😎 Informal English

⏱ 13 min read

Informal English is full of short expressions that native speakers use every day. You'll hear them in conversations, movies, TV shows, podcasts, and social media. Learning these phrases will help you understand casual English and sound more natural in everyday situations. Each English phrase includes translations in several languages.

🟢 Reacting to Good News

🎉 That's awesome!
use this when something exciting happens
I passed my driving test.
That's awesome!
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¡Eso es genial!
🇫🇷 French: C'est génial !
🇩🇪 German: Das ist awesome!
🇮🇹 Italian: Fantastico!
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Que legal!
😄 Nice!
a simple way to show approval or happiness
I finally finished the project.
Nice!
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¡Qué bien!
🇫🇷 French: Super !
🇩🇪 German: Super!
🇮🇹 Italian: Bene!
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Legal!
🤩 No way!
shows surprise or excitement
I won free concert tickets.
No way!
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¡No me digas!
🇫🇷 French: C'est pas possible !
🇩🇪 German: Niemals!
🇮🇹 Italian: Non ci credo!
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Não acredito!
👏 Good for you!
use this when you are happy about someone else's success
I started my own business.
Good for you!
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¡Bien por ti!
🇫🇷 French: Bravo !
🇩🇪 German: Gut für dich!
🇮🇹 Italian: Bene per te!
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Que bom para você!

🟡 When Things Go Wrong

😅 My bad
a casual way to admit a small mistake
My bad... I sent the wrong file.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Culpa mía...envié el archivo equivocado.
🇫🇷 French: C'est ma faute...j'ai envoyé le mauvais fichier.
🇩🇪 German: Mein Fehler...ich habe die falsche Datei geschickt.
🇮🇹 Italian: Colpa mia...ho inviato il file sbagliato.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Foi mal...eu enviei o arquivo errado.
🙈 Oops!
used after a small accident or mistake
Oops! I dropped my keys.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¡Ups! Se me cayeron las llaves.
🇫🇷 French: Oups ! J'ai fait tomber mes clés.
🇩🇪 German: Hoppla! Ich habe meine Schlüssel fallen lassen.
🇮🇹 Italian: Ops! Ho fatto cadere le chiavi.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Ops! Eu deixei cair as chaves.
😕 That's a bummer
a friendly way to say something is disappointing
The game was canceled.
That's a bummer.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Qué lástima.
🇫🇷 French: C'est dommage.
🇩🇪 German: Das ist schade.
🇮🇹 Italian: Che peccato.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Que pena.
🙂 No worries
a relaxed way to say "It's okay."
Sorry I'm late.
No worries.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: No te preocupes.
🇫🇷 French: Pas de souci.
🇩🇪 German: Kein Problem.
🇮🇹 Italian: Nessun problema.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Sem problemas.

🔵 Keeping the Conversation Going

💬 By the way...
introduce a new topic or extra information
By the way, did you see the new café?
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Por cierto, ¿viste el nuevo café?
🇫🇷 French: Au fait, as-tu vu le nouveau café ?
🇩🇪 German: Übrigens, hast du das neue Café gesehen?
🇮🇹 Italian: A proposito, hai visto il nuovo caffè?
🇵🇹 Portuguese: A propósito, você viu o novo café?
➡️ Anyway...
return to the main conversation or move on
Anyway, let's get started.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: De todos modos, empecemos.
🇫🇷 French: Bref, commençons.
🇩🇪 German: Wie dem auch sei, lass uns anfangen.
🇮🇹 Italian: Comunque, iniziamo.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: De qualquer forma, vamos começar.
🤔 Speaking of that...
connect to something that was just mentioned
Speaking of travel, have you ever visited Canada?
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Hablando de viajes, ¿alguna vez has visitado Canadá?
🇫🇷 French: En parlant de voyage, as-tu déjà visité le Canada ?
🇩🇪 German: Apropos Reisen, warst du schon einmal in Kanada?
🇮🇹 Italian: A proposito di viaggi, sei mai stato in Canada?
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Falando em viagens, você já visitou o Canadá?
✨ Guess what?
use this before sharing exciting news
Guess what? I got the job!
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¿Adivina qué? ¡Conseguí el trabajo!
🇫🇷 French: Devine quoi ? J'ai eu le job !
🇩🇪 German: Rate mal? Ich habe den Job bekommen!
🇮🇹 Italian: Indovina un po'? Ho preso il lavoro!
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Adivinha? Eu consegui o emprego!

