۱۰ اصطلاح معروف انگلیسی

I don’t even know how I would go about it!

Oh, oh, what I do is uh, I look a woman up and down, and I say, “eh.

How you doin’?”

Oh, please!

Hey, how you doin’?

How you doin’?

Probably the most prominent line from Friends, this is Joey’s notorious pick-up line.

Hey, how you doin’?

A pick-up line is something one says to flirt.

For example:

A : Did it hurt?

B : What?

A: When you fell from heaven, you angle!

Learn more about pick-up lines in this video with Ellen.

Maybe you have noticed this before, but in colloquial American English, it is common to drop the G of the gerund.

What’s more, maybe you’ve seen that this is grammatically incorrect.

What you learned in school was “How are you doing?”, right?

Well, native speakers often omit the auxiliary verb.

Why are you being so strange?

Why ya bein’ so strange?

What do you like here?

[Whachu like here?]

Do you think so?

[ya think?]

Although natives do this sometimes, and it is important to be aware of and understand, I would not recommend that you attempt to speak like this until you have a very advanced level of English.

Also, notice the connected speech.

This is a crucial reason why natives seem to be difficult to understand, and why it appears that we speak really fast.

This is why we teach all students of our Fluent with Friends course the rules of connected speech (and show dozens of examples in every single lesson).

Learn more about the course by clicking above or in the description.

Central Perk:

This is the name of the coffee shop that appears in practically every episode.

What you probably didn’t know is that it is actually a joke, a play on words.

You’ve heard of the Central Park in New York City, right?

Perk relates to coffee.

First, it is short for the word percolate.

Percolate means to brew coffee by forcing hot water through the ground particles of coffee beans.

Example : While the coffee perks [percolates], I’m going to take the dog for a walk.

We can also call the machine that makes this type of coffee a coffee percolator.

Furthermore, we use “perk” as a phrasal verb meaning to become or make more lively or cheerful.

Example : Perk up, you may have failed this exam, but I’ll help you study for the next one.

Finally, we use it to describe the feeling that we get from drinking coffee.

Example : He couldn’t stop yawning, but he drank a couple cups of coffee and perked up.

The friend zone:

Since Friends, this expression has become a popular one for a certain type of relationship.

This is how Chandler and Joey describe Ross’ relationship with Rachel at the beginning of Friends.

It’s never gonna happen.

Why not?

Because you waited too long to make your move, and now you’re in the friend zone.

No, no, no.

I’m not in the zone.

No, Ross, you’re mayor of the zone.

You can use this to describe if you have a crush on someone, but that person only considers you a friend.

The idea is that if you’ve recently become friends with someone you like, and you wait too long in the “friend zone”, it becomes harder and harder for that person to change their perception of you and be attracted to you.

Example: She said that I’m such a good listener.

I think I’m in the friends zone.

Check out how it is defined in this movie, Just Friends.

What about Sheila, you making any headway?

Well, we’ll see. I’m taking her to lunch today, so

Oh, wow, wow. Don’t- don’t do that.

Okay?

Don’t do lunch.

Why?

That’s like the express lane to the friend zone.

What the hell is the friend zone?

See, when a girl decides that you’re her friend, you’re no longer a dating option, you become a complete non-sexual entity in her eyes, like a brother, or a lamp.

I don’t want to be a lamp.

Yeah. Well, then don’t be her friend, okay?

Alright, if you’re enjoying this lesson, be sure to give it a like, because that lets us know that you want us to make more lessons like this one.

Could I be any more?

Chandler, everyone’s favorite joker, has a unique way of speaking, which, thanks the series, has been adopted in American and even British English.

This is a hyperbolic (exaggerated) way of speaking.

Chandler usually uses it to say things where the answer would obviously be “no.”

Please, could she be more out of my league?

Could I be more sorry?

Look at me, I’m Chandler.

Could I be wearing any more clothes?

You may not be Chandler, but here are some examples of how you can use this expression without sounding like a clown and Friends fans will love it!.

Example : I couldn’t be more unprepared for this exam.

Could that dress be any uglier?

He couldn’t be more ignorant.

Try it out!

Make an example with this expression in the comments below, and see what your fellow learners have said.

Hey, you know, uh. who used to have nails like that?

Oh my God.

This expression is famously attributed to Chandler’s recurring girlfriend, Janice, and became much more popular in the United States during and after the series ended.

We say this when we are very surprised, shocked, or disappointed.

