The English Breakfast ☕
Hi there,
Welcome back to The English Breakfast — the newsletter for Italian professionals who want to feel more confident in English at work.
Watching films and TV series is one of the best ways to hear different accents and practice the English you already know.
My clients often ask me: “What should I watch to improve my English?”
My answer is always the same (and maybe a little disappointing): Whatever you enjoy!
However, if you’re looking for a specific recommendation and have Netflix, I’ve recently been watching the series The Gentlemen.
It’s directed by Guy Ritchie, so expect plenty of action and gangster-style drama. But I’m recommending it today because parts of the story take place in Italy, so you’ll also hear moments where English and Italian collide—which is always fun!
More importantly, the show is full of authentic British accents.
One accent you’ll hear is Cockney—a famous traditional accent from East London. It can be tricky to understand because Cockney speakers often use rhyming slang.
With rhyming slang, you replace a normal word with a rhyming phrase:
Tea = Rosie Lea
Neck = Gregory (Peck)
Take a look at this clip of two actors from The Gentlemen, Vinnie Jones and Ray Winstone, trying a matcha latte for the first time. 😅 See if you can spot those two examples of rhyming slang.
Now, watch it one more time and listen out for these British expressions:
A builder’s = A very strong cup of black tea with milk
To be nicked = To be arrested by the police
A splash of milk = A small amount of milk
A slurp = A noisy drink or mouthful (una sorsata rumorosa)
Let’s have a bang on that = Let’s give that a try!
✉ Hit reply and let me know what you think is the Cockney accent:
🙂 It’s easy to understand.
😐 It’d be difficult to understand without subtitles.
🤯 It sounds like another language!
Intriguing Idioms
Can you believe that 2-minute video was packed with so many idioms? (Colloquial figurative phrases).
It’s a great reminder of just how important they are in everyday English!
How well do you know your idioms? Test yourself with the quick 10-question quiz below.
Quick Fix 🔧
What’s the missing word in this sentence?
When you have an important decision to make, do you like to sleep ….. it?
Watch the video to check your answer! (I also made a mistake in Italian during the introduction … feel free to comment with your correction 😆).
Now it’s your turn
Reply with your answer to the question at the end of the video. 📧
OK, that’s all for this week’s edition.
Let me know if you enjoyed it and I’ll see you next time.
Have a great week. 😎
All the best,
Dan
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