0:00 Hello, lovely students, and welcome back to English with Lucy.
0:04 Would you survive in Great Britain when it comes to listening in English?
0:12 How advanced are your English listening skills?
0:16 Let's test them today.
0:18 I have collected 15 examples of very advanced English, overheard here in Great Britain.
0:26 We have 4 categories: In the Neighborhood, On Public Transport,
0:34 In the Office—and my personal favourite: Embarrassing Faux Pas.
0:41 Now, a faux pas is an embarrassing mistake made in public.
0:46 If you can understand just 50% of these incredibly advanced 'snippets'
0:53 or small parts of a conversation,
0:57 your English listening skills are advanced—they are superb.
1:01 And because this is such an important lesson,
1:04 I've created a detailed PDF
1:06 that includes all the key vocabulary highlighted in the lesson,
1:10 plus loads of extras.
1:12 To download that, just click the link in the description box
1:15 or scan the QR code on screen,
1:18 and I'll send it straight to your inbox.
1:20 I'll also add you to the waiting list for my most advanced course ever—The
1:25 Beautiful British English C2 Programme.
1:28 It launches on the 19th of January, 2026.
1:32 If you're ready to move past advanced into a level where English feels flexible,
1:38 expressive and fully yours… You're going to want to be on the waiting list.
1:43 You'll get access to the incredible launch discount
1:47 and you'll be one of the very first to experience this programme.
1:51 Make sure you click the link in the description box
1:53 or scan the QR code to get your PDF
1:56 and join the C2 programme waiting list.
1:59 Okay, let's get started with our first category: In the Neighborhood.
2:03 I will ask the question and then play each audio twice.
2:08 I'll give you some time to think
2:10 and then I will explain the answers
2:12 and highlight any other interesting bits.
2:15 Are you ready for number 1?
2:16 What’s the speaker’s attitude towards Kara’s reaction?
2:22 A)They think it’s justified,
2:25 B) They think it's exaggerated or C)They think it’s admirable.
2:31 'Did you hear about Kara at number 22 kicking up a tremendous fuss about
2:36 Jim painting his garage door canary yellow?
2:40 Honestly, it’s turned into a right palaver.'
2:41 'Did you hear about Kara at number 22 kicking up a tremendous fuss about
2:48 Jim painting his garage door canary yellow?
2:52 Honestly, it’s turned into a right palaver.'
2:55 The correct answer is B.
2:57 The speaker thinks Kara's reaction is exaggerated.
3:01 How do we know?
3:02 Well, there are 2 interesting pieces of vocabulary here.
3:07 First, we have 'kicking up a fuss'.
3:10 Now, this informal idiom means to complain loudly about something,
3:15 but we often use it when we think the complaint isn't necessary.
3:20 You can also say 'kick up a stink' or 'row' - as an argument.
3:26 Then, we also have the very informal British English word 'palaver'.
3:31 Now, a 'palaver' is a great deal of unnecessary excitement or trouble, again,
3:37 especially about something that is not important.
3:40 So, from these 2 phrases,
3:42 we can infer that the speaker thinks Kara's reaction is exaggerated.
3:48 Okay, number 2: listen to the audio
3:51 and complete this sentence with 2 words—'The neighbours ___ to clean up the dirty
4:00 alley.'
4:00 'The alley running down the back of the houses was chock-a-block with rubbish,
4:05 but loads of people in the neighbourhood met last week
4:07 and mucked in to clean it up.
4:10 Ayesha even managed to find some local artists to paint a mural
4:13 and brighten the space up a bit.'
4:16 'The alley running down the back of the houses was chock-a-block with rubbish,
4:20 but loads of people in the neighbourhood met last week
4:23 and mucked in to clean it up.
4:25 Ayesha even managed to find some local artists to paint a mural
4:29 and brighten the space up a bit.'
4:31 Did you catch the 2 words?
4:33 The answer is 'mucked in', 'mucked in'.
4:38 Now, notice the catenation or consonant-to-vowel linking there: muck-tin, muck-tin.
4:47 I'm joining them together to make my speech more efficient.
4:51 Now, what does it mean?
4:52 Did you figure it out from the context?
4:54 This phrasal verb means to come together with others
4:58 and share work in order to complete a task.
5:01 There's some more challenging vocabulary in this snippet, like 'alley',
5:05 'chock-a-block' and 'mural'.
