Shadowing Practice: Money Vocabulary for English Learners - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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In England, we don't say 50 pounds.
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In England, we don't say 50 pounds.
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We call this 50 quid.
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Money appears all the time in daily conversation.
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For example, Hey man, have you got a tenner on you?
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Sorry lad, I've only got a fiver.
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If you don't understand that, then you are missing a very big chunk of British life.
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In this video, I'll teach you what nobody teaches you about money.
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This is a one pound coin, but what do British people call it?
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We call it a quid.
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One quid equals one pound.
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But what if there are two?
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We don't say quids, there is no s, so it's just one quid, two quid, three quid, four quid.
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But what about five quid?
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Five quid is a fiver.
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This is a five pound note.
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What can you buy with a fiver in England?
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A meal deal, a tuna sandwich, a can of coke and a bag of crisps.
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Meal deals are a huge cultural phenomenon in England.
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They are very popular.
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Every day, millions of people walk into a Tesco and pick up a sad little sandwich, a bag of crisps, and a drink.
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And they feel genuinely good about it.
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I was one of those people.
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I regret nothing.
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This is a tenner.
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a ten-pound note.
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And at the beginning of this video I gave the example, hey man have you got a tenner on you?
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Sorry lad, I've only got a fiver.
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Now do you know what it means?
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So if we call five pounds a fiver and ten pounds a tenner, what do call 20 quid?
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A 20-er?
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Nope, we just call it 20 quid.
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The most common term for a thousand pounds is a grand and you might hear it in a conversation like, hey Rock, how much is your rent in London?
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It's a rip-off.
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It's a grand and a half for a tiny flat.
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How about yours?
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Bloody hell.
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Yeah, mine's a rip-off too.
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I pay two and a half grand.
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Note that there is no S on grand, just like quid.
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One grand and two grand.
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The smallest currency in Britain is called pence, but we call it P.
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So we say 10p, 20p or 50p.
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Lots of coins together we call change, loose change.
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Now, Mario, do you have any change, mate?
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Sorry, mere friend, I don't.
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Fair enough.
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Do you fancy a pint, then?
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Mate, I'm skint.
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You might know the word broke, which is the standard universal term for having little money.
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But in Britain, we like to do things differently.
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We say skint.
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I'm skint.
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It means I've got very little money.
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Skint is a top slang word in the UK.
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Alright mate, you look a bit rough.
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I'm skint mate, can't afford a beard trim.
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Fair enough.
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If you started saying skint, I guarantee you natives would be very impressed with your English.
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but what is the opposite of skint?
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So if skint means having little money then loaded is the opposite.
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I am loaded, it means I've got a lot of money.
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Recently I read the book Rich Dad Poor Dad on my Kindle and the author Robert Kiyosaki wrote that a lot of people say, I can't afford this.
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And he urges us to flip that to a question and say, how can I afford this?
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The question opens up the mind to possibility.
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Now, I had the idea, how can you guys apply this to your English?
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A lot of my students say, I'm not good at English.
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So I would encourage you to flip that to a question and ask yourself, how can I improve my English?
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How can I get better at English?
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I'm sure your brain will find the answer.
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Now, it's about time to go for, I think, a lovely coffee at the cafe.
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But before I do, let's have a quick scan of our environment.
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I am sitting on a boulder.
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A boulder is a very large rock.
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And the boulder is sitting in the ocean.
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Now, let's get up and go to the cafe.
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This coffee is like two quid.
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That's pretty cheap.
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By the way, be careful with the word cheap.
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It can just mean low price, but it can also mean low quality.
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So here are some more natural ways British people like to talk about price.
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Come on, thank you.
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The coffee has arrived and the price of these coffees was reasonable.
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It was quite affordable.
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In fact, these coffees were a bargain.
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A bargain is my favourite way to say something that is cheap in a positive way.
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That's a bargain.
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And for some context for you guys, we are on an island and again no s.
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We don't say island or island, we say island.
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It's a silent s.
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This is my stick.
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They gave me this to scare the monkeys away.
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It's very common for monkeys to be coming through this cafe and stealing your food.
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Some extra verbs for steal we would say pinch or nab.
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They are slang words in British for steal.
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Where are you in the world right now?
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Let me know in the comments.
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I am curious.
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So if a bargain is a positive way of saying something is cheap then the opposite of that is a rip-off.
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A bloody rip-off.
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Now a rip-off is when something is expensive and you're a little bit annoyed about it as well.
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It's a rip-off.
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Now some alternatives to rip-off are pricey or steep.
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That's a bit steep.
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Now, I don't want the monkeys to steal my food, so let's dig in.
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Let's start eating.
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After eating, you can ask, excuse me, can I have the bill please?
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After that, you might want to split the bill with your friends.
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Now, I've seen a lot of English teachers teaching let's go Dutch, the English idiom.
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But honestly no one says that.
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No one says let's go Dutch.
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So here are some more natural phrases that English speakers use.
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Shall we go halves?
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Nah, I'll get this one.
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No, no, no, let's split it.
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Peach, honestly, don't be silly.
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It's my treat.
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It's on me.
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Oh Jay, you're such a gentleman.
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Right, now let's play a little game.
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I'm gonna flip this coin.
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You can choose heads or tails.
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Heads, I win.
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Tails, you lose.
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Heads, I win.
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If you want to win and succeed at English, on SproutLanguage.com, you can now do real-life roleplay conversations with J.I.
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You can practice in a restaurant, in a cafe, in a hotel, and many more.
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Try it now for seven days free and invest in your greatest asset, which is...
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your mind.
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Thank you for watching.
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Hope you have a beautiful day.
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I'll see you next time.
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About This Lesson

In this lesson, you will explore essential money vocabulary commonly used in British English conversation. Understanding how to refer to amounts of money, as well as colloquial terms, will greatly enhance your conversational skills. By the end of this lesson, you’ll feel more confident discussing finances in everyday situations, whether you’re shopping, dining, or making small talk. This lesson is perfect for those who want to learn English with YouTube and master British slang related to money.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • Quid - A slang term for the British pound; e.g., "It's 50 quid."
  • Fiver - A five-pound note; e.g., "Can you lend me a fiver?"
  • Tenner - A ten-pound note; e.g., "Have you got a tenner on you?"
  • Grand - A thousand pounds; e.g., "My rent is a grand."
  • Pence (P) - The smaller units of currency; e.g., "This costs 50p."
  • Change - Coins or small denominations; e.g., "Do you have any loose change?"
  • Skint - A British term meaning broke; e.g., "I'm completely skint this week."
  • Rip-off - Something overpriced; e.g., "It's a rip-off!"

Practice Tips

To effectively learn the vocabulary presented in this video, try using the shadowing technique. This method involves listening to the video and repeating the phrases aloud, mimicking the speed and tone of the speaker. As you watch the video, focus on parts where the speaker discusses the slang terms and their meanings. Points where the voice may rise or fall can provide clues to emphasize certain words, making your shadow speak more natural.

Considering the speaker's pace, start by listening to a short segment, then pause to repeat what you've heard. Don’t rush; aim for clarity and confidence. If necessary, adjust the playback speed on your shadowing app to match your comfort level. Over time, this practice will not only help you memorize phrases but also improve your accent and intonation in British English conversations.

Incorporate these phrases in your daily conversations or create scenarios where you can practice them. Engaging with native speakers or fellow learners can also elevate your understanding and fluency. Happy learning!

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

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