Learn slang to actually learn a language!

Everyday speech and literary language are very different. This is why you should learn slang to actually learn a language.

You can learn all the grammar rules, more than 5000 words and to conjugate perfectly, but might not actually speak the language.

Lot of people like to wait until they are fluent to pick up some slang words. I think you can start right away!

• You can understand waaay more if you are familiar with informal expressions of the language you learn. As most people use informal language very often, you will understand native speakers more. (This is a very common difficulty for language learners.)
• As people normally speak informally in day to day life, you sound more natural if you use some slang.
• Not to mention: A lot of these phrases, if translated literally, can be weird confusing or even offensive, so you can avoid a lot of misunderstandings if you don’t wait to start learning them.

There are a lot of expressions and phrases that locals use that you can not learn from language books and dictionaries. To understand everyday speech, you should watch movies, shows and YouTube videos (especially vlogs) and speak with native speakers. Don’t be afraid to ask them what the expression they often use means. There are also a lot of websites that can help you understand informal expressions.

If you don’t know that “Shut up!” is also used as an expression of surprise or shock to a piece of news you would be very offended if someone responded to you this way, right?

Now you know why it is so important to learn these phrases

A good way to start is to find out how to say ‘slang’ in your target language and simply search on Google and Youtube to find good resources with the keyword: <the target language> <slang in your target language>, for example: Português gírias.

You should be able to find a list of slang words in all of the popular languages.

Choosing your resource wisely can also help. Youtube videos, especially ‘vlogs’ and ‘story times’ are full of slang words as they are recorded by young people in everyday situations. Twitter can also be a great place to find words like that. Click on a trending hashtag and discover modern language!

Also, native speaker friends can be a great help with this. Ask them to explain the words they frequently use and use them immediately!

There are whole online dictionaries dedicated to informal words in some languages. BUT be careful before you use any of the words you find on there. I suggest a Google search on the word before you use them as they sometimes can be very offensive and usually like Wikipedia can be edited by anybody. Check if there is something similar in your target language.

In English, there is https://www.urbandictionary.com/ In Portuguese,https://www.dicionarioinformal.com.br/

Let’s all help each other! Did you find something similar in your target language? Share it in the comments and I’ll make sure to add it to the list above!

What’s your favorite slang word in your target languge?

Zsófi

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