Hello lovely students and welcome back to English with Lucy.
Would you survive in Great Britain when it comes to listening in English?
How advanced are your English listening skills?
Let's test them today.
I have collected 15 examples of very advanced English overheard here in Great Britain.
We have four categories.
In the neighbourhood, on public transport, in the office and my personal favourite embarrassing faux pas.
Now, a faux pas is an embarrassing mistake made in public.
If you can understand just 50 of these incredibly advanced snippets or small parts of a conversation, your English listening skills are advanced.
They are superb.
And because this is such an important lesson, I've created a detailed PDF that includes all the key vocabulary highlighted in the lesson, plus loads of extras.
To download that, just click the link in the description box or scan the QR code on screen and I'll send it straight to your inbox.
I'll also add you to the waiting list for my most advanced course ever, the beautiful British English C2 programme.
It launches on the 19th of January, 2026.
If you're ready to move past advanced, into a level where English feels flexible, expressive and fully yours, you're going to want to be on the waiting list.
You'll get access to the incredible launch discount and you'll be one of the very first to experience this program.
Make sure you click the link in the description box or scan the QR code to get your PDF and join the C2 program waiting list.
Okay, let's get started with our first category, in the neighborhood.
I will ask the question and then play each audio twice.
I'll give you some time to think and then I will explain the answers and highlight any other interesting bits.
Are you ready for number one?
What's the speaker's attitude towards Cara's reaction?
A. They think it's justified.
B. They think it's exaggerated.
Or C. They think it's admirable.
Do you hear about Cara at number 22 kicking up a tremendous fuss about Jim painting his garage door?
Canary yellow.
Honestly, it's turned into a ripe palaver.
Do you hear about Cara at number 22 kicking up a tremendous fuss about Jim painting his garage door?
Canary yellow.
Honestly, it's turned into a right palaver.
The correct answer is B. The speaker thinks Cara's reaction is exaggerated.
How do we know?
Well, there are two interesting pieces of vocabulary here.
First, we have kicking up a fuss.
Now, this informal idiom means to complain loudly about something, but we often use it when we think the complaint isn't necessary.
You can also say kick up a stink or row as an argument.
Then we also have the very informal British English word palaver.
Now, a palaver is a great deal of unnecessary excitement or trouble.
Again, especially about something that is not important.
So, from these two phrases, we can infer that the speaker thinks Cara's reaction is exaggerated.
Okay, number two.
Listen to the audio and complete this sentence with two words.
The neighbours... to clean up the dirty alley.
The alley running down the back of the houses was chock-a-block with rubbish, but loads of people in the neighbourhood met last week and mucked in to clean it up.
Ayesha even managed to find some local artists to paint a mural and brighten the space up a bit.
The alley running down the back of the houses was chock-a-block with rubbish, but loads of people in the neighbourhood met last week and mucked in to clean it up.
Ayesha even managed to find some local artists to paint a mural and brighten the space up a bit.
Did you catch the two words?
The answer is mucked in, mucked in.
Now, notice the catenation or consonant to vowel linking there.
I'm joining them together to make my speech more efficient.
Now, what does it mean?
Did you figure it out from the context?
This phrasal verb means to come together with others and share work in order to complete a task.
There's some more challenging vocabulary in this snippet, like alley, chock-a-block and mural.
Make sure you download the PDF for a more in-depth analysis of each audio.
QR code there, link down there.
Let's do question number three.
What are the last two words you hear to complete this phrase?
And what does it mean?
I'm going to have courgettes coming out of... You're right, Rach.
Your veggie patch seems to be coming on a treat.
Cheers, yeah.
Well, with all this rain and sun we've been having, I'm going to have courgettes coming out of my ears in the next few weeks.
You're right, Rach.
Your veggie patch seems to be coming on a treat.
Cheers, yeah.
Well, with all this rain and sun we've been having, I'm going to have courgettes coming out on my ears in the next few weeks.
So, you actually heard me ears, me ears.
In many British accents and some other accents the possessive adjective my is pronounced with a shorter.
