Shadowing Practice: Understanding Australian Slang 🤔 | Learn Australian English - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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G'day everyone and welcome back to the podcast.
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I'm Jack. And I'm Liz.
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Today we're talking about something that can be very confusing for English learners.
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Australian slang!
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That's right.
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You might learn English in school, but then you come to Australia and suddenly people say things like,
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I'm heading to the Servo for some Arvo snacks, and you think, what?
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Exactly!
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So today we're going to explain common Australian slang words, what they mean, and give you example sentences so you know when and how to use them.
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And don't worry, we'll speak clearly and explain everything step by step.
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Let's start with the most famous one, G'day.
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G'day simply means good day.
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It's a casual way to say hello.
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You can use it in informal situations, with friends, neighbours or even shop staff in relaxed environments.
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You can try say, G'day mate, how's it going?
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But don't use it in very formal situations, like a job interview.
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You wouldn't say, G'day sir.
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Now we just used another important word, mate.
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means friend.
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But in Australia, we also use it to talk to strangers in a friendly way.
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Thanks mate.
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Excuse me mate, do you know where the station is?
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Be careful though, tone matters.
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If you say, listen here mate, in an angry voice it can sound aggressive.
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Australians love shortening words.
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Arvo means afternoon.
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Instead of saying, see you this afternoon, Australians say, see you this arvo.
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I've got a doctor's appointment this arvo.
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This is very common in spoken English in Australia.
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Barbie does not mean the doll here.
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Nope, it means barbecue.
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We're having a Barbie on Saturday.
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This is very common in Australian culture, especially in summer.
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Servo means Servo means service station, or what Americans call a gas station.
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I need to stop at the servo to get petrol.
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Again, very informal.
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Don't use it in formal writing.
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Brekkie means breakfast.
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Australians love adding Y or IE to shorten words.
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Let's grab some brekkie before work.
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This one confuses many people.
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In Australia, thongs are flip-flops, shoes.
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Not underwear, very important difference.
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I forgot my thongs at the beach.
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No worries.
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This is one of the most important Australian phrases.
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It means, it's OK, no problem or you're welcome.
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Person A, thanks for your help.
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Person B.
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No worries.
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You can use this in many situations.
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It shows friendliness and a relaxed attitude.
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This one is very Australian.
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Fair dinkum means really, or are you serious, or that's true.
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Did you really meet a kangaroo?
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Yeah!
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Fair dinkum.
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It can show surprise or disbelief.
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She'll be right.
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This means everything will be OK.
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Australians often use it to stay positive.
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We missed the bus.
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Ah, she'll be right.
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Another one will come.
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Chook means chicken.
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We're having roast chook for dinner.
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You'll hear this often in supermarkets or casual conversation.
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A bottle-o is a liquor store, a shop that sells alcohol.
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I'll stop at the bottle-o and grab some drinks.
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Sunnies means sunglasses.
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Don't forget your sunnies.
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It's very bright today.
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Footy usually means Australian rules football in most of Australia, but it can also mean rugby in some states.
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Are you watching the footy tonight? is important here.
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Macca's means McDonald's.
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Australians shorten everything.
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Let's grab Macca's after work.
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Jack, should English learners use slang?
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Good question.
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Yes, but carefully.
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Slang is great for understanding people and sounding natural, but don't overuse it.
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And don't use slang in formal writing, business emails or academic essays.
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Slang is best for conversations with friends or casual settings.
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Let's put it all together in one example conversation.
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G'day mate.
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Want to grab some brekkie this arvo?
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Sounds good.
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We can stop at the servo and then head to the beach.
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Don't forget your sunnies and thongs.
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No worries.
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After that we can watch the footy and have a barbie.
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Fair dinkum.
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She'll be right.
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If you're learning English, listen carefully to how Australians pronounce these words.
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Sometimes the pronunciation is more relaxed.
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And remember, understanding slang is more important than using it perfectly.
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If you can understand it, you'll feel much more confident when talking to Australians.
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We hope this episode helped you understand Australian slang a little better.
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If you enjoyed it, share it with a friend who's learning English.
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And don't forget to like and subscribe for more content.
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And next time someone says, G'day mate, how's your AVO going?
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You'll know exactly what they mean.
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See you next time.
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Catch you later everyone!
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Understanding Australian Slang 🤔”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: Australian, slang, mate, English, arvo. This video has 104 sentences and 754 words to shadow. The speech runs for 6:28. The speaker talks at a steady 117 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 80% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| sling noun | /ˈslɪŋ/ | An instrument for throwing stones or other missiles, consisting of a short strap with two strings fastened to its ends, or with a string fastened to one end… |
| arvo noun | /ˈɐː.vəʉ/ | Afternoon. |
| servo noun | /ˈsɝ.voʊ/ | A servomechanism. |
| footy noun | /ˈfʊti/ | Football (association football) (soccer in US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand). |
| shorten verb | /ˈʃɔɹtn̩/ | To make shorter; to abbreviate. |
| thong noun | /θɔŋ/ | A narrow strip of material, typically leather, used to fasten, bind, or secure objects. |
| barbie noun | /bɑː(ɹ)bi/ | A barbecue (apparatus for grilling). |
| sunny adjective | /ˈsʌni/ | Featuring a lot of sunshine. |
| casual adjective | /ˈkæʒ(u)əl/ | Happening by chance. |
| relax verb | /ɹɪˈlæks/ | To make something loose. |
| chook noun | /t͡ʃʊk/ | A chicken, especially a hen. |
| learner noun | /ˈlɜɹnəɹ/ | One who is learning; one receiving instruction. |
| confuse verb | /kənˈfjuːz/ | to puzzle, perplex, baffle, bewilder (somebody); to afflict by being complicated, contradictory, or otherwise difficult to understand |
| informal adjective | /ɪnˈfɔɹ.m(ə)l/ | Not formal or ceremonious. |
| disbelief noun | /dɪsbɪˈliːf/ | An unpreparedness, unwillingness, or an inability to believe that something is the case. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Excuse me mate, do you know where the station is?
- I've got a doctor's appointment this arvo.
- Let's grab some brekkie before work.
- Did you really meet a kangaroo?
- Are you watching the footy tonight?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group | the most famous · the most important |
| Verb + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — verbs that are followed by the -ing form | love shortening · love adding |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | we'll speak · She'll be · will be |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | we're talking · I'm heading · We're having |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 27 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, we're, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shorten /ˈʃɔɹtn̩/, casual /ˈkæʒ(u)əl/, pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, shoe /ˈʃu/
- Long words — get the stress right: pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, supermarket /ˌsupɚˈmɑɹkət/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like sling, arvo, servo.
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.