Learning Real Slang and Understanding Hilarious Stuff
In my opinion, one of the coolest parts of REALLY understanding English is about having more fun in your life and laughing more.
There are so many hilarious TV shows, movies, jokes, and cultural stuff that are only funny in English. Jokes can never be properly translated in any language so forget about subtitles. I’ve watched hilarious TV with friends who need subtitles and they don’t laugh at the parts that are actually funny. Then when their English gets good enough, they start laughing uncontrollably at the same stuff just a few months later. It takes a whole new and deeper level and understanding of English to get there. Good news is that it really can be done, just most people fail because of a terrible study method.
I know that there is a lot of funny things in every culture. I also know that if you learn the stuff we find funny in English, you will be loving life at a whole new level. In any language, the truly hilarious stuff comes from a deep cultural understanding and a great command of the language.
That’s what we’re really trying to do over here in the free lessons and the VIP room. “Laughter is the best medicine” and it’s a lot better to be having fun and laughing a lot than it is to be listening to annoying bosses, husbands and wives, and depressed people in general. It doesn’t really matter how rich you are, if you are laughing a lot each day, you know, really laughing and not the fake kind, you are probably having a pretty sweet life already.
Think about this for a sec. People from all over the world come to USA, Canada, Britain, and Australia and mix their cultures and senses of humor. The western world has been relatively “rich” for a long time. I feel that really good humor comes when enough people in a culture have enough free time to think about the world in new ways. That’s where the jokes come from. People who work too much are never funny at all. Think about the jokes your grandparents find funny. They are funny for them, but come on, what they laugh at is really nothing compared to what’s funny today. It’s not their fault. It’s just the way it is.
People in the past were too busy trying to live a life and earn enough money. They worked hard, raised kids, and became grandparents. I guess they did a bit more in between but you get my point. There wasn’t the time to be “goofing around” and thinking up funny stuff to put on Youtube or whatever. Life was too serious then because it had to be.
Things are different now. For a lot of people around the world, money has been getting kind of boring. Buying all the latest brands doesn’t really make people happy for long. Sure you get a smile on your face when you buy a new Ipad or cool clothes, but it goes away. Some of the richest people in the world think up some of the most boring ways to spend their money. They are too busy working. I’m not trying to judge, it’s their life, but I think there is some truth to it.
The funniest people in the world are different. They enjoy entertainment. They want to make people laugh and lead a hilarious life. As long as there is enough money to live pretty well, the next step is to actually enjoy life. It sounds easy but most people don’t do it. More money doesn’t do anything but sit in a bank and give people headaches after a while.
So, my basic point is, Add and I are really trying our butts off to get you guys to TOTALLY understand every little thing that will help you not only make more cash in your career, but also get you to see what’s hilarious about this world from another perspective.
You already have your own culture and humor and that’s great. Now you can add another one for double the laughs. Trust me on this one. If you can read this blog and totally understand this now, your English is really good already. Seriously. Now you just need to put the finishing touches on it and get the full benefits for your life.
Love to hear your thoughts as always. If you didn’t already check it out, also take a look at my last blog
May 23rd, 2011 at 5:45 pm
Sorry, what does “we try our butts off to…” mean? Does it have the same meaning with “We try our ass off to…”. In what context, we use this phrase? Thank.
May 23rd, 2011 at 6:37 pm
Hi Katie,
Ya, “trying our butts off” means exactly the same as “trying our asses off”. Just means, “trying super hard”.
Andy
May 23rd, 2011 at 7:25 pm
Hello Guys!
I love the way you write. Sounds quite natural, when I read your text is like I’m listening as well… Whithout doubt it’s great because my English level is getting better and better… Talking about the topic: I totally agree… Laughing is the way to feel better… In other words: Is the best medicine ever… It’s relaxe and refreshing your mind…
Thank’s a lot for the great job..
I’m looking foward for next post.
