Hi. Welcome to www.engvid.com. I'm Adam. In today's video, I want to help you
understand native-English speakers. Okay? And one of the things you need to
understand about the way native-English speakers speak is that they like to
shorten words. Okay? They always like to take shortcuts. Now, I am sure that if
you pay attention to your own language and to speakers of your language, this
is something that most people do in their native language. Okay? But when
you're trying to learn a new language, sometimes it's very difficult to catch
the situation or the context, because certain words have been shortened, and
you don't know what they mean in terms of their full meaning. Okay? So, we're
going to look at a few of these. Now, the main thing I want to point out is
that it's important for you to understand these words, but don't try to
use them yet. Okay? Once you get into a more advanced level of English, and once
you're starting to get a little bit closer to fluency, then you start using
these words in natural speech. Okay? Now, the main thing to remember, also,
is that these are the sorts of things you will not hear, or you will not learn
about in textbooks in your ESL classes, or your English classes at school.
These... because these are street words; these are... this is the way people
speak naturally on the street, so it's important to understand what these words
mean. For example: "cas". So, "cas" — the "s" — is... this is the phonetic
spelling. If you know the word: "measure"... if you know how to
pronounce the word: "measure" — this "s" is the same sound: "cas". And what does
it mean? It means casual. Okay? So, like, if you're talking about a party:
-"Oh, how should...? What should I dress?" -"Oh, it's cas. Don't worry.
Don't dress... don't dress up. It's cas". And if you're going to... you want
to go for dinner, like, you ask a friend, like, of the opposite sex: "Do
you want to go for dinner sometime?" And she says or he says: -"Oh, you know...
I'm not really interested." -"Oh, don't worry. Just cas. A cas dinner", like,
nothing implied; no alternative meaning — it's "casual".
Now, again, and this is very, very common: "cause". "Cause", "cuz", it
depends. Some people say it: "cause"; some people will say it: "cuz" — it
depends how fast they're speaking. Basically means: "because". -"Why didn't
you come?" -"Oh, because I was tired. Cause I was... cause I was". If you hear
it: "cause I was"... this is what it sounds like: "cause I was". And you're
sitting there, going: "Cause I was, cause I was. Is that English? What? What
does that mean? I don't know." And you're getting very confused. "Cause I
was" and you have to break it up, and understand that "cause" is just a
shortened form of "because". Now, it's gotten to the point, these... these
words are so commonly used that when somebody says: "because" — they're...
they want to emphasize something; they want to point out the reason. So, you
have to pay attention. -"Why didn't you come?" -"Oh, cause I was tired." -"Why
didn't you come?" -"Because I was tired". So, I want you to understand:
"This is the reason; don't ask me again", etcetera. Okay? So, "cause I
was". "Comfy". Now, some... some English learners have enough of a hard time with
this word: "Comfortable". But if you're not too comfortable with the word
"comfortable", just say: "comfy". Okay? -"How's the chair?" -"Oh, it's very
comfy." -"How's the...? How's the atmosphere?" -"Oh, it's a very comfy
atmosphere". Your house is very "comfy". Okay? Very "comfy"; very "comfortable",
etcetera. Very commonly-used word. -"How's the food?" -"Oh, it's delish".
Now, when you say: "delish", it basically means "delicious". "Oh, that
restaurant was so delish". Right? So, we use it as... again, it's a little bit of
slang, but it's a little bit of emphasize how delicious something was.
It's so delicious that we're playful with it. Right? So, "delish". Sometimes
you'll hear: "It was deelish". Almost, like, two different words: "deelish".
And you throw it away on the "lish" to give it a little bit more emphasis.
"Congrats". -"Oh, I just passed my test." -"Oh, congrats". And sometimes I
say that to students, and they look at me, like: -"What?" -"Congratulations".
But "congratulations" — that's a very long word; too many syllables, so I just
want to shorten it to two syllable... two syllables. "Congrats. Good job. Good
for you." Okay? "Legit". "Legit" is short for "legitimate". So, when you...
when you say something or someone is "legit", it means true, or trustworthy.
Right? -"So, did you hear the news about the president?" -"Yeah, I'm not sure if
it's very legit. I'm not sure if it's true. I'm not sure if I can believe it
or trust it." And if you talk about a person: "Do you know...? Have you met
Bill? Like, I'm not sure about him." -"Oh, don't worry; he's legit", means
he's true. He is what he says he is. You can trust his word. He's not trying to
lie to you, or to con you, etcetera. And if something... now, in a bit more slang
way, "legit" means just very good. Okay? "That music is legit", or "That band is
legit", means they're the real thing; they're really good. "Faves" means
"favourites". Notice I'm Canadian, so I use the "u"; if you're American, you
don't use the "u". "Faves". So, those are like... -"What did you think of that
band?" -"Oh, that... they're one of my faves." Right? "One of my faves". "One
of my faves" — one of my favourites; just shortened. And you're... now you're
asking yourself: "Well, why do people shorten all these words?" Just because
they're easier to say, and they flow much more nicely in spoken English.
