The English We Speak: -core
Learning English Conversations
BBC
4.6 ⢠1.2K Ratings
đď¸ 21 October 2025
âąď¸ 3 minutes
đď¸ Recording | iTunes | RSS
đ§žď¸ Download transcript
Summary
This expression describes the vibe of something.
TRANSCRIPT Find a full transcript for this episode âď¸ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/the-english-we-speak_2025/ep-251020 Subscribe to our newsletter âď¸ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/newsletters
FIND BBC LEARNING ENGLISH HERE: Visit our website âď¸ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish Follow us âď¸ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/followus
LIKE PODCASTS? Try some of our other popular podcasts including: âď¸ Learning English Grammar âď¸ Learning English from the News âď¸ Learning English Stories
They're all available by searching in your podcast app.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, podcasts. |
| 0:05.7 | Hello and welcome to the English We Speak, where we explain phrases used by fluent English speakers so that you can use them as well. |
| 0:14.7 | I'm Faye Faye and I'm joined by Beth. Hello, Beth. Hello, Faye. Are you okay? You look a bit shocked. I am. My friend just messaged me |
| 0:23.6 | her wedding plans. She wants the wedding to be mystical, magical, colourful and have lots of sparkles. |
| 0:31.4 | She described it as fairycore. Fair decor? Wow. What exactly does it mean? |
| 0:38.0 | Well, in modern slang, core can be added to the end of a word to describe the vibe, feel or atmosphere of something. |
| 0:45.8 | So it's a label for a certain style or feeling. Your friend wants the vibe of her wedding to be magical. |
| 0:53.2 | I actually saw a wedding online recently that described itself as America. |
| 0:59.9 | So all the decorations were stars and stripes. |
| 1:03.4 | They ate hot dogs. |
| 1:05.2 | Wow, that is so different. |
| 1:07.5 | Let's listen to more examples of core. |
| 1:13.7 | I love cottage core. We're coming into the autumn, so I just want to be in an old cottage by the fire, sitting on a sofa watching old movies. |
| 1:23.1 | I'm really enjoying listening to old vinyl records at the moment. |
| 1:27.0 | Loads of old albums from the 90s, it's really nostalgia core. |
| 1:31.9 | When it comes to style, Normcore is the way to go. |
| 1:35.8 | You can't be a grey jumper. |
| 1:41.7 | So add core to the end of a word and you'll be describing the look or feel of something. |
| 1:47.0 | It's very popular online, especially on social media and in fandoms. |
| 1:52.1 | So, Faye Faye, we like English grammar and pronunciation and interesting phrases. |
| 1:58.7 | Our vibe must be English core. |
| 2:01.9 | We'll be back next time with another useful English phrase. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright Š Tapesearch 2026.