التحدث1

‎أساسيات التحدث 1

Greeting
General Phrases عبارات عامة
"I'm dying from boredom." انا ميت من الملل
"I hate being bored."
"I don't have anything to do."
"My life is so boring."
"Life is so boring."
"I'm just watching TV until I find something to do."
"I was bored all weekend."
"I am so bored today."
"I get bored very easily."
"I get bored all the time."
"It's always boring whenever we go to our relatives."
"It's nice to visit my grandmother, but it gets boring after a couple of hours."
"My cousins are so boring. All they do is watch tv."
"There's nothing to do in the country side. I'm always bored there."
"I think I'm a little boring."
"I'm a boring person."
"He is a boring person."
"His personality is very boring."
"It's boring whenever she's around."
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How is your Day - General Statements كيف يومك
"I see Bob over there by the newspaper stand."
"I'm going to the library."
"I'm on my way home."
"I'm going to the bus stop."
"Jack is going to the store."
"Jill is stopping by now."
"The meeting is starting now."
"The manager is waiting for you in her office."
"Tell the receptionist that you are here to see Mr. Hwang."
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A very common question you will run into is, شائع جدا السؤال
"How are you doing?"
"How is your day going?"
"What are you doing now?"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Tomorrow's Plan - I am going to خطط الغد
"I'm going to see Bob tomorrow"
"I'm going to meet John at the airport at 6 O'clock tonight"
"I'm going to go home in an hour"
"I'm going to go to the bus stop right after class"
"I'm going to do that tomorrow"
"I'm going to be dead if I don't finish this project by tomorrow"
"I'm going to go home next week"
"I'll meet you there at five"
"I can't go tonight because I have to work late"
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Tomorrow's Plan - Questions and Answers
"What are you going to do tonight?"
"What are you doing next week?"
"When do you plan on doing your homework?"
"When are you going to eat dinner?"
"What time do we have to leave for the airport?"
"What should we do tonight?"
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"What are you going to do tonight?"
"I plan on meeting John after dinner. We're going to go to a night club."
"I'm going to go to take my girlfriend out to dinner. And if we have time, we might try to see a movie."
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"What are you doing next week?"
"Since I'm on vacation next week, I plan on going to Pusan to visit some friends down there."
"Next week I have to go shopping for all the Christmas presents. I have to buy a present for my dad, mom, and my two sisters."
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"When do you plan on doing your homework?"
"I think I'm going to do my homework after I watch the world cup. I don't think I'll be able to concentrate until after the game is over."
"I'm so unmotivated to do my homework. But I'll eventually have to do it, so I'll get around to them probably after dinner."
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"What time do you have to leave for the airport?"
"The flight comes in at 4:30, so I plan on leaving at about 3:30"
"The security is pretty tight so I should get there early. I plan on arriving there 2 hours before my flight leaves."
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"What should we do tonight?"
"After dinner, let's go grab a couple of beers. Then we can go shopping for a couple of hours, and afterwards, we can rent a video and watch it at my place."
"I'm pretty busy tonight. I have to do the laundry, vacuum, and then make dinner, so I won't be able to meet you tonight."
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Tomorrow's Plan
Person A: "Bob is in the hospital, did you get a chance to visit him?"
Person B: "I'm going to see Bob tomorrow"
Person A: "I thought you had to meet John tomorrow?"
Person B: "I'm going to meet John at the airport at 6 O'clock tonight"
Person A: "I'm going home now, do you want to head out together?"
Person B: "No Thanks. I'm going to go home in about an hour"
Person A: "Didn't you need to buy a present for you brother's birthday?"
Person B: "I'm going to do that tomorrow"
Person A: "I'm going to go to the bus stop right after class, so I won't have time to meet you"
Person B: "That's OK. We can always get together tomorrow."
Person A: "Why do you look so stressed?"
Person B: "I'm going to be dead if I don't finish this project by tomorrow"
Person A: "I thought you had 2 weeks to finish this project"
Person B: "I don't have time to explain now. I'll talk to you later."
Person A: "Since we are done with school, when are you going back home?"
Person B: "I'm going to go home next week"
Person A: "Me too. Do you want to meet at the train station on Sunday?"
Person B: "Sure. I'll meet you there at five"
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A: "Do you have any plans tonight?"
B: "I have class until 5 O'clock, but I'm free after that."
A: "Do you want to grab dinner?"
B: "I don't have any dinner plans so that sounds great."
A: "What time should we meet?"
B: "I need to go to the book store first, so let's meet at 6 O'clock."
A: "Let's go to Everland next week"
B: "I can't. I'm way too busy."
A: "What are you doing next week?"
B: "On Monday, I'm going to meet my professor. Tuesday, I have a job interview. Wednesday, I'm going to the dentist. And on Thursday, I have to go visit my parents."
A: "Why are you so busy?"
B: "I've been procrastinating for a long time."
A: "What are you doing over the weekend?"
B: "I'm going to exercise, meet some friends, and then watch tv."
A: "Who are you going to meet?"
B: "My friend from middle school is visiting, so we are going to have dinner on Saturday."
A: "How long is he going to stay?"
B: "He is only here for a day."
A: "Where are you going to eat dinner?"
B: "I plan on taking him to an Italian restaurant."
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Yesterday - The Past - General Statements في الماضي الامس
"I went to the airport yesterday."
"I met Bob last week."
"I was an hour late for my meeting."
"I went to the bus stop, but I was 30 seconds late. A person on the street told me the bus just went by."
"I completed that task this morning."
"I was being polite so I opened the door for him."
"I stapled the papers together to keep them organized."
"The paper ripped on the bottom, so I taped them together."
"I switched the presents around because I found out Jane doesn't like red lipstick."
"I was very interested in the topic so I paid close attention."
"I rode my bike to school." It would be incorrect to say, 'I rided...'
"I built the house from scratch." Incorrect way is to say, 'I builded...'
"I sat on the chair next to the emergency exit." Incorrect way is to say, 'sitted...'
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When asking questions about the past, you can ask questions like:
"How did you enjoy the movie?"
"What time did you get home last night?"
"How was your date with Jackie?"
"How was the traffic going to the airport?"
"What have you been up to?"
"What did you do last weekend?"
"How was the party?"
"How come you didn't come to class yesterday?"
"How did your presentation go?"
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Here are some ways you can answer these types of questions. Remember to use past tense because these actions already occurred.
"How did you enjoy the movie?"
"It was a long movie, but overall, the movie was great."
"I really didn't like the movie. It was slow and boring."
"I enjoyed the movie so much that I saw it again."
"What time did you get home last night?"
"I got home at two in the morning."
"I didn't make it home until eleven last night."
"I made it home at midnight."
"How was your date with Jackie?"
"The date went so well. We had dinner at a seafood restaurant. And then we saw a movie together."
"I don't think it went too well. We hardly had anything to talk about. I really thought Jackie was bored to death."
"The date was alright. She called me this morning to go out again, but I haven't responded yet."
"What have you been up to?"
"I just graduated from school so I'm happy that I'm done."
"I met Jackie yesterday and we spent the evening together in a nice restaurant."
"The only thing I have done in the last three months is computer games."
"What did you do last weekend?"
"Last weekend, I visited my parents."
"I went golfing on Saturday. I shot a great score."
"I stayed home and watched TV all weekend long."
"How come you didn't come to class yesterday?"
"I was very sick yesterday."
"I missed the bus and by the time I got to campus, class was already over."
"I slept in because I didn't hear the alarm ring."
"How did your presentation go?"
"It went ok. A few of the people asked some tough questions, but overall it was good."
"I messed up so bad. I brought the wrong folder from my office so I didn't have any notes."
"It was the best presentation of the day. My boss told me I was organized, focused, and spoke clearly."
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Person A: "Why didn't you come to my party last night?"
Person B: "I'm sorry I couldn't make it. I had to go visit my grandmother at the hospital."
Person A: "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Is she doing ok?"
Person B: "They just completed a small operation and the doctors said she should recover."
Person A: "Did you get a chance to go to that new restaurant down the street?"
Person B: "Yeah. I ordered the special, but the server screwed up my order."
Person A: "That sucks. So what ended up happening?"
Person B: "They finally got my steak out, but it was overcooked. It was a terrible experience."
Person A: "What did you do last weekend?"
Person B: "I went on a date with Sammy."
Person A: "Really? How was it?"
Person B: "I couldn't ask for a better night. We talked all throughout our two hour dinner, and then we sat by the river and cuddled in the night."
Person A: "Didn't you finish finals week?"
Person B: "Don't remind me. I think I failed most of the exams."
Person A: "Why did you do so terrible?"
Person B: "My mind just went blank. I think I overloaded my brain. I just couldn't concentrate during the exams."
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A: "What did you do last night?"
B: "I met some friends and we had some drinks at a bar."
A: "Did you drink a lot?"
B: "I got so drunk that I don't remember how I got home."
A: "Why did you drink so much?"
B: "I was so depressed. I just wanted to forget about everything."
A: "How was the airplane ride?"
B: "It was a twelve hour flight. It was so boring. I tried to sleep but it was too uncomfortable on the plane."
A: "How about the movies they play on international flights?"
B: "I saw both movies they played. I was just unlucky?"
A: "Did you take a book with you?"
B: "I accidentally packed it with my luggage that I checked in."
A: "What did you do last weekend?"
B: "I went to a party."
A: "How was the party?"
B: "It was way too crowded and the food was gone before I got there."
A: "What time did you get home?"
B: "It was pretty boring so I left at ten and got home before eleven."
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Weather - Summer and Autumn الطقس الصيف الخريف
Summer:
"Summer is very hot and dry. It's not so bad when we are in the shade."
"Summer is extremely hot. The sun will burn you if you don't wear sunscreen."
"Because it's not humid, it is easy to get used to."
"Summer is the only time of year that it doesn't rain much."
"Summer is like paradise in Seattle."
"If summer wasn't so good here, I would move to a different city."
"Summer is both hot and humid here."
"I am always sticky because I sweat so much during the summer."
"Without air conditioning, I don't know how I would survive."
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Spring and Fall / Autumn الربيع الخريف
"My favorite season is autumn."
"The only reason I don't like the fall is due to all the leaves I have to rake up."
"Fall is so beautiful because of all the different color leaves everywhere."
"It rains a lot around here during the fall."
"It gets cold in late autumn."
"In our country, autumn is just like summer. It's hot and humid."
"My favorite season is spring because of the budding flowers."
"I love the spring because it's not cold nor hot."
"The spring season here causes a lot of people to sneeze due to all the flowers appearing. Many people with allergies hate the spring."
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Weather - Winter الشتاء
Hot places that enjoy pleasant summer warmth:
"I don't think we have a winter here. During the winter months, it's still 80 degrees. So everyone loves the winter months because it's not too hot."
"Winter time is the best time to visit because the temperature is the best during January."
"I like to go to Hawaii for my winter vacations because it's so cold in my home city."
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Cold places:
"It's freezing out."
"It doesn't snow often, but when it does, it stays around for several weeks because it stays cold."
"For 3 months, this city will be covered with a layer of snow because it will never melt."
"It doesn't get too cold here, but it's always raining and very gloomy."
"The winter here is cold and dry. We hardly get any precipitation."
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Weather - Fahrenheit and Celsius الفهرنهايت والمئوية
"How do you convert Fahrenheit to Celsius?"
"Well, you subtract 32 from Fahrenheit, multiply by 5 and then divide by 9."
"How do you convert Celsius to Fahrenheit?"
"You multiply Celsius by 9, divide by 5, then add 32."
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Here is an example dialog.
Person A: "What is the average temperature in Seoul during June?"
Person B: "It is usually about 26 degrees Celsius during June."
Person A: "What is that in Fahrenheit?"
Person B: "That would be about 80 degrees Fahrenheit."
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Fahrenheit100. =  Celsius 37.8
"How cold does it usually get in Korea?"
"Usually around minus 5 degrees Celsius, but sometimes it gets as cold as minus 12 degrees."
"How cold does it get in Alaska?"
"Depending on the area, but it's common for the temperature to be below 0."
"Is that in Fahrenheit or Celsius?"
"Fahrenheit."
"That means it's 20 below zero!"
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Asking about the weather: السؤال
"Do you know what the weather will be like tomorrow?"
"Do you know if it's going to rain tomorrow?"
"Did you see the weather forecast?"
"What is the weather like in Korea/Seattle/Los Angeles?"
"How is the climate in Korea?"
"Does it rain much in Denver?"
"How different is the weather between Pusan and Seoul?"
"What is your favorite season of the year?"
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Answering questions about the weather: الإجابة
"The weather is supposed to be sunny and warm tomorrow."
"It's supposed to rain for the next several days."
"I didn't see the news yesterday so I don't know what the weather is going to be like."
"Weather in Los Angeles is usually hot in the summer and mild in the winter. It never really gets that cold."
"The weather in Pusan is very similar to Seoul. The main difference is that Seoul gets a little more snow in the winter and a little hotter in the summer. This is primarily because Pusan is right next to the water."
"My favorite season of the year is Spring. It's not too cold and the anticipation of a good summer puts me in a good mood."
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Statements about the weather:
"I heard Seattle is a very gloomy city with so many clouds."
"The weather is beautiful this time of year."
"I hate the rain. It makes me feel depressed."
"Autumn is a great season."
"The summer months are so humid in Korea."
"I can't stand the cold winter months."
"It's a beautiful day today, isn't it?"
"I wish the weather was like this everyday."
"It's been raining for 5 days straight. I wonder when it will stop raining."
"I hate the snow. The roads are dangerous to drive in, and when it melts, the streets are very dirty."
"I love snowboarding so I always look forward to the winter."
"The winter months are tolerable because I don't mind the cold."
"Korea has four distinct seasons."
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Weather - Long Description وصف الطويل
Question: "What is the weather like in Korea?"
Answer: "Well, the weather in Korea is unique with four distinct seasons. In the winter, the temperature is about zero degrees Celsius. But, because it doesn't rain much in the winter, there isn't much snow and the air is very dry. In spring, the days warm up significantly but the night gets a little chilly. The summer has two characteristics. It is very hot and humid most of the time, and for about 3 weeks or so, we have a rainy season called monsoon. It gets very rainy and windy during that time period. But we all look forward to autumn. It is a beautiful time of year and the temperature is very pleasant. If you plan on visiting Korea, I highly recommend visiting during autumn."
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Question: "Which season do you like the most?"
Answer: "I like summer the most, but at the same time, I hate it. I like summer because it's warm. I don't mind the heat and I like the longer days. So, I can do more activities like swimming, bicycling, rollerblading, and many other outdoor activities. I usually take a short vacation during the summer so I always look forward to that. However, the part about summer I hate the most is during the monsoon season. I can tolerate the humidity, but when it gets hot and humid along with the rain and the wind, then it gets terrible."
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Weather - Interactive Practice
A: "Hey John, it's beautiful out today, isn't it?"
B: "Yeah. I wish it would be like this everyday."
A: "Did you see the weather forecast?"
B: "Unfortunately, it's supposed to start raining tomorrow night."
A: "Do you know what the weather is going to be like tomorrow?"
B: "It's supposed to be the same as today. I don't think the weather will change much for the next week or so."
A: "That's great."
B: "Why are you so happy? Do you have anything planned?"
A: "Yeah, I'm going to Everland with my family this weekend so I was hoping for good weather."
A: "I can't believe it is raining so much."
B: "It's not that bad. Last year we had floods in 4 different areas of the city."
A: "Really? Does it always rain so much during this time of year?"
B: "This is not as bad as usual. During the monsoon season, we usually have rain for 3 weeks."
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Small Talk حديث مقتضب
One: "Hi Bill, how are you doing?"
Two: "I'm doing great. How are you doing?"
One: "I'm doing well myself."
One: "What have you been up to lately?"
Two: "Well, I just started to work at the bank so I'm pretty busy learning everything."
One: "Does that mean you already finished school? I thought you had 1 more semester left."
Two: "I took summer courses, so I finished one semester early."
One: "It's great that you got a job. I'm really happy for you."
Two: "Thanks."
One: "We should get together for lunch sometime."
Two: "Yeah, that would be great."
One: "I'll call you sometime."
Two: "Ok. I'll see you later."
One: "Alright. See ya."
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Small Talk - Two Example Dialogs
One: "Hi Mary."
Two: "Oh, hi."
One: "How are you doing?"
Two: "I'm doing alright. How about you?"
One: "Not too bad. The weather is great isn't it?"
Two: "Yes. It's absolutely beautiful today."
One: "I wish it was like this more frequently."
Two: "Me too."
One: "So where are you going now?"
Two: "I'm going to meet a friend of mine at the department store."
One: "Going to do a little shopping?"
Two: "Yeah, I have to buy some presents for my parents."
One: "What's the occasion?"
Two: "It's their anniversary."
One: "That's great. Well, you better get going. You don't want to be late."
Two: "I'll see you next time."
One: "Sure. Bye."
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Them: "Hi. My name is Josh. It's a pleasure to meet you."
You: "Hi Josh. I'm glad to be here."
Them: "Did you have any problems finding this place."
You: "I didn't have any problems. I found directions on the internet so it was pretty easy to find. However, the traffic was not that great."
Them: "Traffic is never good around here."
You: "I agree. It would be great if there was a train or a subway line that went through here."
Them: "That would be so great. I would definitely take the train if they had it."
You: "Trains are great because you can read a book or get a little rest instead of having to fight the traffic."
Them: "Very true. Well, let me begin by telling you about our company..."
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Small Talk - Interactive Practice
A: "Hey Paul. What are you doing here?"
B: "How's it going? I'm meeting up with a friend here."
A: "How have you been man?"
B: "Not too bad. I'm still in school and having a little fun."
A: "How are you enjoying Mr. Lee's history class?"
B: "It's so boring."
A: "Tell me about it. If it wasn't a requirement, I wouldn't have taken it."
B: "How about you? What have you been up to?"
A: "I finished school last spring. I'm searching for a job now, but I'm slacking off."
B: "I heard the job market is not that hot right now."
A: "I could always take a low end job, but I'm not that desperate yet."
B: "Well, good luck to you."
A: "Thanks. It was good seeing you again."
B: "Yeah. I'll catch you later."
A: "Have a good night."
A: "You're John right?"
B: "Yes. Oh, you're in my English class right?"
A: "Yeah. I'm Martha."
B: "Well it's good to finally meet you."
A: "How are you enjoying the class?"
B: "I'm not sure. Some days it seems ok, but other days I am totally bored in class."
A: "I know what you mean. Do you know what is wrong with the weather these days? I haven't seen the sun in 2 weeks."
B: "The weather has been pretty terrible recently."
A: "I'm really hoping the weather gets better."
B: "Do you have something coming up?"
A: "To tell you the truth, it's just depressing seeing so much rain."
B: "I don't blame you. It has been pretty gloomy for sometime now."
A: "This is my stop. I'll see you later."
B: "I'll see you in class. Bye."
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Movies - Asking Friend
"Hey John, do you want to (wanna) go see a movie tonight?"
"I'm going to watch Terminator 2. Do you wanna join?"
"Let's go see The Matrix tomorrow."
"What time should we meet at the theatre?"
"Let's watch a movie after dinner."
"The Titanic is coming out this Friday. Let's go see it."
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"Who is all going?"
"Who are you watching it with?"
"Where are you watching it?"
"What time are you watching the movie?"
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Normal answers:
"That sounds great."
"I always wanted to see that. Let's go."
"Let's meet at the theatre at four o'clock."
"Sure. Do you wanna eat lunch together before the movie?"
"I've already seen that movie. What else is playing?"
"I can't. I have to work that night."
"That movie sounds scary. I don't like horror movies."
"I really don't like the actors. I'm going to pass."
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Movies - Example Conversation
Person A: "Hey John, I'm going to see The Matrix with Peter and Brad. Do you wanna come?"
Person B: "When are you guys going?"
Person A: "We're going to see the eight O'clock showing."
Person B: "That would be great. Where are you guys meeting?"
Person A: "We're meeting at the theatre at seven thirty."
Person B: "Great. I'll meet you guys there."
Person A: "Hey Jill."
Person B: "What's up Mike?"
Person A: "I was wondering if you have any plans for tomorrow night."
Person B: "Umm... I don't think I have anything special for tomorrow. Why?"
Person A: "Do you want to see The Titanic with me?"
Person B: "I wanted to see that. Yeah. Let's go."
Person A: "What time is good for you?"
Person B: "How about seven thirty."
Person A: "Sure. I'll meet you at the theatre at seven.
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Movies
A: "I hear Batman is supposed to be good. Do you want to go see it tomorrow?"
B: "I have to eat dinner with my family tomorrow."
A: "We can watch the late show. I think it starts at nine forty five."
B: "That would be great."
A: "What time can you be at the theatre by?"
B: "I can be there by 9:15."
A: "Ok. I'll meet you there."
A: "What are you doing tomorrow?"
B: "Nothing really."
A: "Let's watch a movie or something."
B: "What's on these days?"
A: "I think they're playing Lord of the Rings"
B: "That sounds pretty good. Let's watch that."
A: "Where should we meet?"
B: "How about at the subway entrance."
A: "Aright. I'll meet you there at one o'clock."
A: "Hey Steve, what are you doing these days?"
B: "Just working. The same as usual."
A: "Have you seen Shiri?"
B: "No. I haven't seen that yet."
A: "Let's go watch it tomorrow. It's a weekend and you should take a break."
B: "Well, to think of it, that sounds great."
A: "I'll give you a call tomorrow about noon and let you know the time."
B: "Ok. I'll see you tomorrow."
A: "See you."
A: "What should we do this Saturday?"
B: "Rocky six is suppose to come out this Friday."
A: "Yeah, but I don't know if it is going to be any good."
B: "The only reason I want to see it is because I have seen the previous five."
A: "True. Ok. Let's see it this Saturday."
B: "How about we hook up for lunch at 12:00, and then go see the movie afterwards."
A: "Sounds like a plan. Let's meet in front of Tower Records at 12:00."
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Movies Types
Action and Drama
Action /Drama/Comedy/Romantic comedy/Horror/Science fiction/Suspense (Thriller)
/Western/Commentary / Non-Fiction
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Action: Movies with lots of fighting, shooting, exploding, etc.
"What kind of movie do you like?"
"I like action movies because they are fast paced."
"Action movies are my favorite."
"I like all the action movies with a lot of guns."
"I like fight scenes that are choreographed."
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Drama: Everyone knows drama. Like Titanic and Schindler's List
"What type of movies do you like?"
"I like all sorts of drama."
"I like movies that play with my emotion."
"Drama movies are great because they are the most realistic."
"The sad drama movies that make me cry."
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Comedy: Funny movies with many jokes or actors acting in a funny way.
"I love all types of comedy because I love to laugh."
