Greeting - Example Conversations

Let's look at several example conversations. Then we can move on to the practice section. Person A: "Hi, my name is Steve. It's nice to meet yo ." Person !: "I'm "ack. It's a pleas re to meet yo , Steve." Person A: "#hat $o yo $o %or a livin& "ack'" Person !: "I work at the (ank." Person A: "#hat is yo r name'" Person !: ""ackson." Person A: "#hat was that a&ain'" Person A: "Hey "ohn, how have yo (een'" Person !: "#hat a s rprise. I haven't seen yo in a lon& time. How have yo (een'" Person A: "I'm $oin& very well. How a(o t yo '" Person !: "I %inally have some %ree time. I ) st %inishe$ takin& a (i& examination, an$ I'm so relieve$ that I'm $one with it." Person A: "Hi *ancy, what have yo (een p to'" Person !: "The same ole same ole." +r, "The same as s al. How a(o t yo '" Person A: "I'm pretty ( sy at work these $ays, ( t otherwise, everythin& is &reat." Person A: "An$y, it's (een a lon& time, how are yo man'" Person !: "#hat a s rprise. I haven't seen yo in a lon& time. How have yo (een'" Person A: ",o yo come to this resta rant o%ten'" Person !: "I've (een here a co ple o% times, ( t I $on't come on a re& lar (asis."

reeting - Interactive Practice

Click on Listen All and follow along. After becoming comfortable with the entire conversation, become Person A by clicking on the Person A button. You will hear only Person B through the audio file. There will be a silence for you to re eat the sentences of Person A. !o the same for Person B. The s eed of the conversation is native s eed. "se the ause button if the ause between each sentence is too fast for you. After racticing several times, you will be able to s eak as fast as a native. # Listen All $ Person A $ Person B A% &'i, how are you doing(& B% &)*m doing great. 'ow about you(& A% &+ot too bad.& B% &!o you come to this restaurant often(& A% &)*ve been here a cou le of times, but ) don*t come on a regular basis. ,hat have you been u to(& B% &)*m retty busy at work these days, but otherwise, everything is great.& A% &,ell, have a good evening.& B% &You too.& Listen All $ Person A $ Person B A% &)t*s nice to meet you. .y name is /ack.& B% &)*m 0teve. )t*s a leasure to meet you.& A% &,hat was your name again(& B% &0teve.& A% &0o 0teve, ,hat do you do for a living(& B% &) work at the ublic library. 'ow about you(& A% &)*m a "niversity student.& B% &That*s great. )t was nice meeting you.& A% &Yeah. )t was a leasure meeting you.& 1 Listen All $ Person A $ Person B A% &'ey /ack, it*s good to see you.& B% &,ow. 'ow long has it been( )t seems like more than a year. )*m doing retty well. 'ow about you(& A% &+ot too bad.& B% &,hat movie did you come to see(& A% &) came here to see .atri2 3evolution. 'ow about you(& B% &)*m going to watch 4inding +emo.&

Bored - Calling Someone

The conversation when yo call someone mi&ht so n$ somethin& like this. "Hello" "Hi "ane, this is "ill. ,o yo have time to talk'" "Hi "ill, s re, I was ) st watchin& T-." "#hat are yo watchin&'" "I was ) st watchin& a re.r n o% %rien$s. How a(o t yo ' #hat are yo $oin&'" "*othin& m ch. I really wante$ to start st $yin& %or the Psycholo&y test comin& p, ( t I can't seem to motivate mysel%." As yo can see, /ven tho &h "ill is very (ore$, she $i$n't say that she was (ore$. To sensitive people, they can misinterpret the sit ation. I% I am (ore$ an$ I call yo , then that co l$ mean that I am only callin& yo (eca se I have nothin& (etter to $o. So i% yo are not very close %rien$s, it is (etter to say somethin& like, 'nothin& m ch' instea$ o% 'I am (ore$.' I% yo are very close %rien$s with someone, then the conversation can (e more $irect an$ honest. "#hat are yo $oin&'" "I'm $oin& the la n$ry." "I'm so (ore$. I have nothin& to $o." "#hy $on't yo come over an$ help me with the la n$ry'" "I'$ rather $o my own ho se chores. Hey, yo wanna take a (reak %rom yo r ho se work an$ have co%%ee at Star( cks with me'" "S re, that so n$s &reat. I'll meet yo there in thirty min tes."