May 23rd, 2011 at 9:29 pm
i like your blogs Andrew! I like writing, I wish I could write something like you do, but i find it difficult, i need to improve my writing skills
even in my native language.
May 24th, 2011 at 11:14 am
Thanks Dearest China232 for it. hopefully oneday I can understand and enjoy your hilarious TV shows, movies, jokes, and cultural stuff as you said.
May 24th, 2011 at 12:55 pm
Hello Guys,
Thank you guys for this blog. You are giving us new topic everyday like a factory
Anyway thankyou so much guys again for this blog. Even you are teaching us life style and we won’t forget this.
And tihis is really something good. Great job again. You are giving us always new and awesome ideas. This is seriously so good. We are so luckly to know you and have you.
Learning real slang and understanding hilarious stuff is totally ejoyable also excellent. I m watching tv series and tv show for a long time which is english. It was difficult to understand mostly when i started to watching first, but i really understand jokes and slang terms now. It feels like i m a one of the character in the tv series. And then i feel myself like a native speaker.
Sedat,
From Turkey
May 25th, 2011 at 12:15 am
I strongly agree with you. I had such an experience and it was amazing. Watching comedy TV series like Friends or Simpsons for people who had mastery over English is quite fun and interesting but for me, it was wasting of time because i didn’t understand what was going on and what was so funny until i started working on my listening skill and learning slangs and after a few months of practice, suddenly i realized that I’m laughing at those stupid conversations. Now i have a better understanding of subtle innuendos in a character’s dialog. It’s a great feeling when you now that people whit different cultures and languages still have so much in common and how wonderful it is to have a common language. This is the biggest lesson I’ve learned since i started learning English.
May 25th, 2011 at 9:47 am
You are totally right man. I forgot to tell my favorite tv series. First of all How i met your mother it is really sick, Two and a half man,Chuck, i like to watch fringe which is science fiction. Besides i used to watch malcom in the middle it was great too
May 25th, 2011 at 3:59 pm
Thank you, Andy and Add! We really appreciate your efforts! And you are absolutely right that understanding humor in a foreign language is kind of a serious achievement–it singlas that your language is at quite a high level when you not only speak the language, but is starting ‘to feel’ it. And it’s true that lots of people learn English for their career. But when you start learning any foreign language, in a while you realize that it’s gotten kind of ‘native’ to you. Then you continue learning it because you like it–not only you need it.
Everyone likes laughing
. Yeah, when people have more free time, they can spend it on goofing around. But I think it’s more about having a sense of humour than free time. I know very busy people who always make others laugh.
Anyway, all of your posts are cool! But this one is so enthusiastic that at least I believe that my English will become much better and reach the ‘understanding all hilarious stuff’ level
one day. Good luck to you and to me and to all of your listeners! 
May 30th, 2011 at 9:52 am
Hi china232,
Im new here and Im from Indonesia…I like this article and the way you write it, it’s easy to understand..
But I have a question,
What does “Goofy around” means? Is it an idiom?
Thanks,
May 30th, 2011 at 2:55 pm
Hi Veronica,
Thanks. “Goofing around” is slang and it means something like, “playing around and not being serious”. Just kind of having fun.
June 12th, 2011 at 7:24 pm
Hi,
. I think it would be great dismantling the whole sitcom like “Friends”. e.g.
Totally agree with you and thanks for recommending us the sitcom “Two and a half men”. I am laughing my head off and there have been many words I found in your podcasts which is great. You are right that watching the English comedies translated into my native language sucks. I used to watch and learn English from the sitcom “Friends”. There were some parts I didnt understend. So I decided to buy the original box version translated into my language. I am from the Czech Republic by the way. I was looking forward to learn these parts, but guess what? They cut them off
July 17th, 2011 at 10:36 pm
hey, guys . .
I’m totally behind you . . . the best you could ever have in your life is enjoying it, and enjoying it is really easy . . it is precisely as what you described it.
I really love the way you write . .
Thanks .
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