"Comedy is my favorite because it is very entertaining to me."
"I like comedy that makes fun of political things."
"Comedy is so hilarious that I always enjoy watching them."
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Romantic Comedy:
"Many people view romantic comedy movies as chick-flicks."
Chick = girl
Flick = movie
Chick-Flick = a girly type of movie; a movie a girl will like; 'take your girlfriend to' type of movie... or something like that.
"Romantic comedy is funny movies that involve a lot of romance."
"I love all the story lines of romantic comedy movies."
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Horror: Scary movies that will give you nightmares for 3 months.
"When I was a little kid, I couldn't sleep because of horror movies."
"Horror movies are not scary anymore."
"I have yet to see a movie that really scares me."
"I hate horror movies because I cannot sleep."
"I always have nightmares after watching horror movies so I try to avoid them."
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Science Fiction:
"Many science fiction movies are about the future."
"The success of a science fiction movie is usually dependent on how much they spend on special effects."
"After watching a science fiction movie such as star wars, I always wish I lived in the future."
"Gene Rodenberry and George Lucas are two great people in the Science Fiction world."
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Suspense (Thriller):
"I am always on the edge of my seat when I watch suspenseful movies."
"I can't stand to watch suspenseful movies because my stomach always gets upset."
"The suspense just kills me."
"It's so exciting to watch a suspense movie."
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Western: Old time cowboy movies
"Western movies are not so popular anymore."
"Client Eastwood was a popular western actor."
"Western movies show a little bit about the United States during the early years."
"After watching The Last Samurai, I always hoped an Asian country will make a movie called The Last Cowboy."
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Commentary / Non-Fiction: Educational and true.
"Commentaries and non-fiction films are usually educational."
"Non-profit organizations usually create commentaries supported by the government."
"Popular non-fiction films are about chimpanzees and gorillas"
"Sometimes non-fiction films are sad because of the hidden truth that is revealed."
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Movie Types
A: "What type of movies do you like?"
B: "I like comedies. How about you?"
A: "I like action."
B: "Action is fun too."
A: "What type of movies do you like?"
B: "I like all sorts of movies, primarily drama and science fiction."
A: "That's an interesting combination. How about western movies?"
B: "Western and horror are the two types of movies I don't care for."
A: "Why don't you like horror? They're entertaining."
B: "Some are entertaining, but I find most of them stupid and childish. For example, I don't understand why a person always goes into the house alone when something is suspicious."
A: "Ha ha. I know what you mean. But it's just a movie. They need for the characters to do that."
A: "Hey, you wanna see a movie tomorrow?"
B: "Sounds like a good plan. What do you want to see?"
A: "How about Legally Blonde."
B: "Ah, my girlfriend wanted to see that movie. I have to take her later so I don't want to watch it ahead of time. How about The Cube?"
A: "Isn't that a scary movie?"
B: "How scary can it be? Come on, it'll be fun."
A: "Ok. I'll give it a try."
B: "That's the spirit. I'll see you tomorrow after class."
A: "Ok. See you tomorrow."
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Movie Discussion
"It was alright."
"It could have been better."
"It was pretty good."
"I liked it."
"It was entertaining."
"It was so stupid I almost fell asleep."
"Lame"
"Boring"
"Too unrealistic"
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Movie Discussion
Didn't understand:
"Do you remember the scene when Mary walked into the dining room? Why was she carrying a knife? She didn't use it and the cameras focused on it."
"I can't understand why she betrayed him. The whole movie concentrated on her trust and loyalty. It just doesn't make sense."
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Good Scene:
"I love the scene when Russell Crowe showed his face to the emperor after the first gladiator fight."
"What did you think about the last fight scene between Neo and Agent Smith in the rain?"
"The courtroom scene between Jodie Foster and Richard Gere was absolutely amazing."
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Great Movie:
"That was such a cool movie. It was the best movie I've seen in a long time."
"Anytime I see a great movie I tend to look at my watch often. That's because I don't want the movie to end."
"The movie was great. I liked everything about it. I'm definitely going to buy the dvd."
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Situational questions:
"What would you have done? Would you have taken the million dollars and give up your wife for a night?"
"Would you choose money and fame, or family and stability?"
"What did you think about the movie?"
"I thought it was great. It was very powerful."
"How much of it do you think was true?"
"I learned about Germany and World War II in one of my classes, and this movie showed everything I learned from class."
"Wow. It's amazing that these things have happened in our history."
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 The conversation
A: "Did you like the movie?"
B: "It was better than I thought."
C: "I liked it."
A: "The movie didn't have many cheesy or stupid scenes."
B: "Yeah. I'm glad that they didn't have any love scenes. Sometimes a love scene destroys a good movie."
C: "I thought the scene where the girl was washing her hair and Tom Cruise came to say good bye was stupid. Why did they have that there? It didn't make sense."
B: "I agree. They didn't need that scene."
A: "I don't see the harm in that scene. They didn't do anything or show anything. What's the big deal?"
C: "When you are talking about good movies versus great movies, each and every scene counts."
A: "That's true."
B: "But besides those one or two scenes, the movie was great."
A: "I liked everything about it. I really liked the samurai that was beating up Cruise in the beginning of the movie. The guy second in command. He was cool too."
B: "Every movie has a guy like him. They try to make him awesome even though they don't say much."
C: "I don't understand why Tom Cruise went back to that village. If he was the only survivor, wouldn't that make everyone suspicious about where his loyalty lies?"
A: "It was clear in the movie that he loved the place and the samurais. Clearly everyone knows that he isn't a traitor. I would have done the same thing in his position."
B: "I think so too."
C: "But isn't it suspicious that he is the only survivor."
A: "Well, all the samurais were looking for a death in battle. Cruise wasn't."
C: "But only the boss received the satisfaction of being killed with the sword. Nobody else did."
A: "True."
B: "What are we going to order?"
C: "I am going to have a chicken burger because of the Mad Cow disease."
A: "Me too."
B: "I'm just having a soup and salad."
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Favorite
What's your Favorite
Asking questions is the most common way to use the word favorite:
"Who is your favorite singer?"
"Who is your favorite person?"
"Who is your favorite athlete?"
"Who was your favorite ex-girlfriend?"
"Who was your favorite elementary teacher?"
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Are you following me? It's very easy. Just change the word at the end and you can make dozens of sentences.
"What is your favorite show?"
"What is your favorite movie?"
"What is your favorite dessert?"
"What is your favorite program?"
"What is your favorite class?"
"What is your favorite game?"
"What was the title of your favorite song?"
"What was the name of your favorite sit-com?"
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I'll provide a couple of sentences for the other words.
"Where is your favorite vacation spot?"
"When is your favorite time of day?"
"How is your favorite noodles cooked?"
"What is your favorite vacation spot?"
"What is your favorite time of day?"
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Favorite
Answering Questions
"What is your favorite show?" "My favorite show is Smurfs."
"What is your favorite movie?" "My favorite movie is Matrix."
"What is your favorite dessert?" "My favorite dessert is cheesecake."
"Who is your favorite singer?" "My favorite singer is Josh Groban."
"Who is your favorite athlete?" "My favorite athlete is Tiger Woods."
"Who was your favorite elementary teacher?" "My favorite elementary teacher was Mrs. Smouse."
"What do you like to eat the most?" "My favorite food is ice cream."
"What is a childhood memory that stands out?" "My favorite childhood memory is a time I went fishing with my dad."
"Which professor do you like the most?" "My favorite professor is Professor Kim."
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Likewise, you can answer questions without using the word favorite.
"What is your favorite baseball team?" "I like Seattle Mariners the most."
"What is your favorite type of food?" "I love Italian food... especially pasta. They are so good."
"Who is your favorite music group?" "I really enjoy listening to Depeche Mode."
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Favorite
A: "What are you doing tomorrow?"
B: "I'm going to stay home and watch the video."
A: "What are you going to watch?"
B: "I rented Last of the Mohican. Have you seen it?"
A: "That was one of my favorite movies. You will not be disappointed."
A: "What's your favorite food?"
B: "I like Chinese food the most."
A: "Have you been to the Chinese restaurant on 44th street."
B: "No I haven't. Is it any good?"
A: "It's my favorite Chinese restaurant. I believe you will like it."
B: "That sounds great. Let's go."
A: "Hey Jack. How were your classes this semester?"
B: "They were not too bad. I really dig/liked my poli-science class."
A: "Would you consider it your favorite class?"
B: "I don't know if I would call it my favorite, but it ranks up there."
A: "What class was your favorite then?"
B: "I took a business communication class last year and it was terrific."
A: "I never took that yet. If that was your favorite, I think I will check it out."
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Hobby
Questions and Answers
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Ask you can
"What are your hobbies?"
"What do you do in your spare time?"
"What do you like to do?"
"What do you like to do for fun?"
"If you had extra time, what would you do with it?"
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Answering questions:
"My hobbies consist of golfing, reading novels, and watching movies."
"I like to play computer games in my free time."
"If I'm not working, then I'm busy chatting with people on the Internet."
"During my spare time, I like to cook."
"I like to read magazines."
"In the summer I play golf, and in the winter, I go skiing."
"I love every type of sports."
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Making statements:
"I need to find a hobby. I have nothing to do all day."
"Maybe you wouldn't be so lonely if you had a hobby."
"Hobbies are great because it allows you to do what you enjoy."
"Although I have many hobbies, I wish I had more time to do more."
"I love to go snowboarding. It's exhilarating."
"I would go skiing more often, but it takes such a long time to go up to the mountains."
"I wish golfing wasn't so expensive. I would golf almost everyday if I could afford it."
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Hobby
Various Q&A
"If you had all the money in the world, what would you do?"
"I would probably find some hobbies and join an organization that works for a good cause."
"You just stay home most of the week. Don't you ever get bored?"
"A lot of my hobbies are things I do by myself such as oil painting, sculpting, and drawing. So actually, I have a lot to do with not enough time."
"I'm so bored. I have nothing to do."
"Maybe you should start thinking about some hobbies."
"Is studying considered a hobby?"
"Studying is usually associated with school and work, so it's not usually considered a hobby. But if it's not for these purposes, then I guess it can be a hobby. That's just my opinion though."
"What do you do in your spare time?"
"I do a lot of writing, so I write every chance I get."
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Hobby
A: "Hey Bob. Whatcha you doing?"
B: "I'm at home painting."
A: "I didn't know you paint. What type of painting is it?"
B: "I enjoy oil painting. I learned it in one of my extra classes in college."
A: "That sounds so interesting. I wish I learned a hobby."
B: "Hobbies are never too late to learn. They offer a variety of classes at the local community college. You should look into it."
A: "I think I will. Thanks for the info."
A: "Hey Joanne. What are you up to?"
B: "I'm just watching some television."
A: "I'm so bored. I don't know what I'm going to do today and it is only ten in the morning."
B: "Me too. Do you think we are boring people?"
A: "I don't think we are boring. It's just that we don't have any hobbies."
B: "That's right. What do you think we should do as a hobby?"
A: "That all depends on what you like to do. For example, I like to doodle on the notepad, so I'm thinking about doing some real drawings."
B: "I like to play the piano for fun."
A: "Yeah. That can be a good hobby."
B: "Hobbies are great. I'm going to make a list of all the things I like to do."
A: "That's a great idea. I'm going to do the same."
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Exercise
Questions
Walking Jogging Running Sports Aerobics Rowing (boat) Commuting to work
Etc.
Here are some questions.
"Do you exercise at all?"
"Do you work out?"
"What type of exercising do you do?"
"Where is a good place to exercise?"
"Why don't you exercise?"
"Where do you usually jog?"
"How long do you take a walk for?"
"How often do you jog?"
"Where do you do aerobics?"
"How long do you usually run for everyday?"
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Walking:
"Every morning right when I get up, I like to take a thirty minute walk."
"I like to take walks with my dog."
"Golf is a healthy sport because of all the walking it requires."
"I heard from some doctors that walking is the healthiest form of exercise."
"There's a trail by my house that is a perfect 20 minute walk."
"We usually go to a nearby lake and walk around it."
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Jogging:
"Every night, I go to an elementary school across from my house and jog a few laps around the playground."
"I go jogging in the morning when the air is still fresh."
"Some people find jogging stressful, but I find it as a way to relieve some of my stress."
"It feels so good after jogging for half an hour."
"I usually jog on a treadmill because it's convenient."
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Sports:
We will have another more comprehensive lesson on sports in a different lesson.
"I usually play a lot of basketball"
"I get enough exercise from soccer."
"I like to play sports because it is a good form of exercise and allows me to have fun all at the same time."
"Although bowling is a sport, I don't consider it a form of exercise."
"I play volleyball a couple hours a day."
"I practice baseball with my school team everyday."
"I'm in my high school's track and field team. I'm a long distance runner."
"I don't play soccer because it requires too much running."
"Running constantly is a hard thing to do."
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Others:
"Aerobics is an excellent form of exercise."
"I use a video at home to do my aerobic sessions."
"I like to do aerobics because it targets specific areas."
"I get my exercise from rowing. I'm on the junior varsity crew team."
"I ride my bicycle to work every day."
"I take the stairs because it gives me a little bit of a work out."
"I go to the local park and ride my rollerblades."
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Exercise
A: "Hey Michael. Where are you going?"
B: "No where special. I was just taking a walk."
A: "What for?"
B: "To get a little exercise. I'm so out of shape."
A: "Hey, I play basketball with a bunch of friends twice a week. It's great exercise and it's fun too. Why don't you come out and play with us?"
B: "That sounds great. Give me a call next time you guys play."
A: "All I do all day is work and watch TV. I really should start thinking about my health."
B: "I never thought about that, but you're right. What do you think we should do?"
A: "For starters, we should start doing more outdoor activities. That way we'll get some exercise."
B: "I was thinking about taking tennis lessons. I always have an hour to spare in the afternoon. What do you think about that?"
A: "That's not a bad idea. How much is it?"
B: "I heard it is only about one hundred twenty dollars a month for 8 lessons."
A: "Playing tennis twice a week will be a good start. Count me in."
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Exercise Gym - Questions and Answers
Here are some questions you can ask:
"Where do you work out?"
"What club do you work out at?"
"When do you usually work out?"
"How often do you work out?"
"How many hours do you work out in a day?"
"When you bench, how many reps and sets do you do?"
"Do you do low reps with heavy weights, or many reps with light weight."
"How many sets do you do when you work out your arms?"
"I work out at 24 Hour Fitness"
"I work out at Bally's"
"I work out at Samsung Health Club"
"I started lifting weights about 2 years ago."
"I have been lifting weights for about 2 years now."
"I just started 9 months ago."
"I usually work out 2 hours a day 4 times a week."
"I work out everyday for an hour."
"I go to the gym 3 times a week."
"I go in every other day."
"I can bench press 220 pounds."
"I squat 400 pounds."
"I curl 90 pounds."
"I'm trying to gain bulk so I'm doing low reps with heavy weights."
"I'm trying to get ripped, so I'm doing a lot of repetitions."
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Exercise Gym - Other Methods طرق اخرى
"When I go to the health club, I usually spend 30 minutes on the treadmill, 20 minutes on the bicycle, and finally 10 minutes on the step master."
"There is no place to run in the city, so I have to do my running on the treadmill."
"It always rains around here so I like to exercise in the gym."
"I usually use the treadmill, but I try to work on the nautilus machines at least twice a week."
"My wife exercises four times a week."
"My husband can't last 10 minutes on the step machine."
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Exercise Gym
A: "What do you do besides work and watching TV?"
B: "When I have some time, I like to exercise."
A: "Do you go jogging or do you go to a health club?"
B: "I joined Samsung Health Club a couple of months ago."
A: "How do you exercise?"
B: "I usually spend 30 minutes on the bicycle for the cardio, and then I lift weights for about 45 minutes."
A: "How often do you go?"
B: "I want to go four times a week, but I'm too lazy. Last week, I only went to workout once."
A: "Hey Jimmy. Let's go workout later today."
B: "Sure. What time do you want to go?"
A: "How about at 3:30."
B: "That sounds good. Today we work on Legs and forearm."
A: "Hey. I just played basketball earlier, so my legs are a little sore. Let's work out on arms and stomach today."
B: "I'm on a weekly schedule. You're messing everything up."
A: "C'mon. We're only switching two days. You can do legs on Friday."
B: "Aright. I'll meet you at the gym at 3:30 then."
A: "Damn Scott. You got big."
B: "Yeah, I've been working out a lot."
A: "How long have you been lifting weights?"
B: "For a year and a half."
A: "Yeah. Last time I saw you, it was like 2 years ago."
B: "Has it been that long?"
A: "How often do you go to the gym?"
B: "I usually go every other day for about 3 hours."
A: "That's a lot."
B: "Yeah, I used to work out for an hour a day 4 times a week, and I saw no results. This is what you have to do to get noticeable results."
A: "I don't think I have the discipline for that."
B: "Just think of it as a hobby. Then it's actually fun."
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General Things Review
A: "How are you doing?"
B: "I'm doing great."
A: "What movies have you seen lately?"
B: "I saw Forrest Gump the other day."
A: "What type of movie is that?"
B: "The movie type is drama."
A: "I can't believe you are watching movies. The weather is great. You should be outside."
B: "I hate the hot weather. I'd rather stay indoors with the air conditioner."
A: "What else do you like to do besides watching movies?"
B: "I like to play computer games, read books, go shopping, and play pool."
A: "Out of those what is your favorite?"
B: "My favorite is to play computer games."
A: "What is your favorite computer game?"
B: "My favorite is Diablo. It used to be Star Craft, but it is getting a little old."
A: "If you like to play so much, when do you ever exercise?"
B: "Although I hate to exercise, I go jogging at least twice a week."
A: "That's pretty good. By the way, what are you doing next Saturday?"
B: "I am going to go to the bookstore."
A: "I am having a party Saturday night at my house. If you have time, you should come."
B: "That sounds like fun."
A: "Great. I'll see you on Saturday."
B: "Ok. See you later."
A: "Hello?"
B: "Hi Steve. This is Mike. What are you doing?"
A: "Oh, hi. I was just watching TV."
B: "There's nothing to watch right now."
A: "I know. I was watching a re-run. I have nothing to do and I was bored."
B: "Me too. Let's get together and do something."
A: "I'd like to, but I have to meet my parents in an hour for dinner. How about tomorrow?"
B: "Yeah. Let's plan something tomorrow."
A: "Did you hear the weather forecast for tomorrow?"
B: "I think it is going to be the same as today. Clear and sunny."
A: "That's great. We can do something outdoors then."
B: "Are there any special events going on tomorrow?"
A: "Yeah. I think there's a live outdoor concert by the river tomorrow."
B: "Oh yeah. I heard about that too. Let's go check it out."
A: "Do you know what time it starts?"
B: "It starts at one PM."
A: "Let's meet for lunch at eleven thirty and afterwards, we can head over there."
B: "Perfect. I'll see you in front of the apartment at eleven thirty."
A: "Steve. Is that you?"
B: "Yeah. What's going on?"
A: "Not much. What a surprise to see you here."
B: "Yeah. It's been a couple of months since I saw you."
A: "What have you been up to?"
B: "I just started working out."
A: "Really? Where do you work out at?"
B: "I joined the Samsung Health Club last month."
A: "What do you mostly do during your workout?"
B: "I concentrate mostly on my legs, chest, arms and stomach."
A: "I should start exercising more."
B: "It's hard work while exercising, but it is a great feeling when I get done."
A: "I have a running machine at home. I used to use it, but I already got sick of it."
B: "Exercising at home is hard. The environment is not suited for exercising."
A: "If I want to exercise, I will need to join a gym."
B: "I have a couple of guest passes. You want to check out my health club."
A: "That's a good idea. Let's go over the weekend."
B: "Great. I'll call you Saturday morning."
A: "Aright. I'll talk to you later."
B: "Ok. Bye."
A: "The weather is terrible."
B: "Yeah. It's been raining a lot these days."
A: "I have been watching a lot of videos at home because of the constant rain."
B: "Have you heard when it's supposed to get better?"
A: "I saw the weather report, and it's going to rain for the next eight days."
B: "That sucks so much. What are we going to do?"
A: "I'm getting pretty bored. We should do something despite the rain."
B: "I'm with you. What do you have in mind?"
A: "I haven't been to the Mall in a long time. Let's go."
B: "That sounds good. They have a movie theatre there, so if we get bored, we can watch a movie."
A: "Great. I'll stop by your place now."
B: "Ok. Don't forget to bring your umbrella. The rain can start up again anytime."




اساسيات التحدث
University Life - Meeting New Students
"Where are you from?"
"What high school did you attend?"
"What are you going to major in?"
"What are you majoring in?"
"How many credits are you taking this semester?"
"What classes are you taking?"
"What year are you?"
"What is an easy class to take?"
"Where is the best place to hang out?"
"Are you in the dormitory?"
"Where do you live?"
"Why did you decide to come to this school?"
"What made you choose Berkeley?"
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Answers
"Where are you from?"
"I'm from Seattle, Washington."
"I'm an exchange student from Seoul, Korea."
"I'm from Dublin, Ohio."
"I'm from Southern California."
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University Life - Questions and Answers
"What high school did you attend?"
Before we answer this question, keep in mind that a foreigner will not be asked this question. Usually they will not ask a foreigner because they think that they will not know the high school you mention. But it is still good to know how to say such things.
"I went to Lynnwood High."
"Lynnwood High"
"I went to a high school in San Francisco."
"A high school in Olympia."
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"What are you going to major in?"
"I haven't decided, but I'm leaning towards biology."
"I'm thinking about majoring in psychology."
"How many credits are you taking?"
"I'm taking eighteen credits this quarter."
"I'm only taking 10 credits this semester."
"I'm taking 20 credits this semester.
"What classes are you taking?"
"I'm taking chemistry 135, math 231, and English 101."
"This quarter I'm taking Intro to Sociology, Basics of Music Composition, and Spanish 101."
"What year are you?"
"I'm a junior."
"I'm a freshman."
"I'm a fourth year junior."
"I'm a fifth year senior."
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University Life - More Q and As
"What is an easy class to take?"
"Fishing 101 is an easy 4.0"
"I thought psychology 101 was an easy class."
"Communication is pretty easy if you're not afraid to make speeches."
"Where is the best place to hang out?"
"The best place to hang out is on the Ave."
"Currently, the bar on 4th and James is the best hangout. Everyone goes there on the weekends."
"Are you in the dormitory?"
"Yeah. I'm over at Terry Hall."
"Yes. At Buchanan Towers."
"No. I'm commuting from home."
"I have an apartment right next to school."
"Where do you live?"
"You know the McDonalds on the south side? Just 2 blocks from there."
"I live next to the west entrance. There are some apartments behind the dormitories."
