Cockney rhyming slang is a type of slang in which words are replaced by words or phrases they rhyme with.
As I learnt from this article in The Guardian, “brown bread” is Cockney rhyming slang for dead, “china plate” for mate, and “bubble bath” for laugh.
How good are you at it? Do the BBC test to find out.
I found the quiz difficult. So I’m surprised that I got 8 out of 12, as you can see in the picture above. I’m obviously not the Cockney rhyming slang expert!
Germans have that lovely little word bitte.
But how on earth can it be translated?
Darf ich bitte das Buch haben?
May I have the book, please?
While handing the book over to you, the person might say:
Bitte schön. Or Bitte sehr.
And you would reply:
Thank you.
In German, when you say Danke or Dankeschön, the reply you get is often Bitte.
And in English?
You’re welcome. Or Not at all. Or My pleasure.
People love hearing their own names.
So when socialising, try and use people’s names as often as you can while talking to them. It’s a great way to build trust and to make people feel valued.
And it’ll help you remember their names better! 😉
But, of course, you shouldn’t overdo it!
After the salutation (or greeting) in a letter or email, we always start our text with a capital letter.
It looks like this …
Dear Michael (with or without a comma here)
Many thanks for ….
It’s different in German. Perhaps that’s why so many people don’t do it! 😉
“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” Mark Twain
