🇬🇧 London · English
Learn British English in London — the caff, the cuppa, the 'you alright?'
British English greets you with a question that isn't one («You alright?»), calls thanks «cheers», and serves tea as a love language. Maggie's caff teaches the register English class never covers: warm, quick, and utterly London.
What can I get you, love?
How London actually talks
What you'll pick up
- The greeting ritual — «you alright?» needs no answer, and now you know
- Caff vocabulary: cuppa, butty, «cheers, love», and when «love» is friendly (usually)
- British understatement decoded — «not bad» is high praise
Words that change in London
Maggie speaks the way London does, not the way a textbook does. A few of the swaps you'll hear from the first minute — the full list lives in the app's «Talk like a Brit» guide:
| They say | It means | You'll hear |
|---|---|---|
| chips | thick-cut fried potatoes elsewhere: fries | Fish and chips, please — salt and vinegar on. And what Americans call chips are "crisps" here. Both swaps at once — a classic trap. |
| crisps | potato chips from a bag elsewhere: chips (US) | A packet of crisps with the meal deal, please. Ask for "chips" in a shop and you'll be pointed to the chippy. |
| lift | elevator elsewhere: elevator | The lift's just past reception, on your left. And remember: the GROUND floor is street level; the first floor is one up. |
| queue | a line of people waiting elsewhere: line | Is this the queue for tickets? Sacred in Britain. "Jumping the queue" is the national sin. |
| toilet / loo | the bathroom (public) elsewhere: restroom | Sorry, where are the toilets? "Restroom" sounds distinctly American; "loo" is the friendly everyday word. |
| quid | pound sterling (casual) elsewhere: pound(s) | It's five quid a portion. Never pluralized: five quid, not five quids. |
| takeaway | food to go / a to-go restaurant elsewhere: takeout | Shall we just get a takeaway tonight? Both the food and the shop that sells it. |
| jumper | a knitted pullover elsewhere: sweater | Bring a jumper — it gets chilly by the river. A "sweater" is understood; a "jersey" you'll also hear. |
- mate — friend — or any stranger, warmly Between men especially, but broadly friendly; «love» and «darling» fill the same slot in markets and cafés.
- knackered — exhausted Everyday and family-friendly; «shattered» means the same.
- chuffed — really pleased «Well» and «dead» work as intensifiers: well chuffed, dead nice.
- gutted — bitterly disappointed The exact opposite of chuffed.
Where you'll practise in London
48 missions across 6 scenes and 1 guided tour. Each mission is a real errand with a goal, a person who talks back, and a debrief afterwards in your own language.
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Maggie's Café café
Maggie, Owner of a London café · 11 missions · A1–C1
- Your morning A1 — Nothing to order — just tell Maggie three small things you did this morning, one sentence at a time.
- Save me a scone A1 — The scones sold out. Tell Maggie you'll come tomorrow, pick a time, and ask her to keep one for you.
- Wrong drink A1 — You asked for tea and got coffee. Say something, ask for the tea, and let Maggie put it right.
+ 8 more at this scene
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Flat 3, 114a Fernhill Road flat viewing
Colin, Private landlord showing a one-bedroom flat above a shop in Walthamstow, east London · 6 missions · A1–C1
- At the door A1 — Hello, I'm here to see the flat, how many rooms, how much is it, thank you. Your first viewing, in five short sentences.
- Look round A2 — Ask to see every room, say what you think, find out what's staying and when it's free. Drive the viewing yourself.
- What's included B1 — Rent, deposit, bills, council tax, heating, repairs, contract length. He answers what you ask — and only what you ask.
+ 3 more at this scene
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The Marchmont hotel
Arthur, Front-desk manager at a Bloomsbury townhouse hotel in London · 8 missions · A1–C1
- Breakfast and a knock A1 — Sort out tomorrow morning with Arthur: what time breakfast is, when you'll come down, and a wake-up call.
- Meet the manager A2 — A quiet lobby and an unhurried Arthur. Ask him three things about his life behind the desk.
- Check-in A2 — Arrive out of the rain at a Bloomsbury townhouse hotel — give your name, hand over your passport, pick your bed, and get your key and wifi.
+ 5 more at this scene
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Dot's of Borough Market market
Sadie, Third-generation stallholder at a Borough Market produce and cheese stall · 8 missions · A1–B2
- One apple A1 — The smallest shop in Borough Market: ask Sadie for one apple, hear the price, and pay.
- Who's Dot? A1 — Nothing to buy — just ask. Say hello to Sadie and find out who the name over the stall belongs to.
- Put one by A1 — The good strawberries land Saturday. Tell Sadie you'll come, pick a time, and ask her to hold one back.
+ 5 more at this scene
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The Crown and Anchor pub
Dave, Landlord of a London pub · 9 missions · A1–C1
- A pint, please A1 — The first step: go up to the bar, order a pint from Dave, and pay for it, in a few simple words.
- Your day out A2 — No pint tonight. Just tell Dave where you went in London today, and how the day actually went.
- The match on Saturday A2 — Dave invites you to watch the match. Sort out the time, say who's coming, and lock the plan in.
+ 6 more at this scene
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Larkhall Rise Surgery GP surgery (on the phone)
Pauline, Senior medical receptionist at an NHS GP surgery in south London (voice on the telephone) · 6 missions · A1–C1
- Ring the surgery A1 — Your first phone call in English. Say your name, ask for an appointment, take the day she offers. No faces, no pointing — only your voice.
- Book it properly A2 — Name, spelling, date of birth, what it's about, pick a slot. Everything by voice — she has nothing to look at but what you say.
- Move the appointment B1 — Your shifts changed. Explain it, fit a new slot around your week, agree it — and find out what happens if you're late.
+ 3 more at this scene
Tours
- A London food walk with Maggie, Owner of a London café — 4 stops: Borough Market, The chippy, Pie and mash and Afternoon tea.
Questions people ask about London
Which English will I hear in London?
British English. Maggie and the other locals in the London scenes speak the way people in London actually speak — accent, pace, register and vocabulary. They'll say chips for thick-cut fried potatoes, crisps for potato chips from a bag and lift for elevator, and the coach tells you when a word is local rather than universal.
Do I need to speak English already?
No. Missions in London run from A1 (first words: greet, order, ask for the bill) to C1 (argue a point, handle a complication, hold a real conversation). You pick a level, the scene meets you there, and the coach explains anything you missed in your own language.
What will I actually do in the London scenes?
48 missions across 6 scenes — Maggie's Café, Flat 3, 114a Fernhill Road, The Marchmont and Dot's of Borough Market and more. Each mission is an errand with a goal: order, negotiate, describe a symptom, get directions, small-talk your way through a wait. The person you're talking to has their own agenda, so it never goes exactly to script. There is also a guided tour — A London food walk — where the guide talks and you ask.
Is it free?
You can start speaking without creating an account. A free account keeps your notebook and progress and comes with a monthly allowance of speaking minutes; the app tells you where you stand.
How does the feedback work?
Maggie answers in English, and a separate coach watches the conversation and flags what to fix — grammar, a word choice that isn't London's, pronunciation — in your language, without interrupting the scene. Words you didn't know go into your notebook with the London pronunciation, and after each mission you get a debrief you can review.