🟣 Buying Time Before You Answer

⏳ Hang on
ask someone to wait briefly
Hang on... I'll be right back.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Espera...vuelvo enseguida.
🇫🇷 French: Attends...je reviens tout de suite.
🇩🇪 German: Warte...ich bin gleich zurück.
🇮🇹 Italian: Aspetta...torno subito.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Espera...eu volto já.
⌚ Give me a second
a natural way to ask for a little time
Give me a second while I check.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Dame un segundo mientras reviso.
🇫🇷 French: Donne-moi une seconde pendant que je vérifie.
🇩🇪 German: Gib mir eine Sekunde, während ich nachschaue.
🇮🇹 Italian: Dammi un secondo mentre controllo.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Me dá um segundo enquanto eu verifico.
🤔 Let me think...
use this before answering a difficult question
Let me think... I believe it's on Friday.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Déjame pensar... Creo que es el viernes.
🇫🇷 French: Laisse-moi réfléchir... Je crois que c'est vendredi.
🇩🇪 German: Lass mich nachdenken... Ich glaube, es ist am Freitag.
🇮🇹 Italian: Fammi pensare... Credo che sia venerdì.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Deixa eu pensar... Acho que é na sexta-feira.
✋ Hold on
ask someone to wait for a moment
Hold on, I forgot my wallet.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Espera, se me olvidó la cartera.
🇫🇷 French: Attends, j'ai oublié mon portefeuille.
🇩🇪 German: Warte, ich habe meine Brieftasche vergessen.
🇮🇹 Italian: Aspetta, ho dimenticato il portafoglio.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Espera, eu esqueci a carteira.

🟠 Agreeing Naturally

👍 Sounds good
a friendly way to agree with a plan
Let's meet at six.
Sounds good!
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¡Suena bien!
🇫🇷 French: Ça me va !
🇩🇪 German: Klingt gut!
🇮🇹 Italian: Va bene!
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Parece bom!
🙌 I'm in
say this when you want to join an activity
We're playing volleyball after work.
I'm in!
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¡Cuento conmigo!
🇫🇷 French: Je suis partant !
🇩🇪 German: Ich bin dabei!
🇮🇹 Italian: Ci sto!
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Eu topo!
✔️ That works for me
use this when a suggestion or schedule is acceptable
Let's meet on Thursday.
That works for me.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Me viene bien.
🇫🇷 French: Ça me convient.
🇩🇪 German: Das passt mir.
🇮🇹 Italian: Va bene per me.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Isso funciona para mim.
😊 You bet!
a cheerful way to say "certainly" or "you're welcome"
Can you help me tomorrow?
You bet!
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¡Claro que sí!
🇫🇷 French: Bien sûr !
🇩🇪 German: Aber klar!
🇮🇹 Italian: Certo!
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Pode apostar!

💬 Everyday Conversations

Making weekend plans
guess what, no way, that's awesome, I'm in
A: Guess what? I got free tickets to the baseball game!
B: No way! That's awesome!
A: Want to come with me?
B: I'm in!
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 A: ¿Adivina qué? ¡Conseguí entradas gratis para el partido de béisbol!
🇪🇸 B: ¡No me digas! ¡Qué genial!
🇪🇸 A: ¿Quieres venir conmigo?
🇪🇸 B: ¡Cuento conmigo!

🇫🇷 A: Devine quoi ? J'ai des billets gratuits pour le match de baseball !
🇫🇷 B: C'est pas possible ! C'est génial !
🇫🇷 A: Tu veux venir avec moi ?
🇫🇷 B: Je suis partant !

🇩🇪 A: Rate mal? Ich habe freie Tickets für das Baseballspiel bekommen!
🇩🇪 B: Niemals! Das ist awesome!
🇩🇪 A: Willst du mitkommen?
🇩🇪 B: Ich bin dabei!

🇮🇹 A: Indovina un po'? Ho biglietti gratis per la partita di baseball!
🇮🇹 B: Non ci credo! Fantastico!
🇮🇹 A: Vuoi venire con me?
🇮🇹 B: Ci sto!

🇵🇹 A: Adivinha? Eu consegui ingressos grátis para o jogo de beisebol!
🇵🇹 B: Não acredito! Que legal!
🇵🇹 A: Quer ir comigo?
🇵🇹 B: Eu topo!
Small mistake
oops, my bad, no worries
A: You left your sunglasses in my car.
B: Oops! My bad.
A: No worries. I'll bring them tomorrow.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 A: Dejaste tus gafas de sol en mi coche.
🇪🇸 B: ¡Ups! Culpa mía.
🇪🇸 A: No te preocupes. Te las traigo mañana.

🇫🇷 A: Tu as laissé tes lunettes de soleil dans ma voiture.
🇫🇷 B: Oups ! C'est ma faute.
🇫🇷 A: Pas de souci. Je te les apporterai demain.

🇩🇪 A: Du hast deine Sonnenbrille in meinem Auto gelassen.
🇩🇪 B: Hoppla! Mein Fehler.
🇩🇪 A: Kein Problem. Ich bringe sie morgen mit.

🇮🇹 A: Hai lasciato gli occhiali da sole nella mia macchina.
🇮🇹 B: Ops! Colpa mia.
🇮🇹 A: Nessun problema. Te li porto domani.