Bored - General Phrases

!ein& (ore$ means havin& nothin& to $o. #hen someone is (ore$, they o%ten call people an$ try to entertain themselves or try to %in$ somethin& to $o with a %rien$. So (ein& (ore$ is a &oo$ startin& point %or conversational /n&lish. There are a co ple o% sit ations yo can express to someone that yo are (ore$. 0ost commonly, yo will call a %rien$ an$ tell them that yo are (ore$ or ask them to $o somethin& to&ether. The other time is when someone asks yo how yo are $oin&. #e will cover (oth sit ations in this session. General Phrases

"I'm $yin& %rom (ore$om." "I hate (ein& (ore$." "I $on't have anythin& to $o." "0y li%e is so (orin&." "Li%e is so (orin&." "I'm ) st watchin& T- ntil I %in$ somethin& to $o." "I was (ore$ all weeken$." "I am so (ore$ to$ay." "I &et (ore$ very easily." "I &et (ore$ all the time." A common place to &et (ore$ is when yo have to visit %amily mem(ers. "It's always (orin& whenever we &o to o r relatives." "It's nice to visit my &ran$mother, ( t it &ets (orin& a%ter a co ple o% ho rs." "0y co sins are so (orin&. All they $o is watch tv." "There's nothin& to $o in the co ntry si$e. I'm always (ore$ there." I% yo think yo are a (orin& person, here is a way to say that yo are (orin&. "I think I'm a little (orin&." "I'm a (orin& person." !orin& can (e se$ to $escri(e someone. "He is a (orin& person." "His personality is very (orin&." "It's (orin& whenever she's aro n$." 1sin& (ore$ to answer a 2 estion is very common. Here are some &eneral 2 estions that someone mi&ht ask. "How was yo r trip'" "How was yo r vacation'" "How was yo r weeken$'" "How was the lect re'" "How was the class'" "How was the &ame'"

Any o% these types o% 2 estions can (e answere$ with a simple answer. "It was pretty (orin&." "It was (orin&. I $i$n't $o m ch." "It wasn't as % n as I tho &ht. It was a little (orin&." "I was (ore$ most o% the time." "!eca se it was $isor&ani3e$, we ha$ too m ch extra time. I was (ore$ $ rin& o r %ree time."

Tomorrow's Plan - Questions and Answers

#hen askin& 2 estions a(o t the % t re, yo can ask 2 estions like: "#hat are yo &oin& to $o toni&ht'" "#hat are yo $oin& next week'" "#hen $o yo plan on $oin& yo r homework'" "#hen are yo &oin& to eat $inner'" "#hat time $o we have to leave %or the airport'" "#hat sho l$ we $o toni&ht'" There are many $i%%erent 2 estions yo can ask. !y chan&in& a %ew wor$s, yo can make n mero s 2 estions properly a(o t the % t re. #hen yo are answerin& 2 estions that relate to the % t re, remem(er to se the % t re tense. Here are some ways to answer the 2 estions $irectly a(ove: "#hat are yo &oin& to $o toni&ht'" "I plan on meetin& "ohn a%ter $inner. #e're &oin& to &o to a ni&ht cl (." "I'm &oin& to &o to take my &irl%rien$ o t to $inner. An$ i% we have time, we mi&ht try to see a movie." "#hat are yo $oin& next week'" "Since I'm on vacation next week, I plan on &oin& to P san to visit some %rien$s $own there." "*ext week I have to &o shoppin& %or all the 4hristmas presents. I have to ( y a present %or my $a$, mom, an$ my two sisters." "#hen $o yo plan on $oin& yo r homework'" "I think I'm &oin& to $o my homework a%ter I watch the worl$ c p. I $on't think I'll (e a(le to

concentrate ntil a%ter the &ame is over." "I'm so nmotivate$ to $o my homework. ! t I'll event ally have to $o it, so I'll &et aro n$ to them pro(a(ly a%ter $inner." "#hat time $o yo have to leave %or the airport'" "The %li&ht comes in at 5:67, so I plan on leavin& at a(o t 6:67" "The sec rity is pretty ti&ht so I sho l$ &et there early. I plan on arrivin& there 8 ho rs (e%ore my %li&ht leaves." "#hat sho l$ we $o toni&ht'" "A%ter $inner, let's &o &ra( a co ple o% (eers. Then we can &o shoppin& %or a co ple o% ho rs, an$ a%terwar$s, we can rent a vi$eo an$ watch it at my place." "I'm pretty ( sy toni&ht. I have to $o the la n$ry, vac m, an$ then make $inner, so I won't (e a(le to meet yo toni&ht."

