JiayingWelcome to The English We Speak with me, Jiaying…
Roy… and me, Roy. I can’t believe you beat me at that video game!
JiayingWell, you made some simple mistakes! It’s understandable that I won – I’m a pro and you’re a noob!
Roy A what? Anubis? Did you just call me an Egyptian god?!
**Jiaying
**Not Anubis, Roy – I called you a noob – as in someone very new to something and inexperienced.
Roy But I’m not a noob – I’ve been playing it for years – it’s my favourite game!
**Jiaying
**Oh – then you’re just really bad at it! You need some more practice!
**Roy
**Maybe we could play again – I have no idea how you found the dragon so early. You didn’t watch a gamer’s tips and tricks video, did you?
Jiaying Well, maybe just one video – it’s good to research what you’re going to play. Let’s have another game while we listen to these examples.
ExamplesHe ended up sending out the wrong information to the clients. He’s such a noob.
I can’t believe I called her the wrong name! I’m such a noob.
Four years ago, I made a film. It was terrible – I was such a noob! So, I studied how to make films at university.
**Jiaying
**You’re listening to The English We Speak from BBC Learning English, and we’re talking about the expression ‘noob’. If someone is a ‘noob’, they are inexperienced or new to something. You can also use the expression ‘newbie’. I can’t believe you beat me at that game second time round!
RoyWell, like I said – I wasn’t a newbie – I’ve been playing it for years. I went easy on you first time because I thought you were a noob!
**Jiaying
**OK. But while the word ‘noob’ is common in gaming, we can use it in other places too, right?
Roy Yes, for example your first day at work. Do you remember when I started?
**Jiaying
**You were such a noob! You forgot everyone’s names and got lost in the building!
**Roy
**Yes – I was a bit of a disaster.
**Jiaying
**That’s OK – you didn’t know what you were doing.
**Roy
**So, do you want to play another game?
**Jiaying
**No thanks – I prefer playing against newbies so I can win. Bye, Roy.
RoyBye.