🇵🇹 A: Você deixou os óculos de sol no meu carro.
🇵🇹 B: Ops! Foi mal.
🇵🇹 A: Sem problemas. Eu trago eles amanhã.
Choosing a restaurant
sounds good, that works for me
A: How about the new noodle restaurant?
B: Sounds good.
A: Great! Let's leave at seven.
B: That works for me.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 A: ¿Qué tal el nuevo restaurante de fideos?
🇪🇸 B: Suena bien.
🇪🇸 A: ¡Genial! Salgamos a las siete.
🇪🇸 B: Me viene bien.

🇫🇷 A: Et si on allait au nouveau restaurant de nouilles ?
🇫🇷 B: Ça me va.
🇫🇷 A: Super ! Partons à sept heures.
🇫🇷 B: Ça me convient.

🇩🇪 A: Wie wäre es mit dem neuen Nudelrestaurant?
🇩🇪 B: Klingt gut.
🇩🇪 A: Großartig! Lass uns um sieben aufbrechen.
🇩🇪 B: Das passt mir.

🇮🇹 A: Che ne dici del nuovo ristorante di noodle?
🇮🇹 B: Va bene.
🇮🇹 A: Ottimo! Usciamo alle sette.
🇮🇹 B: Va bene per me.

🇵🇹 A: Que tal o novo restaurante de macarrão?
🇵🇹 B: Parece bom.
🇵🇹 A: Ótimo! Vamos sair às sete.
🇵🇹 B: Isso funciona para mim.

📝 Example Sentences

🎬 Guess what? Our favorite show is back!
sharing exciting news
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¿Adivina qué? ¡Nuestra serie favorita ha vuelto!
🇫🇷 French: Devine quoi ? Notre série préférée est de retour !
🇩🇪 German: Rate mal? Unsere Lieblingsserie ist zurück!
🇮🇹 Italian: Indovina un po'? La nostra serie preferita è tornata!
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Adivinha? Nosso programa favorito voltou!
📦 Hang on while I grab the package.
asking someone to wait
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Espera mientras recojo el paquete.
🇫🇷 French: Attends pendant que je prends le colis.
🇩🇪 German: Warte, während ich das Paket hole.
🇮🇹 Italian: Aspetta mentre prendo il pacco.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Espera enquanto eu pego o pacote.
🚲 That works for me. Let's ride our bikes instead.
agreeing with a suggestion
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Me viene bien. Montemos en bicicleta en su lugar.
🇫🇷 French: Ça me convient. Faisons du vélo à la place.
🇩🇪 German: Das passt mir. Lass uns stattdessen Fahrrad fahren.
🇮🇹 Italian: Va bene per me. Andiamo in bici invece.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Isso funciona para mim. Vamos de bicicleta em vez disso.
🎂 Good for you! You finally learned how to bake a cake.
celebrating someone's achievement
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¡Bien por ti! Finalmente aprendiste a hornear un pastel.
🇫🇷 French: Bravo ! Tu as enfin appris à faire un gâteau.
🇩🇪 German: Gut für dich! Du hast endlich gelernt, einen Kuchen zu backen.
🇮🇹 Italian: Bene per te! Finalmente hai imparato a fare una torta.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Que bom para você! Você finalmente aprendeu a assar um bolo.
📱 Oops! I texted the wrong person.
admitting a small mistake
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¡Ups! Envié un mensaje a la persona equivocada.
🇫🇷 French: Oups ! J'ai envoyé un message à la mauvaise personne.
🇩🇪 German: Hoppla! Ich habe der falschen Person geschrieben.
🇮🇹 Italian: Ops! Ho mandato un messaggio alla persona sbagliata.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Ops! Eu mandei mensagem para a pessoa errada.
🧩 Let me think... I know the answer.
taking time before responding
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Déjame pensar... Sé la respuesta.
🇫🇷 French: Laisse-moi réfléchir... Je connais la réponse.
🇩🇪 German: Lass mich nachdenken... Ich kenne die Antwort.
🇮🇹 Italian: Fammi pensare... So la risposta.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Deixa eu pensar... Eu sei a resposta.
🚗 Sounds good. I'll meet you in the parking lot.
agreeing with a plan
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Suena bien. Te espero en el aparcamiento.
🇫🇷 French: Ça me va. Je te retrouve sur le parking.
🇩🇪 German: Klingt gut. Ich treffe dich auf dem Parkplatz.
🇮🇹 Italian: Va bene. Ti aspetto nel parcheggio.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Parece bom. Eu te encontro no estacionamento.
🎉 You bet! I'll be there to celebrate.
an enthusiastic yes
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¡Claro que sí! Estaré allí para celebrar.
🇫🇷 French: Bien sûr ! Je serai là pour célébrer.
🇩🇪 German: Aber klar! Ich werde da sein, um zu feiern.
🇮🇹 Italian: Certo! Sarò lì per festeggiare.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Pode apostar! Eu estarei lá para comemorar.

🏆 Final Practice

English in the Real World:

Read the situation. Choose the informal phrase that fits.
Question 1 of 8
✅ Correct: 0
❓ Questions: 0
🎯 Accuracy: 0%