How is our da - Example Conversation

The present tense is more common in writin&. As yo can see (y all the explanations I am &ivin&, they are all written in the present tense. That is (eca se it is instr ctional. Instr ctional writin& is more commonly written in present tense. However, stories in novels are written in past tense. The reason past an$ % t re tense is se$ more commonly than present tense when speakin& is (eca se s ally yo are tellin& someone what yo have $one or what yo plan on $oin&. Speakin& in the present tense is se$ primarily to tell someone what yo are c rrently $oin&. As in previo s lessons in '!ore$ an$ 9reetin&' it is very common to have a conversation sin& the present tense when yo r n into some(o$y or when yo make or receive a phone call. Let's se this time now to incorporate what we have learne$ so %ar. Person A: "Hi "ack. #hat are yo $oin&'" Person !: "Hi 0ary. I'm %illin& o t a )o( application." Person A: "Are yo %inishe$ with school alrea$y'" Person !: "*o. I have one more semester, ( t it wo l$ (e &reat to have a )o( line$ p." Person A: "How is yo r $ay &oin&'" Person !: ": ite ( sy. I'm preparin& %or my presentation tomorrow on o r marketin& strate&y.

I'm not even hal% $one yet." Person A: ";o m st %eel stresse$ o t now." Person !: "That's an n$erstatement." Person A: "#hat are yo $oin& now'" Person !: "I'm playin& pool with my %rien$s at a pool hall." Person A: "I $i$n't know yo play pool. Are yo havin& % n'" Person !: "I'm havin& a &reat time. How a(o t yo ' #hat are yo $oin&'" Person A: "I'm takin& a (reak %rom my homework. There seems to (e no en$ to the amo nt o% work I have to $o." Person !: "I'm &la$ I'm not in yo r shoes."

Talking About Girls - Interactive Practice Click on Listen All and follow along. After becoming comfortable with the entire conversation, become Person A b clicking on the Person A button. !ou will hear onl Person " through the audio file. There will be a silence for ou to re#eat the sentences of Person A. $o the same for Person ". The s#eed of the conversation is native s#eed. %se the #ause button if the #ause between each sentence is too fast for ou. After #racticing several times, ou will be able to s#eak as fast as a native.
# Listen All $ Person A $ Person B A% &,hat are you looking at(& B% &Yo .ike. !id you see that girl walking u the stairs(& A% &+o. ,hat girl(& B% &!amn. 0he was the hottest thing ) have ever seen.& A% &5h man. ) missed it. ,hat did she look like(& B% &0he had long brown hair and she had a round chest that was showing some cleavage.& A% &) can*t believe ) missed it.& B% &Let*s go u stairs. You can check her out.& Listen All $ Person A $ Person B A% &Yo .att. 'ow goes it man(& B% &Pretty good. ,hat have you been u to(& A% &You know that chick in sychology class(& B% &Yeah. You only talk about her every other day.&

A% &) can*t get her out of my mind. 0he is damn fine.& B% &,hy don*t you go talk to her then(& A% &) think she is out of my league.& B% &Chicken. 0omebody is only out of your league if you think so. ,hat do you see in her anyway( 0he is a little chubby dude.& A% &0he is not. 0he has a nice figure. And she has such a retty face.& B% &,hatever. )f you think so.& A% &You like skinny girls or something(& B% &) like normal girls without any flab hanging out.& A% &+ow you*re e2aggerating you freak.& B% &0eriously, ) like a girl who is fit and likes to e2ercise.& A% &'ow about ersonality(& B% &)t doesn*t matter until you are thinking about marriage and )*m not thinking about that yet.& A% &,ell, )*m looking so ) don*t care that much about figure. As long as she is nice and sweet.& 1 Listen All $ Person A $ Person B A% &,ho do you think is hotter( Britney or Christina(& B% &That*s a no brainer. Christina is way hotter. You think Britney is hotter than Christina(& A% &0he has some serious curves that turn me on. And ) like the way she moves. ) think she*s se2y.& B% &5k. 'ow about between the three girls on 4riends( ,ho do you think is the cutest(& A% &) like Phoebe the most. 0he is so funny it cracks me u .& B% &5k. ) agree with you there. Let*s change the scenario a little. )f you were stuck on an island, who would you choose to be with(& A% &)*d take Britney 0 ears. ) have this thing about her.& B% &+o way man. 'ow about Catherine 6eta /ones( 0he is absolutely beautiful.&

