I'm Neil and joining me today is…

Feifei: Argh! Ouch!

Neil: …Feifei… who's just walked right into

a door.

Feifei: Hi. I was just catching up on some

messages on my phone and I sort of lost

track of where I was.

Neil: Hmm yes, you were walking around

like a zombie

– a smartphone zombie.

A smombie is a person who walks around with

their head bowed down, writing messages or

playing games on their phone and not paying

any attention to the world around them!

Feifei: Even if they're in a situation which might

be dangerous – like crossing a road.

Neil: Or walking into a radio studio door!

How's your nose?

Feifei: OK, OK, Neil. You've made your point.

Let's hear some examples.

I'm too terrified to drive past the college

these days. You never know when a smombie's

going step out into the road in front of the car!

I was knocked flying the other day by a smombie

as I was trying to get a bus. I don't even

think she knew she'd bumped into me!

People don't know how to communicate with

each other face-to-face any more. They are

such smombies!

Feifei: This is The English We Speak from

BBC Learning English

and in this programme we're learning

a really new word which is made up of two

words – smartphone and zombie.

Neil: The word is smombie. It's actually

from German and has won

Germany's 'Youth Word of the Year' competition.

Feifei: But people are now starting to use

it in English too.

It describes people who walk around totally

absorbed by their smartphones.

Neil: You know, the kind of people who

walk into

the road without looking at the traffic…

Or into studio doors.

Feifei: Enough now Neil!

Neil: Goodbye!

Feifei: Bye.