Flirting Words in English: This is going to be a superb lesson on flirting! In this lesson, I am going to show you how you can ask someone out, and how you can flirt with someone at a C1 to C2 advanced level English. In this lesson, I am going to introduce you a total of 17 words along with the definitions and examples. These words are related to the C1 and C2 levels of English. and all this is from British slang. So if you learned them you would sound more British.
Flirting Words in English
How to flirt in English: here is the list of 17 flirting words with context:
- Mate
- Wanna
- A bite to eat
- By miles/ By far
- To weight up
- Trolleyed
- To not have a chance in hell/”to not stand a chance
- Gobsmacked
- Gonna
- Slap-up
- To be sick of something
- To bang on about something
- Cakehole
- Nothing ventured nothing gained
- To floor sb
- Chuffed
- Fit
Level – 1
Okay, let’s start with the first one. This is a baseline. It doesn’t have any slang. It’s a starting point so that you can make comparisons with later passages. Let’s try it. Ready?
That’s how you can act smart to ask for the dinner:
My friend doesn’t think you’ll agree to go on a date with me, but I’d love to take you out for dinner sometime.
Tip: Nice and simple, a nice easy start. That’s our baseline.
Level – 2
I’ve been wanting to ask you out all night, but my mate told me I had no chance of getting a date with you. He’ll be absolutely speechless if you say yes. So you wanna get a bite to eat? No pressure.
So did you understand all of that? It wasn’t too advanced, but there are a few words that I really want to look at.
- Mate: (/meɪt/)
- Meaning: friend
- Explanation: This here in this context means friend, and it’s really common in British English, but it’s even more common in Australian English.
- Example: My mates encouraged me to ask you out.
- Wanna: (/ˈwɒnə/)
- Meaning: short for ‘want to’ or slang of ‘want to’
- Explanation: The second word is the informal contraction “wanna”, which is short for “want to”. Some people pronounce it “wanna”, others “wonna” with more of an “o” sound. Some use “a”, “wanna”, “wanna” as an alternative.
- Example: do you wanna go for a drink sometime?
- A bite to eat:
- Meaning: a small meal or we also use it in conversation to ask if someone wants to go out for something to eat, not necessarily something small. It’s just very informal.
- Explanation: Now notice the pronunciation here. In fast speech, when one word ends in a vowel sound and the next one starts with a vowel sound, we often add an extra sound to make it easier to say. In this case, the extra sound is “w”, “a bite to eat”.
- Example: Fancy getting a bite to eat at the local pub?
Bonus Tip:
Do you wanna get a bite to eat? or you wanna get a bite to eat?
Now, before I move on, I also want to talk about something in this question. You might have noticed that “do” is missing from it. Instead of saying, “do you wanna get a bite to eat?”, I just say, “you wanna get a bite to eat?”.
In informal speech, we often omit auxiliary verbs like “do” from questions. If we want to go super informal, we can omit “you” as well. “Wanna get a bite to eat?” [Flirting Words in English]
Students Also Read: C1 Verb List: 20 Advanced Verbs in English
Level – 3
You are, by miles, the most stunning person in the room, and I’ve been weighing up whether to come over or not. My mate over there, the slightly trolleyed one, told me I didn’t have a chance in hell of getting you to go out with me. He’s gonna be gobsmacked if you agree, so what do you reckon? You wanna go out for a slap-up meal sometime? No worries if not.
- By miles/ By far:
- Meaning: It means by a very large amount or by a long way.
- Explanation: We do not use the metric system when we use this phrase. We can’t say “by kilometers”. It just doesn’t sound right.
- Example: you’re the funniest person I’ve ever met by miles.
- To weigh up:
- Meaning: This is a phrasal verb. This means to think carefully about doing something before making a decision.
- Explanation: There is another linking sound in that phrase, “to weigh up”. Can you pronounce “weigh word” with little “yeh” sound ? We insert a little “yeh” sound. So it can be pronounced as ” to weiyeh up”.
- Example: You’ll have to weigh up the risks for yourself.
- Trolleyed: (/ˈtrɒlɪd/)
- Meaning: this means very drunk
- Example: Ben’s trolleyed. Get him a taxi.
- To not have a chance in hell/to not stand a chance:
- Meaning: no chance at all of something happening this is an idiom.
- Explanation: Sometimes we omit the “in hell” part. We just say, “to not have a chance”. And even sometimes, “to not stand a chance”. We also use it with the verb “to be”.
