Hi everyone. I'm Jennifer from English with Jennifer. You know,
I don't really hide the fact that I'm a middle-aged mom, and these days it seems
that the English language is reminding me about the differences between generations.
In English, we have the word "low-key." I use it as an adjective and I hyphenate it. In a recent
conversation class, I explained how I use this word. For example, some people like an adventurous
vacation, while others prefer something more low-key, that is, something less intense, quieter,
and more relaxed. A low-key vacation, a low-key weekend, a low-key event. Well, there was a guest
teacher in my class who was in his early twenties -- much younger than me --- and he said he uses
the word "low-key" too, but he and his friends use it with the meaning of subtle, like you don't
want to call anyone's attention to something. So, if a group of us plan a low-key dinner, we won't
tell others about it and we won't post about it on social media. We'll keep it small and quiet.
The funny thing is that I later asked my two teenagers about this. They both told me they
use "lowkey" differently. These Gen Z kids of mine say things like "lowkey annoying" "lowkey crazy."
First of all, they're using it as an adverb and without a hyphen. Guess what it means.
They use "lowkey" to mean "kind of" or "a little." It's an adverb of degree. So,
if you're feeling lowkey disappointed, you're kind of disappointed.
So, this is how my Gen Z kids talk. By the way, you can watch my video on generations
to review the names we have. For example, those who belong to Generation Z are Post-Millennials,
and they were born approximately between 1997 and 2012. Because I looked, I recently found
many more examples of people doing things lowkey, and the meaning seems to be a mix of "kind of"
and "quietly." A couple can lowkey break up or break up lowkey. Someone can lowkey quit a job.
I don't use lowkey this way, but plenty of younger people do. If you're a little confused, just
remember the word is used differently by different people. The meaning can vary depending on the
speaker's age. I think it would sound lowkey weird and lowkey unnatural for me to speak this way,
so this is a warning about trying to use slang, not just American slang but any slang you hear
in English. You can become familiar with it. You can even learn how to use it as you've heard it,
but it could sound inappropriate if you don't belong to a particular social group.
Let's have some fun and test your ability to make sense of Gen Z slang. I'm going
to share 10 more slang expressions that my teenagers had to explain to me. At times,
I was confused. Every time I understood a word and used it correctly, though,
they laughed because it sounded silly for a mom like me to use such expressions.
So. please use this lesson as an exercise and comprehension. You will hear slang. How well can
you understand it? Let's see. The disclaimer here, of course, is that I'm not all that familiar with
these expressions. I'm of a different generation. I'm Generation X. I'll explain to the best of
my ability, and if I'm a little off, you can let me know in the comments -- respectfully, please.
A person tells me they've met dozens of Hollywood celebrities. I could respond and say, "That's cap.
Show me the photos." "Cap" is a lie. It's not the truth. That's cap. Someone who's capping is lying.
My generation might say "no way" when we don't believe something to be true.
My kids don't know all the musical artists and groups I listen to, and I don't know the names
of many younger artists, but if they hear a song that they like, they might comment, "That slaps."
What? It's a compliment. If something slaps, it's good. It's excellent. Apparently, a song
or movie can slap hard, so I guess my kids and I agree that Stranger Things slaps pretty hard.
Do you ever watch movies, hear songs, or read books and get more out of it now than you did
when you were younger? That's because the subject matter or the story hits different.
It's special, better, and perhaps more meaningful. I guess the opposite could be true, right? We
might see a movie from our childhood and realize it creates a different experience for us now.
Hits different. This isn't an expression I use, but I'm familiar with it now.
This one is easy to understand, but I think Gen Zers might use this as a standalone phrase.
For example, someone insults me and I feel both shocked and offended. My response? "Wow. Emotional
damage." Or I observe online how someone just got insulted and my comment: "Emotional damage."
If you're asking me to confirm our plans or if you're asking if I agree to go out,
I'd use any variation of "yes": yeah, okay, all right, for sure.
What are young people saying today? Bet. Are we going out tonight? Bet.
Although Elvis Presley was from a different generation,
I think most Gen Zers would agree the guy had rizz, at least in his younger years.
The guy was undoubtedly good-looking and had charm. The ladies loved him.
I understand that "rizz" likely comes from "charisma," so you can have rizz or not have rizz.
Some people have what's called unspoken rizz, which means, for example,
a really good-looking guy doesn't have to say anything at all. He just looks
good and has enough charm to attract the ladies, so a look and a smile will do.
In my generation, we talk about asking someone out on a date or hitting on someone to make
a romantic connection. Teenagers today post videos on social media on how to rizz someone
up. I guess it's about how you use your charm to make a romantic advance towards someone.
I loved learning this one because I experienced it. I went through this
really awkward phase when I was growing up. I had braces, glasses, bad skin, and I was tall
and skinny. Well, I'm still somewhat tall and skinny, but somewhere in high school,
I had a glow-up and my social life got a lot better. A glow-up is a massive transformation,
especially in one's physical appearance. You can also use the phrasal verb "glow up." For example,
my kids can look at old photos of me and note how I really glowed up in high school.
Okay. This word is sometimes used by people over 30, but personally,
it's not in my active vocabulary. If I say something that offends you and I meant no offense,
I could say, "Don't be so salty." If you're salty, you're angry and bitter.
You can be salty about something. You can be salty that something happened.
If you recall something upsetting from the past, you might say, "I'm still so salty about it."
This word definitely never applies to me. You have to be really cool to have
drip or have the drip. I've heard it used both with and without an article. As I understand,
"drip" is mostly about physical appearance, especially a cool or really nice outfit.
You look amazing, and it's the whole package: cool, attractive, confident.
Gen Zers can look at photos and talk about how someone is dripping. That's a form of praise.
If you've studied irregular verbs, you know that "shake" in the past tense is "shook," and the
past participle is "shaken." We can talk about someone being shaken up from a traumatic event.
Someone can be shaken up by a car accident or a robbery, for example.
Well, Gen Zers have played around with grammar, and if they experience something surprising,
they are shook. "I'm shook" means "I'm surprised, even shocked."
So, did you hear any of this slang before? I don't really encourage use unless you're under 30, and
even then, gain more exposure. Gain familiarity first. My kids would likely say I sound cringey
even as I try to explain these expressions, so I won't embarrass them any further and I'll end
here. That's all for now. I hope you found the lesson interesting. Please remember to like and
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channel members. As always, thank you, everyone, for watching and I wish you happy studies!
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