YouTube transcript (GzMx4S7KbZw) — Transcript

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1. 0:00[Music]
2. 0:06hi there this is teacher Harry here and
3. 0:08welcome back to my lessons and the
4. 0:09lesson today is all about English
5. 0:12phrases for small talk English phrases
6. 0:15for small talk so what does that mean
7. 0:17well as you probably know small talk is
8. 0:20a very important part of the English
9. 0:22language it's the beginning of many
10. 0:25conversations it's the ending of many
11. 0:28conversations when people are in
12. 0:30elevators or lifts before and at the end
13. 0:32of business meetings small talk is
14. 0:35really important and many many of the
15. 0:38the students who come to me want to
16. 0:40understand Small Talk how to begin a
17. 0:43conversation how to end a conversation
18. 0:45because they usually know and I'm sure
19. 0:47you're the same you usually know the
20. 0:49technical language you want to use if
21. 0:51you're having a conference call but you
22. 0:54might feel a little bit insecure or a
23. 0:56little bit embarrassed or shy about
24. 0:58entering the conversation at the
25. 1:00beginning or at the end when they're
26. 1:01using small talk so this lesson is going
27. 1:05to help you hopefully with that so I'm
28. 1:06going to give you small talk on
29. 1:08different topics so as we said this is
30. 1:11English phrases for small talk and as
31. 1:13always I really appreciate it if you
32. 1:15could subscribe to my channel and you
33. 1:17can also listen to me on my podcast and
34. 1:20at the end of the lesson I'm going to
35. 1:21give you my contact details should you
36. 1:23wish to contact me okay so let's get
37. 1:25started so the first small talk is about
38. 1:28the opening conversation so when you're
39. 1:31meeting somebody in the elevator as I
40. 1:33said or at the beginning of a
41. 1:35presentation or nowadays at the
42. 1:37beginning of Zoom perhaps while you're
43. 1:39waiting for the boss or who Whoever has
44. 1:41organized the meeting while you're
45. 1:43waiting for them to join there may be a
46. 1:45little bit of small talk so what sort of
47. 1:48opening conversations can you have let
48. 1:50me give you a few hi I'm Harry what
49. 1:53brings you here so if you're meeting in
50. 1:56a a bar or you're meeting in a a
51. 1:59conference room you know hi I'm Harry
52. 2:02what brings you here so it's a very
53. 2:04informal way of asking the person why
54. 2:07are they coming to this particular
55. 2:09conference or why are they attending
56. 2:11this particular
57. 2:13meeting hi I'm Harry is this your first
58. 2:16time here there another way of getting
59. 2:19the conversation started because then
60. 2:21you're asking the person is this the
61. 2:22first time they've been to this College
62. 2:25event is this the first time they've
63. 2:27been to these lectures is this the first
64. 2:29time they they've been to this Sports
65. 2:32Hall or gym or yoga session whatever it
66. 2:35might be this is a way for you to start
67. 2:37the conversation so hi I'm Harry is this
68. 2:41your first time here it's my first time
69. 2:43is this your first time here okay or you
70. 2:46can even ask the person hi I'm Harry
71. 2:49what are you here for meaning so what's
72. 2:51your reason for being here okay so we
73. 2:54can ask them that in the same way or if
74. 2:57we're meeting somebody that we haven't
75. 2:59seen seen for a period of time then the
76. 3:02best way to to start the small talk with
77. 3:05them is oh hi Peter hi Michael wow long
78. 3:09time no see yeah long time no see
79. 3:12meaning it's been a long long time since
80. 3:14we met now it could be weeks it could be
81. 3:16months it even could be years there's no
82. 3:19definition of what that time should be
83. 3:21but you know oh hi Pete long time no see
84. 3:24or hi Pete it's great to see you again
85. 3:27yeah hi Pete it's great to see you again
86. 3:30and that will get you started yeah oh I
87. 3:32haven't seen you for ages or I haven't
88. 3:34seen you in ages you can use either of
89. 3:36those prepositions I haven't seen you
90. 3:38for ages I haven't seen you in ages yeah
91. 3:41how are things yeah meaning how is your
92. 3:44life how are things being how is your
93. 3:46business how is your family just
94. 3:49generally how are things so really
95. 3:51really informed okay so there the
96. 3:53opening conversations now as always
97. 3:56particularly if you're talking to people
98. 3:59in Western Europe particularly the UK
99. 4:02and here in in Ireland the weather is a
100. 4:04really important part of small talk so
101. 4:07you need to have conversational
102. 4:09Expressions that you can use if the
103. 4:11weather comes up so here's a few oh
104. 4:15beautiful day isn't it yeah so if you're
105. 4:17just talking about the the weather
