As with most languages, English has many different words for things, some ‘proper English’, some slang. This series intends to teach you some of these expressions that you can use every day.
This article deals with other words that can be used instead of friend. Now these are mostly not specific to gender but men tend to use these more than women.
MATE – Probably the most common expression when greeting someone you know well.
“How you doing, mate?”
CHUM – Even though quite old fashioned, this is still used though a little more formal than mate.
“Hello old chum!”
PAL – Although sometimes used as a greeting, it’s more commonly used when talking about a friend to another person.
“John? Oh yes, he’s my pal.”
BUDDY – Traditionally an American greeting, this has arrived on the Britush shore through films and is used in everyday speech.
“Hey buddy!”
BRO or BROS – Another ‘Americanism’ that has entered British culture, this is an abbreviation of brother and is naturally used by men when talking to each other. More recently, the word BRAH became popular.
“What’s up bro?”
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