5:08 Make sure you download the PDF for a more in-depth analysis of each audio.
5:13 QR code there.
5:14 Link down there.
5:15 Let's do question number 3:
5:17 What are the last 2 words you hear to complete this phrase
5:21 and what does it mean—'I'm going to have courgettes coming out of ___.'
5:28 'A: Y’alright Rach?
5:30 Your veggie patch seems to be coming on a treat!
5:32 B: Cheers, yeah, well with all this rain and sun we’ve been having,
5:35 I’m gonna have courgettes coming out of my ears in the next few weeks.'
5:39 'A: Y’alright Rach?
5:41 Your veggie patch seems to be coming on a treat!
5:44 B: Cheers, yeah, well with all this rain and sun we’ve been having,
5:46 I’m gonna have courgettes coming out of my ears in the next few weeks.'
5:50 So, you actually heard /mijɪəz/, /mijɪəz/.
5:55 In many British accents and some other accents,
5:58 the possessive adjective 'my' is pronounced with a shorter /i/ sound, /mi/.
6:05 There's also a soft /j/ sound that links the 2 vowel sounds.
6:10 The speaker isn't saying 'years', although it does sound like it.
6:14 So, the last phrase in full is:
6:17 'I'm going to have courgettes coming out of my ears…' /Mijɪəz/.
6:24 Any idea what that phrase in bold means?
6:27 Well, if you have something 'coming out of your ears',
6:31 you have far more of it than you want or need.
6:34 Such a great expression.
6:36 Okay, time for our final conversation snippet overheard in the neighborhood.
6:41 Listen and tell me what change the speaker is describing.
6:46 'It used to be that on a Saturday morning,
6:48 the air hummed with friendly chatter and customers haggling over prices.
6:52 Now there’s only a handful of stalls left.
6:55 It’s such a shame
6:56 that shopping has been reduced to an act of clicking,
6:58 not mingling.'
7:00 'It used to be that on a Saturday morning,
7:03 the air hummed with friendly chatter and customers haggling over prices.
7:07 Now there’s only a handful of stalls left.
7:09 It’s such a shame
7:10 that shopping has been reduced to an act of clicking,
7:13 not mingling.'
7:15 So, if you answered 'the decline of local markets',
7:18 'the shift towards online shopping' or something similar to that, you are right.
7:25 Let's take a closer look.
7:26 The biggest clues here are probably the phrases 'customers haggling over prices'
7:33 and 'only a handful of stalls left'.
7:36 If you 'haggle over' or 'haggle about something',
7:41 you argue to try to get the best price for something.
7:44 A 'handful' is a small number of something.
7:47 In this case, 'stalls'.
7:49 We don't need to pronounce the /d/ in the middle there - 'handful'.
7:53 A 'stall' is a table
7:55 or a small shop
7:56 that people sell from at a market.
7:59 Now, did you know enough of that advanced vocabulary to get the answer?
8:03 Make sure you keep track of your score out of 4 so far.
8:08 I will ask you to share it at the end.
8:10 Okay, let's move on to a new category.
8:12 Things you might overhear went out and about on public transport.
8:16 Here's something I heard a little while back.
8:19 Listen and tell me what item the speaker is talking about.
8:23 'It was making such a racket,
8:25 so I yanked up the handle to carry it for a bit
8:28 just to give myself and everyone else some respite but it snapped clean off,
8:32 which then sent the whole thing crashing to the floor, and jammed the wheel.
8:35 Absolute nightmare.'
8:38 'It was making such a racket,
8:39 so I yanked up the handle to carry it for a bit
8:42 just to give myself and everyone else some respite but it snapped clean off,
8:46 which then sent the whole thing crashing to the floor, and jammed the wheel.
8:49 Absolute nightmare.'
8:51 Did you get it?
8:53 Here's the full bit of text if you need a bit of help.
8:57 The speaker is talking about a suitcase - a wheeled
9:01 or wheelie suitcase to be precise.
9:03 How did you figure it out?
9:05 If the speaker just says it all the time, well, we have the context.
9:11 We know this was overheard on public transport.
9:14 A lot of people carry cases when traveling.
9:18 Then we had the phrase 'making such a racket'.
9:23 A 'racket' is a loud, unpleasant noise.