106. 4:19you're looking at the window oh
107. 4:20beautiful day isn't it or if it's not
108. 4:22such a beautiful day you might say oh
109. 4:25miserable day isn't it wow it's really
110. 4:27so wet I haven't seen rain like this in
111. 4:29a a long time or oh miserable day
112. 4:32typical typical of Ireland typical of
113. 4:35the UK typical of London so good day oh
114. 4:38beautiful day isn't it so you might
115. 4:40raise the intonation in your voice
116. 4:42beautiful day isn't it yeah so you you
117. 4:45give that intonation or oh miserable day
118. 4:47isn't it so you speak down a little bit
119. 4:50because you might be a little bit sad as
120. 4:51everybody else would be because the
121. 4:53weather is so bad so beautiful or
122. 4:56miserable change the intonation and then
123. 4:59you use isn't it yeah sort of a sort of
124. 5:02rhetorical
125. 5:04question it looks like it's going to
126. 5:06snow it looks like it's going to rain so
127. 5:08again you're putting forward a a
128. 5:11suggestion or what you think based on
129. 5:13your experience oh yeah it looks like
130. 5:15it's going to snow or it wouldn't
131. 5:17surprise me if it snows it wouldn't
132. 5:19surprise me if it
133. 5:22rains well it'd be great if it rains we
134. 5:25haven't had a drop of rain in weeks yeah
135. 5:27we haven't had a drop of rain in weeks
136. 5:29we haven't had a drop of rain four weeks
137. 5:31so again talking about the weather a hot
138. 5:34summer if you're lucky enough to have a
139. 5:35hot dry summer or be great to have some
140. 5:38rain we haven't had rain in weeks we
141. 5:40haven't had rain four weeks okay so very
142. 5:44typical sentences Expressions that you
143. 5:46can use that'll get you into those
144. 5:48conversations particularly when they're
145. 5:50talking about the
146. 5:52weather okay so when we're talking small
147. 5:54talk a lot of the conversation is about
148. 5:57catching up with people so what sort of
149. 6:00expressions or phrases can you use when
150. 6:02you're literally catching up with them
151. 6:05trying to find out what has happened in
152. 6:07their life since the last time that you
153. 6:09met so something like oh the last time I
154. 6:12saw you you were changing your job or
155. 6:15the last time I saw you you were
156. 6:17expecting a baby or the last time I saw
157. 6:20you you were going to write a book you
158. 6:23know so whatever it might be it leads it
159. 6:25into the conversation so the last time I
160. 6:28saw you you were and then you're leaving
161. 6:31the opening for them yeah okay did you
162. 6:33end up getting that promotion no so it
163. 6:36could be to do with the job did you end
164. 6:38up getting that promotion did you end up
165. 6:40getting that new job that you applied
166. 6:42for did you end up doing that traveling
167. 6:45that you had promis
168. 6:47yourself I remember you were planning to
169. 6:50go on a world Cruise or you were
170. 6:52planning to start a new business or you
171. 6:55are planning to take up jogging or
172. 6:59tennis or whatever the the sport might
173. 7:01be so again leading you into certain
174. 7:04questions about the activities they may
175. 7:06or may have been about to do the last
176. 7:09time that you met
177. 7:11them did you hear about the business did
178. 7:14you hear about the guys we went to
179. 7:17college with did you hear about Mrs
180. 7:19Murphy who used to live around the
181. 7:21corner from us okay so just again
182. 7:24introducing a topic that will get your
183. 7:27colleague or the person you're talking
184. 7:28to to
185. 7:30continue the
186. 7:31conversation well you won't believe it
187. 7:33when I tell you what has happened to me
188. 7:35you won't believe it when you you hear
189. 7:36the story about our ex boss do you
190. 7:38remember that guy yeah well yeah and
191. 7:40then you go on to tell the
192. 7:42story wait till I tell you wait till I
193. 7:45tell you the last time you know we met
194. 7:46there on a Friday well the very next day
195. 7:49my car got stolen or something happened
196. 7:51okay so these are good ways to catch up
197. 7:55introduce you to them as to what's
198. 7:57happened to you and then you ask asking
199. 7:59them what has happened to them okay so
200. 8:02just let me give them to you one more
201. 8:04time the last time I saw you you were
202. 8:07whatever yeah did you end up getting
203. 8:09that promotion did you end up doing
204. 8:12whatever you were going to do I I
205. 8:14remember you were planning to okay did
206. 8:18you hear
207. 8:19about you won't believe it when I tell
208. 8:22you wait till I tell you okay so good
209. 8:26ways to get into conversations about
210. 8:28catching up with
211. 8:30somebody okay so the next few little uh
212. 8:33sentences about where you want to ask
213. 8:35somebody specifically about their