"I live in the dormitory."
"I live in Seattle."
"Why did you decide to come to this school?"
"It was the most convenient."
"It was either this school or the University next to my home. I wanted to get away from home, so I came here."
"I researched a bit, and found that this school offers exactly what I am looking for."
"This is the best school that I could afford."
"Do you know where the music building is?"
"The music building is 2 buildings away from the library."
"Over by the fountain. It's the building with the round looking doors."
"I'm not sure. There are maps in the Student Union Building though."
"I think it's over in that direction, but not exactly sure."
"Where is the student union building?"
"Ah, that's what I'm looking for too."
"I was told it was right next to the east parking lot."
"It's the brick building behind the large oak tree."
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University Life - Interactive Practice
A: "Hi. My name is Mark."
B: "Mark? I'm Bill. Glad to meet you."
A: "Yeah. So where are you from?"
B: "I'm from Houston Texas."
A: "Oh... I'm from Southern California."
B: "There must be a lot of cute girls over there huh?"
A: "Hell yeah. But most of them are hoochies."
B: "That sucks. So, what year are you?"
A: "I'm a freshman."
B: "This is my first year too."
A: "So what made you decide to come to California for school? I hear Austin is a good school."
B: "It's aright, but I think Berkeley is better."
A: "So is this where you wanted to come?"
B: "To tell you the truth, I wanted to go to Stanford. I made it on the waiting list, but ninety nine percent of the people accepted to Stanford go there. Like, who wouldn't right?"
A: "Very true. But this is still a good school."
B: "I'm not complaining. I just know that I wanted to come to California. Texas is cool and all, but I wanted to experience different things."
A: "That's good. Do you know what you plan on majoring in?"
B: "I was thinking about political science, but now I'm leaning towards English literature. How about you?"
A: "I plan on majoring in double E."
B: "Do you know where the Smith building is? I have to pick up the syllabus for my psychology class. I missed the first day."
A: "That's a great start. It's over there by the library."
B: "It was nice meeting you."
A: "Yeah. We should hang out later."
B: "Cool. I'll see you tomorrow in class then."
A: "Aright. Later."
A: "Hi. What's your name?"
B: "My name is Jung Min. What's your name?"
A: "My name is Jessica. It's nice to meet you."
B: "Yes. It's nice to meet you too. Are you a new student too?"
A: "No. I'm a sophomore. I take it you are a new student?"
B: "Yeah. It's pretty exciting to be here."
A: "Have fun while it lasts. The excitement wears off real quick. Especially after you see how much homework you get. Where are you from?"
B: "I'm from Korea. My parents wanted me to go to an American university, so I came here."
A: "I have never been to Korea. I've been to Japan before, but never Korea."
B: "Why were you in Japan?"
A: "My father thought it would be a good experience to take a vacation to a different country. He's so into learning about different cultures."
B: "That's pretty cool."
A: "I thought it would have been more fun if I went without my parents."
B: "Well, if you ever want to visit Korea, I would be happy to show you around."
A: "Thanks for the offer. I'll keep that in mind. Oh, the professor is coming. We'll talk more after class."
B: "Ok."
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University Classes
There are several sections I will break this up into:
Registering for classes
Grades in class
Professors and different curriculum
Dropping out/Withdrawal
Questions
"Did you register yet?"
"When do you register for classes?"
"When does registration start for next semester?"
"How do you register for classes?"
"Where is the registration office?"
"What classes are you registering for?"
"What classes are you going to take?"
"What classes do you want to take?"
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Ways to answer these questions
"I haven't registered yet."
"I register next Tuesday."
"Registration starts 4 weeks before the next semester."
"You register on-line. Go to the website, and click on register."
"The registration office is in Schmidt Hall. That's right across the street from the statue."
"I'm not worried about getting into psychology 101, but I think the physics class will be full by the time I register."
"If all things go well, I plan on registering for English composition, chemistry, and calculus."
"I really want to take computer programming, but I'll have to see if it is full or not."
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Regular comments about registering
"I hate registering for classes. All the classes I want to take are always full."
"Being a sophomore sucks because we register last."
"Seniors have the first pick so registering is easy for them."
"If I get all the classes I want to take, I'll be so happy."
"Registration was great this time. I got all the classes I wanted."
"Registering for classes is such a big headache."
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University Classes - Grades
"What did you get in English?"
If you are talking about the subject, you do not need to say grade. But if not, you can ask, "What grade did you get in English?"
"I can't believe I got a 3.1 in biology. What did you get?"
"How was your GPA this semester?" GPA stands for Grade Point Average.
"How were your grades this quarter?"
"Did you do well this semester?"
"Did you screw up your grades this semester?"
"What was the lowest grade you ever got?"
"What is your overall GPA?"
"How are your grades?"
"What's your accum?"
This is short for accumulated. This is asking what your overall GPA is.
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I'll give examples for both specific and general answers.
"In English, I got a B+."
"I got a 2.9 in English."
"I did similar to you."
"I got a 3.4 this semester."
"If I didn't get the C+ in Biology, my GPA would have been awesome this semester."
"My grades were ok."
"I did average this quarter."
"My accum is 3.6 right now. I really want to get over 3.75."
"My overall GPA is 2.94. I need to get a 3.4 next semester to bring my GPA above 3.0."
"My GPA sucks."
"I did pretty good this semester." Although grammatically this is incorrect, spoken English allows such errors. If you want to be grammatically perfect, you will need to say, "I did pretty well this semester."
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University Classes - Professors and Curriculum
"How is Professor Johnson?"
"Is Professor Smith an easy grader?"
"What is Professor Lee like?"
"Would you take another class from Professor Jackson again?"
"How many exams did you have to take in Sociology 121?"
"What's the curriculum for Chemistry 101?"
"Do you have to give any presentations in journalism class?"
"What do you do in poetry class?"
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If somebody asks you these types of questions, you can answer like the following:
"Professor Johnson is so uptight. He's always lecturing and never allows students to ask any questions."
"Professor Johnson is a brilliant professor. I learned so much from him."
"No way. He is such a hard grader. I was expecting a 3.7, but it turns out that I got a 3.1. Can you believe that?"
"His grading system is messed up. He grades according to how much he likes you."
"He's a difficult grader."
"He's an easy grader."
"So far, I have taken 2 classes from Professor Jackson. I'm going to take every class he offers."
"I wouldn't recommend Professor Jackson. His classes are so boring."
"He's an idiot. He doesn't know anything."
"There were just two exams... the midterm and the final."
"There is an exam ever other week. It was hard, but at least it prevented me from cramming."
"The curriculum is pretty basic. We have two days of lecture, two days of lab, and one day of discussions. Every now and then we have a quiz, but it's pretty routine."
"In journalism, we have to give a presentation 3 times during the course. I didn't mind it, but a lot of other students were complaining."
"We had two presentations, but they were pretty easy. It was the writing that was hard."
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University Classes - Dropping Out / Withdrawal
Let's learn some sentences to say these kinds of things.
"I dropped out of my chemistry class."
"I withdrew from my biology class."
"I had too many classes as it is, so I dropped out of my statistics class."
"I couldn't keep up with the schedule, so I dropped out of that class."
"I couldn't understand the material, so I withdrew."
"I hated the professor, so I just withdrew."
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If you need to ask questions about withdrawal, these may help:
"When is the last day to withdrawal?"
"If I withdrawal now, will it show up on my transcript?"
"Does a withdrawal look bad on the transcript?"
"How do I drop out of a class that I don't want to take anymore?"
"What is the procedure to withdrawal from class?"
"How do I withdrawal from a certain class?"
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Other things you might want to say when discussing this topic...
"Are you sure you want to drop out of that class. You only have 4 more weeks. At least you can get the credit."
"If I stay in that class, I'm going to screw up my GPA."
"The best I can do is a C in this class. I don't want a C on my transcript. I'm going to withdrawal from the class."
"If you get a bad grade, can't you just re-take the course?"
"Even if I retake the course, both grades are used. This school has a different system where re-taking the course doesn't really help."
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University Classes - Interactive Practice
A: "Hey John, did you register for classes yet?"
B: "I register this Friday."
A: "What classes do you plan on taking?"
B: "I really want to take the communication class, but I don't know if it will be available."
A: "Is that class really that popular?"
B: "Yeah. I tried to get in last semester, but it was full by the time I registered."
A: "What other classes are you going to take?"
B: "I still need to take English 201, but I really don't like writing."
A: "I took that class already. There is a lot of writing, but it's not that bad."
B: "Oh really? Who was the instructor? There are like 4 different instructors to choose from."
A: "I had Professor Mahoney."
B: "Is he an easy grader?"
A: "I'm not sure if he is or not, but I thought he was definitely fair."
B: "Do you mind if I ask you what you got?"
A: "Not at all. I got a 3.8."
B: "Well, what did you get in English 101 last year?"
A: "I got a 4.0 in that class."
B: "Well, I can't compare to you. I got a 3.1 in English 101. That means if you got a lower grade in English 201, it must be harder."
A: "It's not what it appears. I actually tried harder in the 101 class. If I put as much effort into the 201 class, I would have received the same grade."
B: "Oh. That helps. Thanks."
A: "Hey Mike. I forgot about registration. I'm a day late, so all the classes are mostly full. What do you think I should do?"
B: "You're screwed. You can't do anything about that. You have to hope that you get some classes that will be useful."
A: "Do you think going to the registration building will help at all."
B: "No. They will tell you the same thing in a worse way."
A: "Did you register yet?"
B: "Of course. Registering for classes is not something you want to miss."
A: "What classes do you think are still open?"
B: "Well, I know psychology 101 is a big class, so there will always be seats in that class. You can also get into Sociology."
A: "That's helpful. Thanks. But what do you think about philosophy. I wanted to take that class this semester."
B: "I took that class last year. The professor is really cool, so if you go to his office, you can have him sign a card that will let you in even if the class is full."
A: "He does that?"
B: "I guess that's because so many people drop out of that class."
A: "That makes sense. I think I'll do that. Thanks for all the help."
B: "No problem man."
A: "Did you get your grades yet?"
B: "Yeah. My whole GPA is screwed up now."
A: "Why? What happened?"
B: "Well, I bombed my econ final and ended up with a 1.7."
A: "Ouch. You must be very disappointed."
B: "Well, it's my fault because I didn't study as much as I should have."
A: "Why don't you re-take the class next year?"
B: "That's what I plan on doing unless I keep screwing up. How did you do this semester?"
A: "I didn't do that well either. I ended up with a 3.2 this semester. That drops my total GPA to 3.45."
B: "My GPA is pretty similar to yours. I have a 3.1 now because of the stupid econ class."
A: "What was your GPA before this semester?"
B: "I was sitting happy with a 3.4."
A: "Why did it go down so much?"
B: "Let's just say I screwed up more than my econ class."
A: "What happened to you?"
B: "I started playing StarCraft and ended up wasting a lot of time."
A: "You better stop slacking off."
B: "You're right. I'm not going to play games during school anymore."
A: "Did you ever take History 231?"
B: "Yeah. Last semester."
A: "Who was the professor?"
B: "It was Professor Johnson."
A: "I have him this semester. What do you think about him?"
B: "He's a terrible instructor and demands a lot, but fortunately, he's an easy grader."
A: "What did you end up getting?"
B: "I got an A-. Sounds good, but none of my test scores were that high, so I don't know how I got a decent grade."
A: "That's probably because he grades on a curve."
B: "Are you enjoying the class so far?"
A: "I hate it and I was about to withdrawal. But after hearing your experience, I think I will tough it out."
B: "Yes. Definitely stay in the class. You will get a better grade than your test scores. He does that deliberately to make all the students study a lot."
A: "Thanks for letting me know. I feel relieved now."
A: "Hi Mark."
B: "Oh, hi Stacy."
A: "How was your summer vacation?"
B: "I worked over the summer at a restaurant. Have to make tuition money right? What did you do?"
A: "I took summer school. I withdrew from two of my classes last year so I wanted to make them up."
B: "So are you officially a junior now?"
A: "Yeah. And I have 5 credits to spare. I only needed to take 10 credits over the summer, but I took 15 because the price was the same."
B: "That makes sense. So where is Nicole?"
A: "She dropped out of school completely."
B: "Really? Why?"
A: "She worked at a startup company as an intern and since the business did well, they asked her if she wanted to work full time."
B: "Wow. She's so lucky. She doesn't have a degree and she already has a job."
A: "It sounds good now, but I'm traditional. I want the degree, so I wouldn't have accepted the offer."
B: "Do you know how much they are paying her?"
A: "I don't know. But I bet it must have been a good offer, or she wouldn't have accepted it."
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Examinations
What is a school without examinations?
Examination
Mid-term/Finals/Test/Quiz/Pop-quiz/Exam/Take-home final/Research paper/
Final paper/Report/Essay/Presentation/Open-book test/final
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Common questions you can ask about exam format:
"How many tests did you have to take in your Math class?"
"What was the mid-term like?"
"How much percentage is the mid-term towards the final grade?"
"Do you have to write any papers in that class?"
"How many pages did you have to write for your essays?"
"Was the open-book exam hard?"
"How difficult was the take-home final?"
"Was the final exam short answer questions, or was it multiple choice?"
"Did you have any pop-quizzes in your geology class?"
"How much time did you get to write your research paper?"
"How often did you have a quiz?"
"What day did you take your final?"
"When did you take your final?"
"Are you done with your mid-terms?"
"When is finals week?"
"The syllabus for the econ class says you have six exams. What were they like?"
"How difficult is the mid-term for psychology 101?"
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Examinations
Finding Information
Having a lot of information about tests can help prepare for exams.
The next several questions are geared towards finding specific information.
"Does Professor Giles use old exam questions for his tests?"
"Can I borrow your old exams for Intermediate Accounting? I want to use the questions to test myself before the real exam."
"Do you know anybody who took Physics 340? I want to know the types of questions that were asked on the final."
"Do you think I need to study chapter 6 for the mid-term? It's so boring, and I can't seem to apply it anywhere."
"What topics did the professor cover the most in the final exam?"
"What were the long essay questions on?"
"Do you remember the long essay questions you had on the final?"
"I was thinking about buying the study supplement for the engineering class. Do you think it will help?"
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And of course, you may be required to answer these types of questions, so let's get into answering:
"How many tests did you have to take in your Math class?"
"We had a total of 4 tests in that math class." Or more simply, '4 tests.'
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Answering can be real easy. The reason I put full sentences is for your practice. But remember when you really answer, you are not required to put them in full sentences. I'll try to mix it up so you get a familiar feel answering both long and short ways.
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"What was the mid-term like?"
"The mid-term was hard. If you read all the material, you will still have a hard time because the professor wrote up all the questions in a difficult way."
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Examinations - General Information
It's not as simple as a number or a 'yes' or 'no.'
"How much percentage is the mid-term towards the final grade?"
"The instructor said it was twenty percent of our final grade."
"Do you have to write any papers in that class?"
"No. We only had one mid-term and one final."
"Yes. We had to write 2 essays for that class."
"How many pages did you have to write for your essays?"
"We had to write 5 pages for both essays."
"Was the open-book exam hard?"
"Most of the time, open-book exams are harder, but this one was really easy. All the questions were in the glossary so I found the answers quickly."
"How difficult was the take-home final?"
"It is easy that we have the material to look through, but it is very time consuming. I had to do an all-nighter just to finish."
All-nighter means to stay up all night.
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Examinations - More Information
"Was the final exam short answer questions, or was it multiple choice?"
"It was multiple choice."
"Neither. The exam had 2 long essay questions."
"Did you have any pop-quizzes in your geology class?"
"We had 3 pop-quizzes in that class. Luckily, only five percent counts toward the final grade."
"Fortunately we didn't have any."
"How much time did you get to write your research paper?"
"We had two months to write the research paper."
"How often did you have a quiz?"
"Once a week."
"What day did you take your final?"
"I took the final last Monday."
"I didn't take it yet. I take the final tomorrow."
"The syllabus for the econ class says you have six exams. What were they like?"
"It was pretty easy because they only covered 2 chapters. If you keep up, then you shouldn't have a hard time."
"Does Professor Giles use old exam questions for his tests?"
"He always creates new test questions so old ones will not help you."
"Can I borrow your old exams for Intermediate Accounting? I want to use the questions to test myself before the real exam."
"Sure, I have it in my dormitory. I'll bring them tomorrow."
"He didn't return the exams, so I don't have them."
"What were the long essay questions on?"
"Both questions were on supply and demand. Make sure you know that stuff inside and out."
"I was thinking about buying the study supplement for the engineering class. Do you think it will help?"
"I highly recommend it. I didn't have it for the first exam, and I got a B-. But after I studied with the supplement, I aced the next test."
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Examinations - Interactive Practice
A: "Did you already take the history exam?"
B: "Yeah. It was hard. When do you take it?"
A: "I take it tomorrow morning. There is so much material, that I don't know what to emphasize on. What types of questions did you get?"
B: "Mostly on the civil war. You should also study the impact Martin Luther King Jr. had on American society."
A: "How about Abraham Lincoln? Did you get any questions about him?"
B: "I only had 1 question about him. But you might get more. I don't know if he will have the same exam or not."
A: "Hopefully he will use the same exam, cause I'm going to spend most of my time studying the civil war. It is a huge section and that is what he lectured the most on in class."
B: "If you can't study everything, then that is probably the best way to go."
A: "Aright. Thanks for the info. I gotta go to the library now."
B: "Good luck."
A: "Thanks. See ya."
A: "Hey Jack. You look tired. What's going on?"
B: "It's finals week and I have been up all night studying."
A: "How many exams do you have left?"
B: "Three more to go?"
A: "Have you been keeping up, or are you cramming everything?"
B: "If I was keeping up, I wouldn't need to stay up all night."
A: "Ha ha ha. Looks like you are in for a tough week."
B: "Tell me about it. How about you? What have you been up to?"
A: "I finished my last final this morning."
B: "So you're completely done?"
A: "No. I have one more report that is due this Friday. I haven't started it yet, but it shouldn't be too tough."
B: "How many pages do you have to write?"
A: "It's a 10 page paper on habitual behavior for psychology 211."
B: "You wanna take one of my exams for me?"
A: "I would if I could, but you know that's not possible."
B: "Yeah, I know."
A: "If you need help with your chemistry class, I can help you over the weekend."
B: "That would be great."
A: "Let's get together Saturday around lunch time."
B: "You don't know how much this means to me. Thanks."
A: "Don't mention it. I'll see you on Saturday."
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Roommate - Dormitory
Dormitory Roommate
When you first go into a dormitory, you will either be greeted by the person already there, or you will have to greet someone that is coming later than you. Most dormitories have one room for two people. After the dormitory section, I will cover living in an apartment with a roommate.
When you arrive to the dormitory, you can usually engage in small talk first. Most of the time, you have to get to know one another. Talk is initiated by both parties simultaneously. You can ask questions like where they came from, what year they are in, or what they like to do. But besides that, you have to find out the living habits of each other. After you engage in small talk, you can ask these questions:
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It's important to know the sleeping habits of your roommate, so ask if they are a night person or a morning person.
"So, are you a night owl or a morning bird?"
A night person is referred to as an owl. That is because owls are more active at night. Birds on the other hand wake up early. So they associate morning people to birds.
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If you don't want to use this expression, you can ask,
"Are you a night person or a morning person?"
"What time do you usually go to sleep?"
"What time do you usually wake up?"
"If you didn't have anything to do the next day, what time would you sleep till?"
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It's common courtesy to respect each other. If you are asleep, the roommate should be quiet. This goes for you too.
When you get sleepy, you can either go to sleep, or tell your roommate that you are going to sleep.
"I'm a little tired. I'm going to sleep now. Have a good night."
"I'm sleepy. Time to go to bed. See you in the morning."
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If you like listening to music, you can ask your roommate,
"Does the music bother you?"
"Let me know if you want me to turn the music off."
"Do you mind if I turn the stereo on?"
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But when you ask questions about music or TV, you should make sure that person is not studying. If they are, then it's pointless to ask because it should be quiet. This is only good for times when you are both doing nothing.
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Roommate - Sharing things and Questions
Sometimes a roommate will bring a mini refrigerator, or it might turn out that you will. It's polite to let your roommate use the refrigerator too.
"Feel free to use the refrigerator."
"Can I put my drinks in your fridge?"
"Do you mind if I use your refrigerator?"
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If you connect with the person and you become friends, then you will not even need to ask.
For example, after you get to know the person your comments will be different. Say I become a friend of my roommate. And then after a month or so, he brings a refrigerator. I wouldn't ask to use it, I would rather comment on how useful it will be. It's assumed that a friend can use the refrigerator,
so no need to sound weird by asking politely. Instead you can say,
"Cool, you brought a fridge. I can go buy milk now."
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This comment is saying that you appreciate the refrigerator by saying, 'cool', then you indicate that you are going to use it by saying you will buy milk. If your friend doesn't object to your comment, then it is the same thing as getting permission to use the refrigerator.
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Responding to questions
"Are you a night person or a morning person?"
"I'm a night owl. I usually sleep pretty late."
"What time do you usually go to sleep?"
"It varies. Usually between midnight and one in the morning."
"What time do you usually wake up?"
"I don't wake up until I have to."
"I usually wake up at nine in the morning."
"Does the music bother you?"
"No not at all. I like it."
"Do you mind if I turn the stereo on?"
"Oh, feel free."
"Can I put my drinks in your fridge?"
"Sure. Don't worry about it."
"Do you mind if I use your refrigerator?"
"No problem at all."
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Roommate - Apartment
Questions
"What is the rent here?"
"How many people live in the apartment?"
"How many bedrooms does the apartment have?"
"How much is utilities?"
"Does the rent cover the utility bills?"
"Do you have any rules for living here?"
"Does it get loud in here?"
"What time do people usually go to sleep?"
"Do you hold any parties here?"
"How many people share the bathroom?"
"Do you have cable?"
"Do you have high speed Internet?"
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Common answers
"The rent is $1200, so you would only pay $400."
"This is a three bedroom unit, so you would be the third person."
"On average, utilities are about $125."
"The rent does not cover utilities. You would be responsible for 1/3 of the utilities."
"We are pretty quiet during the week days, but on the weekends, it can get a little loud."
"We have both cable and DSL here."
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Roommate - Interactive Practice
A: "Hi. My name is Jack."
B: "Hey Jack. I'm Seth."
A: "It's nice to meet you."
B: "Looks like we're going to be roommates."
A: "Yeah."
B: "So where are you from?"
A: "I'm from Tacoma. How about you?"
B: "I'm from Ontario."
A: "In Canada?"
B: "No. It's in California. It's a smaller city in southern California."
A: "So what made you come here?"
B: "I wanted to go to a different state."