9:28 Now, I don't know about you, but my wheelie suitcase sometimes makes horrible noises.
9:34 Then we have the word 'handle'—this is the top part of the case you
9:39 can use to carry it.
9:40 And then 'jammed the wheel'.
9:43 If a 'wheel jams', it stops moving.
9:46 Imagine the wheel getting all covered in jam.
9:49 Horrific, nightmare fuel.
9:51 Let's move on to number 6:
9:53 Listen to this snippet—which adjective do you hear and what does it mean?
9:59 Is it A) 'weary', B) 'wary' or C) 'wiry'?
10:09 Have a listen.
10:10 'I’m just a little bit ___ of putting my bag there.
10:14 Technically, you’re not supposed to leave belongings unattended, are you?'
10:18 'I’m just a little bit ___ of putting my bag there.
10:21 Technically, you’re not supposed to leave belongings unattended, are you?'
10:25 The answer is B) 'wary'.
10:27 'I'm just a little bit wary of putting my bag there.'
10:32 If you are 'wary of doing something',
10:35 you're very careful or cautious about it
10:38 because you think there might be a problem
10:40 or some kind of danger.
10:42 'Weary' means to be tired of
10:45 and 'wiry' is thin
10:47 and bendy like a wire.
10:49 Okay, time for number 7: listen to this announcement over the loudspeaker.
10:55 There are 6 pieces of information - all numbers -
10:59 that could be relevant
11:00 and important for you.
11:02 How many of them can you catch?
11:05 'Final call for passengers on Flight BA 793 to Copenhagen.
11:12 Boarding for rows 13 to 70 is now taking place at Gate C18.
11:18 Please be advised that checked baggage exceeding 15 kilos will incur an additional fee
11:23 of 65 euros at the desk.'
11:26 Okay, these announcements are notoriously difficult to hear, even for native speakers!
11:32 So, here’s a bit of a clue before you listen again -
11:35 but feel free to look away
11:36 if you want more of a challenge!
11:39 'Final call for passengers on Flight BA 793 to Copenhagen.
11:46 Boarding for rows 13 to 70 is now taking place at Gate C18.
11:52 Please be advised that checked baggage exceeding 15 kilos will incur an additional fee
11:57 of 65 euros at the desk.'
12:00 Okay, so the speaker said Flight BA 793 to Copenhagen, rows 13 to 70,
12:10 Gate C18, baggage exceeding 15 kilos and an additional fee of 65 euros.
12:20 If you got more than half of those right, give yourself a point.
12:25 Now for our final snippet in this category,
12:28 I'd like you to try
12:29 and finish the passage with a word
12:31 or a short phrase
12:32 that makes logical sense.
12:35 'I thought I’d be fine, but the minute we left the harbour,
12:38 the swell really hit me.
12:40 I tried to read for a bit - bad idea.
12:43 Couldn’t focus and every lurch of the boat made me feel worse.
12:48 I had to sit perfectly still, staring at the horizon,
12:52 just trying not to……' 'I thought I’d be fine,
12:56 but the minute we left the harbour, the swell really hit me.
13:00 I tried to read for a bit - bad idea.
13:03 Couldn’t focus and every lurch of the boat made me feel worse.
13:08 I had to sit perfectly still, staring at the horizon,
13:12 just trying not to……' Okay,
13:15 if you said something along the lines of 'vomit',
13:19 'be sick' or 'throw up' then give yourself a point.
13:25 Now did you manage to figure out what was going on?
13:28 There's quite a lot of boat-related vocabulary here: 'the harbor', 'swell',
13:32 'lurch of the boat' and 'horizon'.
13:33 And then clues that point to seasickness like 'I thought I'd be fine,
13:33 but…' and 'made me feel worse'.
13:33 Check out the PDF for a more in-depth analysis
13:33 if you found that one tricky.
13:33 Okay, what's your score out of 8 so far?
13:36 Are you ready for the next category?
13:36 We're heading into the office now for number 9.
13:36 Listen and complete this sentence with 5 words.
13:37 The speaker is worried that they've ___.
13:37 What?
13:37 'Well, judging by the stony silence in that meeting, I think I may have ___.
13:37 All I said was that we should invite contributions from the whole team,
13:37 but the reaction was as if I’d questioned the whole project.
13:37 I clearly struck a raw nerve….'