,hen you are with a friend in a ublic area, many girls walk by. 0ometimes a very retty girl. At that moment, one of them will start talking about that girl. 'ere are some things you can say. &!amn. !id you see that girl(& &,ow. 0he was hot.& &Yo yo. Check her out. 5ver there by the ay hone.& &Look at her cleavage. 0he*s showing half her breasts.& &'er legs are so fine.& &5h my gosh. A girl of that caliber only comes around once a year.& Caliber is a synonym for magnitude. 'ot is commonly used to describe a girl who is very se2y. Cleavage is the s ace between the breasts.

!escribing to a friend a girl you saw by yourself &) saw this girl at the bus station an hour ago. 0he was the se2iest thing ) have ever seen.& &) was sho ing at the mall, and ) saw this girl in tight 7eans. 0he was hot. ) was drooling 7ust looking at her.& &) went to the bookstore and a girl was leaning over to ick u a book. ) saw half her breasts and they were tight.& &)*m married and all, but ) couldn*t hel looking at her.&

&orr - Interactive Practice

Click on Listen All and follow along. After becoming comfortable with the entire conversation, become Person A by clicking on the Person A button. You will hear only Person B through the audio file. There will be a silence for you to re eat the sentences of Person A. !o the same for Person B. The s eed of the conversation is native s eed. "se the ause button if the ause between each sentence is too fast for you. After racticing several times, you will be able to s eak as fast as a native. # Listen All $ Person A $ Person B A% &You don*t look too well. ,hat*s going on(& B% &) 7ust lost my 7ob. )*m 7ust worried about how )*m going to ay the bills.& A% &)*m sorry to hear that. 'ave you been looking for another 7ob(& B% &) 7ust started, but the 7ob market is very bad right now. )*m not o timistic about it.& A% &That*s tough. ,hat does your wife think about this(& B% &0he*s trying to be su ortive, but ) can tell she is very worried about our financial situation as well.& A% &) have some friends who might be able to hel you find a 7ob. )*ll see what they can do.& B% &) really a reciate your hel .& A% &+o roblem. )n the meantime, don*t try to worry so much. You*ll get through this.& Listen All $ Person A $ Person B A% &/ared, ) 7ust heard about your father. 'ow is he doing(& B% &'e*s in the hos ital resting. The doctor*s didn*t give a clear answer yet.& A% &)*m so sorry to hear that. But this is a good hos ital. )*m sure they will do whatever they can.& B% &) ho e so.& A% &You must feel really worried right now. But you know your dad is a fighter.& B% &Yeah. ) think my mom is the most worried. )*m basically worried about how she is doing.& A% &,here is she right now(& B% &0he*s in the hos ital with my dad. ) have to go back tonight.&

A% &'ey, )*ll go with you.& B% &You don*t have to.& A% &)t*s really no roblem.& B% &5k. Let*s go right after dinner.&

Being !orried - Tal"ing to a !orried Person

,hen someone is worried, here are some sentences you might need to say. &0to worrying. )t*s only making you feel worse.& &You should try to think ositive. ,orrying is not going to hel you.& &!on*t worry about the lanning. )*ll take care of it.& &!on*t worry about the money. ) already took care of it.& &)*m sure you assed the test. !on*t worry about it.& &You had a high 8PA and you did well on your test. !on*t worry about getting into school. )*m sure all of them will acce t you.& &You*re over reacting. The situation is not that bad. ) don*t think you should be worried at all.& &,orrying is not going to hel your situation. Let*s think of a ste by ste lan that will hel your financial roblem.& &The hardest art of your situation is that you can*t do anything about it. ) ho e everything works out.& &9verything ha ens for a reason. )*m sure something good will come out of all this.&