A: "I see. Hey, if you don't mind, I took this side of the room."
B: "No problem. They look the same to me."
A: "Are you a morning person or a night person."
B: "I'm a night person."
A: "That's great. So am I. I like to sleep in the morning."
B: "That should work out well then."
A: "Hi. I'm Sara."
B: "My name is Jessica. It's nice to meet you."
A: "Yes. It's nice to meet you as well."
B: "Have you been here long?"
A: "I got here about an hour ago. Do you want me to show you around?"
B: "Yeah. That would be great. The most important is the bathroom right?"
A: "Definitely. But we have to share the bathroom with the whole floor. The break room is over there. The bathroom is right across from the break room, and finally, the RA (resident advisor) is in room 315."
B: "I'm glad there is a TV in the break room. I like to watch TV."
A: "Me too. So I brought one. I haven't unpacked it yet, but it's a little TV that works."
B: "Cool. I brought a refrigerator. I like to store some snacks in there. Feel free to use it."
A: "That would be perfect. I think we're going to have a great time."
B: "Do you sleep pretty late, or are you a morning person."
A: "I have never been either. I'm very flexible with sleeping times. Anyways, I'm a deep sleeper so a little noise never bothers me."
B: "That's good to know. I'm usually a night person, but I'm very quiet if my roommate is sleeping."
A: "As long as you don't blast the music while I'm sleeping, I should be fine. Did you eat lunch yet?"
B: "No. Is there a cafeteria in the building?"
A: "Yeah. I'll show you."
A: "I'm calling about the available room. Is it still available?"
B: "Yes it is. Do you know where we're located?"
A: "Yeah. I drove by this morning and I liked the location. What's the rent?"
B: "It's $850 a month. So you would pay $425 a month plus half of the bills."
A: "How big is the place?"
B: "It's a two bedroom, one bath and roughly about 800 square feet."
A: "Is the complex pretty quiet? Can you hear a lot of noise or anything like that?"
B: "They have a strict policy in the apartment complex concerning noise level. So it stays very quiet after 10 PM."
A: "Are you the only person who lives there now?"
B: "Yeah. I'm only looking for one roommate."
A: "Everything sounds good. Can we schedule a time to meet so I can look at the place?"
B: "I'm available anytime today or tomorrow."
A: "How about if I come over now?"
B: "That works with me. But what is your name?"
A: "Oh, my name is Brad."
B: "Ok. I'm Randy. So I'll see you in a bit?"
A: "Should only take about 15 minutes to get there."
B: "Sounds good."
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Fraternity and Sorority - Explanation نادي الشباب والشابات الأخوية
If you want to get into a fraternity or sorority, you usually have to apply and interview with existing members. Popular ones are very picky and will not let some types of people in. Others are desperate to fill their rooms so they will accept anyone.
Almost everyone who has been in a fraternity or a sorority never regrets it. There are more people who regret not having lived in a fraternity than having lived in one. So if you plan on attending a university in the states and will be there for more than 2 years, you should definitely consider the frat or sorority life.
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Here are some examples of fraternity and sorority names. I do not know these fraternities or sororities. I am using this as an example so you understand the naming scheme.
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity / Kappa Sigma Fraternity / Delta Tau Delta Fraternity
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority / Delta Sigma Theta Sorority / Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority
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Fraternity and Sorority - General
In this session, we will cover some of the things you need to know how to say if you decide to join a fraternity or a sorority, or
if you are just talking with a member.
"How do you like being in a fraternity?"
"What is it like living in a sorority?"
"How often do you hold parties in your frat house?"
"Is it hard to get into a fraternity?"
"What are the popular sororities?"
"Which sorority has a reputation for putting out?"
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Other comments you might hear will be...
"Those sorority chicks really know how to party."
"All the frat boys want to do is get you into bed."
"Some fraternities are very studious."
"He's a good friend from my fraternity."
"The Delta house is having a party this Friday. You wanna come?"
"We're going to crash the Sorority party this weekend."
Crash in this sentence means to go uninvited.
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Fraternity and Sorority - Joining
If you are trying to find a fraternity or a sorority to join, you would either need to know someone in that group already, or find an advertisement in the local school paper, or go to the fraternity or sorority house and ask how to become a member.
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Here are some things you can say initially:
"Hi, I was interested in joining a fraternity. What is the process to get in?"
"Hi. I was wondering what I needed to do to get into this sorority."
"Are you taking in members now?"
"Where can I find information on joining this sorority?"
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After the initial sentence, they should respond with more information. Here is an example.
"We take new members every semester. All you need to do is fill out this application, and then we will contact you for an interview."
"Every Monday at 10 am, we have an informational session about our sorority. I highly recommend you attend if you are interested."
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If you ask a question about information, they might respond with a question such as,
"What would you like to know?"
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You can ask the following questions if you have this opportunity.
"How much does it cost each month?"
"What meals are included with the monthly rent?"
"How many people are in this sorority?"
"What activities do you have in this fraternity?"
"Do you have tours of the building?"
"What is the policy during summer break? Can we stay in the frat house during the summer months?"
"How long has this fraternity been around?"
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Fraternity and Sorority
Interview Questions
They are trying to determine if your personality matches what the group represents.
"Why should we let you in this fraternity?"
"What do you want to gain from your experience in a fraternity?"
"What can you bring into this sorority?"
"What are your hobbies?"
"What do you usually do on a weekend?"
"Do you like to go to parties?"
"What type of music do you listen to?"
"Where did you grow up?"
"Do you play any sports?"
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Most of the time, fraternities are about having a good time with friends.
"Why should we let you in this fraternity?"
"I'm a fun person to be with, I have a good personality, and I like to have fun."
"What do you want to gain from your experience in a fraternity?"
"The most important thing is getting good memories of good times with good friends."
"Meeting people and making friends who like the same things I do. I also think it is important that the friendship goes even beyond the college years."
"What can you bring into this sorority?"
"My parents have a boat, and I can use it to have fun parties on it in the summer time."
"What are your hobbies?"
"I like to play basketball and football."
"I like to go shopping and have drinks with my friends."
"What do you usually do on a weekend?"
"I either throw a party or go to a party."
"Do you like to go to parties?"
"Hell yeah!"
"What type of music do you listen to?"
"Mostly rap, hip-hop, and top 40's."
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Fraternity and Sorority - Interactive Practice
A: "Hey John. How are you doing?"
B: "I'm doing great. How about you?"
A: "Me too. I just finished moving into the dormitory. It seems alright."
B: "Oh man. You should have joined a fraternity."
A: "You're in a fraternity? Which one?"
B: "I'm with Delta Tau Delta. It is going to be so much fun."
A: "How much does it cost?"
B: "I have to pay $475 a month. It comes with two meals (a day) though."
A: "Damn. That's the same price I'm paying for the dormitory. How often do they take new members?"
B: "Every semester. When they start recruiting, I'll be sure to let you know."
A: "That would be great."
A: "Hi, I was looking to join a sorority. Where can I find information about your sorority?"
B: "What would you like to know?"
A: "How many people are in this sorority?"
B: "We have 72 ladies so far. We have room for 28 more girls."
A: "How often do you have parties here?"
B: "Only about once a month."
A: "Do you provide meals here?"
B: "We provide breakfast and dinner every Monday through Friday."
A: "Can I take a tour of the place?"
B: "Sure. I can show you around."
A: "Wow. It looks great here. What do I need to do to get in?"
B: "You need to fill out this application, and then we will call you for an interview. If you pass the interview, then you will have to go through initiation."
A: "What is involved in the initiation?"
B: "That's a secret."
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College Partying
If you like this type of partying, the first thing you need to do is find the party.
"Where is everyone hanging out this weekend?"
"Are there any good fraternity parties this weekend?"
"Where does everyone go to party?"
"Are there any parties to crash this weekend?"
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An easier way to find a party is to have a friend who is in the loop.
"There's a party this weekend at the Kappa Sorority house. I think we can sneak in. Wanna go?"
"There's a bunch of us going to the Last Supper Club in downtown. If you're not doing anything, you should join us."
"A friend of mine is having a party at a huge house. It's going to be a blast. Let's go man."
"There's going to be a kegger at my fraternity. You're welcome to come."
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College Partying - Questions
If you are new to these types of partying, you can ask questions about what takes place at these parties.
"What do you usually do at the party?"
"What goes on at the party?"
"Are there a lot of girls?"
"Are there a lot of cute guys?"
"What types of drinks do they have at the party?"
"Do I need to bring anything to the party?"
"How many people usually come to the party?"
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The most important thing you will need to learn is what to say when you are at the party.
In order to be liked, it doesn't matter what you look like, or how much money you have. Although both of these help, the most important thing is if you are a fun person. Usually, fun people have good things to say and keeps the conversation going. You can engage in small talk, but it also doesn't matter what you say, it matters how you say it.
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The most important thing to do is to do a lot of laughing. It really doesn't matter what you say, so no use learning new sentences. I will have several practice sessions so you can hear what the conversation should sound like.
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College Partying - Interactive Practice
A: "Hey man. What's going on?"
B: "Not much. Just having a good time."
A: "That's all good. What year are you?"
B: "I'm a sophomore. How about you?"
A: "This is my third year."
B: "Are you in this fraternity?"
A: "No. I'm over at Beta Psi."
B: "I have a friend over there. Do you know Johnny Parker?"
A: "Yeah. He joined us last year. He a friend of yours?"
B: "Yeah. We went to high school together."
A: "Right on. What's your name?"
B: "Roger Dunkin. How about you?"
A: "Steve Leary. It's nice to meet you."
B: "Yeah."
A: "What have you been drinking?"
B: "Just Heinekens"
A: "Oh man. You have been missing the good stuff. Are you OK with shots?"
B: "Hell yeah."
A: "Cool. Follow me. I'll show you the good stuff."
A: "You come to a lot of these parties?"
B: "As many as I can find."
A: "Ha ha ha."
B: "Any fine ladies around here?"
A: "I just checked out a group of chicks heading towards the kitchen."
B: "Were they with any guys?"
A: "No, they were alone."
B: "What are you doing just standing here then? Let's go see if they want any company."
A: "Sounds like a good plan. Let's go."
A: "Do you go to school here?"
B: "No. I go to a different university."
A: "So do you know Johnny?"
B: "I came here with a friend who knows Johnny. I met him a couple of times. He's a cool guy. So you go to this school?"
A: "Yeah."
B: "What year are you?"
A: "I'm a junior? How about you?"
B: "Me too. But I bet I'll be in school for 4 more years. I still haven't decided on my major."
A: "I'm in a similar boat. I'm in the English department, but I want to change majors. If I do that, then I'll have to go to school for another year."
B: "That's life I guess."
A: "I'm going to get another drink. It was nice meeting you."
B: "Yeah. Nice meeting you too."
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Smoking
There is not much you need to know except how to ask for a cigarette. What else are you going to say?
"Do you have an extra cigarette?"
"May I have a cigarette?"
"Can I have a cigarette?"
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Sometimes, you can ask while giving a reason.
"Can I get a cigarette from you? I just ran out."
"I forgot my smokes at my house. Do you have an extra one?"
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There are other terminologies you can use.
"Can I bum a cigarette from you?"
"Can I bum one of those?"
"Do you have an extra cigarette I can bum?"
"I need a cigarette. Can you help me out?"
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Answering these questions is pretty simple.
Nobody ever says, 'No.' That's just too rude. If it's a friend, then you don't even need to say anything. Just pull out the pack of cigarettes and hand your friend a cigarette. But here are some other things you can say.
"Sure."
"I think I have a spare."
"Here you go."
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If you are sitting at a coffee shop, you can put it on the counter and say,
"No need to ask, just help yourself."
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If you don't have anymore then you can say,
"Sorry. I just ran out."
"This was my last one."
"I bummed this one off another person."
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Smoking - Non Smoking Areas
Here are some questions you might find useful.
"Is this a non-smoking establishment?"
"Do you have a smoking section here?"
"Is smoking allowed?"
"Where is the smoking section?"
"Is there a designated smoking area?"
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At a bar or a smoking place, if you need an ashtray, you can say,
"Can I have an ashtray?"
If you have one and you need another one, simply say, "Can I have another ashtray?"
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If you are smoking in an area that is a non-smoking area, you might hear people say the following... if you are a non-smoker, then you can learn this to say to others that are smoking in a non-smoking area.
"This is a non-smoking area."
"There's no smoking in this area."
"This is a non smoking establishment."
"There's no smoking in the airport."
"Smoking is only allowed in the bar area."
"You cannot smoke here. Can you please go to the bar or outside to smoke?"
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Responding to these can be done with a simple,
"I'm terribly sorry. I'll take this to the smoking area."
"Sorry. I didn't know I was in a no smoking area. I'll move right away."
The easiest way is just to apologize and leave immediately with a, 'sorry.'
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Smoking - Quitting and General Statements
If you are in a hotel getting a room, the clerk might ask you,
"Would you like a smoking room or a non-smoking room?"
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If you hate the smell of smoke and they do not ask, you can verify what type of room it is by asking,
"Can you make sure it's a non-smoking room?"
"Is this going to be a non-smoking room?"
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While smoking, you will sometimes talk about smoking. If that's the case, you can ask these types of questions.
"How long have you been smoking?"
"Have you been smoking long?"
"Have you ever tried to quit smoking?"
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Comments you can say while smoking with someone
"Smoking is so bad, but it feels so good."
"I've been smoking for 10 years."
"I tried to quit a couple of times. It's really hard."
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I heard some comments from some people justifying cigarette smoking
"There was a 90 year old man who smokes one pack a day and drinks one bottle of Soju a day and he is very healthy. He's been doing it for over 60 years."
"I only smoke when I'm with friends."
"I only smoke when I'm drinking."
"I can quit anytime I want. There is just no need to right now."
"The best way to quit is cold turkey." Cold turkey is a terminology used to completely stop without any help with things such as nicotine gum or nicotine patches.
"There are a lot of aids to help you stop smoking. I heard hypnosis is pretty good."
"I quit for 3 months last year. I used the patch to help stop the cravings."
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Smoking - Asking for Light and Hate Smoking
When you don't have a lighter or matches, do not ask for fire. That is a common mistake. Instead, ask for a light.
"Do you have a light?"
"Can I borrow your lighter?"
"Can I use your matches?"
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If you catch someone smoking, like your kid or your significant other, you can say,
"Have you been smoking?"
"Is that smoke I smell?"
"Who taught you how to smoke?"
"Where did you get those cigarettes?"
"I saw you smoking yesterday."
"You smoke don't you?"
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Finally, for people who do not like smoking, here is a section on communicating your disgust with smoking.
"I hate smoking. It smells so bad and hurts my throat."
"I don't like that club because it smells like smoke in there."
"It is way too smoky in the bar."
"It's a little stuffy with smoke in here. I'm going outside to get some fresh air."
"Have you ever kissed a smoker? You can taste the smoke. It's disgusting."
"I get a headache when I'm around smoke."
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Second hand smoke is a term used for non-smokers breathing the smoke from smokers. So if you are a non-smoker and you are in a bar, the air you are breathing is basically second hand smoke.
"I heard that second hand smoke is just as bad for you as smoking."
"Second hand smoke can give you health problems too."
"Children who grow up breathing second hand smoke have greater health risks growing up."
"I don't mind second hand smoke. I got used to it over the years."
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Smoking - Interactive Practice
A: "Hey Bobby. What's going on?"
B: "Just taking a smoke break."
A: "I forgot my cigarette today. Do you have another one?"
B: "Sure. Here you go."
A: "Thanks."
B: "I didn't know you smoked."
A: "Really? I've been smoking for over a year now."
B: "Oh. You're new to smoking still. I've been smoking for 7 years."
A: "You ever tired to quit?"
B: "Many times. I'm really addicted. It's harder to stop than you think."
A: "Yeah. I tried to quit last month, and I thought it was going to be easy, but it turns out that I'm still smoking."
B: "I highly recommend you quit soon. The longer you smoke, the harder it becomes to quit."
A: "I think you're right. Aright. Gotta go to class. Thanks for the cigarette. I'll talk to you later."
B: "No problem. I'll talk to you later."
A: "Hey Jane. How are you doing?"
B: "Hi Jack. I'm doing great."
A: "I hope you haven't been waiting too long."
B: "No. I just got here a few minutes ago."
A: "Do you know if smoking is allowed here?"
B: "I think this is a no-smoking place. Do you want to go somewhere else?"
A: "That's alright. I don't need to smoke."
B: "Why don't you quit?"
A: "I never thought about it. All my friends smoke, and we hang out a lot."
B: "So do you smoke by yourself?"
A: "When I started I didn't, but after a few months I started smoking at home. Usually when I'm bored."
B: "Do you smoke cause your bored?"
A: "Yeah. It helps to kill the time. I also think it's out of habit. I'm so used to having a cigarette every now and then."
B: "How much do you smoke in a day?"
A: "I smoke about a half pack a day."
B: "Well, I think you should quit. You know it's bad for you?"
A: "I always knew it was bad, but I never thought about it."
B: "You better start thinking about it now. You might not feel the difference now, but after 10 years of smoking, you might feel it and then it will be too late."
A: "That's a good point. I'll try to quit."
B: "Good. And if you need any support, I'll always be here for you."
A: "Thanks."
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Drinking - Terminologies
In a Bar
There are a few terminologies you have to learn.
Tap - Beer in a glass that is from a large container
Well - Same as Tap. Different wording
Pint - This is 16 fluid ounces. This roughly translates to 500cc.
Bottles - Bottles of beer
Pitchers - Same as Tap, but put in a pitcher
Mixed Drinks - Special Drinks like a mixture of Vodka and Orange Juice. They have names for these such as Fuzzy Navel, Rum and Coke, Buttery Nipple, Gin and tonic, and so on.
Wine - Red or white. Bottle or glass
Shots - Hard alcohol in small shot glass
On the Rocks - Hard alcohol in a bigger glass with ice
Straight Up - Used when ordering a hard alcohol. Specifying that you do not want ice
Double - Two shots in a bigger glass
Round - Used in groups when ordering together.
Bottoms up - One shot. Drink everything in your glass
Cheers - Word used before hitting glasses together before drinking
Champagne - Carbonated wine used in special occasions such as weddings.
Toast - A person usually makes a speech at a special occasion with glasses raised before all taking a drink together. Usually with champagne
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Drinking - Ordering Drinks
When you are in a bar, you can either go up to the counter or wait for a server to come by. If you go to the counter, you order what you want by saying the drink name and the quantity.
"I'll take 4 bottles of Corona."
"I'll take a pitcher of Red Hook."
"Give me 3 shots of Crowne."
"I'll have one Jack and Coke."
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After you get the drink, the bartender will usually say,
"That will be $12.50."
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If you pay with cash, then you should receive change. Make sure to tip once in a while. However, if you pay with a card, they will usually ask if you want to leave it open. Leaving it open means to keep the credit card open so if you order more drinks, you will get one bill instead of having to use the credit card multiple times. You will hear something like this.
"Do you want to keep it open?"
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If you want to keep the credit card open before they ask you, you can say this.
"Can you keep it open?"
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If you have a credit card open, then any more drinks you order will go on your credit card. When you are done for the night, you can simply tell them that you are ready for your bill.
"Can I get my bill?"
If the bartender has your credit card, then you can go up to the counter and say the same thing, or say, "I would like to close my tab."
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Drinking - Ordering at a Table
If you are sitting at a table in a bar, a server will come up and ask you what you want. They can ask in multiple ways, but the most common are the following.
"What can I get you guys?"
"What can I get you?"
"What would you like today?"
"What will it be?"
"What do you guys want today?"
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Other things you can ask is if there are any specials.
"Are there any specials today?"
If they do, they will probably tell you the drink and the price that is on special. Here is an example.
"All our margaritas are $2.50, and well drinks are $2.00."
"Every Monday we have pitchers for $5.00."
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If you are having pints or shots or some other drink, and you want to get one more for everyone, you can say to the server that you want one more round.
"Can we get one more round?"
They will respond by saying, 'Same thing?' or 'Four Coronas again?'
 Here are some examples.
"I'm going to get another drink. Do you want one?"
"Let me buy you a drink."
"Thanks. I'll get the next round."
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Drinking - General Things
Another popular saying is when you meet a good friend and you want to buy them a drink.
"Hey, let me buy you a drink. What do you want?"
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When you do cheers, you can either say cheers, or dedicate the next gulp to something.
You first lift up your glass and say,
"This is to good times. Cheers."
"For the end of our junior year."
"To success."
Basically anything you want to drink for.
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Among friends, you can recommend shots. At a bar, mostly people drink beer and mixed drinks. However, between drinks someone can recommend having a shot altogether.
"Hey, let's all do a shot."
"Shot time."
"Let's get 4 shots of Jack."
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Asking questions about how well someone drinks
"How much can you drink?"
"How many beers does it take to get you buzzed?"
"Depending on the day, but mostly it will take 4 beers before I start to get buzzed."
"I usually have about 6 drinks when I go out."
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Also, when someone can't drink that much, people usually use the term light weight.
You should also know how to ask if a person is ok to drive. If they look drunk, then you should take away their keys. However, if they are ok, you can usually ask them if they are capable of driving.
"Are you ok to drive?"
"Are you going to be able to drive?"
"You sure you can drive?"
Before moving on to the Interactive Practice section for drinking, listen to a conversation with a couple of friends in a bar.
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 the Conversation
A: "Hey wassup. What are you guys drinking?"
B: "We're having pitchers."
C: "Dude, you're going to need a glass."
A: "Excuse me?"
S: "Yeah."
A: "Can I get a glass?"
S: "Sure."
A: "Have you guys been drinking long?"
C: "Not really. This is only our second pitcher."
B: "You better start catching up."
A: "When I get my glass, I will."
B: "You ok with shots right?"
A: "Yeah."
B: "What do you usually have?"
C: "He always has the same thing. Crowne."
A: "Exactly."
B: "That's good stuff."
C: "You finally got your glass. Hey Cheers. To good friends."
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Drinking - Interactive Practice
A: "Do you drink much?"
B: "Depending on what you consider a lot."
A: "How frequently do you drink?"
B: "Couple times a week. How about you?"
A: "Only when I go out. I'm not a big drinker."
B: "How much can you drink?"
A: "I usually only have 2 beers."
B: "You're a light weight."
A: "How much can you drink?"
B: "I'm usually drinking all night long. At least 10 drinks."
A: "Don't you spend a lot of money then?"
B: "No. We usually go to places that have specials. Dante's over on the Ave has $5.00 pitchers on Mondays. So for ten, fifteen bucks, I can get a lot of drinks."
A: "That's true."
B: "If you don't like beer, have you tried mixed drinks? Some of them are pretty good."
A: "I like beer, it's just that I get a headache when I drink more than 3."
