Anyone starting work or renting in Birmingham and the West Midlands.
Birmingham
What the people on the line, the bus driver and the landlord in Birmingham actually say. Listen, read what it means, then try the quick check.
24 words and phrases10 sentence check20 minutes, aboutFree no sign-up
How it sounds
A sing-song tune that often rises at the end of a sentence, so a plain statement can sound like a question. The "i" sound becomes "oi": "I like it" sounds close to "oi loike it". The "u" in "bus" and "cup" is short, like the north of England. Just west, in the Black Country (Dudley, Walsall, Wolverhampton), the accent and the words are different again, and people there do not like being called Brummies.
The audio is a general voice for now. People from Birmingham are recording these lines in their own accent, and each one swaps in as it is done.
1 Play the word, then the sentence2 Read what it means3 Say it back out loud4 Do the check at the end
24 words and phrases
What you will hear
Tap the play button on any card. The word first, then how it sounds in a sentence.
- 1
Alright?
Hello, how are you? You can just say "alright" back, or "yeah, not bad".
Alright, bab? Yeah, not bad, ta.
- 2
bab
A friendly word for anyone, man or woman, like "love" or "mate".
Ta, bab, see you tomorrow.
- 3
ta
Thank you.
Pass us that spanner. Ta.
- 4
tara-a-bit
Goodbye, see you later. You will also hear just "tara".
Right, I'm off. Tara-a-bit.
- 5
bostin
Great, brilliant, really good.
That weld's bostin, that is.
- 6
cob
A bread roll. A bacon cob is a bacon roll.
Grab us a bacon cob from the van.
- 7
island
A roundabout on the road.
Go left at the island and the yard's on the right.
- 8
the cut
The canal. Birmingham has more canals than Venice.
We walked home along the cut after work.
- 9
outdoor
A small shop that sells beer, wine and spirits to take away.
I'll nip to the outdoor on the way home.
- 10
entry
A narrow passage between terraced houses, out to the back gardens.
The bins go out the back, down the entry.
- 11
mom
Mum, your mother. Said and spelt with an "o" in Birmingham.
My mom's coming over at the weekend.
- 12
our kid
My brother or sister, whatever their age.
Our kid works on the line at the car plant.
- 13
gaffer
The boss, the foreman, the person in charge.
Ask the gaffer if we're on overtime Saturday.
- 14
graft
Hard work. A grafter is someone who works hard.
It's a bit of graft, but the money's good.
- 15
snap
Your packed lunch, or the food you eat on your break.
Leave your snap in the canteen fridge.
- 16
brew
A cup of tea.
Kettle's on. Who wants a brew?
- 17
knackered
Very tired, worn out.
Twelve-hour shift. I'm knackered.
- 18
skive
To dodge work or hide from it.
He's skiving again, sat in the stores.
- 19
on earlies
Working the early shift. "On lates" is the late shift.
I'm on earlies this week, six till two.
- 20
yampy
Daft, a bit mad.
Don't be yampy, you can't lift that on your own.
- 21
mardy
Sulky, in a bad mood.
Leave him, he's mardy this morning.
- 22
chuffed
Very pleased.
The gaffer was chuffed with the job.
- 23
sorted
Done, arranged, no problem.
Your locker's sorted. Here's the key.
- 24
bodge
A rough, badly done job or repair.
That's a bodge job. Take it off and do it again.
Quick check
10 sentences. What did they mean?
Play each one and pick the answer. You can replay as often as you like. Your score shows at the end, and you can keep it against your name if you want to.
What next
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