Note: This episode was originally published in Sep 2024.
This lesson is suitable for intermediate-level learners. After listening, test your knowledge with our quiz.
Learning notes
Different phrases to use when cooking a barbecue:
- The chook looks done.
- Pass me the tongs.
- I need to flip these steaks.
- I’ll grab the prawns from the esky.
- Do you want the onions on now, too?
- Chuck 'em on.
- Let’s throw some extra snags on.
- I reckon this is gonna be a ripper barbie.
Learning focus:
Australians love to use informal words for things, especially if they are with friends. Notice how Allan wants to ‘flip’ (rather than ‘turn’) the steaks and invites Claire to ‘chuck’ (rather than ‘put’ or ‘throw) the ‘snags’ (rather than ‘sausages’) on the ‘barbie’ (rather than ‘barbecue’).
They love to shorten words, too, like ‘barbie’ from barbecue, ‘Pav’ for ‘Pavlova’. See if you can hear any more of these shortenings and slang words while you are out and about.
Colloquial expressions:
In Australian English, ‘Yeah nah’ is a casual and friendly way of saying ‘I don’t agree’ that you can use to disagree with people in informal contexts. For example, ‘Yeah nah, I don't think that's a good idea.’ Staring with ‘yeah’ before you say ‘nah’ softens the fact that you are disagreeing. For example, ‘Yeah nah, I don't think that's a good idea’ means that you don’t think something is a good idea, but you are disagreeing in a friendly way.
When food looks done, it looks as if it is cooked.
Chuck 'em on is an informal way of saying, ‘put them on’.
To slip something extra on (or in) means to add something extra.
Coming right up is a phrase we use when we are just starting to do something that someone has asked us to do or is expecting.
A second round means another helping or portion of food or drink.
I reckon is an informal way of saying ‘I think’.
Vocabulary:
To throw a barbie means to invite people to a barbecue.
To flip your food is to turn it over while it’s cooking.
A barbie is short Australian slang for barbecue, just like arvo is a short way of saying afternoon.
Leftovers are the food that is left after a meal.
Chook is Australian slang for chicken.
The tongs are a tool used for picking up and turning food.
An esky is an Australian word for a cooler or icebox that keeps food and drinks cold.
A snag is Australian slang for sausages.
Ripper is Australian slang for ‘great’ or ‘fantastic.
Transcript:
(Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript)
When I bite into a perfectly barbecued prawn, the taste brings a smile to my face. Whether it’s on a beach, in a park, or in someone’s backyard, a barbecue with its friendly, relaxed atmosphere, has become one of my favourite ways to spend time with my friends.
My name is Josipa, and since moving to the land down under, I’ve been to countless barbies.
A barbie is a short Australian word for barbecue, just like arvo is a short way of saying afternoon. These two words form the phrase I love to use: ‘Let’s have a barbie this arvo!’
There’s no denying it. Aussies know how to do barbies right; it’s basically the taste of Australian culture.
That’s what my friends, Allan and Claire, say, and let me tell you, they throw some of the best barbies ever! Yes, you can throw a barbie, just like you can throw a party. Funny language, English, isn’t it?
Today, I am carefully bringing over a pav (that’s short for pavlova, one of my favourite desserts made with fruit and cream and meringue) to Allan’s backyard. Children are racing around, and Allan and Claire are cooking over the fire. The smoke is adding a great, inviting smell to the party atmosphere. Let’s get a bit closer.
Claire
We need to give everything a little longer, don’t we?
Allan
Yeah nah, the chook looks done, I reckon. You can take it off. Pass me the tongs, will ya; I need to flip these steaks.
Claire
Here you go. I’ll grab the prawns from the esky. Do you want the onions on now, too?
Allan
Yeah, chuck 'em on.
Claire
Coming right up. Let’s throw some extra snags on; I’ll bet you the kids will ask for a second round.
Allan
Ha ha, you’re probably right. There’s Josipa with the Pav! This is gonna be a ripper barbie!
I’m so hungry after listening to this dialogue. But before I can eat the leftovers from this amazing barbie, we have some work to do.
By the way, leftovers are the food that is left after a meal. For example, if you have extra food after your dinner, you can leftovers the next day for lunch.
Claire thinks that everything on the barbie still needs a little more cooking, but Allan disagrees. He said,
Yeah nah, the chook looks done, I reckon.
I reckon is an informal way of saying ‘I think’ and Allan doesn’t think that the chook needs any more cooking so he disagrees with Claire.
In Australian English, we can use the phrase ‘Yeah nah’ to start off when you don’t agree with someone but you want to be friendly and informal. For example, if Allan asks Claire to turn off the barbecue but she doesn’t think they have finished cooking she can say,
Claire
Yeah nah, I don't think that's a good idea.
And do you know what a chook is? In Aussie slang, ‘chook’ means chicken,
Allan said the chook – the chicken - looks done. When food looks done, it looks as if it is cooked. Allan said,
Pass me the tongs; I need to flip these steaks.
Allan is asking for the tongs, a tool used for picking up and turning food. And if you need to flip your food, it means you have to turn it over while it’s cooking.
Claire passed him the tongs and said,
I’ll grab the prawns from the esky. Do you want the onions on now, too?
Claire is going to get the prawns from the esky. This is an Australian word for a cooler or icebox that keeps food and drinks cold. She asked Allan if he wants the onions too? Do you remember his reply?
He said,
Yeah, chuck 'em on.
‘Chuck 'em on’ is an informal way to say, ‘put them on’. It’s a useful phrase when it comes to adding more food, but you can use it in other situations as well. Let’s say you’re putting together a playlist for your family road trip and your son wants to add more songs, you could say,
Allan
Yeah, chuck 'em on.
Let’s continue,
Coming right up.
Coming right up. We can use this phrase when we are just starting to do something that someone has asked us to do or is expecting us to do. Claire also said,
Let’s throw some extra snags on; I’ll bet you the kids will ask for a second round.
To throw something extra on means to add it. Claire wants to throw some extra snags on. A snag is Australian slang for a sausage.
So, Claire wants to slip some extra snags on barbie because she thinks the kids will ask for a second round, that is another helping or portion. We can use this phrase to talk about having more food or drink and also when we are playing games with other people. So, we can talk about another round of cards, for example, if we would like to play again.
At barbies, I always go for a second round of prawns. At the end of our dialogue, Allan said,
This is gonna be a ripper barbie!
‘Ripper’ means ‘great’ or ‘fantastic’ in Australian slang. So, Allan is saying that he thinks this barbecue is going to be great! And it really was!
A big thank you to our educational consultant, Professor Lynda Yates, and our guest Yee Ching Lau.
Paul Nicholson and Lily O'Sullivan voiced the characters of Allan and Claire.