I sound me.
There's also a soft y sound that links the two vowel sounds.
The speaker isn't saying years, although it does sound like it.
So the last phrase in full is, I'm going to have courgettes coming out of my ears, me ears.
Any idea what that phrase in bold means?
Well, if you have something coming out of your ears, you have far more of it than you want or need.
Such a great expression.
Okay, time for our final conversation snippet, overheard in the neighbourhood.
Listen and tell me what change the speaker is describing.
It used to be that on a Saturday morning the air hummed with friendly chatter and customers haggling over prices.
Now there's only a handful of stalls left.
It's such a shame that shopping's been reduced to an act of clicking, not mingling.
It used to be that on a Saturday morning the air hummed with friendly chatter and customers haggling over prices.
Now there's only a handful of stalls left.
It's such a shame that shopping's been reduced to an act of clicking, not mingling.
So if you answered the decline of local markets, the shift towards online shopping or something similar to that, You are right.
Let's take a closer look.
The biggest clues here are probably the phrases customers haggling over prices and only a handful of stools left.
If you haggle over or haggle about something, you argue to try to get the best price for something.
A handful is a small number of something.
In this case, stalls.
We don't need to pronounce the D in the middle there.
Handful.
A stall is a table or a small shop that people sell from at a market.
Now, did you know enough of that advanced vocabulary to get the answer?
Make sure you keep track of your score out of four so far.
I will ask you to share it at the end.
Okay, let's move on to a new category.
Things you might overhear when out and about on public transport.
Here's something I heard a little while back.
Listen and tell me what item the speaker is talking about.
It was making such a racket, so I yanked up the handle to carry it for a bit, just to give myself and everyone else some respite.
But it snapped clean off which then sent the whole thing crashing to the floor and jammed the wheel.
Absolute nightmare.
It was making such a racket, so I yanked up the handle to carry it for a bit, just to give myself and everyone else some respite.
But it snapped clean off which then sent the whole thing crashing to the floor and jammed the wheel.
Absolute nightmare.
Did you get it?
Here's the full bit of text if you need a bit of help.
The speaker's talking about a suitcase.
A wheeled or wheelie suitcase, to be precise.
How did you figure it out if the speaker just says it all the time?
Well, we have the context.
We know this was overheard on public transport.
A lot of people carry cases when travelling.
Then we had the phrase, making such a racket.
A racket is a loud, unpleasant noise.
Now I don't know about you, but my wheelie suitcase sometimes makes horrible noises.
Then we have the word handle.
This is the top part of the case you can use to carry it.
And then jammed the wheel.
If a wheel jams, it stops moving.
Imagine the wheel getting all covered in jam.
Horrific, nightmare fuel.
Let's move on to number six.
Listen to this snippet.
Which adjective do you hear?
And what does it mean?
Is it A, weary?
B, wary?
Or C, wiry?
Have a listen.
I'm just a little bit wary of putting my bag there.
Technically, you're not supposed to leave belongings unattended, are you?
The answer is B, wary.
I'm just a little bit wary of putting my bag there.
If you are wary of doing something, you're very careful or cautious about it because you think there might be a problem or some kind of danger.
Weary means to be tired of, and wiry is thin and bendy, like a wire.
Okay, time for number seven.
Listen to this announcement over the loudspeaker.
There are six pieces of information, all numbers that could be relevant and important for you.
How many of them can you catch?
Final call for passengers on flight BA793 to Copenhagen.
Boarding for rows 13 to 70 is now taking place at gate C18.
Please be advised that checked baggage exceeding 15 kilos will incur an additional fee of 65 euros at the desk.
OK, these announcements are notoriously difficult to hear, even for native speakers.
So here's a bit of a clue before you listen again, but feel free to look away if you want more of a challenge.
Final call for passengers on flight BA793 to Copenhagen.
Boarding for rows 13 to 70 is now taking place at gate C18.
Please be advised that checked baggage exceeding 15 kilos will incur an additional fee of 65 euros at the desk.