- Example: There’s no chance in hell that he will go out with you. (Now, this example might sound a little bit mean, but it’s an example of British banter, their humor. We often say these kinds of things to close friends, knowing, hopefully, that they will know that it’s a joke. It’s like playful teasing. It can go too far but be prepared for it if you come to Britain and mix with Brits).
- Gonna: (/ˈɡənə/)
- Meaning: going to (It’s another informal contraction, just like “wanna”)
- Explanation: “Gonna” is generally pronounced with the schwa. “Gonna”.
- Example: You gonna ask him out or not? (means: are you going to ask him or not?)
- Gobsmacked: (/gob-smakt/)
- Meaning: If you are gobsmacked, you are so surprised that you can’t speak.
- Explanation: So “gob” is quite a rude, informal slang word for mouth (for example: Shut your gob). This word is very informal.
- Example: I was gobsmacked when he turned up to our date wearing a tuxedo.
- Slap-up: (/slap-uhp/)
- Meaning: A very large and delicious meal
- Example: I’d love to take you out for a slap-up meal sometime. (meaning: I’d love to take a really large and delicious and luxurious meal) [Flirting Words in English]
My story behind learning this word:
But I will tell you a secret. I didn’t understand the meaning of this for a very long time. I thought a meal that was… A slap-up meal was something that was just slapped up in the kitchen, something that was made in a really careless way. So honestly, if someone had invited me for a slap-up meal, I’d have said, well, maybe you could put in a little bit more effort.
Level – 4
My mate, the tipsy one by the bar, is absolutely sick of me banging on about how stunning you look and told me to shut my cakehole and do something about it. Anyway, I decided nothing ventured, nothing gained, so I’m here to ask you out for dinner. He’ll be floored if you say yes. Maybe literally, he’s more than tipsy, to be honest. And I’ll be well chuffed to get a date with the fittest person in London. No stress if you don’t fancy it though.
- To be sick of something:
- Meaning: If you are sick of something, you are bored of something because it’s annoying, it’s repetitive.
- Example: I’m sick of you talking about Dylan, either ask him out or stop.
- To bang on about something:
- Meaning: This means to talk for a long time about something in a way that is annoying.
- Example: Ruth’s been banging on about her date for hours.
- Cakehole: (/ˈkeɪk.hoʊl/)
- Meaning: a person’s mouth
- Explanation: Cakehole word is British slang for mouth. It’s literally the hole that you put cake into. So we’ve had gob and cakehole. This is an incredibly rude word, but you will often hear it in the phrase, “shut your cakehole”, “shut your mouth”. In American English, they often say “piehole”, which maybe means that Americans prefer pie over cake.
- Example: He slapped the whole lot together and shoved it down his cakehole.
- Nothing ventured nothing gained:
- Meaning: This is a proverb, meaning that you have to take risks to achieve something or to get something good. If you don’t take any risks, you won’t get the reward. [Flirting Words in English]
- Example: just ask Ravi on a date! nothing ventured, nothing gained.
- To floor sb:
- Meaning: this means to confuse or to surprise someone so much that they don’t know what to say. Very slang here.
- Explanation: You saw this phrase in the passive voice, “he’ll be floored”, but you can also use it in the active voice.
- Example: Amelia floored me when she asked me if I wanted to dance”. I didn’t think she knew who I was.
- Chuffed: ( /tʃʌft/)
- Meaning: which means very happy or proud, or sometimes even satisfied in a positive, in a really positive way.
- Explanation: the most marvelous slang adjective. We sometimes say “well chuffed” or “chuffed to bits” for emphasis. Using “well” instead of “very” or “incredibly” is uber slang. It’s not traditionally grammatically correct, but it’s a common feature in many dialects. “You look well nice today”. “That food is well good”. Unless you’re trying to integrate into a specific community that uses it, I wouldn’t say it’s something that you should really say, but it’s really important to understand it.
- Example: I was really chuffed when Tom gave me his phone number, or I was so chuffed with my exam result.
- Fit: ( /fɪt/)
Conclusion
you have studied 17 words along with meanings and definitions. you can use them If you are approaching someone for a date or dinner. All these words are of British slang so if you learn them you would sound more cool. So, What do you think? Would you use any of these phrases to ask someone out if you were in the UK? [Flirting Words in English] And maybe you can adopt some of the slang into your daily conversations. Let me know in the comment section. That’s it for me today.
Students also read:
39 Advanced American English Phrases For Daily Use
15 C1 Vocabulary Words To Sound Smarter