Don't use any of these in written English; way too casual in any
situation. Now, if you're texting with your friend, by all means; otherwise,
write out the full word.
Let's look at a few words. This one you've probably heard; you may have even
used. "Max" means "maximum". So, the... the room holds ten people max; or the
class size is twelve max — means "maximum"; not more than whatever the
number is. "Meds" means "medications". Now, you'll often hear this in the
context of... of a joke or even an insult about somebody. -"What's up with
Bill?" -"Oh, he's... I think maybe he's off his meds". So, some people who are a
little bit bipolar or have too much... or too hyper or too depressed — they
take medications to help them with their condition. So, if you say someone is
"off their meds" — you're saying there's something a little bit wrong with them
because they didn't take their medicine to fix whatever the problem is. So,
"meds" — "medications", and it could also be in a good context. "I need to go
to the pharmacy. I need to pick up my meds." Right? It's just short for
"medications" because, again, too long; short. "Sec" means "second", as in time.
And we often say: "Just a sec". Okay? -"Can you give me a hand?" -"Yeah, just
a sec" means... "just a sec" means: wait one second. It's not, obviously... one
second is one. No. It just means: "Wait a short time, and I will come and help
you." Right? "Just a minute", "Just a sec". "Minute" we don't reduce; "second"
we do. "Just a sec". Okay? "Slow mo" — "slow motion". So, again, this is
especially if you're watching sports, and you miss the goal, and you want to
see how the goal was scored. Don't worry; they're gonna show it in "slow
mo" anyway. Or if you're watching, like the... used to be a TV show called:
"Baywatch", and you had all these guys and girls running on the beach in their
bikinis and swim trunks. And all the scenes were in slow mo just to show off
all their bodies. It was kind of silly, but funny. Anyways, "slow mo" — "slow
"Dunno". -"What time is it?" -"Dunno". "Dunno?" What is "dunno"? Never heard
motion".
this word. "I don't know". "Don't know" squeezed. It's the same as "want to" —
"wanna"; "going to" — "gunna"; "don't know" — "dunno". So, we like to squeeze
things together; sometimes more than one word squeezed into one. But, again,
"don't know", because you have the "n" sound here, and you have the "n" sound —
anyways, you would drop the "t" to connect the two words: "don't know" —
the "t" is gone. So, "don't know" — "dunno" just said... spoken quickly,
sounds like one word for two. "Foreal". Okay? This basically means: "For real".
And it's usually said in the context of, like: "Wow, that's something
unbelievable". -"So, Jim just got fired." -"Foreal?" Foreal, like: "For
real? Are you telling me the truth? Really?" But "foreal" is a bit more
slang; a little bit more for younger people — the way they speak. Instead of
saying: "Really?" they'll say: "Foreal? Foreal?" And they'll squeeze the words.
And, again, you have the "r" and the "r" — "For real" — "Foreal", squeezed
quickly. And this one I'm sure everybody by now, if you've watched American
television or movies: "Wassup?" Okay? Now, it used to be a very common
expression. "Wassup? Wassup?" But, now, it's still pretty much used. It means:
"What's up?" "What's up?" means: "What's going on? What's going...? How are you?
What's going...? What are you doing?" etcetera. "What's up? What do you need?
What's up? What's up?" But now it's even... the "what" is shortened:
"Wassup?" When you... when it's spoken naturally and quickly, that's what it
sounds like: "Wassup?" with a very slight "w" sound. Okay?
So... but, again, all of these things are used in everyday conversation. And
for people who are learning English, understanding what these words mean, in
their context... context, because they're so short and spoken so quickly,
it's very hard to understand what they are and expand on them. So, you need to
start making yourself a list; you should have a notebook. And when you're
watching American shows, if you hear something and you really don't know what
that word is, or what the expression is — just take... listen to it a few times,
take the sound, and type the sound in a search box on the internet. And,
eventually, you will find the actual meaning. Okay? You can also go to... a
very good place to look is the Urban Dictionary. And if you find these words,
or if you have the transcript and you see any of these words, just go there
and they'll explain to you what it means and how it's used in everyday
conversation. It's a very good resource, if you want real, everyday spoken
English. Okay? Now, if you have any questions about any of these words,
please go to www.engvid.com, and you can ask me in the forum there. There's also
a quiz where you can test your understanding of these words, and you
can take the quiz and do that. And if you... if you like this video, please
subscribe to my YouTube channel, and come back for more useful, real English
tips. See you soon.