13:37 'Well, judging by the stony silence in that meeting, I think I may have ___.
13:37 All I said was that we should invite contributions from the whole team,
13:37 but the reaction was as if I’d questioned the whole project.
13:37 I clearly struck a raw nerve….'
13:37 This missing phrase is 'trodden on a few toes', 'trodden on a few toes'.
13:37 Have you ever heard this expression before?
13:37 Here's the full transcript.
13:37 Which definition fits best?
13:37 Does 'to tread on someone's toes' mean A) to inadvertently upset someone by interfering
13:37 in their responsibilities or area of control
13:37 or B) to avoid getting involved in something
13:37 as it might cause conflict.
13:37 The answer is A).
13:37 You can also say 'step on someone's toes'.
13:37 Now, did you catch the other juicy C2 language in that clip?
13:37 I've highlighted it in the PDF - download
13:37 that so you don't miss out on phrases like 'struck a raw nerve'.
13:37 Oh, that's a beautiful phrase 'to strike a raw nerve'.
13:37 Okay, this next one is a real challenge.
13:37 You're going to hear a snippet with 4 abbreviations.
13:37 Or to be more precise, initialism.
13:37 FAQ, for example, is an initialism - the letters stand for frequently asked questions.
13:37 Now, can you catch the office initialism and come up with their full form?
13:39 'Can you send me the draft of the KPIs asap?
13:39 I need to get it to the CEO by EOD.'
13:39 'Can you send me the draft of the KPIs asap?
13:39 I need to get it to the CEO by EOD.'
13:39 Okay, so we had KPIs - key performance indicators, ASAP,
13:39 sometimes pronounced as /ˈeɪsæp/, meaning as soon as possible.
13:39 CEO - Chief Executive Officer and EOD - end of day.
13:39 Now, if you caught more than 2 of those, you deserve a point.
13:40 Oh, and an important pronunciation point.
13:40 Did you notice how I stressed the last letter in these initialism?
13:42 KPIs, ASAP, CEO, EOD.
13:42 Try to do the same when you pronounce them.
13:42 You'll sound nice and natural.
13:42 Okay, for number 11,
13:42 I'm going to show you the text
13:42 and I want you to choose the word
13:42 or phrase you hear.
13:42 Now, don't worry if you can't see the screen,
13:42 I will give you the options once you've listened twice.
13:42 Okay, so we have some very similar-sounding expressions here.
13:42 'This quarter has exceeded expectations,
13:42 so we’ll be sure to order it before the report goes out.
13:43 We’ll wrap things up there
13:43 Ben if it’s all clear for you?'
13:43 'This quarter has exceeded expectations,
13:43 so we’ll be sure to order it before the report goes out.
13:43 We’ll wrap things up there
13:43 Ben if it’s all clear for you?'
13:43 Did you hear 1. quota or quarter, 2. audit or order it,
13:43 3. benefits or Ben if it’s?
13:43 Replay the audio one more time if you need to.
13:43 The answers are 'quarter', 'order it' and 'Ben if it's'—really tricky isn't it.
13:45 Well done if you got all of those.
13:45 Okay, it's time for our final audio from the office,
13:45 listen to it and complete the passage with a word or short phrase.
13:45 Ready?
13:45 'The much-hyped redesign promised to break down barriers and spark collaboration.
13:45 Yet within weeks, everyone was retreating behind noise-cancelling headphones,
13:45 scrambling for secluded corners and voicing frustration at the incessant buzz of distracting chatter.
13:45 What had been touted
13:45 as an innovative step forward soon revealed itself to be…' 'The much-hyped redesign promised
13:45 to break down barriers
13:45 and spark collaboration.
13:45 Yet within weeks, everyone was retreating behind noise-cancelling headphones,
13:45 scrambling for secluded corners and voicing frustration at the incessant buzz of distracting chatter.
13:45 What had been touted
13:45 as an innovative step forward soon revealed itself to be…'
13:45 If you said something along the lines of 'counterproductive',
13:45 'a failure' or 'ineffective', you get a point.
13:45 In the PDF, I will delve deeper into the tricky vocab highlighted here.
13:45 Okay, we're on to our final category and our last 3 questions.
13:45 These snippets are a little bit embarrassing.
13:45 Listen to this and tell me what the mix-up was.
