British English · B1 · Unit 21
Life in the UK
Life in the UK
By the end you can
- Say what surprised you about life in the UK
- Compare everyday life in the UK with your country
- Understand a text about how people live
Words and phrases
| British English | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| I was surprised by | it surprised me | I was surprised by how polite people are in queues. |
| I'm used to | it's normal for me now | I'm used to the rain now. |
| getting used to | slowly finding it normal | I'm still getting used to driving on the left. |
| compared to | when you look at it next to | Compared to Spain, dinner here is really early. |
| whereas | but (to show a difference) | In Poland we have a big lunch, whereas here people just have a sandwich. |
| back home | in my own country | Back home, the shops are closed on Sundays. |
| small talk | short, polite chat about easy subjects like the weather | British small talk is mostly about the weather. |
| over here | in this country | Over here everyone says sorry all the time. |
| it took me a while to | it was slow for me to | It took me a while to understand the humour. |
| the way people | how people | I love the way people say 'cheers' instead of 'thanks'. |
| a takeaway | food from a restaurant to eat at home (American: takeout) | Shall we get a takeaway tonight? |
| mate | friend (informal British; also said to strangers, in a friendly way) | Cheers, mate! |
Then talk it through
A visitor asks you what's surprising about everyday life in the UK. In the app you have this conversation out loud or typed, with the unit's goals to tick off and corrections at the end.