How to Talk Like a Teenager

You have to tread carefully if you want to learn how to talk like a teenager. Parents who try too hard to talk like their teen end up looking silly and become a source of ridicule. When you learn teen speak, use it to communicate better and not to try to recapture your youth.

Instructions

1. Listen to the slang teens use when talking to each other. Try to pick up some words you can look up later. Listen to groups of teens talking at the mall or when your teen has friends over.

2. Browse an online slang guide. Check out the Urban Dictionary for help translating the slang your teen uses. You can then practice incorporating it into your speech to talk like a teen.

3. Ask her to explain. If you don't know what your teen's talking about, ask her to elaborate further. You can learn how to identify the subject matter more easily if she talks to you more.

4. Watch MTV or another teen targeted channel to learn the basics of teen slang and subjects they talk a lot about. Learn more about the subjects and then talk to your teen about it.

Tips & Warnings

• Remember to learn about online and text messaging language when trying to talk like a teen. Many times, common abbreviations are used to communicate electronically.

• Don't always talk like a teen. You need to watch when you use the teen language in your everyday life. For example, saying "word out" when leaving an office meeting does not look professional.

Resources

• Look up teen slang on the Urban Dictionary site.