YOU GOT CLASS!

Hello English language learners!

Here is a little lesson for you, sent from the real English-speaking world: Brooklyn, USA.

I know you are studying English very hard and you are doing a good job. Every day you are learning more things! That is good. But remember: the most important part of learning a language is being able to communicate with people and to understand them when they speak. Your English teachers are working very hard and are teaching you grammar which is very important, but I don’t think they are telling you some very important things. For example:

1. GOT is a verb! Many many people here use GOT instead of HAVE or instead of HAVE GOT. They say, “What do you GOT in your pocket?” and you say, “I GOT a gun in my pocket!”
They say, “You GOT a fever?” and you say, “No. But I GOT a runny nose!”
They say, “How much money you GOT?” and you say, “I ain’t GOT enough to buy candy!”

The past of GET is GOT and the past of GOT is HAD.
“Where did you GET your intelligence?” “I GOT it from my mother!”
“I didn’t come to work yesterday because I HAD a cold and I still GOT it!”

2. The word SNARKY is important. It’s an adjective. It means that something or somebody is mean, not nice, or rudely sarcastic. In America, it is very popular to be SNARKY, especially with your political enemies.

Innocent person: “I think Socialist programs are good.”
SNARKY person: “Yes. You’d like to live on a Gulag!”

Spanish people, in general, aren’t SNARKY. That is a good thing. But it is important to be able to identify and understand SNARKY comments and behavior.

3. GUYS is a group of people. The group of GUYS can be all men, women and men, or all women.
At a restaurant the waitress asks you and your friends, “What can I get you GUYS?”
At work your boss tells you and your co-workers, “You GUYS did a great job today!”
At home your mother asks your sisters, “What do you GUYS want for dinner?”

Some people think GUYS is sexist because one GUY refers to a man, not a woman. But the alternative GALS is not accepted in many places and GIRLS has been discarded because it is sexist. So, we have exchanged one sexist term for another.

4. In London, when you get on a train, an announcer says, “Mind the gap!” It is a very easy phrase to remember. Here in New York where many people ride trains every day, the announcer says, “PLEASE BE CAREFUL OF THE GAP BETWEEN THE PLATFORM AND THE TRAIN!”

When everyone is getting on the train, the announcer says, “STAND CLEAR OF THE CLOSING DOORS, PLEASE!” After that, everyone hurries inside the train and the doors close.

5. When using the Present Perfect tense, people often omit the word HAVE or HAS before the participle.
“I been to Brooklyn three times today. How many times you been there?”
“We seen those same guys at Grand Central Station!”
“They don’t want any pancakes. They already eaten!”

6. Finally, here is a test for you. Choose the correct answer and send it to latobpeter@yahoo.com. Prizes will be awarded! Good luck!

Which phrase do I use the most at the bookstore where I work?

a. Bye guys!
b. See you later, alligator!
c. Thank you!
d. You’re welcome!
e. Take care!
f. Thanks for shopping at Barnes and Noble!
g. You bet!
h. I hate when that happens!
i. I got blisters on my fingers!
j. You done?