Example : Oh my God! Are you hurt?

Do you need me to take you to the hospital?

Oh my God, I haven’t seen in you in ages!

Let’s get a coffee sometime and catch up.

Oh my God, did you hear what Trump did?

This is often reduced to OMG, in texting and even speaking.

Example: OMG I can’t believe she did that.

We were on a break.

Another line said by Ross throughout the series to justify what ended Rachel and his relationship.

We were on a break!

Oh my god.

To be on a break or take a break means that you are taking a rest from something.

Example: I need a break.

I’m going to go have a coffee, and we’ll be back in 10 minutes.

I’m talking a break from teaching English.

If two people who are dating break up, it means they ended their romantic relationship.

Depending on how you interpret it, to take a break in this context means that they are not completely ending the relationship, but are taking a pause to reflect on it.

Rachel and Ross had very different ideas of what it meant to be on a break, which caused them to end their relationship.

Ross, thinking that “the break” was just an excuse to end the relationship, hooked up (had romantic relations) with another woman, while Rachel, thinking that it was just a temporary break from each other, interpreted it as Ross cheating on her.

This is a rather funny theme that is brought up many times throughout the series.

What?

You slept with someone else?!

We were on a break, okay?

We were- yeah.

Pivot.

This technical term was made famous by season 5, episode 16 of Friends, when Ross buys a new couch (sofa) for his apartment, and is trying to bring it up the stairs with Rachel and Chandler’s help.

Here we go - pivot!

Pivot!

Pivot!

Pivot!

Pivot!

Pivot!

Shut up, shut up, shut up!

Pivot means to turn on a point or shaft.

Example : He pivoted on his heel.

This word choice is quite funny when Ross could have used a more common word like rotate or turn.

Friends fans will undoubtedly associate this term with the series, in fact, you can find many T-shirts, coffee cups, etc. with this term.

He’s her lobster.

Phoebe uses this to describe the inevitable reason why Ross and Rachel have to be together.

Hang in there, it’s going to happen.

Okay, now, how do you know that?

Because she’s your lobster.

Oh, she’s going somewhere.

Come on, you guys, it’s a known fact that lobsters fall in love and mate for life.

You know what, you can actually see old lobsters couples walking around their tank, you know, holding claws, like.

A lobster is a type of shellfish.

In the United States, it is expensive and associated with fine dining.

There is a popular type of restaurant that will have a tank of lobsters, and actually let you choose the one you want to eat. Phoebe says many crazy things, and the image that she portrays here is ridiculous, but quite funny.

What we would more commonly say in English is, “he’s her soul mate.”

See?

He’s her lobster.

This is another line that has been immortalized on many coffee cups, T-shirts, etc.

Use this with Friends fans, and they are sure to laugh!

Anyway, if you don’t feel like being alone tonight, Joey and Chandler are coming over to help me put together my new furniture.

Yes, and we’re very excited about it.

Well, actually, thanks.

But I think I’m just going to hang out here tonight, it’s been a long day.

Oh, sure, okay, sure.

Hey Pheebs, you wanna help?

Oh I wish I could, but I don’t want to:

This is another fantastic line from Phoebe.

The expression I wish I could, but, is common when we want to politely excuse ourselves from something in English.

Example : I wish I could go to the party, but I have work tomorrow.

We wish we could come, but we have dinner plans with my in-laws.

Phoebe’s line is funny, because she uses this polite expression to excuse herself, but then her excuse is simply that she does not want to, which means that she could do what is being asked, making it completely contradictory.

Americans still use this nowadays when someone asks a favor, but we don’t want to do it.

I called him.

No.

Yes.

Well, I got his machine, and I left a message.

But, it’s okay. it’s okay, it’s okay because, you know, it was like a casual, breezy message.

It was breezy.

This is from season 3, episode 2 when Monica is trying to forget about her ex-boyfriend, Richard, who she recently broke up with.

This expression is not very common, however, any Friends fan will recognize it instantly!

It means that you are relaxed, not serious.

Hi, it’s Monica.

I’m just checking in because I got this message from you and I didn’t know if it was old or new or what, so.

I’m just checking.

So, let me know, or no, whatever.

I’m breezy.

Hey, you can’t say you’re breezy.

That totally negates the breezy.

Some more common expressions you can use for your daily English are:

Laid back:

Example : He’s a really laid-back guy.

Nothing seems to bother him.

Chill:

You mom is so chill.

Mine never lets me drink win..