B: "You just have to build up a tolerance. I used to be like that. But your body gets used to it."
A: "It'll take awhile, but I'm working on it."
B: "Hey let's go out tomorrow night. The Ram Bar and Grill is having a special on pitchers."
A: "Aright."
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College Related Topics Review
This review section will cover all the lessons we had so far. This includes small talk, weather, movies, classes, university, etc.
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College Related Review - Interactive Practice
A: "Hey John. I didn't know you were coming to this school."
B: "Yeah, what a coincidence. It's good to see you."
A: "It's been a while hasn't it?"
B: "What have you been up to?"
A: "Not much. Just school and stuff."
B: "Where are you going now?"
A: "I'm going to the registration building to see if I can withdrawal from one of my classes."
B: "Are you bombing the class or something?"
A: "Partially that, but mostly it's a boring class and I am getting nothing out of it."
B: "Where are you off to?"
A: "I finished class for today so I am meeting my girlfriend to watch a movie?"
B: "What are you watching?"
A: "The Lord of the Rings. I haven't seen it yet. Have you?"
B: "Yeah, I saw that about a month ago. It was really good."
A: "Don't tell me anything about it. I don't want to ruin the surprise."
B: "No problem. Hey, what are you doing this weekend?"
A: "Nothing really. I was going to rent a video and just hang out at home."
B: "My fraternity is going to have a party on Saturday night. Wanna come?"
A: "Hey, that sounds like fun. What fraternity are you in?"
B: "I'm over at the Delta Fraternity house."
A: "Cool. Give me your number and I'll call you Saturday."
B: "It's 206-555-1212."
A: "Aright. I'll see you on Saturday."
B: "See you later."
A: "You're Jason right?"
B: "Yeah. Tom right?"
A: "Yeah. What's going on?"
B: "Not much. Just hanging out. A bunch of guys are playing a game for shots."
A: "You're not playing?"
B: "I had enough to drink already."
A: "I hear ya."
B: "You in school or do you work?"
A: "I work at a marketing company. How about you?"
B: "I'm still in school. I have one more year left."
A: "What are you majoring in?"
B: "I'm majoring in computer science."
A: "Where do you want to work?"
B: "I would love to work at Microsoft. But it's pretty tough to get in."
A: "So I hear. So you come to this club often?"
B: "Every now and then. I usually hang out at Pioneer Square."
A: "Yeah. That's a cool place. There are a ton of bars to hit in that area."
B: "Are you here with Mike?"
A: "No. Some of my work buddies. I haven't seen Mike in a while now. Do you know what he is up to?"
B: "He's going to grad school."
A: "What a surprise. I didn't know he was so studious."
B: "Yeah. Surprised us all. Hey, I'm going to get another drink. You want one?"
A: "It's aright. I still have to work on this one."
B: "I'll catch you later."
A: "Aright man."
A: "Hi. My name is Robert."
B: "I'm John. It's nice to meet you."
A: "Do you know what this professor is like?"
B: "I have no idea. This is my first year."
A: "You a freshman? Me too. Where are you from?"
B: "I'm from San Francisco."
A: "I've been there a few times. It's a great city."
B: "Where are you from?"
A: "I grew up in this area all my life."
B: "So you know where all the fun places to hang out right?"
A: "Yeah. The best place is over by the water. They have a lot of clubs and bars."
B: "I drove by that area before. I didn't know it was a college hang-out."
A: "It gets pretty wild over there sometimes. You should go."
B: "Sounds like a good idea. Do you know what you are majoring in yet?"
A: "Not yet. I'm leaning towards business, but that's only if I can't get into computer science. How about you?"
B: "I want to go to med school, so I'll probably end up majoring in biology."
A: "That's cool."
B: "Is the weather this bad all the time in the fall?"
A: "Yap. This is a typical autumn. It gets worse though. At least it's not raining that much."
B: "That sucks."
A: "You'll get used to it. In the meantime, you'll have to watch a lot of movies. Seems like the only thing to do with the bad weather."
B: "Too expensive. Can you believe how much movies cost these days?"
A: "Yeah. It's crazy. It's like 9 bucks a movie. I remember when it was half that."
B: "Unless it's a date, I'm not going to pay that much to watch a movie."
A: "That makes sense."
B: "Oh. The professor is coming. I'll talk to you later."
A: "Aright."





Health
Eating
"What type of food is healthy to eat?"
"Are hamburgers healthy for you?"
"Is drinking coke bad for you?"
"Do vitamins really work?"
"If you eat better, you will be healthier."
"If you want to be healthy, you should eat better."
"Eating ramen and drinking beer everyday is not healthy for you."
"Eating vegetables is good for you."
"Eating a variety of food is good for you."
"I take vitamins everyday."
"Even though eating cereal in the morning is boring, it's quite healthy."
"If you want to be healthy, you should eat better and start exercising."
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General statements
"I need to start thinking about my health."
"I get sick very often these days. I think I need to start worrying about my health."
"It is very important to take care of your health while you are young."
"Trying to regain your health when you are old is more difficult than people think. That is why it is important to take preventive measures early."
"Smoking and drinking is bad for your health."
"You're ruining your health."
"Now that I am thirty years old, I should really start thinking about my health."
"You need to take care of yourself more."
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Questions regarding health
"What made you decide to start working out?"
"I want to get healthier."
"You never used to eat spinach. Did you acquire a taste for them?"
"No. I just heard it's healthy for you."
"You run so often. Do you like jogging?"
"I hate jogging, but I do it because it's very healthy."
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Health
Family
If you are young and pretty healthy, then you do not need to say many different things. What we have covered so far is a good starting point in health discussions. For the next section, I am going to go into good and bad health of older people such as parents or grandparents.
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If a person is very old and does not have any sickness, then the usual comment is to mention how healthy that person is.
"My grandfather can't move that much because of leg pains. But besides that, he is very healthy."
"She's quite healthy for her age."
"My mother always complains about some pain, but the doctor can never find any wrong with her."
"My grandmother is in a nursing home. She's pretty healthy but can't walk that well."
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Often times we ask about the health of a new born baby. Here are some sentences you can say.
"I just had my baby."
"Oh really? Is the baby healthy?"
"He's a healthy little boy."
"I'm so blessed with healthy children."
"I'm so happy that my children are all healthy."
"I wish I was rich, but I can't complain. I have a job, my children are healthy, and most of all, we are all happy."
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Although it is fortunate to have healthy relatives, we are sometimes in a situation where health is a problem in the family.
"My uncle died from stomach cancer. The doctors say it is mostly hereditary but I think it was due to all the spicy food he ate."
"My father is very unhealthy. He says it is because he didn't take care of his body when he was young."
"My sister is always sick. I'm really concerned about her health."
"My brother is tired all the time. I think he is unhealthy."
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Health - Interactive Practice
A: "Hi Mike. What have you been up to?"
B: "Not much. I started exercising."
A: "Trying to get in shape?"
B: "Yeah, and I need to start improving my health."
A: "Me too. What are you doing besides exercising?"
B: "That's about all."
A: "I think if you eat better, it will help tremendously."
B: "Sleep is good too. I heard people who sleep an average of eight hours a day have less health problems."
A: "Looks like there are a lot of things to do to stay healthy."
B: "True. But I think it is worth it. When you get old, you want to be healthy and active."
A: "Did your wife give birth yet?"
B: "Yeah. She's a healthy beautiful girl."
A: "Congratulations. How is your wife doing?"
B: "She is tired, but getting a lot of rest now."
A: "That's good to hear."
B: "I'm just glad there were no complications."
A: "If your wife and baby are both happy, what more can you ask for?"
B: "It's been a week, and I haven't slept that well."
A: "That's normal for anyone with a newborn."
B: "Yeah, but it's so hard. I have to work, and then go home and take care of my wife and the baby. I'm going to get sick at this rate."
A: "You'll get used to it. After everything stabilizes, you can regain your health."
B: "That's true. I should make sure my wife and baby stay healthy during this time."
A: "I haven't seen your father in like 5 years. How is he doing?"
B: "He's not doing too well."
A: "Why? What's wrong?"
B: "About a year ago, he started feeling weak all the time."
A: "Is it due to old age or is he sick."
B: "Maybe a little of both. The doctor's can't point out anything specifically. I think it is because he didn't take care of himself during his youth."
A: "That makes sense. It's important to take care of your health early in life."
B: "That's what my father tells me almost everyday."
A: "Well, I hope he starts feeling better. Say hi to him for me."
B: "Thanks. I'll let him know."
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Body Parts
Let's first list the different body parts I will cover in this lesson:
Arm, Forearm, Elbow, Wrist, Hand, Finger, Knuckles
Leg, Calf, Thigh, Knee, Ankle, Toes
Head, Ear, Mouth, Nose, Eyes
Neck, Chest, Stomach, Back, Groin, Butt, Shoulder
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The arm area
Here is a list of sentences most commonly used "My arm hurts"
Remember you can change the word of arm to any of the other body parts.
"My wrist is sore." "I sprained my wrist while I was playing tennis."
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Sprain is to hurt the ligaments of a joint. It is different than breaking a bone. Breaking a bone is hurting the bone itself, and sprain is hurting the tissue that connects the bone.
"I can't bend my elbow that well."
"Your fingers are so long."
"My fingers are short and stubby."
"I like to crack my knuckles."
"My grandmother has arthritis so she can't move her hands well."
"I got a flu shot on my arm yesterday."
"I hate people who don't wash their hands after going to the bathroom."
"I broke my finger when I fell down the stairs."
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Body Parts - Leg and Head Area
The leg area
"I went jogging yesterday so my legs are all sore."
"Your legs will be very sore after you go skiing."
"I hate it when I get cramps."
"I usually get cramps on my calf."
"I banged my toe against the coffee table."
"These shoes hurt my feet a lot."
"I got a bruise on my thigh after he gave me a charley horse."
"I banged my knee against the door and it hurts."
"I got this scar on my knee when I was little."
"Twisting your knee is so painful."
"I broke my ankle playing volleyball."
"My ankle was swollen after I sprained it."
"I like shoes that support my ankles."
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The head area
"My ears are so cold."
"My nose turns red when I'm cold."
"I always get a runny nose during the winter time."
"I get a runny nose during allergy season."
"Your whole face is turning red."
"I usually turn red when I drink alcohol."
"Don't pick your nose."
"My eyes are itchy."
"I have a cold sore on my lips."
"I have a canker sore in my mouth."
"I hit my head on the desk after picking up a pen."
"How did you get a black eye?"
"What happened to your face?"
"How did you get that cut on your cheek?"
"Did you have acne problems when you were young?"
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Acne is another terminology for pimples.
"I used to get a lot of pimples when I was young."
"My mouth always waters when I smell steak."
"I got my ear pierced yesterday."
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Body Parts - Body Area
The body area
"I got a whiplash after the car accident."
"My father hurt his neck when he turned his head too quickly before sneezing."
"He has a big Adam's apple."
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Adam's apple is the bump in the neck most common among guys.
"I've been getting chest pain recently."
"When I get asthma, it feels like someone is pressing on my chest and squeezing my lungs."
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Asthma is a respiratory disease that makes it difficult to breath
"He bumped me on my shoulder as he was walking by."
"I feel like a big load has been taken off my shoulder."
"He has broad shoulders."
"Many girls like guys with broad shoulders."
"I want to get rid of the fat on my stomach."
"I have a beer belly."
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Beer belly is a terminology used to describe a stomach that sticks out from excessive beer drinking.
"I get a stomach ache if I eat spicy food."
"I have an upset stomach."
"My stomach hurts."
"You must be hungry. I can hear your stomach rumble."
"I want a six pack."
"He hit me in the groin."
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Vicinity means area
"I pulled my groin when I was doing sprints."
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Sprint is running as fast as you can.
"She has such a big butt."
"Her butt is so flat though."
"If you go snowboarding, your butt will hurt the next day."
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Body Parts - Interactive Practice
A: "Hey Sarah. Why are you limping?"
B: "Oh. Hi Matt. I went snowboarding yesterday and my whole body aches."
A: "Was it your first time?"
B: "Yeah. And I never want to go again."
A: "I remember the first time I went. My back was sore, I couldn't sit down because it hurt my butt, and my legs would cramp if I walked too fast."
B: "That's exactly how I feel now."
A: "It's only like that the first couple of times."
B: "Ha. There won't be a next time."
A: "You gotta give it a chance. It's fun after awhile."
B: "I'll think about it after I start feeling better. Right now, I don't even want to hear the word snowboarding."
A: "Ahhchooo!"
B: "You've been sneezing a lot lately. Are you sick or something?"
A: "No. Every spring time around April, I'm stricken with allergies."
B: "I never have seasonal allergies."
A: "Consider yourself lucky."
B: "What are all the symptoms?"
A: "Well, as you just saw, I sneeze a lot. Also, my nose becomes very runny, my throat sometimes itches, and my eyes start to water."
B: "That doesn't sound good."
A: "No it's not. So you don't have any type of allergies?"
B: "Well, I have a severe allergic reaction to alcohol. It runs in the family."
A: "Everyone to some extent is allergic to alcohol."
B: "I get it pretty bad. My whole face turns red, including my ears. My eyes become bloodshot, and I start to itch all over my body."
A: "That's pretty bad."
B: "But that doesn't stop me from drinking. Hahaha."
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Dieting
When you see someone and notice a weight change, you usually want to mention that they look better or that they lost weight.
"Have you lost weight?"
"You look better, did you lose weight?"
"Have you been dieting?"
"Wow. You look so good."
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Another time dieting discussion starts is during meals. When a person is trying to eat less, people question why and a conversation about dieting begins.
"Is that all you're going to eat?"
"Why aren't you eating anything?"
"Did you already eat?"
"Are you on a diet or something?"
"Are you not hungry?"
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And then the person will usually respond by saying:
"I'm trying to lose some weight."
"I started to diet so I am watching what I eat."
"I want to lose some weight before I take family pictures next month."
"I'm on a diet."
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Some people look so skinny and they still say they are going to go on a diet. Here are some comments you can say.
"You do not need to go on a diet."
"You look great now. Why do you want to go on a diet?"
"Yeah right. Like you have to lose weight."
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Dieting - Questions
Now that we have covered some basic sentences, let's work on sentences that will help in a discussion. First let's cover some questions about dieting.
"How long have you been on a diet?"
"What type of diet are you on?"
"Have you lost a lot of weight?"
"How much weight have you lost so far?"
"How many pounds do you want to lose?"
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Here are some ways to answer these types of questions.
"I've been on a diet for 2 months now."
"I'm just watching my calorie intake and doing a little bit of exercise."
"I lost 6 pounds so far."
"My goal is to lose 10 pounds."
"I want to be 105 pounds."
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For now, I'll share with you some sentences that you might hear Americans say about Atkins.
"I'm on the Atkins diet."
"After three days on the Atkins diet, all I think about is bread and rice."
"I lost 15 pounds in 4 weeks due to the Atkins diet."
"I could never go on the Atkins diet. I love carbs too much."
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Dieting - Specific Areas
Here are some things you may say.
"I am going on a diet until I get skinny legs."
"I've been on a diet for 3 months now and I can't get rid of the fat under my arms."
"I hate my love handles. I can't seem to get rid of them."
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Love handles are the fat on the side of the stomach.
"I want to lose weight on my cheeks."
"What is the best way to lose weight on the thighs?"
"How do you get rid of the fat on the cheeks?"
"I can't seem to lose my gut. I'm pretty skinny everywhere but my gut is a big problem."
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Gut is the lower part of the stomach. Many people have some fat on the gut.
Other general sentences
"I am way too undisciplined to go on a diet."
"I like to eat too much. I wouldn't survive a day on a diet."
"If I can eat ice cream then I don't have a problem with a diet."
"A good diet is a combination of eating well and exercising."
"Many people think dieting is all about eating less."
"I think exercising is more important than eating less."
"The best way to naturally lose weight is to eat five times a day but smaller amounts."
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Talking about other people
"She used to be so fat in high school. I can't believe how skinny she is now. I wonder what kind of diet she went on."
"She's been on a diet for 6 months and still looks the same. She has to be cheating."
"My sister has always been skinny, but after she gave birth, she had to go on a diet."
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Dieting - Interactive Practice
A: "Hi Barbara. Have you lost weight?"
B: "Hi Julie. Yeah. I've been on a diet for a couple of months now."
A: "Wow. You look great."
B: "Thanks for noticing."
A: "What type of diet were you on?"
B: "I joined a health club and my trainer gave me tips on eating. With a combination of eating better and exercising, I managed to lose 15 pounds in 2 months."
A: "That's amazing. What tips did your trainer give you?"
B: "Mostly on how to exercise, but the best advice I got was changing my eating habits. Instead of eating 3 times a day, she told me to eat 5 times a day."
A: "That doesn't make sense. If you eat more, than how do you lose weight?"
B: "Actually, I'm eating the same amount. I eat 5 smaller meals a day. Basically, it naturally speeds up the metabolism and helps to burn fat at a faster rate."
A: "That makes sense. I'm going to try that."
B: "You don't need to lose weight."
A: "I have a little gut I have been trying to get rid of."
B: "Ah... but remember to incorporate a little exercise into your diet."
A: "Thanks for the advice."
B: "No problem."
A: "Can you believe her? She is not even a hundred pounds and she is going off on how she wants to go on a diet."
B: "Tell me about it. If I was as small as her, I wouldn't think about going on a diet."
A: "Me too. But what are we going to do? I have been on 4 different diets and I can't seem to lose weight."
B: "That's because you don't exercise. If you were more active, you wouldn't have a dieting problem."
A: "What do you know? You are over weight too."
B: "I'm not on a diet though."
A: "I know. But I don't have someone to diet with. If we help each other and motivate each other, then I think we can lose some weight."
B: "I like ice cream too much though."
A: "C'mon. You'll feel better and look better and as a reward you can eat a little bit of ice cream here and there."
B: "It does sound appealing."
A: "It's a great idea. I can't believe I didn't think of this earlier. Going on a diet with a friend to back you up is a great way to succeed."
B: "Okay. I'm in. Let's do it."
A: "Great. I'll get our plan started right away."
B: "Can we start tomorrow though?"
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Dating .
Compliments to a guy
"Do you work out at all? You have a nice build."
"What kind of cologne is that? I like the smell of it."
"I like the sound of your voice. It's soothing listening to it."
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Compliments to a girl
"Your eyes stand out a lot. Do you get many compliments on them?"
"Does it take you long to style your hair? It looks very good."
"I bet you get hit on a lot."
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Compliments to either gender
"It's very comfortable talking to you."
"I feel like I can be myself when I'm talking to you."
"You seem so intelligent. I like that."
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Flirting
The previous section was more for people who usually start up a conversation before asking a person on a date. There are other types of meeting people. There is a terminology called flirting that is popular. Flirting basically means to make gestures or movements or comments that are a little sexual in nature. So if you move your body in a certain way, or you rub the other persons arm slightly, or talk about slightly sexual things, then that is considered flirting.
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Flirting is all dependent on both sides. It is hard for only one person to do the flirting. If that is the case, then the other person usually finds a quick exit out.
Here are some things people might say while flirting.
"Hey sexy. I can't believe I didn't notice you earlier"
"How come you didn't ask me to dance yet?"
"You have nice legs."
"I can tell you workout. You have a nice body."
"You want to feel my muscles?"
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On the phone
Them: "Hello"
You: "Hi. Is Janet there?"
Them: "This is Janet."
You: "Hi Janet. This is Mike. I met you at the party last Saturday night."
Them: "Oh. Hi Mike."
You: "Did you enjoy the party?"
Them: "I had a great time. How about you?"
You: "The next morning was tough, but it was real fun, especially meeting you."
Them: "It was great meeting you too."
You: "Can I take you out to dinner followed by a movie or some other thing?"
Them: "Well, I am a little busy with school and all."
You: "A couple hours shouldn't hurt too much. I'll make sure you have a good time. If you want, we can talk about your school. Maybe I can help you on some topics you are unsure about."
Them: "Ok. Sounds good. I'm free this Friday after 6:00. How does that sound to you?"
You: "That sounds good. Do you want to meet somewhere or would you like for me to pick you up?"
Them: "If you don't mind Italian, I'll meet you at Olive Garden at 6:30 on Friday."
You: "Sounds great. I'll see you then."
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Everyone is busy, and Mike knows that this is an excuse of not going out. There are many things that Mike can do now.
1.   Mike can put pressure on her without any substance like, 'Come on. Let's just go out.' Or he can not even let her completely answer by saying, 'I'll meet you at Olive Garden at 7:00.'
2.   Mike can be a coward and say, 'Ok. Well, if you decide to change your mind, give me a call.'
3.   Or Mike can persuade Janet by appealing to her interests.
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The number 1 choice doesn't work because putting pressure on someone is not good. She might not come, or start with a bad impression. Number 2 choice will result in Janet never calling back.
The answer Mike gave is a great answer. He is promising that she will have a good time, and also understanding her school interest and promising to talk about her school.
From Janet's perspective, Mike has good manners not pressuring too much, and understanding her interest by talking about her schooling.
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Dating - On the Date
When you finally see Janet at the restaurant or another dating place, you should say something right when you see her. Here are a few examples
"I'm glad you showed up."
"You look great."
"Hi Janet. It's good seeing you again."
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During the date, you have to make sure the person stays interested. This is primarily done by talking about subjects the other person wants to talk about. In this case, Janet is concentrating on school. Here are some things to say
"What subject do you find difficult?"
"What classes are giving you a hard time?"
"Do you like multiple choice questions or short answer questions?"
"Do you like writing essays?"
"What subjects interest you the most?"
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After you find out more information on her interest, then you can say more things about it.
"When I was in college, I had a hard time with my writing assignments. I guess my high school didn't prepare me enough. So I went to the writing center located next to the library, and they helped me tremendously."
"I found psychology to be pretty easy, but I always made stupid mistakes with the multiple choice questions. So I got a study guide for it and it helped me to get the minor details out of the way."
"I really like history too. I enjoy learning about what happened and how we got to the state we are in now."
"You don't like calculus? I was a math major. If you would like, I can help you out with your homework. I'm sure after a couple of lessons, you will think it is easy."
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Dating - Asking for Second Date
Another way to get another date is by suggesting another restaurant. Janet likes Italian restaurants. But she chose Olive Garden. If the date went well, and you know of another Italian restaurant, you can suggest another date near the end of dinner.
"Is Italian one of your favorite types of food?"
"Yeah. I like all types of pasta."
"I know this great little Italian restaurant on the waterfront. It's small but very authentic. I'd love to take you there next week or something."
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Or, if you know of another type of restaurant here is what you can say.
"Have you ever had French food?"
"I've had French Fries before."
"I'm talking about real French food."