Okay, so the speaker said flight BA793 to Copenhagen, rows 13 to 70, gate C18, baggage exceeding 15 kilos and an additional fee of 65 euros.
If you got more than half of those right, Give yourself a point.
Now for our final snippet in this category.
I'd like you to try and finish the passage with a word or a short phrase that makes logical sense.
I thought I'd be fine, but the minute we left the harbour, the swell really hit me.
I tried to read for a bit.
Bad idea.
Couldn't focus and every lurch of the boat made me feel worse.
I had to sit perfectly still staring at the horizon, just trying not to.
I thought I'd be fine, but the minute we left the harbour the swell really hit me.
I tried to read for a bit, bad idea, couldn't focus and every lurch of the boat made me feel worse.
I had to sit perfectly still staring at the horizon just trying not to Okay.
If you said something along the lines of vomit, be sick or throw up, then give yourself a point.
Now, did you manage to figure out what was going on?
There's quite a lot of boat related vocabulary here.
The harbour, swell, lurch of the boat, and horizon.
And then clues that point to seasickness, like I thought I'd be fine, but, and made me feel worse.
Check out the PDF for a more in-depth analysis if you found that one tricky.
Okay, what's your score out of eight so far?
Are you ready for the next category?
We're heading into the office now for number nine.
Listen and complete this sentence with five words.
The speaker is worried that they've... What?
Well, judging by the stony silence in that meeting, I think I may have trudged on a few toes.
All I said was that we should invite contributions from the whole team, but the reaction was as if I'd questioned the whole project.
I clearly struck a raw nerve.
Well, judging by the stony silence in that meeting, I think I may have trodden on a few toes.
All I said was that we should invite contributions from the whole team, but the reaction was as if I'd questioned the whole project.
I clearly struck a raw nerve.
This missing phrase is trodden on a few toes.
Have you ever heard this expression before?
Here's the full transcript.
Which definition fits best?
Does to tread on someone's toes mean A to inadvertently upset someone by interfering in their responsibilities or area of control?
Or B, to avoid getting involved in something as it might cause conflict?
The answer is A.
We can also say step on someone's toes.
Now, did you catch the other juicy C2 language in that clip?
I've highlighted it in the PDF.
Download that so you don't miss out on phrases like struck a raw nerve.
Oh, that's a beautiful phrase to strike a raw nerve.
Okay, this next one is a real challenge.
You're going to hear a snippet with four abbreviations. or to be more precise, initialisms.
F-A-Q, for example, is an initialism.
The letters stand for frequently asked questions.
Now, can you catch the office initialisms and come up with their full form?
Can you send me the draft of the KPIs ASAP?
I need to get it to the CEO by EOD.
Can you send me the draft of the KPIs ASAP?
I need to get it to the CEO by EOD.
Okay, so we had KPIs, key performance indicators.
ASAP, sometimes pronounced as ASAP, meaning as soon as possible.
CEO, chief executive officer, and EOD, end of day.
Now, if you caught more than two of those, you deserve a point.
Oh, and an important pronunciation point.
Did you notice how I stressed the last letter in these initialisms?
KPIs, ASAP, CEO, EOD, Try to do the same when you pronounce them.
You'll sound nice and natural.
Okay, for number 11.
I'm going to show you the text and I want you to choose the word or phrase you hear.
Now, don't worry if you can't see the screen.
I will give you the options once you've listened twice.
Okay, so we have some very similar sounding expressions here.
This quarter's exceeded expectations, so we'll be sure to order it before the report goes out.
We'll wrap things up there, benefits all clear for you?
This quarter's exceeded expectations, so we'll be sure to order it before the report goes out.
We'll wrap things up there, benefits all clear for you?
Did you hear?
1.
Quota or quarter?
2.
Audit or order it?
3. benefits or ben-if-its?
Replay the audio one more time if you need to.
The answers are quarter, order-it, and ben-if-its.
Really tricky, isn't it?
Well done if you got all of those.
Okay, it's time for our final audio from The Office.
Listen to it and complete the passage with a word or short phrase.
Ready?
