Fiver
FY-ver /ˈfaɪvə/
Informal Neutral
What it really means
A five-pound note, or simply £5. "Can you lend us a fiver?" is a very common phrase between friends.
Chinese explanation
五英镑纸币，或泛指五镑钱。朋友之间常说 lend us a fiver（借我五镑）。
Context, tips & common mistakes
A fiver is the £5 note, a tenner the £10 — and the series stops there: twenty and fifty-pound notes are just 'a twenty' and 'a fifty'. The words survive contactless Britain intact because they measure amounts, not physical notes: 'it's about a fiver on the bus', 'lend us a tenner?'.
That 'lend us' is worth decoding — 'us' means 'me' in casual requests ('sub us a fiver' = lend me £5), a Northern-flavoured usage heard everywhere. Small borrowing between friends runs on trust and prompt repayment; paying someone back by bank transfer within a day of saying 'I'll get you back' is exactly how flat-shares stay friendly.
Example conversation
A: I've left my card at home. Can you lend us a fiver?
B: Yeah, no worries.
A：我把卡落在家里了。能借我五镑吗？
B：行，没问题。
Official sources
Rules and amounts change — confirm important details with the official source.
All British Slang
Reviewed by the UK Decoded editorial team
· Last checked 17 August 2026 · Report a mistake