"No. I don't even know what is considered French food."
"I've been to this great French restaurant a couple of months ago. The food was amazing. I would like to take you there sometime. Would you be interested?"
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Dating - Preparing Activity after Dinner
Sometimes a date will end right after dinner. Other times you can go to another place such as a bar, or go bowling, or see a movie. It is your responsibility to find out what the other person likes to do and then suggest it. If the date was strictly for dinner, then it will be difficult, but in this case, Mike suggested a dinner and a movie, or another thing. That means Janet should have left the night open.
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"Have you seen Master and Commander yet? I heard it was a good movie."
"No, I haven't."
"There is an 8:30 showing down the street. Would you like to go see it?"
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Mike made sure to look up movie times and locations before the movie. Then when he suggests a movie, he has all the information.
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"What do you like to do when you are not studying?"
"I like to hang out with friends and drink a little and I also like to go bowling sometimes."
"Do you want to go bowling after dinner? We can have a few drinks while we play. It will be fun."
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In this scenario, Mike is using both her interests here. In the States, they serve alcohol so drinking and bowling together is a great option.
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Dating - Saying Goodbye on Date
Finally, when the date is over, you can say a couple of things depending on how the date went.
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If it went bad, You can lie and say,
"I had a good time. I'll call you sometime." Or you can not lie and say,
"The dinner and movie was great. Have a good night."
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Mike is not lying. He is saying the dinner and movie was good but didn't say anything about the date. If you had a good time, say,
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"I had a great time tonight. Can I call you again?"
"We should do this again."
"I really enjoyed spending time with you."
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Common courtesy sentences,
"Make sure to drive safely. If you have any problems, feel free to give me a call."
"I hope you had a good time. Drive home safely and have a good night."
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Dating - Interactive Practice
A: "Hi there. Do you know anyone here?"
B: "I'm a friend of Stacy."
A: "Stacy Miller? I know her."
B: "Really? How do you know her?"
A: "We went to middle school together."
B: "That's cool. What a small world."
A: "So how do you know Stacy?"
B: "We went to the same sorority."
A: "What did you major in?"
B: "I majored in Sociology."
A: "Really? Me too. That's kinda cool."
B: "Where did you go to school?"
A: "I went to Berkley."
B: "So what are you doing here in New York?"
A: "I work at a consulting firm."
B: "Isn't that hard work?"
A: "It was in the beginning, but I got used to it. It's a lot of hours though."
B: "I bet. I don't like working more than 40 hours. I need time to play."
A: "I hear that. I wish I had more time to play. But I do like my job."
B: "I think it is important to like your job."
A: "I like talking with you."
B: "Really? I feel the same way."
A: "Do, you wanna go out sometime, like dinner or something?"
B: "I'd like that. Here, let me give you my number."
A: "You see that chick over there?"
B: "The one in the red shirt?"
A: "Yeah. Isn't she hot?"
B: "She's alright."
A: "Just alright?!? She's hot!"
B: "Why don't you go talk to her?"
A: "You think she's out of my league?"
B: "Hell no! You're just a chicken that's all."
A: "C'mon. I get nervous when I talk to girls."
B: "Why don't you go stand next to her for awhile and if an opportunity comes up, strike a conversation."
A: "What do I talk about?"
B: "It doesn't matter. You gotta find what she's interested in and go with that."
A: "I don't know..."
B: "Do you want me to go talk to her?"
A: "No. Stay away from her."
B: "If you don't do anything, I'll bet somebody else will."
A: "Ok already. I'll try."
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Engagement
When a friend has been together with a boyfriend or girlfriend a long time, they usually ask when they are going to get married, or when they are going to get engaged.
"When are you going to get married?"
"When are you going to tie the knot?"
"When are you going to settle down?"
"When are you going to propose to her?"
"When are you going to ask her to marry you?"
"When do you think he is going to propose?"
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After the big question is asked, then the two people are engaged.
"We got engaged last week."
"I got engaged about a month ago."
"We're going to have a short engagement."
"Our engagement is for about 6 months."
"We had an engagement party at a restaurant with both families."
"We really didn't have a formal engagement dinner."
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You can get creative in the ways to ask your significant other to marry you, but the most general way is to simply say,
"Will you marry me?"
These four words cannot be replaced really. Mostly, it is how you ask it and in what situation.
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When two people are engaged, then they are not boyfriend and girlfriend, instead, they refer to each other as fiancé.
"This is my fiancée."
"She is my fiancée."
"He is my fiancé."
"Where is your fiancé?"
"I want to meet your fiancé."
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Engagement - Proposing
Other common type of questions regarding pre-marriage is how a person proposes. Here are some examples:
"How are you going to propose to her?"
"How do you think he will propose to you?"
I'll list a few answers I heard from other people.
"I'm going to take her to dinner and I'm going to put the ring on top of the dessert. So when the cake comes out, she will see the ring."
"I'm going to take her to our favorite restaurant and ask her there."
"I'm going all out. First, I'm going to send her to a massage. Then, I'm going to have her relax at a coffee shop where I'll send her some flowers. After that, I'm going to have her picked up in a limo to a restaurant where I'll be waiting in the entrance on my knees."
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"When my husband asked me to marry, he put a ring inside a fortune cookie with a message asking, will you marry me in the cookie."
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Some other types of questions that you might hear:
"Are you nervous about proposing to her?"
"Are you sure she is going to say yes?"
"Are you sure about this?"
"How long have you been engaged?"
"What are you thinking?"
"You're too young to get married."
"What did you do for your engagement party?"
"Did you guys have an engagement party?"
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A friend might ask you questions regarding your relationship when the marriage topic comes up.
"How long have you been with her?"
"What made you decide to get married?"
"Are you sure she is the right one?"
"When did you know he was the right one?"
"Did you see a sign or how did you know?"
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Engagement - Interactive Practice
A: "Hey Jack. What's going on?"
B: "Hey Matt. I'm going to ask Martha to marry me?"
A: "Really? When did you decide this?"
B: "I always knew she was the one, but I decided to pop the big question about 2 weeks ago. I'm just debating on how to do it."
A: "That's exciting man."
B: "So how did you propose?"
A: "You shouldn't use my example. It wasn't special. I kind of wish I made it more special but it's too late now."
B: "What do you think I should do?"
A: "There are a lot of options. You can surprise her over dinner, or ask her in a public area, or if you have the balls, ask her father in front of her."
B: "I never thought about that."
A: "Thought about what?"
B: "Asking her father in front of her. How do you think she will react?"
A: "I don't know. You should know how she's going to react. She is your girlfriend."
B: "I think that's the idea I was looking for. Thanks man."
A: "Don't mention it. Good luck. You're going to need it."
A: "Hey Sarah. How are you doing?"
B: "I'm doing great. How about you Jessica?"
A: "Nothing new. You look happy though. Something special happen recently?"
B: "Yeah. I got engaged last week."
A: "Really? No way. I'm so happy for you. Congratulations."
B: "Thanks."
A: "So tell me all about it? How did he propose to you?"
B: "He took me to a very nice restaurant and when I opened the menu, there was a big message in the menu saying will you marry me. And then, he got on his knees and showed me a beautiful ring."
A: "That's so nice. Were there a lot of people watching?"
B: "Yeah. The whole restaurant was full. But I didn't care. Everyone applauded when we were hugging after I said yes."
A: "When is the big date?"
B: "We set the date for June 15th."
A: "That's in eight months. You are going to be so busy preparing for the wedding."
B: "I know. But I wanted to ask you if you would be one of my bride's maid."
A: "Really? I'd love to."
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Marriage - Getting a Church
"Hello. I'm going to get married and I was wondering if you rent out your church for this purpose."
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If they say no, you can say thank you and good bye. If they say yes, then you can follow up with more questions.
"I was looking to get married on June 15th. Will your church be available on that date?"
"What Saturday do you have available in the month of June?"
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If timing is an issue, then you will need to tell them the time.
"We would like to get married at 1:00pm. Is that ok?"
"We would like to get married at 4:00pm. Does that time work for you?"
"We are pretty flexible with the time so I will take whatever time is available on that date."
After a date and time is confirmed, they might ask you to meet and get all the details from you.
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Wedding Process - Flowers
Friends might ask,
"What kind of flowers are you going to have?"
"What color flowers are you going to have?"
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You can respond by,
"I'm thinking about white and yellow roses."
"I'm not sure yet, but I'm leaning towards lavender and white roses."
You will need to call up a flower shop and ask for flowers to be arranged.
"I'm going to get married next June and I would like an estimate for flowers."
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Usually it all depends on your price range so they might ask you how much and how big the wedding will be.
"How many people are you expecting and what is your budget for flowers?"
"I am expecting about 150 people and I wanted to stay under one thousand dollars for flowers."
"What types of flowers did you have in mind?"
"I want purple and white roses."
"I believe I can provide what you are looking for. I can prepare the flowers for the walkway, for the altar, the flower you hold, flowers for the brides maid, and overall decoration. Because of your flower selection, it will cost twelve hundred dollars."
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Wedding Process - Photographer, Dress and Tux
Another thing you will have to prepare is the photographer.
"How much do you charge for wedding pictures?"
"What is included in your wedding package?"
"How many years of experience do you have?"
"How many weddings have you worked on?"
"Do you have samples of wedding pictures you took that I can look at?"
"Do you use both color and black and white film?"
"Do you provide video service in your wedding package?"
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You also need to prepare for the dress for yourself and the dresses for your maid of honor and brides maid. Usually this is done talking with friends and family.
"What color do you think we should get for the brides maid dresses?"
"What color dress do you think will go well with purple and white roses?"
"Should we have the same dress for the candle lighter or a different dress?"
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Wedding Process - Gifts and Reception
This is a way to get what you need and makes it easier for the people buying you gifts. In the store, you simply tell the person:
"I'm going to get married in June and I would like my registry here."
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If you are a person buying a present, then you can ask,
"My friend is getting married and they registered here. Where can I get a list of presents they selected?"
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After the church is selected, the flowers have been ordered, and the photographer is reserved, then you have to practice. The wedding party usually meets at the church a day or two before the wedding and rehearses the coming day's event. After the rehearsal, a rehearsal dinner should be provided.
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"Planning for a wedding is so time consuming. I don't know if I can finish everything on time."
"I'm getting so stressed out. It feels like there are a hundred different things to do."
"I think I'm almost done with my wedding plans. Although I'm relieved, I now feel anxious about the wedding."
"Did you help your fiancé plan for the wedding?"
"You made her do all the work?"
"My boyfriend was so helpful. He literally did most of the planning."
"Are you going to have the reception at the church or did you reserve another place?"
"How much did your wedding cost?"
"How much was the reception?"
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Honeymoon
Discussing with your partner where to go for the honeymoon
"Where should we go for our honeymoon?"
"Where do you want to go for our honeymoon?"
"Did you have a place in mind for our honeymoon?"
"How many days should we go for our honeymoon?"
"Do you think a week is good enough for our honeymoon?"
"How much should we plan on using for our honeymoon?"
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Answering
"I want to go somewhere to relax."
"I was thinking about Hawaii or the Bahamas. What do you think?"
"I wouldn't mind going to Europe."
"What do you think about New York? I have never been there and there is a lot to do."
"I think Australia would be great."
"I'm pretty much open to anything. Where did you have in mind?"
"I can only take 5 more days off from work."
"I can only go for a week."
"The longer the better. I wouldn't mind going for 10 days."
"How about 2 weeks."
"Let's go for 6 nights and 7 days."
"How about 3 nights and 4 days."
"I think we will need about two thousand dollars for our honeymoon."
"Depending on what we are going to do, but we will need a minimum of three thousand dollars."
"I think we need about five thousand dollars for our honeymoon."
"We only have two thousand dollars so we have to go somewhere inexpensive."
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Honeymoon - Planning
Planning on what to do
"Let's plan on what we are going to do when we get there."
"What should we do everyday?"
"We should make a daily plan so we have things to do everyday."
"Why don't you make a list of things you want to do and I'll do the same. We'll try to do all of them while we are there."
"I'm pretty much open to anything, but I want to at least go jet skiing, scuba diving, and golfing."
"I don't care if we do anything. I just want to relax and have good dinners with you."
"Let's just lock ourselves in the room for 5 days."
"I want to go to some of the local restaurants."
"I want to try horseback riding while we are there. I wouldn't mind taking a couple of surfing lessons also."
"I want to take a lot of pictures while we are there. So don't forget to bring the camera."
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Honeymoon - Conversation before Honeymoon
These sentences are used when talking to a friend before the honeymoon
"So where are you going for your honeymoon?"
"How long is your honeymoon going to be?"
"What are you guys going to do there?"
"When are you leaving for your honeymoon?"
"How are you guys going to the airport?"
"Do you have everything planned out already?"
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Answers
"We decided to go to Hawaii."
"We're going to the Greek Islands."
"We are going to be there for a week."
"We're going for 10 days."
"Mostly to relax. The wedding took a lot out of me so I just want to vege out."
'Vege out' means to be a vegetable. That means not using the head at all. When you say this, you are saying you don't want to do anything except relax. Another common way to use this is to say, "I'm vege-ing out in front of the TV." That means you are watching TV not thinking about anything.
"We're going the day after the wedding."
"We're leaving right after the wedding."
"We're going to the airport after the reception."
"We're not going on our honeymoon until August. My husband needs to finish a project before taking an extended time off."
"We're going to go in September because I need to finish summer school first."
"My parents are going to take us to the airport."
"John agreed to drive us to the airport."
"I think we have everything planned out. I'm not missing anything am I?"
"We didn't do much planning. I just got the plane tickets and booked a room at the hotel. Besides that, we are just going to wing it."
'Wing it' means to play it by ear. Or in other words, do things without planning or do things as they come along.
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Honeymoon - Conversation after Honeymoon
Talking to a friend after the honeymoon
"Did you have a good time on your honeymoon?"
"How was your honeymoon? Tell me all about it."
"How was Hawaii? Do you think I should go there for my honeymoon?"
"Did you have enough time to do everything you wanted?"
"What was the best thing about your honeymoon?"
"What terrible timing. I got my period right when we arrived. I had a stomach ache for the first two days."
"Oh man. My wife was sick for the first couple of days. We just stayed in the room watching TV."
"My honeymoon was great. I had such a good time. The weather was perfect and there was so much to do."
"It was perfect. I went swimming, fishing, played some beach volleyball, and we went hiking."
"Hawaii was an awesome place for a honeymoon. We went to 3 different islands and they were all great."
"I would recommend Hawaii as a honeymoon spot to anyone."
"We only went for 4 days so we couldn't do everything we wanted. We agreed to go back after a couple of years. Kind of like a second honeymoon."
"The best night I had was walking down the beach without anyone around. The sun was just setting and it was a beautiful romantic moment."
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Honeymoon - Interactive Practice
A: "Hey honey, where do you think we should go for our honeymoon?"
B: "I always wanted to go to Mexico. Cancun is supposed to be a great place."
A: "That sounds pretty good. But how about the Caribbean?"
B: "That doesn't sound too bad either. Do you know how much it would cost for airfare and hotel?"
A: "If we go for 5 nights, then the total for airfare and hotel would be about one thousand seven hundred dollars. How much would it be to go to Cancun?"
B: "I found a deal for only twelve hundred dollars."
A: "That's a lot cheaper. Let's go to Cancun then."
B: "Really? That sounds great. I picked up a lot of brochures. Let's take a look at all the things we can do."
A: "That reminds me. I better make sure my passport is not expired."
B: "You better make sure. If it's expired, you have to hurry and renew it."
A: "We still have a couple of months. No rush."
B: "What do you want to do in Cancun?"
A: "I want to golf at least one day. And I also want to try surfing. Do they have instructors on the beach?"
B: "Yeah. This brochure shows lesson and equipment rentals and everything. That shouldn't be a problem. I want to try snorkeling."
A: "Do we need to buy snorkeling gear?"
B: "No. We can just rent it there."
A: "Sounds like we're going to have fun."
B: "I know. I can't wait. It's going to be so fun."
A: "Where are you guys going for your honeymoon?"
B: "We decided on Cancun, Mexico."
A: "I've been there before. It's a great place."
B: "What did you do there?"
A: "There is so much to do. It's a big tourist place so there is access to everything."
B: "That's good. I'm looking forward to our honeymoon. Especially after all the wedding plans I had to do."
A: "How long are you going for?"
B: "We decided on 6 days. We are leaving on Sunday and returning on Saturday."
A: "That should give you plenty of time. Do you have all your travel plans in order?"
B: "We just booked our flight and got our room. Everything is set."
A: "You're going to have so much fun. I'm so jealous."
B: "When you get married, you'll have your chance."
A: "I need to find a guy first."
B: "Where do you want to go for your honeymoon?"
A: "Since I've been to Mexico and Hawaii before, I want to go to Australia."
B: "That sounds great. It's a little out of our budget so we didn't even consider Australia."
A: "For the price, Cancun is one of the best so don't have any regrets. It is a great place. So do you have a ride to the airport?"
B: "My brother is going to drop us off."
A: "Looks like everything is set. Just make sure to take a camera. I know many people who forgot to take a camera on their honeymoon."
B: "Will do. Thanks."
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Married Life
Girl talking to friends
"How is married life?"
"How is your husband doing?"
"What do you guys do for fun?"
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Some responses I've heard
"I love my married life. My husband and I get a long so well."
"He is so helpful. He does the dishes for me and helps me around the house a lot."
"It was fun in the beginning, but now we are in a regular routine."
"Everything is great, but he's a little lazy. One time he was watching TV and he called me when I was in the kitchen and asked me to get the remote control for him that was 6 feet away."
"All he does is watch TV. I don't understand how a person can watch so much television."
"Since we're both working, we don't have much time for each other. But we get to spend the weekend together and that is always good."
"Since I'm working also, we go out to eat a lot because I don't have time to cook."
"My husband is working at a consulting firm. He is always at work. I get bored a lot so I'm trying to find some hobbies."
"My husband works at Microsoft. He gets home late and when he comes home, he's too tired to do anything. I'm thinking about starting a career because I have so much extra time."
"My husband is in school right now. He's finishing his PHD."
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Married Life - Talking to Friends
Guys talking to friends
"So who's the man of the house?"
"How are you enjoying married life?"
"Why don't you ever come out any more?"
"What advice would you give to someone who is getting married?"
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Answers
"There are a lot of great things I am enjoying about my married life. She does the cooking, the laundry, and the cleaning. What else can I ask for?"
"I wish she would cook more often. I'm sick of eating out so much."
"She's always busy with work. It's not a bad thing. But sometimes I get bored."
"I get a lot of free time because my wife is working."
"Since we don't have kids, and my wife is staying at home, she always complains about being bored."
"The only problem is that I can't go out that often anymore."
"I miss hanging out with the guys."
"She doesn't let me in the kitchen. She does all the cooking and the dishes. She's so good to me."
"It took some time to adjust in the beginning, but after getting used to it, I'm really enjoying my marriage."
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Where ever there is a marriage, the topic of kids always comes up.
"When are you going to have kids?"
"Are you guys planning on having a kid anytime soon?"
"Aren't your parents giving you any pressure to have kids?"
"Do you want a boy or a girl?"
"What month do you want to have a baby?"
"We don't plan on having kids for a couple of years."
"We'll probably have a kid next spring."
"I want to get financially stable before having a kid."
"My parents are always asking when we are going to have a kid."
"My parents really want for us to get pregnant."
"I don't know if I want a baby yet."
"We got a honeymoon baby."
"My wife is already pregnant."
"We're going to have our first child in September."
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Married Life - Talking about a Friend
Talking about a friends marriage ، Here are some example sentences:
"Ever since he got married, he has been imprisoned in his house. He never comes out anymore."
"Calling the ball and chain already? You've only been out for a couple of hours."
"You got to get that ball and chain off your leg man."
"It's obvious who the man of their house is."
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Married Life - Cheating
Affair and cheating -Accusing
"Where were you last night?"
"Why does your shirt smell like perfume?"
"Who is the person that keeps calling you at night?"
"You've been acting strange lately? Are you having an affair?"
"Are you seeing someone?"
"Are you cheating on me?"
"Who was the girl I saw you with at Starbucks?"
"How long have you been seeing her?"
"How long have you been sleeping with her?"
"I can't believe you would do this to me!"
"I don't understand why you would throw away our marriage like that."
"Why did you do it?"
"What did I do to deserve this?"
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Talking about a married couple with cheating problems
"I think they are going to get divorced. Josh caught his wife cheating with another guy from work."
"He should have been more careful."
"I think she is having an affair with her boss. Her husband has no idea what is going on."
"It's so obvious that she's sleeping with the boss. They go out together so often."
"If she wasn't sleeping with him, I think she would get fired. She is incompetent at what she does."
"You know that girl from the strip club? Zack is sleeping with her and his wife doesn't even have a clue."
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Married Life - Interactive Practice
A: "Hey Jane. How are you doing these days?"
B: "Hi Martha. Everything is perfect."
A: "Are you enjoying married life?"
B: "It couldn't be better. My husband is so supportive with my work and he helps around the house so much."
A: "You're so lucky. I hope to get married to a guy like that."
B: "I'm so happy. Even though we are both working, we get to spend a lot of time with each other in the evening and on the weekends."
A: "Do you guys do anything special?"
B: "In the evening, we just sit and talk over dinner. But on the weekend, we try to go out to the beach or hit a nice restaurant, or go to a nice cafe."
A: "Sound like everything is great."
A: "Hey Stacy. What's going on?"
B: "I'm pretty tired these days."
A: "Why? You're not working so don't you have a lot of time on your hands?"
B: "I have so much house work to do. I have to take care of the kids, cook, clean, laundry, and the cycle never ends."
A: "How about your husband. Does he help much?"
B: "Not at all. He comes home and complains about his hard day at work. He expects me to do everything. He even wants me to feed him sometimes. Can you believe that?"
A: "That sucks."
B: "If he wasn't so lazy, I think I wouldn't have any complaints. He mows the lawn, but can you believe he tried to convince me to do it?"
A: "That's crossing the line."
B: "Oh well. I'll have to live with it. What else can I do?"
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Health Review - Interactive Practice
A: "Hey Samantha. You've been so busy lately. What have you been up to?"
B: "Hey Jackie. I started dating this cute guy and decided to start exercising."
A: "You're not out of shape. You look fine."
B: "Well, this guy I am seeing is a personal trainer and he has a perfect body. Compared to him, I need some work."
A: "How long have you seen him?"
B: "We've been together for about a month and a half."
A: "Did you sleep with him yet?"
B: "Not yet. But before I get into bed with him, I want to look fit."
A: "That's not the greatest reason to exercise, but I guess it is a valid one."
B: "How about you? Anything new in your life?"