The much-hyped redesign promised to break down barriers and spark collaboration.
Yet within weeks, everyone was retreating behind noise-cancelling headphones, scrambling for secluded corners and voicing frustration at the incessant buzz of distracting chatter.
What had been touted as an innovative step forward soon revealed itself to be.
The much-hyped redesign promised to break down barriers and spark collaboration, yet within weeks, everyone was retreating behind noise-cancelling headphones, scrambling for secluded corners and voicing frustration at the incessant buzz of distracting chatter.
What had been touted as an innovative step forward soon revealed itself to be.
If you said something along the lines of counterproductive, a failure or ineffective, you get a point.
In the PDF, I will delve deeper into the tricky vocab highlighted here.
Okay, we're onto our final category and our last three questions.
These snippets are a little bit embarrassing.
Listen to this and tell me what the mix-up was.
I'd only been living in Manchester for a few weeks when a colleague invited me round for tea at five.
I was thrilled at the thought of experiencing this quintessential British tradition, so I rocked up with a jar of strawberry jam and a pot of clotted cream.
So you can imagine how bewildered I was when I arrived to find the table fully laid, not for a pot of Earl Grey and scones, but for a full-blown evening meal.
I'd only been living in Manchester for a few weeks when a colleague invited me round for tea at five.
I was thrilled at the thought of experiencing this quintessential British tradition, so I rocked up with a jar of strawberry jam and a pot of clotted cream.
So you can imagine how bewildered I was when I arrived to find the table fully laid, not for a pot of Earl Grey and scones, but for a full-blown evening meal.
Okay, this one confuses so many students.
Dinner is the word that's usually taught to describe an evening meal.
But in many places around the UK, dinner is replaced by tea.
And the fact that many people have their evening meal as early as five o'clock just adds to the confusion.
So if in doubt, make sure you check.
Do you mean tea as in dinner or tea as in tea and cake?
Okay, for number 14, see if you can finish this audio with a suitable word or phrase.
Ready?
I spoke to a fellow gym goer about an odious man who was offering unsolicited advice to all and sundry.
Tried to dissuade him from going anywhere near.
I wanted the ground to open and swallow me up when he turned around and said I spoke to a fellow gym-goer about an odious man who was offering unsolicited advice to all and sundry.
Tried to dissuade him from going anywhere near.
I wanted the ground to open and swallow me up when he turned around and said So if you said something like he's my friend husband hubby, basically any relationship, that's another point for you, well done.
There's a great idiom here that means to be so embarrassed, you wish you could disappear.
Did you catch it at the end there?
I wanted the ground to swallow me up.
I love this, it's so descriptive.
I wonder if you've ever felt that way.
I'm sure you have on multiple occasions.
Please feel free to share any anecdotes.
I love laughing along with you.
Okay, our final question for today's lesson.
What social faux pas did the speaker make?
I'd gone to a friend of a friend's for dinner.
The host served a divine goat's cheese onion tart as part of the spread.
As the music, wine and conversation flowed, I polished off the lot, took a sharp elbow to the ribs for me to realise what had happened.
Oh, Needless to say, I was mortified.
I'd gone to a friend of a friend's for dinner.
The host served a divine goat's cheese onion tart as part of the spread.
As the music, wine and conversation flowed, I polished off the lot, took a sharp elbow to the ribs for me to realise what had happened.
Needless to say, I was mortified.
If you polish something off, you finish all of it.
Would that be considered a social faux pas in your country or culture?
Let me know.
The speaker was left mortified.
Now this C2 word means to feel ashamed or humiliated.
So my lovely students, that brings us to the end of today's video lesson.
I would love to know, what was your score out of 15?
Please let me know in the comments.
If this lesson stretched your listening skills, imagine what you'll achieve at C2.
My brand new beautiful British English C2 program launches on the 19th of January, 2026.
Get ready to unlock English at its absolute highest level.
To join the waiting list, make sure you download today's PDF.
It's packed with all the key vocabulary and extra tips from this lesson.
Scan the QR code or click the link below to join the waiting list.
See you soon.
