond. Do you believe her? Why do you think swearing has this effect?
  10. What is the difference between slang vs. curse words or swear words (four-letter words)?
  11. This is a shortened version of the full video, which you can watch [ here ]. What expressions have been cut out of this video?

triangle Script 대본 Roteiro Texto


Today, we're going to learn how to swear like the British. Lovely. But if you're a bit sensitive and swearing is not your thing, simply cover your ears.

My favorite swear word is bollocks, which is a modern version of the Anglo-Saxon word bullocks, which has the same meaning. Bollocks is a very versatile word.

It can be used if something goes wrong. I've run out of milk. Bullocks!

It can be used to suggest that somebody might be telling a lie. Uhm, we've run out of milk. Bollocks! I can see you hiding it behind your back.

It can also mean that something is amazing. Mmm mmm! This milk is so tasty. It's the bollocks.

And to give someone a bollocking is to tell them off. I got a right bollocking from my mom for drinking all the milk.

But if something is the best of the best, it's the dog's bollocks, which is why I now feel even more guilty about getting Snowy neutered.

Now there is often some confusion between the Americans and the Brits when it comes to the word pissed.

In the U.S., it can generally mean that someone is angry, whereas in the U.K., it can mean so so much more. Allow me to elaborate.

To be pissed means to be drunk. To be on the piss means to be out, getting drunk.

Telling someone to piss off means they should go away. But to be pissed off has the same meaning as it does in America, which is to be annoyed with someone.

To piss about is to be silly or mess around.

And to take the piss out of someone is to make fun of or tease them.

I am proper pissed off with Paul for going out on the piss with Peter and Pablo getting pissed in the pub and then pissing around until past his bedtime.

I had to tell him to piss off when he'd come home pissed, and it's impossible not to stay the piss out of him the next morning.

Got it? Good.

Next up, it's sod. Now a piece of sod is commonly known as a piece of soil with grass on it. But like bollocks, it's a rather versatile curse word.

Team it with off, and you can tell someone to go away, as in, "Will you just sod off!"

A person can also be a sod, as in, "That inconsiderate sod nearly revealed the ending of Game of Thrones, Season Four."

Sodding can be used to add emphasis to a word, generally to negative effect as in, "Has anyone seen my sodding glasses?"

Sod all means hardly anything, a bit like when the Brits leave a tip in a restaurant. It's usually sold all.

So go on, swear like the British. Swearing has been scientifically proven to ease pain and can even help people bond.

So with that in mind, you should probably sod off, but said with hugs.