A: "My father is a little ill. He has been to the doctor's quite a bit lately but they don't know what is wrong with him. He complains about stomach pains a lot these days."
B: "I'm sorry to hear that. Any idea what could have caused it?"
A: "He says it is because he didn't take care of himself when he was young. That's why I want to start thinking about my health."
B: "I think it is important to take care of yourself while you are young too. Even though my reasons are not the best, at least I am working on it."
A: "How are your parents doing?"
B: "They're doing great. I'm thankful that they are healthy."
A: "That's good to hear. Well, I gotta get running now. I'll catch you later."
B: "Ok. Send my regards to your father."
A: "I will. Thanks."
A: "Wow Billy. Looks like you lost a lot of weight. I could hardly recognize you."
B: "Thanks. I've been on a diet for about 6 months. I'm going to ask Rachel to marry me soon and I want to be mentally and physically healthy."
A: "What does being overweight have anything to do with marriage? If you love each other, that's enough right?"
B: "Yeah, but I want to show her how much she means to me, and this is one way of proving it. I'm changing for the better."
A: "Good for you. Hey, when do you plan on proposing to her?"
B: "I think I am going to propose to her on our 2 year anniversary."
A: "Is she expecting it, or will it be a surprise?"
B: "I think she expects me to ask her one of these days, but not anytime soon."
A: "You sure you want to settle down already? You're only 25 years old?"
B: "Yeah, I didn't think I would get married until I was 30, but when you know she is the one, why wait."
A: "That's true. Hey, I hope everything works out. You're going to invite me to your wedding right?"
B: "Of course man."
A: "Gosh, I'm still shocked how much weight you lost. You're getting real skinny now."
B: "I am working on a six pack now. I have two lines starting to show up. I've been spending a lot of time at the gym. It is hard work, but I feel so good after working out."
A: "Where do you work out?"
B: "I have a membership at Bally's. It's not too expensive and I like all the equipment they have."
A: "I've been thinking about joining a gym. Are they having any specials right now?"
B: "Yeah, they do. They have free enrollment and first month free. You should come by. I'll show you around. I can take in a guest so you can try it out before signing up."
A: "That sounds good. Let's go this Saturday."
B: "Cool. I'll call you in the morning."
A: "Hey John. Who was that girl I saw you with last Friday night?"
B: "Oh. That was Jessica. She's a girl I met the other week."
A: "I thought you were seeing Patty?"
B: "No. We broke up a couple weeks ago."
A: "Are you getting pretty serious with this new girl?"
B: "She's not long term. Just someone to chill with."
A: "Ah... so you are boning her."
B: "Damn right. But we don't have much in common. Oh well. At least we are compatible in bed."
A: "She had a nice figure. You sure it's not going to work out?"
B: "It works out well in bed, but if you try to have a conversation with her, it just dies out fast."
A: "At least she is good for one thing. Ha ha ha."
B: "How about you. You've been seeing Heidi for a long time now. When are you going to tie the knot?"
A: "I don't know. She's been bugging me about marriage, but I don't see the need to rush it."
B: "You guys have been seeing each other for like 3 years haven't you?"
A: "Actually, it's been more than 4 years already."
B: "Wow. That's a long time. Any problems with having a girlfriend for that long?"
A: "Not really. It gets a little boring at times, but we grew to be great friends. I can totally be myself around her."
B: "I think that is the best type of relationships. Good for you."
A: "But sometimes I wonder if I am missing out. You know... like banging all these chicks, like you."
B: "Trust me. I would trade in all of it for a stable relationship. It's a lot more headaches. The breakups, the girl crying all the time, the broken promises, and on and on. I am so sick of it."
A: "Well, if you put it that way."
B: "I would love to be in your situation. You have a beautiful girl that you are in love with, and you are perfect for each other. What else do you want?"
A: "Maybe a little more excitement."
B: "So would you give up your girlfriend for what I have? A little excitement here and there? You can't have both you know. Unless you're a cheating dog."
A: "I don't think I can go behind her back. We have a trusting relationship I don't want to risk."
B: "Now you're making some sense."
A: "It's always good talking to you man. You make me feel better."
B: "Likewise. That's what friends are for right?"
A: "So you coming out to play basketball this Saturday?"
B: "Yeah. I'll be there."
A: "Aright. I'll catch you then."
B: "Aright man. Later."
A: "Hey Stephanie. Guess what?"
B: "What?"
A: "Robert asked me to marry him. We're getting married."
B: "Congratulations. I'm so happy for you. So when is the big day?"
A: "We haven't set the date exactly, but it looks like it will be sometime in July."
B: "How did he propose to you?"
A: "On valentines day, he got me a present. I thought it was an ordinary valentines day present, but when I opened it, it was this big diamond ring. Right then, he got on his knees and proposed."
B: "That's so neat. So you really got surprised?"
A: "We talked about marriage a little, but I never knew he was serious."
B: "You are going to be busy with wedding plans. But you have several months to prepare for it."
A: "It's going to be pretty hectic for me. So I'm going to need some help. First of all, I was wondering if you would like to be my Maid of Honor."
B: "I would be honored."
A: "So you're going to help me with the planning right?"
B: "Of course. How many brides maids are you going to have?"
A: "Three. So we will have a total of four."
B: "Let me guess. Susan, Tina, and Cindy."
A: "Close. I'm going to have Cindy as the candle lighter. The third brides maid is going to be Lydia. She is a good friend from church."
B: "I know her. She's sweet. I'll make sure we have the best wedding for you."
A: "I hope so. I appreciate your help."




اساسيات التحدث

Talking About Girls - Types You Like or Dislike
Describing what types of girls you like
"I like a girl with a lot of curves."
"I like all girls with a great body."
"I like skinny girls."
"I like a girl with smooth skin."
"Since I'm pretty tall, I want a tall skinny girl."
"I like a girl who likes to have fun."
"I like girls who are smart. I can't stand airheads."
"I like all pretty girls."
"I like obedient girls."
"The most important trait for me is wisdom. I want a girl who is wise."
"It's important that the girl is smart and intelligent."
"A good and fun personality is the most important trait I look for in a girl."
"I want a girl who is going to take care of me."
"I want a working girl so I can stay at home all day."
"I want to meet a rich girl so I don't have to worry about money."
"I like athletic girls because I like to play sports."
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Describing types you don't like
"I can't stand girls with attitude."
"I hate stuck up girls."
"The worst kind of girls are high maintenance girls."
"Stay away from nagging girls. You'll want to kill yourself after a month with them."
"It bothers me when a girl is not independent."
"I don't like weak girls who can't take care of themselves."
"You might think rich girls are a blessing, but they constantly nag at you to make more money."
"Rich girls are usually spoiled and soon you will be broke trying to keep up with her."
"I don't like fat girls. They don't turn me on."
"I don't like skinny girls who are like toothpicks. It's just gross."
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Talking About Girls - In Love and Body Parts you like
Describing a girl you fell in love with
"She is perfect. Her voice is sweet and her skin is so soft."
"She has a killer body. I don't know if I love her, but I sure lust after her."
"I think I'm in love. She is absolutely beautiful and her personality is perfect."
"We talked on the phone for 6 hours. We connected so well."
"We have so much in common. I love talking to her."
"She's the sweetest thing. I think I'm in love."
"She's so fine. She doesn't have an ounce of fat on her."
"I met her on the golf course and after watching her hit, I fell in love."
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I found that talking about famous girls is a fun topic among friends.
"Who would you take between Jessica Simpson and Liv Tyler?"
"Who do you think is the sexiest women?"
"Who is in your top 5 list of sexy women?"
"Do you think Janet Jackson is hot?"
"If you were stuck on a deserted island, which famous person would you want to be with?"
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Other descriptive sentences
Skinny girls
"She's a toothpick."
"Her legs are like chopsticks."
"She is all skin and bones."
"She is way too skinny."
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Fat girls
"She's a little chubby."
"She's fat dude."
"That girl is big."
"She's a little overweight."
"She needs to go on a diet."
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Talking About Girls - Interactive Practice
A: "Yo Matt. How goes it man?"
B: "Pretty good. What have you been up to?"
A: "You know that chick in psychology class?"
B: "Yeah. You only talk about her every other day."
A: "I can't get her out of my mind. She is damn fine."
B: "Why don't you go talk to her then?"
A: "I think she is out of my league."
B: "Chicken. Somebody is only out of your league if you think so. What do you see in her anyway? She is a little chubby dude."
A: "She is not. She has a nice figure. And she has such a pretty face."
B: "Whatever. If you think so."
A: "You like skinny girls or something?"
B: "I like normal girls without any flab hanging out."
A: "Now you're exaggerating you freak."
B: "Seriously, I like a girl who is fit and likes to exercise."
A: "How about personality?"
B: "It doesn't matter until you are thinking about marriage and I'm not thinking about that yet."
A: "Well, I'm looking so I don't care that much about figure. As long as she is nice and sweet."
A: "Who 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: "She has some serious curves that turn me on. And I like the way she moves. I think she's sexy."
B: "Ok. How about between the three girls on Friends? Who do you think is the cutest?"
A: "I like Phoebe the most. She is so funny it cracks me up."
B: "Ok. I agree with you there. Let's change the scenario a little. If you were stuck on an island, who would you choose to be with?"
A: "I'd take Britney Spears. I have this thing about her."
B: "No way man. How about Catherine Zeta Jones? She is absolutely beautiful."
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Sports in General
First, let's practice general sports sentences:
"What do you like to do in your free time?"
"What are your hobbies?"
"What sports do you like to play?"
"I like to play sports. It's good for my health and I think it's very fun."
"I like competitive sports because winning feels good."
"I like to play tennis and I like to swim."
"Jeff is pretty athletic so he picks up on sports real quick."
"If you need a girl to play, you should get Jessica. She's very athletic."
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In English, you can mostly use the word play for a sport, but there are some sports where play doesn't work. Here are some examples:
"I like to play basketball."
"Let's go play basketball."
"Do you like to play basketball?"
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This would also work for football, baseball, tennis, volleyball, soccer, and softball.
However, sports such as swimming, bowling, and golf do not use the word play. Here is how you would say it.
"I like to swim."
"I like swimming."
"Let's go swimming."
"Do you like swimming?"
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Sports in General - Volleyball
Volleyball/Soccer/Swimming/Softball/Tennis
Volleyball
"I play volleyball on our high school team."
"I play volleyball for our university."
"I play recreational volleyball."
"I play in a volleyball league run by the city."
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"What position do you play?"
"I'm a setter for our team."
"I'm the outside hitter."
"I'm a back row specialist."
"I'm good at digging balls, so I play in the back."
"I'm the tallest in our team so I'm the middle blocker."
"Our team plays a two six rotation."
Two six rotation is a terminology used in volleyball where there are two setters. They take turns and the person who is in the back is the setter, so they should be opposite of each other in the lineup.
"I like to play beach volleyball. There is so much more action because it is only two of us."
"Beach volleyball is the best. It is so fun."
"He hit the net."
"He totally went fishing." This is a slang term to say that a person hit the net.
"The ball was out."
"I can't believe the line judge didn't see that. He must be blind."
"That was a double hit. The ball is spinning like mad."
"He used his palm to lift the ball and he wasn't called for it."
"I like to watch volleyball on TV."
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Sports in General - Soccer
Soccer
"Soccer is my favorite sport."
"I love soccer."
"I play soccer whenever I can."
"I used to play a lot of soccer when I was in school."
"I'm usually the forward on our team."
"I play midfielder on our team."
"I'm the fullback."
"My favorite position is the midfielder."
"I like to be the goalie."
"I've been a goalie ever since I was in Junior high."
"I am always the goal keeper."
"He was off sides, but the officials didn't see it. That's how he got the goal."
"He's a very rowdy player. He gets a yellow card each game. I can't believe he hasn't been given a red card yet."
"He clipped him from behind. Why didn't he get a red card? The other guy could have broken his ankle with that tackle."
"I like to play soccer because of all the running. It keeps me in shape and I have fun while playing."
"I don't know why soccer is not so popular in America. Soccer is a very popular sport in most other countries."
"Watching the world cup is so fun."
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Sports in General - Swimming
Swimming
"I'm on the swimming team."
"I got a scholarship for swimming."
"I made the varsity swimming team."
"I love swimming."
"What style of swimming do you specialize in?"
"I like breaststroke the most."
"I like freestyle swimming, but I'm better at the butterfly."
"I'm pretty quick at backstroke."
"I like the competitive aspect of swimming. Sometimes it's hard to tell who is ahead of you or behind you, but right when you touch that wall and see that nobody else is there is a great feeling."
"I've been swimming ever since I was 6 years old."
"I swim 4 times a week."
"I try to swim everyday."
"I believe swimming is very healthy, especially for the joints."
"I'm not a good swimmer. The only style I know is the dog paddle."
"I can't hold my breath long enough to be an effective swimmer."
"I can hold my breath for a minute and a half."
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Sports in General - Softball
Softball
"I play on a men's softball league. It's underhand pitch and mostly just to have fun."
"Softball is similar to baseball, except you have 4 outfielders instead of 3."
"Softball is fun if you are not good at hitting fast pitches."
"I'm the shortstop on our team."
"I play the outfield."
"I'm the pitcher."
"I saw a friend hit two grand slams in one game."
"His pitches have way too big of an arch."
"He needs to get his pitches above 6 feet from the ground."
"The ball hit the plate and the umpire called it a strike."
"I play on a co-ed softball team. We have 5 girls and 5 guys."
"When we play co-ed softball, the girls hit with smaller balls than the guys."
"It takes a while to get used to throwing two sizes of balls in co-ed softball."
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Sports in General - Tennis
Tennis
"Tennis is my favorite sport."
"I play tennis just for fun."
"I started playing tennis when I was in high school."
"I made the varsity team in high school when I have been only playing for 3 months."
"I used to have a girlfriend who left me to be with a tennis coach."
"I can't hit a back hand."
"I have a two handed back hand."
"One handed back hands are more effective for attacks."
"You can generate more power by using one hand for your backhand."
"How do you topspin a ball?"
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"Every time I try to lob a ball, it always goes out."
"My serves need a lot of help."
"My second serve is too easy to hit."
"I can't believe how fast professional tennis players serve."
"A guy once died from getting hit with a tennis ball in the crotch at a professional tournament. He was an old guy and got a stroke from the shock or pain."
"My favorite tennis player is Agassi."
"Martina Hingis is the cutest tennis player."
"I hate playing against a serve and volley type of player."
"I'm a baseline player."
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Baseball
Playing baseball
"I like to play baseball. It is my favorite sport."
"I used to play baseball when I was younger."
"Baseball is a great sport."
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"What position do you play?"
"I play second base."
"I play shortstop."
"I play center field."
"I'm the catcher."
"I'm a pitcher."
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"What kinds of pitches can you throw?"
"I have a fastball and a curveball."
"I have a pretty good slider."
"My best pitch is a forkball."
"I always wanted to learn how to throw a curveball."
"My curveball doesn't curve at all."
"I love turning double plays."
"I'm a good hitter."
"My batting average is above 300."
"I can hit a homerun every now and then."
"I'm a fast runner so I can steal a lot of bases."
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Baseball - Topics
Topics in baseball
"I can't believe how much players make."
"I don't like Alex Rodriguez because he followed money instead of going to a good team."
"The biggest contract ever was signed by Alex Rodriguez. It was a 10 year deal for two hundred and fifty million dollars."
"Most good players usually make above five million dollars a year."
"Baseball doesn't have a salary cap. That's why the Yankees are so powerful. They have the money to buy all the good players."
"I think baseball would be more fair if there was a salary cap."
"The difference between National league and American league is that the pitcher doesn't bat in American League. They have a designated hitter that bats for the pitcher."
"It's good that Byung Hyun Kim went to the American league. He wasn't a good batter."
"Byung Hyun Kim was at a Seattle night club the other weekend."
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Baseball - Baseball Cards
Collecting baseball cards
"Do you have any Chan Ho Park cards?"
"I'm looking for Byung Hyun Kim's rookie card."
"How much is this card worth?"
"What is the value of this card?"
"Do you have a case I can store this card in?"
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Baseball - Equipment
Buying baseball equipment
"Where is the baseball section?"
"Where can I find baseball bats?"
"Where are the baseball mitts?"
"Do you sell pine tar for bats?"
"Do you have children mitts?"
"Where can I find wooden bats?"
"Do you have soft baseballs?"
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Baseball - Amateur League
"Hi, I wanted to join an adult baseball league. Do you have these events?"
"When are signups?"
"What process do I need to take to join a team?"
"When does the season start?"
"How much does it cost?"
"What days and times do teams usually play?"
"I'm looking for a baseball league for my 10 year old son. Where can I find information on little league?"
"Where can I sign up my 8 year old son to play baseball?"
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Baseball - Interactive Practice
A: "What sport do you like the most?"
B: "I like baseball the best."
A: "Me too. Did you play when you were a kid?"
B: "Yeah. I played until I graduated from high school."
A: "What position did you play?"
B: "I think I tried every position, but the last few years, I played third."
A: "I hate third base. It's scary when the ball is coming at you so fast."
B: "It was scary at first, but after awhile, I got used to it. If you have fast reflexes, then it's not really a problem. What position did you play?"
A: "I played outfield. I hated the infield because I never figured out all the bounces."
B: "I wish I could play again, but there isn't much opportunities around here."
A: "I'm on a softball league. It's not fast pitch, but it's still fun. You wanna join our group?"
B: "When do you guys play?"
A: "We play either Tuesdays or Thursdays."
B: "Sounds pretty fun. I'll come out and join you next time."
A: "Do you like to watch baseball?"
B: "Yeah. I follow the Mariners every year."
A: "I wonder how they will do this year."
B: "I don't know if they have a chance. Did you hear that A-Rod went to the Yankees?"
A: "I know. Their team was too good even before getting Alex."
B: "Yeah. The richest team is usually the best team. They need to put a salary cap to make things fair."
A: "I agree. I don't know why they haven't done so already."
B: "But don't lose hope too soon. The Yankees don't have a good pitching staff this year. They might end up like the Texas Rangers. Great offense, no pitching."
A: "I highly doubt that. Even though they lost Pettite, they still have a decent pitching rotation."
B: "We'll see. I hope the Mariners do well this year."
A: "Me too. Oh, did you buy any tickets this year?"
B: "I got a couple of games with Oakland and Boston, but I couldn't get anything with the Yankees."
A: "Same here. I went in on the second day and all the tickets with the Yankees were already sold out."
B: "There's still plenty of other games though. We should go together one of these days."
A: "Sounds good. Let's plan for late June."
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Basketball
Here are basic ways to say you want to play basketball.
"I want to play basketball. We should round up the guys and play."
"We haven't played basketball in a long time. Let's get something going."
"When are you guys going to play basketball again?"
"Anybody up for a game of basketball?"
"Let's go down the street and play some basketball."
"I've been itching to play basketball for a while."
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Shooting hoops is a terminology a lot of people use when referring to basketball.
"Let's go shoot some hoops."
"Do you wanna go shoot some hoops?"
"I'm going to shoot some hoops with the guys. You wanna come?"
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Common expressions about basketball.
"Basketball is my favorite sport."
"I like to play basketball."
"I get a good workout playing basketball."
"At the gym, I play basketball with a lot of guys."
"I'm out of shape to play basketball."
"Running up and down the court is too tiring for me."
"I need to get in shape to play basketball."
"I'm going to play basketball this weekend."
"I have a 36 inch vertical."
"Where do you guys go to play basketball?"
"Are there any basketball courts around here?"
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Basketball - Talking with Friends
Talking about basketball with friends
"I have a friend who can dunk."
"My friend is six five. I saw him dunk with two hands without running."
"Peter's pretty good. I was playing with him the other day and he worked us all."
"John's a great shooter. Anything within fifteen feet is just about guaranteed."
"My friend Jason is a great 3 point shooter."
"I can't believe how bad Sean is. Does he know he sucks, or is he clueless?"
"Don't bring out Doug again. He's a ball hog and can't shoot worth crap."
"He's not a bad player, but a little slow."
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Basketball - Watching Basketball
"Do you watch the NBA?"
"Do you keep up with basketball on TV?"
"Do you like to watch basketball?"
"Which team do you like the most?"
"When does basketball season start?"
"Who's your favorite player?"
"Who do you think is the greatest basketball player ever?"
"Do you think Karl Malone is any good?"
"I like watching the Lakers play."
"I'm a Pistons fan."
"I try to watch every Rockets game."
"I don't watch much basketball."
"I only watch the playoffs."
"I never got into basketball."
"Playing basketball is fun, but it's boring watching other people play."
"I don't watch the Bulls on TV much, but I keep up with them through the newspaper."
"I only watch the highlights on the sports channel."
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Basketball - Talking about Kids
"My daughter made her junior high basketball team."
"My son is playing for his high school team."
"I have to drive my son to basketball practice every Tuesdays and Thursdays."
"I'm going to watch my daughter's basketball game tomorrow night."
"Your daughter is pretty athletic. She plays both soccer and basketball."
"Johnny started dribbling the ball since he was 3 years old."
"Does your son play any other sport besides basketball?"
"Your kid is quite a basketball player."
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Basketball - Interactive Practice
A: "Do you know when basketball season starts?"
B: "It starts in October. How come?"
A: "I like to keep up with the Lakers."
B: "You keep up with baseball at all?"
A: "Just a little. Not as much as basketball."
B: "Who is your favorite player?"
A: "Probably Kobe Bryant, but he has too many issues right now."
B: "He's a great player, but his recent problem is really affecting his play."
A: "Hope everything turns out ok. Do you play/like basketball much?"
B: "I usually get into it during the playoffs. I'd rather play than watch."
A: "I like to watch as much as I like to play. Do you play often?"
B: "Every now and then with some friends."
A: "I usually play twice a week at the health club. It's easy to round up 10 guys during the evening time."
B: "That sounds pretty fun. But I'm too out of shape to play full court."
A: "I get tired too, but I figure it's good for my health. And I'm having fun at the same time."
B: "So you think the Lakers will do good this year?"
A: "They better. They got a lot of good players now. If Malone can stay healthy, then I don't see how they can be beat."
B: "I don't know... I think Sacramento has a strong team this year."
A: "True, but I'm pulling for the Lakers all the way. It's going to be a great season."
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Football - General Statements
"Do you like football?"
"What do you think about football?"
"Do you keep up with the NFL?"
"Do you keep up with football?"
"Who is your favorite team?"
"Did you play football when you were young?"
"Which player do you like the most?"
"Who is your favorite player?"
"Football is a brutal sport. It seems so dangerous."
"Most of the people in football are so big."
"There are too many injuries in football."
"Football is so fun to watch."
"I just started watching football on TV. I kind of get it, but I'm still learning all the rules."