214. 8:37business or about their work or about
215. 8:39their studies what what they've been
216. 8:41focusing on okay are you still working
217. 8:44for the company in the High Street are
218. 8:46you still working for that it company
219. 8:50are you still working in the local
220. 8:53hospital so how are your studies going
221. 8:56are you nearly finished you must be
222. 8:58almost finished your stud Studies by now
223. 9:00what year are you
224. 9:02in or just generally so how's work going
225. 9:06now what's work like these
226. 9:08days how do you like working remotely so
227. 9:11if you want to bring it right up to
228. 9:12Modern Times And that's a very popular
229. 9:15topic and will be a popular topic for
230. 9:17some time now about the difference
231. 9:18between working in the offices or
232. 9:20working remotely so now what do you
233. 9:23think about working remotely how's it
234. 9:25going for you do you like it do you not
235. 9:27like it okay
236. 9:30okay so if you meet somebody and you
237. 9:32want to ask them about other people in
238. 9:35their lives okay so it could be their
239. 9:37family it could be business colleagues
240. 9:39it could be people they you used to hang
241. 9:41around with together if you were in
242. 9:43University together or in the fa same
243. 9:46football club whatever it might be so
244. 9:47there are ways in which you can make an
245. 9:50inquiry about other people connected to
246. 9:52them so how are the kids getting big I'm
247. 9:56sure yeah how's Adam doing yeah how's
248. 10:00Mary did she actually get
249. 10:02married oh please say hi to your your
250. 10:05wife for me when when you when you get
251. 10:07home or please say hi to the the guys on
252. 10:10the football team I haven't seen them
253. 10:11for ages since I stopped playing or
254. 10:14please give my regards to all the gang
255. 10:17please give my regards to your wife
256. 10:19please give my regards to your sister I
257. 10:21remember that holiday we had it was
258. 10:23really great fun okay so you're
259. 10:25inquiring or asking about other people
260. 10:27and you want to pass on your regards you
261. 10:30want to just find out what they're doing
262. 10:32and how they're getting on with
263. 10:34life of course when we're meeting people
264. 10:37what we really like to do is talk about
265. 10:39other people because usually they're not
266. 10:41there and it's a a great way of having
267. 10:43some small talk have you seen Mary
268. 10:45recently did did you see what David was
269. 10:48doing yeah so those type of
270. 10:50conversations so so here are some
271. 10:52expressions and phrases you you might
272. 10:54like to
273. 10:55use oh have you seen Michael recently
274. 10:59got a really interesting hairstyle yeah
275. 11:02I'm not so sure it's suitable to the
276. 11:03office yeah or have you heard from David
277. 11:06I believe he's stopped working and he's
278. 11:08traveling around the world so just a way
279. 11:11of finding out or introducing certain
280. 11:14topics of people what they're doing or
281. 11:17what they might have changed in their
282. 11:18lives or did you see he got married
283. 11:21again or oh he finally got married so
284. 11:23you again you're introducing
285. 11:25conversational pieces about other people
286. 11:29and if you want to be very nice to
287. 11:32people or speak nicely about people then
288. 11:34you might make comments about their new
289. 11:37look how they look and if that happens
290. 11:39to be the person you're talking to then
291. 11:41you might be very complimentary of
292. 11:42course about how they've changed so oh I
293. 11:46like your new hairstyle wow yeah oh
294. 11:48you've really lost weight that workout
295. 11:50in the gym has really worked wonders
296. 11:52yeah so you introduce nice topics that
297. 11:55make that person feel good they smile
298. 11:57and therefore the conversation will
299. 11:59continue in a happy
300. 12:01mood I really love those shoes where did
301. 12:04you get them wow I'd love a pair like
302. 12:06that myself they really suit that dress
303. 12:08or they really suit those trousers or
304. 12:11wow they really look
305. 12:13smart wow you look great so just as
306. 12:15simple you look great you don't have to
307. 12:17make any comment about anything else
308. 12:18about the weight or the hair or whatever
309. 12:20it might be wow you look great it's it's
310. 12:22great to see you
311. 12:24again oh you've got glasses they really
312. 12:26suit you yeah they're really stylish wow
313. 12:29yeah where did you get them yeah so
314. 12:31again comments on their appearance
315. 12:33comments on the look what they are
316. 12:35wearing what they've done to themselves
317. 12:38all complimentary of course so nothing
318. 12:40that's negative and the conversation
319. 12:43will will continue because the the
