I love English and was once good enough to become an English teacher at a Japanese junior high school. But that was in the past, and since then my English skills have been declining rapidly. So, as part of my language learning, I decided to post some simple questions and comments about the English language that are not easy for me (and that I should ask on HiNative or Quora) on Newgrounds. I am not an expert in English and may make elementary mistakes, but thank you for your patience.
Precipitation24 learned "~"! | English Is Not So Easy 17
There are many ways to learn English in Japan. Personally, I think the most effective way is to communicate with native English speakers, and the second most effective way is to watch YouTube videos in/on English.
This time, among many English learning videos, I would like to introduce a Japanese YouTube channel, Kevin's English Room.
[Japanese video] A Realistic Usage Course on Native Fxxk! It Doesn't Always Mean Bad?!
ネイティブのF××Kのリアルな使い方講座！悪い意味じゃないの！？
リアルなFxxkの使い方：The use of "Fxxk" in real life
What!? Fxxk me!っていうふうに：Just like, "What?! ~ me!"
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Yama (left; やま): An English learner.
Kevin (middle; ケビン): Born and raised in the US. Bilingual in English and Japanese.
Kake (right; かけ): A regular Japanese guy.
There are three people in this channel, and Kevin, a native English speaker, shares with us his knowledge of English as it is actually used in the U.S., which is different from the English taught in schools. As a Japanese, this video made me realize that my image of English and actual English are two very different things.
Incidentally, I understand that this article is totally pointless because Kevin speaks English much better than I do and can easily make videos in English only. However, if their YouTube videos do not have subtitles (not automatically generated) and you do not know the channel because of that, I think it might be useful to translate the Japanese spoken in the video into English and introduce what they are saying.
This video shows how native speakers use "~" in everyday conversation. Although this word is considered a dirty word in Japan, the video explains that there are many vocabularies in which "~" is used.
1. ~ you!
Even the Japanese know this insulting word. Never use this word if you want to leave the USA alive.
2. ~!
This one-word exclamation is used to express a variety of "intense" emotions, such as joy, anger, sadness, and pleasure.
"~! Yes!"
"~! No, I'm so sad."
3. ~ing + (adjective)
Used to emphasize the meaning of the adjective (positive or negative).
~ing smart
~ing tasty
~ing slow
~ing sad
According to Kevin, these three uses cover 70% of all ~s in the US. Then the other two guys say, "OK, let's finish this video," but Kevin says that's where the meat and potatoes come in.
4. ~ me!
Basically, it is a soliloquy used to express one's intense disappointment in oneself for repeating the same mistakes or suffering the same mishaps. However, in rare cases, it is also used to compliment a friend who threw a surprise birthday party for you.
5. What the ~?
Used when things that are happening now are beyond one's understanding.
"What the ~?! This was not broken 5 minutes ago."
"Five billion dollars? What the ~?! Really?! No, I can't receive that."
6. I don't give a ~!
A phrase that indicates you are not interested in the topic being discussed. A phrase similar to "I don't care". Yes, in this phrase, "~" means "care."
"I don't give a ~ about your story."
"I know that you don't give a ~ about your health, but you should take more vitamin C." "Oh, no no no, I give a ~."
"Stop giving a ~."
7. ~ off!
Simply means "Go away!"
8. ~ face.
Words to say to someone you really dislike. This expression contains the word "face," but it can also be used to belittle someone on the Internet whose face you cannot see.
9. "the ~" + Intransitive Phrasal Verbs
"Shut the ~ up! (= Shut up!)"
"Get the ~ off! (= Get off!)"
"Hurry the ~ up! (= Hurry up!)"
"Get the ~ down! (= Get down!)"
The two sentences above would have the same meaning if the "the ~" were omitted, but including that word emphasizes your frustration.
Finally, Kevin says that if you are not a native English speaker and do not fully understand the meaning and use of "~", you should never use it. Native speakers use "~" in everyday conversation because they fully understand the dangers of this word. However, you should be aware that even if a native English speaker uses "~" a lot without knowing that you are not a native English speaker, he or she may not be angry with you or mean to hurt you.
SlingBang
Great article and correct understanding of the modern usage of the word f**k. However, I have one polite warning: Be very careful NOT to interpret American 'pop-culture' or 'celebrities' as representing NORMAL people living in America. In American society, swearing is considered vulgar, rude, and a sign of being 'less-educated' for lack of better classification. Rude, vulgar, people just tend to be loud so APPEAR to represent a larger group. In fact, 50% of Americans (60% of Conservatives and 25% of Democrats) still TRULY believe in a religion, attend places of worship, and don't swear on purpose. (unless they spill their coffee or delete some important file...)
Precipitation24
Thank you! I am glad to hear that because some of them are beyond my understanding of English, and even now I cannot fully believe it. Also, I will keep you advice in mind. In particular, much of my English vocabulary comes from ZTV news and Angry Video Game Nerd, and I realized that it would be dangerous to use their phrasings in places like here.