There are many American English slang (or informal English) expressions that are hard to understand for English learners. Here are some of the more common ones that have been in use for quite some time. That is, they are not super recent and new; a wide range of age groups use them, not just younger people. You will come across these common and confusing expressions quite frequently if you watch American films, sitcoms, and dramas.
(Listen to the podcast version of this episode here.)
1. Oh my god!
Why it’s confusing: It has nothing to do with gods, God or religion. It is just an expression people use to express surprise, shock, amazement, or excitement.
Surprise, shock, amazement:
Speaker A: I heard Jeff was in a car accident last night.
Speaker B: Oh my god! Is he OK?
Surprise, shock, amazement, excitement
Speaker A: Oh my god! I can’t believe it! I won the lottery!
Oh my god! can also be used as general intensifier, to add emphasis
Speaker A: How did you do on your math test?
Speaker B: Oh my god, you won’t believe how hard it was. I’m sure I failed.
Note that in this usage, you don’t capitalize god because you are not naming any specific god. It’s just a plain old noun.
I’ll continue with the context of doing poorly on a test for the rest of the examples. I will also sneak in some bonus slang that you should be able to guess from context if you read through all the examples.
2. That sucks
Why it’s confusing: It has nothing to do with the act of sucking, like a baby would do with a bottle, or you might do with a piece of candy. “That sucks” is a response to hearing someone talk about bad news, disappointments, or generally sad, unpleasant things that have happened.
Speaker A: How did you do on your math test?
Speaker B: Oh my god, you won’t believe how hard it was. I’m sure I failed.
Speaker A: Oh, that sucks! Sorry to hear that.
The verb “to suck” is also used for things that are bad, unpleasant, or disappointing in general. For example:
Speaker A: How did you do on your math test?
Speaker B: Oh my god, it sucked. I’m sure I totally tanked.
Speaker A: Oh, that sucks! Sorry to hear that.
Speaker B: Well, to be honest, my teacher really sucks, so I don’t feel all that bad.
3. Tell me about it
Why it’s confusing: Tell me about it in this context does not mean that the person wants you to say more about your topic. It’s not a request for more information. It means that they agree with you, or understand you, often because they have experienced the same thing or something similar.
Speaker A: How did your math test go?
Speaker B: Oh my god, it was a nightmare. I’m sure I failed spectacularly.
Speaker A: Oh, that sucks! You must feel terrible.
Speaker B: Well, to be honest, my teacher totally sucks, so I don’t feel all that bad.
Speaker A: Tell me about it!. I had him last year. He’s probably the worst math teacher I ever had.
4. To bomb
Why it’s confusing: the slang meaning has nothing to do with bombs or explosions. To bomb means to fail or do something extremely poorly. It’s often used in the context of performances or acts that other people judge, like tests, speeches, or public performances.
Speaker A: Hey, how was your math test?
Speaker B: Oh my god, it was terrible. I’m sure I totally bombed.
Speaker A: Oh, that sucks!
5. Bummer / bummed
Why it’s confusing: Bum has several meanings in both American and British English. Bummer also means very different things in American and British English.
Here we’ll focus on one American usage. You can describe any disappointing, sad, or undesirable experience as a bummer. Speakers often use it as a sympathetic response to hearing about someone else’s disappointment or misfortune.
Speaker A: How did you do on your math test?
Speaker B: Oh. My. God. It was such abummer! It was so hard. I’m sure I totally bombed.
Speaker A: Oh, what a bummer! Sorry to hear that.
You can also use bummedas an adjective to describe feeling disappointed or sad.
Speaker A: Hey, how was that math test?
Speaker B: Oh man, it was a disaster. It was impossibly difficult. I didn’t even finish it; I just walked out.
Speaker A: What a bummer! Sorry to hear that.
Speaker B: Yeah, I’m totally bummed.
You can also use to bum someone out as a verb meaning to disappoint or upset someone.
Speaker A: Hey, didn’t you have a math test this morning? How did it go?
Speaker B: Oh dude, you won’t believe how hard it was. I so bombed.
Speaker A: That sucks! So sorry to hear it.
Speaker B: Yeah, I’m totally bummed.
Speaker A: I don’t want to bum you out even more, but wasn’t that your last chance to pass the class?
That was five expressions that I could think of off the top of my head (spontaneously). This probably means that there is a West Coast bias, because I grew up in Southern California. Have you heard any American English expressions that have left you scratching your head (confused)? Let me know in the comments, email, or by voicemail.