13:46 'I’d only been living in Manchester for a few weeks
13:46 when a colleague invited me round for tea at five.
13:46 I was thrilled at the thought of experiencing this quintessential British tradition
13:46 so I rocked up with a jar of strawberry jam
13:46 and a pot of clotted cream.
13:46 So you can imagine how bewildered I was
13:46 when I arrived to find the table fully laid
13:46 not for a pot of Earl Grey and scones,
13:46 but for a full-blown evening meal.'
13:46 'I’d only been living in Manchester for a few weeks
13:46 when a colleague invited me round for tea at five.
13:46 I was thrilled at the thought of experiencing this quintessential British tradition
13:46 so I rocked up with a jar of strawberry jam
13:46 and a pot of clotted cream.
13:46 So you can imagine how bewildered I was
13:46 when I arrived to find the table fully laid
13:46 not for a pot of Earl Grey and scones,
13:46 but for a full-blown evening meal.'
13:46 Okay, this one confuses so many students.
13:46 Dinner is the word that's usually taught to describe an evening meal,
13:46 but in many places around the UK,
13:46 dinner is replaced by tea
13:46 and the fact that many people have their evening meal
13:46 as early as 5 o’clock just adds to the confusion.
13:46 So if in doubt, make sure you check.
13:47 So, if in doubt make sure you check - do you mean tea
13:47 as in dinner or tea
13:47 as in tea and cake?
13:47 Okay, for number 14,
13:48 see if you can finish this audio with a suitable word or phrase.
13:49 Ready?
13:49 'I spoke to a fellow gymgoer about an odious man who was offering unsolicited
13:49 advice to all and sundry... tried to dissuade him from going anywhere near…..
13:49 I wanted the ground to open
13:49 and swallow me up
13:49 when he turned around
13:49 and said……' 'I spoke to a fellow gymgoer about an odious man who was
13:49 offering unsolicited advice to all
13:49 and sundry... tried to dissuade him from going anywhere near…..
13:49 I wanted the ground to open
13:49 and swallow me up
13:49 when he turned around
13:49 and said……' So,
13:50 if you said something like, he's my friend, husband, hubby, basically any relationship,
13:50 that's another point for you - well done.
13:50 There's a great idiom here
13:50 that means to be
13:51 so embarrassed you wish you could disappear.
13:51 Did you catch it at the end there?
13:51 'I wanted the ground to swallow me up.'
13:51 I love this.
13:51 It's so descriptive.
13:51 I wonder if you've ever felt that way.
13:51 I'm sure you have on multiple occasions.
13:51 Please feel free to share any anecdotes, I love laughing along with you.
13:51 Okay, our final question for today's lesson.
13:52 What social faux pas did this speaker make?
13:52 'I’d gone to a friend-of-a-friend’s for dinner.
13:52 The host served a divine goat’s cheese
13:52 and onion tart as part of the spread.
13:52 As the music, wine and conversation flowed, I polished off the lot.
13:52 It took a sharp elbow to the ribs for me to realise what had
13:52 happened.
13:52 Oh, needless to say, I was mortified.'
13:52 'I’d gone to a friend-of-a-friend’s for dinner.
13:52 The host served a divine goat’s cheese
13:52 and onion tart as part of the spread.
13:52 As the music, wine and conversation flowed, I polished off the lot.
13:52 It took a sharp elbow to the ribs for me to realise what had
13:52 happened.
13:52 Oh, needless to say, I was mortified.'
13:52 If you 'polish something off', you finish all of it.
13:52 Would that be considered a social faux pas in your country or culture?
13:52 Let me know, the speaker was left 'mortified'.
13:52 Now this C2 word means to feel ashamed or humiliated.
13:52 So, my lovely students, that brings us to the end of today's video lesson.
13:53 I would love to know what was your score out of 15,
13:53 Please let me know in the comments.
13:53 If this lesson stretched your listening skills, imagine what you will achieve at C2.
13:53 My brand-new Beautiful British English C2 Programme launches on the 19th of January 2026.
13:53 Get ready to unlock English at its absolute highest level.
13:53 To join the waiting list,
13:53 make sure you download today's PDF—it's packed with all the key vocabulary
13:53 and extra tips from this lesson.
13:53 Scan the QR code or click the link below to join the waiting list.
13:53 See you soon!