320. 12:45danger with small talk is you say
321. 12:47something that somebody wasn't expecting
322. 12:49it might be a little bit of a shock and
323. 12:51the conversation will stop dead and
324. 12:53people will be looking each other a
325. 12:54little bit embarrassed so you want to be
326. 12:57complimentary and open to allow the
327. 12:59conversation to
328. 13:00continue okay so then when when all of
329. 13:03the uh business is done for the day the
330. 13:05meetings are over whatever has happened
331. 13:07the conference has ended then we've got
332. 13:10small talk to do with closing
333. 13:12conversations and you know people some
334. 13:14people get up and they just disappear or
335. 13:16some people are hanging around having a
336. 13:18coffee or whatever it might be so this
337. 13:20is the ideal opportunity for
338. 13:22conversation to strike up again and
339. 13:24again you don't want to be left in the
340. 13:26in the dark you don't to be left on the
341. 13:28the end of the conversation just looking
342. 13:30at people you want to be able to join in
343. 13:32and contribute so here are some
344. 13:35conversational pieces for closing
345. 13:37conversations oh look sorry I've really
346. 13:39got to go but give me a number let's
347. 13:42catch up or give me your email and I'll
348. 13:44I'll drop you a line okay oh look I'd
349. 13:47better let you go I've taken up so much
350. 13:48of your time I'm sure you want to get
351. 13:50your bus I'm sure you want to get home
352. 13:52to the the wife and kids
353. 13:54okay well it was really great talking to
354. 13:57you that we've got we we must catch up
355. 13:59again soon yeah it's it's really been
356. 14:01wonderful it's been amazing i' I've
357. 14:03haven't seen you for such a long time so
358. 14:05it's great to get all of the
359. 14:07news look let's catch up again soon
360. 14:09let's do it again soon it's let's not
361. 14:11wait until the next meeting so give me a
362. 14:13shout we'll get together for coffee or
363. 14:15we'll get the the family together look
364. 14:18I'm really sorry but I I I have to leave
365. 14:20now is that okay I'll I'll talk to you
366. 14:23later or I'll drop you a line or I'll
367. 14:25send you on that document that I
368. 14:27promised
369. 14:29look it's time for me to to head out I
370. 14:31I'm going to to catch a train can I give
371. 14:33you a lift or do you want to share a
372. 14:35taxi or if you're walking my way perhaps
373. 14:38we could walk there together okay so
374. 14:40again nice soft easy comfortable ways of
375. 14:45ending conversation so that you can
376. 14:48leave or you can just say your goodbyes
377. 14:51or you can just make sure that the
378. 14:53contact or the communication is going to
379. 14:55continue either by email or by WhatsApp
380. 14:57whatever it might be when when you
381. 15:00contact these people so the next time
382. 15:01you meet them there's no embarrassing
383. 15:04gaps Okay so we've looked at the
384. 15:06beginning of the conversation how to
385. 15:08open the conversation we've looked at
386. 15:10different topics that might come up and
387. 15:12particularly the weather and also things
388. 15:14like sport will always come up how
389. 15:16people look is another uh topic that
390. 15:19will always come up because people if
391. 15:20they haven't met you for a long time
392. 15:22will would like to let you know that
393. 15:24it's good to see you and that you're
394. 15:25looking well and then finally how to
395. 15:28close those convers how to get out of a
396. 15:30an awkward situation perhaps there oh
397. 15:32look I really have to go now or oh is
398. 15:34that the time so you find a way to just
399. 15:37say look back out I need to go I need to
400. 15:40get my train or I need to get that bus
401. 15:42or indeed if the conversation is a
402. 15:44little bit boring and you're a little
403. 15:46bit bored it's an ideal way for you to
404. 15:48just to back out and not sound a little
405. 15:50bit too rude okay well hopefully those
406. 15:53small talk and those phrases about small
407. 15:56talk will help you if there's anything
408. 15:58else that you want any small talk
409. 16:00conversations that come your way and
410. 16:02you'd like to have some help we drop me
411. 16:04a line and I'll give you some heads up
412. 16:06on that and we'll be able to work
413. 16:08through them as I said at the beginning
414. 16:10please subscribe to the channel and you
415. 16:12can listen to me quite easily on the
416. 16:13podcast and if you want to contact me
417. 16:15well then you can do so on
418. 16:17www.english lonv skype.com very happy to
419. 16:20hear from you very happy to see what you
420. 16:22are doing and what you want me to do for
421. 16:24you and until the next time thanks for
422. 16:26listening cheers