!orr - Serious Situation

0ometimes, a erson might not take a situation seriously. )f something bad ha don*t think it is bad, then a o ular comment is to say something like this. &) would worry if ) were you.& &!o you think this is a 7oke( This is retty serious.& &This is one of your last chances. Aren*t you worried at all(& ,hen we are worried, the word doesn*t have to be used to e2 ress that we are worried. 'ere are a few e2am les of what ) am talking about. ened and they

&) don*t know how )*m going to ay for the medical bills.& &) have so much debt. ) don*t know what to do.& &) 7ust took the e2am and ) don*t know if ) assed or not.& &) only a lied for three schools. ,hat*s going to ha en if ) don*t get into any of them(& &) 7ust had my interview. ) don*t know if ) got it or not.& &) ho e they come out with the results soon. ) hate the waiting.& &The doctor said there are some com lications with the regnancy. )*m raying nothing bad ha ens.& &.y mother got into a car accident. 0he*s in critical condition. ) don*t know what*s going to ha en.& &0o many eo le are counting on me. ,hat if ) let them down(&

Anger - Interactive Practice

Click on Listen All and follow along. After becoming comfortable with the entire conversation, become Person A by clicking on the Person A button. You will hear only Person B through the audio file. There will be a silence for you to re eat the sentences of Person A. !o the same for Person B. The s eed of the conversation is native s eed. "se the ause button if the ause between each sentence is too fast for you. After racticing several times, you will be able to s eak as fast as a native. # Listen All $ Person A $ Person B A% &,hat ha ened to your car(& B% &A tow truck was towing my car and ut all those dents in my car.& A% &Are they going to ay you for the damages(& B% &They*re saying it was already there.& A% &,hat the hell. That doesn*t make sense. ,hat are you going to do.& B% &) have to go to court. A co was there so he can rove that the damage wasn*t there.& A% &That sucks. )*d be issed if that ha ened to me.& B% ) got an estimate and it*s four thousand dollars.& A% &5h my gosh. !amn... screw the court, ) would burn down their store.& B% &,e*ll see what ha ens after court.& Listen All $ Person A $ Person B A% &/ack, what*s wrong(& B% &You:& A% &,hat are you talking about( ,hat did ) do(& B% &You told .artha that ) was on a date( ,hat was that all about(& A% &+o... that*s not what ) meant. ) didn*t mean that. 0he asked me where you were and ) 7okingly said that you were on a date with 0ara. ) thought .artha knew that you and 0ara were 7ust friends.& B% &0he started feeling sus icious after you said that.& A% &)*m sorry man. ) didn*t know. ) didn*t mean to screw anything u .& B% &.artha gets 7ealous easily and it took a while to convince her that 0ara was 7ust a friend. +ow, ) have to e2 lain to 0ara that ) can*t hang around her because of you.& A% &Look. ) really didn*t mean to, and ne2t time ) see .artha, )*ll really tell her that you and 0ara are really 7ust friends.& B% &!on*t bother.&

Anger - Confronting &hen ou are talking to the #erson that made ou angr , it is common to lose control and sa a lot of things. 'ere are some common sentences. (I thought ou were a friend. I had so much trust in ou. I can)t believe ou did this to me.( (&hat were ou thinking when ou stabbed me in the back. $id it feel good*( (&h )d ou do it*( (!ou know I still have feelings for +and . !ou didn)t even consider m feelings. &hat* Am I not a friend or something*( (!ou)re not the onl one hurting for mone . !ou owe me five hundred dollars. I need it now.( (!ou didn)t have to tell m #arents that I owed ou mone . I said I would #a ou back when I got m #a check. I can)t believe ou would do this.( ,entences ou can ask or sa if ou feel a friend is angr with ou (Are ou mad at me*( (Are ou angr *( (!ou)re not disa##ointed are ou*( ($on)t be angr with me. I reall didn)t mean it.( (I didn)t know ou were involved. I ho#e ou)re not mad at me.( (I reall didn)t know it was going to make ou u#set.(