"In my country we don't have football so I really don't know how to play."
"We don't have football in my country so I never learned the game."
"I only watch the Superbowl."
"I'm from Seattle, and because the Seahawks suck so bad, I don't really keep up with them."
"I love the Miami Dolphins."
"Joe Montana was my favorite player. I don't have a current one right now."
"My favorite player is Priest Holmes. He is such a great running back."
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Football - Topics
Talking about people you see
"I saw a guy in a restaurant. He was huge man. Towering over everyone. I got the nerve to ask him if he played football, and he ended up being a professional football player for the Seahawks."
"I saw a professional football player last week at a night club. All the girls were around him."
"College football is very popular in America. It's almost as popular as the NFL."
"My brother had class with a football player in college named Cortez Kennedy. He's now playing for the Raiders."
"Even though a lot of football players are huge, most of them are really nice."
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Steroids
"I heard that about ninety percent of football players have used steroids before."
"Steroids is a big problem in the NFL."
"I think the problem with the NFL is the steroid abuse."
"I heard people say that you have to use steroids to be competitive. That's primarily because everyone else is using it, so if you don't, then it's your disadvantage."
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Football - Interactive Practice
A: "What are you watching?"
B: "A football game. Packers are playing the Chiefs."
A: "I never understood this game."
B: "It's not that hard. If you watch a couple of games, you'll start to understand it."
A: "Do you watch a lot of football?"
B: "I like the Packers, so I watch all their games."
A: "Did you play football before?"
B: "Only in high school. I was too small to play for college."
A: "What position did you play?"
B: "I was the corner back."
A: "Is that the main guy in offense?"
B: "No. That's the quarterback. The corner back is a defensive player covering passing plays and outside running plays."
A: "I see. Do you think it is more fun than baseball?"
B: "It's hard to compare the two because they're so different. I like both baseball and football. How about you? You like baseball a lot?"
A: "Yeah. I'm a big baseball fan."
B: "Baseball is fun, but you should also learn football. I'll explain as we watch."
A: "Cool."
A: "What sports do you like to play?"
B: "I like baseball and basketball."
A: "How about football?"
B: "In my country football is brand new, so I never learned the game when I was younger."
A: "It's a very popular game in America."
B: "Yeah. I heard a lot about it. Is it really that fun?"
A: "For me, it's one of those games that are fun to both watch and play."
B: "Are you a football player?"
A: "No, just for fun with my friends. We play two hand touch or flag football. We're too old to play tackle football."
B: "What is two hand touch and flag football?"
A: "Instead of tackling somebody, you just have to touch them with two hands, or if it is flag football, grab the flag that the ball carrier is wearing."
B: "I see. It's safer then right?"
A: "Exactly. We play every Saturdays on the field by the tennis courts. If you want to learn and play a little, you're welcome to join us."
B: "I'll give it a try. Give me a call and let's go down together."
A: "Ok. I'll call you Saturday morning."
B: "Great."
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Golf
Talking on the Course
"Do you play this course often?"
"Have you been here before?"
"Great shot."
"Great putt."
"That was a nice shot."
"You're doing great."
"The ball hooked to the left."
"Your ball sliced to the right."
"I think your ball is out of bounds."
"Your ball is behind that big tree."
"Your ball went towards the bushes."
"I thought your ball went in the water."
"You're about 160 yards away."
"There is a dog leg left on the next hole."
"I have a terrible lie."
"I'm going to take a mulligan."
"I'm going to hit again."
"I'm going to play a provisional."
"I can't find my ball so I am going to drop one."
"I'm just going to drop."
"I think the ball is going to break to the left."
"It's an uphill putt."
"I see a left break."
"I don't see a break at all."
"I'm not good at reading greens."
"Do you know how far I am away?"
"Did you see where my ball went?"
"What color is the pin?"
"What is the distance of this hole?"
"Is this a par 5?"
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Golf - Talking to Friends
Talking with friends about golf
"Where do you usually play?"
"How much are the green fees?"
"How much does it cost over there?"
"What do you usually shoot?"
"Do you have a handicap?"
"What is your handicap?"
"What's your average score?"
"How did you play today?"
"How was your round last Saturday?"
"Did you play well on Sunday?"
"What was your score yesterday?"
"What did you shoot last time you were out?"
"How far do you drive the ball?"
"How far does your driver go?"
"What club do you use to hit 150 yards?"
"I usually play at Walter Hall."
"I play all over, but mostly at Jackson Park Golf Course."
"The green fees at Jefferson is twenty eight dollars."
"It costs 35 dollars to play."
"I'm a bogey player."
"I'm not that good. I'm usually in the mid nineties."
"I suck man. I'm still over a hundred."
"I don't have a handicap, but I usually shoot in the low nineties."
"My handicap is 17 right now."
"My handicap is 14."
"I'm a 5 handicap."
"I shot a 95 yesterday."
"I was 20 over on Saturday."
"I did terrible on Sunday. I shot a hundred."
"I was doing so good in the beginning, but on the back nine, I got three double bogeys."
"I need to work on my putting. It sucks right now."
"I need to practice my chip shots more."
"I can't hit with my driver whatsoever."
"I can hit my short irons pretty good, but I have a lot of problems with my 3 and 4 irons."
"I hate my clubs. They are so old."
"You need to buy some new clubs man."
"Pro Golf Discount is having a sale right now."
"I have a big problem slicing the ball."
"I can't get rid of my hook."
"He always slices the ball, so he aims left all the time."
"He plays his slice."
"He does a good job playing his hook."
"Do you want to go golfing this weekend?"
"When do you want to go out?"
"When do you want to play?"
"I'm going to play golf this Tuesday. Can you make it?"
"We have a spot open. Do you want to play?"
"You would get better if you go to the driving range once in a while."
"You need to fix that swing of yours."
"You need to go to the driving range."
"If you want to improve, you should take some lessons. It really helps."
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Golf - Interactive Practice
A: "Hey Steve. When's the next time you're going to play golf?"
B: "I'm going out this Saturday."
A: "Do you already have a foursome?"
B: "Unfortunately, we do. Let's plan for something together for Wednesday. We can go right after work."
A: "That sounds good. Where do you want to play?"
B: "We won't have much time, so let's play somewhere close to work."
A: "How about Bellevue? It's pretty close."
B: "How much does it cost over there?"
A: "Twilight rates are 21 dollars."
B: "That's pretty good. Let's do it."
A: "Aright. I'll get a tee time for Wednesday at about 4:00."
B: "Make it 4:15. I won't get off until 4:00."
A: "Ok. I'll call you later when I get a tee time."
B: "Sounds good. I'll see you on Wednesday then."
A: "Aright. Have fun on Saturday."
B: "Will do."
A: "How did you golf on Saturday?"
B: "I did pretty good. I shot a 13."
A: "Not too bad. I thought you were going to break single."
B: "I had a chance. I shot a 4 on the front nine, but the back nine killed me."
A: "What happened?"
B: "My drive was totally off. All of the sudden, I started hooking the ball. I hit two balls OB, and that killed me score right there."
A: "That sucks. You could have broken single if it wasn't for the penalty strokes."
B: "Yeah. I was so frustrated after that hole. But overall, I shot well, so I'm not too disappointed. How about you? How have you been hitting lately?"
A: "I hit great on the range, but when I get on the course, I can't seem to hit the ball right."
B: "That happened to me for the longest time. It just takes time and practice. When you go out on the course more often, that problem will fix itself."
A: "I'm still trying to break 90. I've been hitting in the mid nineties for ever."
B: "How far does your driver go?"
A: "I don't use it that much. I use my 3 wood more. I'm not consistent with the driver to use it."
B: "You gotta keep practicing with it. Eventually you'll get the hang of it."
A: "Yeah. I practice with it on the range, but I'm not making any progress on it."
B: "Let's go to the range together and I'll check out your swing."
A: "That sounds good. Let's go tomorrow night."
B: "Ok. That will give us practice for our round on Wednesday."
A: "I'll meet you there at 6:30."
B: "Ok. See you tomorrow then."
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Poker - Texas Hold 'em Instructions
1. Everyone is given two cards
2. Betting takes place
3. Dealer burns (throws away) a card and then places three cards in the middle. Everyone can use the cards in the middle.
4. Betting takes place
5. Dealer burns another card and shows one more card
6. Betting takes place
7. Dealer burns another card and shows one last card
8. Final betting and then everyone shows their hand.
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Poker - Talking with Friends
Talking with friends
"Let's play poker."
"When do you guys want to play poker?"
"I'm going to have people over at my place to play poker. Do you want to come?"
"We're playing poker at Tim's place tonight."
"Are you any good at poker?"
"Have you played poker before?"
"Do you know how to play poker?"
"It's boring when people play so conservatively."
"It takes too much time to play if people keep folding like this."
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Talking about poker
"I had three Kings on the flop but I couldn't fill up. I got beat with a flush that showed up on the river."
"I went 'all in' with a pair of aces before the flop. I lost to a guy who called with a pair of fours. Another four came out and I was out of the game."
"I can't believe he got so lucky."
"Jerry is so lucky. He always gets the cards he needs."
"I shouldn't have called."
"I shouldn't have folded. I would have won."
"Where's the courtesy show." - This statement is commonly used when somebody wins because everyone else folded. Then the other people will ask to see the cards.
"He bought the pot." - When somebody wins because nobody called. They say he bought the pot because he bet very high and nobody wanted to risk it. So his high bid bought the pot.
"I knew I won because I got a full house on the 'turn'."
"I would have won this hand too. I am such a chicken."
"What did you have?"
"I can't believe I lost with a straight. The damn flush showed up on the river."
"I had two aces and he had two kings. The last card was a king so he won."
"Would you go all in with a pair of fours before the flop?"
"Would you rather have a pair of fives or an Ace King suited."
"You're so easy to read. You give your hand away every time."
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Poker - Interactive Practice
A: "Hey Jack. What did you do last weekend?"
B: "Josh had a bunch of guys over at his house and we played poker."
A: "Why didn't you guys call me?"
B: "We did. But you weren't home. If you had a cell phone, maybe you wouldn't be left out."
A: "Yeah. I need to get a cell phone. So, what games did you play?"
B: "We only play Texas Hold 'em."
A: "That's all good. What was the bid amount?"
B: "We started playing no limit. It's so much fun."
A: "That sounds awesome. Let me join you next time."
B: "No problem. Just get a cell phone so we can contact you."
A: "Aright. Who won though?"
B: "John. He always wins. He's damn good."
A: "You only played one game?"
B: "We played 2 games and he won both of them."
A: "What is the buy in?"
B: "Only 10 bucks."
A: "That sounds fun. Ten bucks isn't that much money to have fun while chilling with your friends."
B: "Exactly."
A: "But what happens if you get out in the first ten minutes?"
B: "Then you're screwed. You can watch tv or play the XBOX."
A: "Better not die soon then. So, when is the next time you guys are playing?"
B: "Probably this Friday. Give me a call Friday morning and I'll let you know the exact time."
A: "How long did you stay at Tim's playing poker last night?"
B: "I stayed for a couple more hours after you left."
A: "So you guys ended up playing one more game?"
B: "Yeah."
A: "How did you do on the second game?"
B: "I was third. I had a pair of Kings and went all in. Albert had an Ace Queen and called me. When the cards came out, he ended up with a pair of aces and I lost."
A: "I hate when that happens. So did Albert end up winning?"
B: "No. He lost to Jerry. Anyway on the last game, it was me and Andrew. I had Ace King suited. On the flop, it was Ace, King, and Queen. Andrew went all in and I called. The next card was a King and I had a full house. It was nearly impossible for me to lose. Except another Queen came out and he had four of a kind. Can you believe that? I had a full house and I lost."
A: "That sucks. He's so lucky. I can't believe he got four of a kind."
B: "That's poker I guess."
A: "I hear they are going to play again this Saturday? Are you going to play?"
B: "Hell yeah. Do you know what time they're playing?"
A: "I think they want to start a little earlier because it takes a long time to play. Probably around 7:00."
B: "I get off at 6:30 so it's going to be tight. I'll come as soon as possible."
A: "Aright. See you later."
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Talking About Guys
General questions
"What do you look for in a guy?"
"What kind of person do you want to meet?"
"What type of person do you want to marry?"
"Who is your ideal type?"
"How important is looks to you?"
"Do you think physical appearance is important?"
"What is the first thing you look for in a guy?"
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General answers for General questions
"I'm looking for a guy who will treat me well."
"I want a guy who is romantic."
"I want to meet a guy who is rich."
"I want a type of person that will respect me."
"I want someone responsible. He should be able to take care of the family both emotionally and financially."
"I want a down to earth type of guy."
"My ideal type is a guy who is smart and sensitive."
"Looks are not that important to me."
"The guy needs to be good looking to have a chance with me."
"The first thing I look for in a guy is looks."
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Talking About Guys - Comments
Physical appearance
"I want a tall guy."
"I have always been attracted to tall guys."
"I don't like short guys."
"I'm not attracted to short guys."
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Looks
"I like a guy with a cute face."
"I want a guy that works out."
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Commenting about guys
"He is so cute."
"He is very handsome."
"He is good looking."
"He's so handsome."
"He is tall with dark hair and brown eyes."
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Talking About Guys - In Public
In a club or public place
"Did you see the guy who just walked by? He was so cute."
"I think the guy sitting at the bar is checking you out."
"I'm going to stand next to the guy at the pool table. I hope he notices me."
"What should I do to get his attention?"
"Should I ask him to dance?"
"You should ask that guy to dance."
"Why don't you just start dancing next to him?"
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Other things
"He is so nice to me."
"He takes care of me so well."
"He has good manners."
"He is so smart."
"He's so sensitive."
"He is so sweet."
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Talking About Guys - Descriptions
Talking about your friends' boyfriend
"She told me he was a good kisser."
"Joanne is a dating a doctor from Harvard."
"Suzy's boyfriend is so rich. He takes her to so many trips."
"Jessica's boyfriend is in MBA at Wharton right now."
"Her boyfriend is a jerk. He treats her like crap. I don't know why she doesn't break up with him."
"I don't think he is that smart. He failed to get into college and he is doing manual labor right now."
"I heard he hit her before. Someone should warn her before it's too late."
"He's so cheap. He never pays for anything."
"I think he is just using Martha because she has a lot of money. Why else would he date her?"
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Describing a guy you are dating
"I met this guy and we started dating. He is so cute and he brought me flowers while I was at work. He is so romantic."
"I'm seeing this guy name John now. He buys me a lot of stuff. I think I'm blinded by all the things he is buying me, but it's so fun."
"We started dating after an 8 hour phone call. We just talked and talked and it was so great. We connected at a deep level and I think I really like him."
"My boyfriend is in med school right now. He is going to specialize in surgery."
"I'm dating a guy from work. I always had a crush on him because he was so nice."
"On valentines day, my boyfriend prepared a picnic and we had lunch by the river. He prepared all the food and even had music. It was a great day."
"For my birthday, my boyfriend took me out to a nice restaurant. Afterwards, he took me out on a lake in a little boat. It was very romantic."
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Talking about Guys - Interactive Practice
A: "Hey Cindy. I heard you are seeing someone."
B: "Yeah. His name is John. I started dating him a week ago."
A: "That's so exciting. Tell me all about him. Is he good looking?"
B: "I think he's cute, but not drop dead gorgeous."
A: "How did you meet him?"
B: "I go to this coffee shop a lot and this guy is always there. We started talking a couple of times, and he finally asked me out."
A: "That's so cool. What does he do for a living?"
B: "He works in the finance department in a manufacturing company."
A: "Do you know if he makes a lot of money?"
B: "I don't know for sure, but he drives a nice car and I heard he has a house."
A: "How is his personality?"
B: "He's very smart and a great person to talk to. In the beginning, we talked for about 30 minutes a day in the coffee shop before he asked me out. Besides that, he's very sweet and romantic."
A: "How old is he?"
B: "That's the problem. He is 2 years younger than me. What do you think about that?"
A: "What's the big deal? I don't see anything wrong with that. If you were 23, then I might be worried he was immature, but you're almost 30 now. 2 years is no big deal."
B: "Yeah. That's what I think."
A: "When do I get to meet him?"
B: "How about a double date. The four of us can go out to dinner and a drink or something."
A: "That sounds great. How about next Saturday?"
B: "I think Saturday will be good. Let's double check with the guys and get back to each other."
A: "Great. I'll call you later then."
B: "Ok. Talk to you later."
A: "Jane. Did you see that guy standing by the dance floor?"
B: "Yeah. He's kinda cute."
A: "Wait. Isn't that Beth's boyfriend?"
B: "I'm not sure. I haven't met him before."
A: "Look. He's dancing with another girl."
B: "Are you sure that's him?"
A: "No. It just looks like him."
B: "I heard he was a nice guy. He wouldn't be cheating on Beth."
A: "Yeah. You're right. How do you know about him if you never met him?"
B: "I hear all this stuff from Beth. She is always going off on how nice and sweet he is."
A: "I heard the same thing. What type of guy are you looking for?"
B: "Someone who is understanding, responsible, sensitive, smart, and with a lot of money."
A: "Don't we all. Get real. All those guys are probably already taken."
B: "It doesn't hurt to have expectations. What type of guy do you want to find?"
A: "All I want is someone who is going to treat me well."
B: "You know Alex don't you? He likes you. I bet he'll take good care of you."
A: "He's a dork. At least someone who is not an idiot ok?"
B: "Got it."
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Shopping - Clothes
"Where is the dressing room?"
"I can't find my size here. Can you check if you have this in a size 4?"
"Do you have this in different colors?"
"Where are your jeans located?"
"Where is the red sweater on display in the window?"
"How much is this skirt?"
"Are you going to have a sale soon?"
"Where is the matching shirt for this skirt?"
"When are you going to get more sizes?"
"I'm looking for a belt that will go with these pants."
"Do you provide alteration here?"
"How much will it cost to get alternation done on these pants?"
"These pants are too long for me. Where can I get them altered?"
"How long does it take?"
"When do you start selling summer clothing?"
"When will you be getting your summer line?"
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Some answers you might hear from workers
"The dressing room is in the right back corner."
"The dressing room is right over there."
"All our jeans are located in the back wall."
"We usually get a shipment every Thursday, so I would check back then."
"We have alteration here."
"It costs seven dollars."
"It takes one day. You can pick them up tomorrow if you drop it off now."
"We'll have our summer line on display in April."
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Shopping - Grocery
Before shopping
"I'm going to the grocery store. Do you need anything?"
"I'm going to QFC. Do you want to go?"
"Did you create a grocery list?"
"I'm going to Safeway tonight. Let me know if you need anything by 5:30."
"Let's go to the grocery store together."
"I have a bunch of coupons I got from the newspaper."
"There were a lot of coupons, but I didn't need any of them."
"There are no coupons for anything I ever buy."
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During grocery shopping
"Where is your bread section?"
"Where can I find milk?"
"Where are your beers?"
"Do you sell alcohol here?"
"I'm looking for pickles. Can you help me find them?"
"Do you have a bakery section?"
"I'm looking for cough medicine. Where is your medicine area?"
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Shopping - Presents
Shopping for presents
"What do you want for your birthday?"
"Do you need anything?"
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Or, you can ask a friend of a birthday person.
"What do you think John wants for his birthday?"
"What do you think I should get for John?"
"What are you getting John for his birthday?"
"I want to buy my girlfriend a birthday present. Do you have any suggestions?"
"I'm shopping for my boyfriend's birthday. Can you help me pick out something?"
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Shopping - Interactive Practice
A: "Welcome. Can I help you with anything?"
B: "Hi. I'm shopping for my boyfriend's birthday. Do you have any suggestions?"
A: "Let's see. How about a nice shirt and tie? You can't go wrong there."
B: "Well. He doesn't wear ties that often."
A: "We have some nice pants. You can also get him a belt with it."
B: "That sounds good. Which one do you recommend?"
A: "These slacks are very popular. He can wear them to dress up a little or on a normal casual day."
B: "I like them. Do you have matching belts?"
A: "Yes. Right over here."
B: "How much are they?"
A: "The pants are on sale for $40, and the belt is $25."
B: "What is your return policy just in case he doesn't like them?"
A: "Just save the receipt and we will gladly return or exchange them for you."
B: "That sounds great. I'll take them."
A: "Hey Jackie. What are you doing?"
B: "Nothing much. I'm just relaxing today. Why? What's going on?"
A: "I was thinking about heading to the mall. Do you want to go?"
B: "Are they having a sale?"
A: "Yeah. Both Bon and Nordstrom's is having there annual sale. It's a great time to buy some clothes you've been holding out on."
B: "That sounds great. Where should we meet?"
A: "I'll meet you in front of Nordstrom's in 30 minutes."
B: "Sounds good. See you there."
A: "What do you think about these shoes?"
B: "They're cute. But do you think you'll wear them much?"
A: "No. Not really."
B: "This sweater is so pretty. I love the low neck design."
A: "I bet it's expensive."
B: "It's on sale for $80. What do you think? Should I try them on?"
A: "For 80 bucks it looks great. Go try it on."
A: "Where is your dressing room?"
B: "Right over there."
Person A comes out of the dressing room
B: "How did you like the sweater?"
A: "I loved it. I'll take it."
B: "Great. I can ring you up over here. It comes to $87.04."
A: "Here you go?"
B: "Do you have a credit card with us?"
A: "No I don't."
B: "If you open up a card, you can save 10% on all your purchases today."
A: "Not today. Thanks though."
B: "No problem. We always have this offer, so when ever you decide to, just let us know."
A: "Sure."
B: "Is there anything else I can help you with?"
A: "Yeah. I was looking at some of your pants, but they are all a bit too long. Do you have alteration services here?"
B: "Yes. It cost $7, and it takes one day."
A: "Great. Thanks for your help."
B: "Thank you, and have a great day."
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Jewelry
"That's a beautiful necklace."
"What a magnificent ring."
"I like the design of your ring."
"Your bracelet is very nice."
"I love your watch."
"What a beautiful pair of earrings."
"Where did you get your necklace from?"
"What is the carat on your diamond ring?"
"Is that your wedding ring?"
"What type of diamond is that?"
"What is the make of your watch?"
"Is that white gold, silver, or platinum?"
"Is your gold ring 14 carats or 18 carats?"
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Answering a compliment is very easy. All you need to say is, 'Thank you.' But if you want to elaborate, you can say the following things.
"Thank you. My husband got it for me for our anniversary."
"Thank you. It was a present from my boyfriend."
"Do you like it? My grandmother gave it to me."
"This is a Rolex. My husband and I got a matching pair for our wedding."
"This is a Cartier. I bought it last summer."
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Jewelry - Jewelry Stores
Asking about jewelry stores
"Where is the best place to buy jewelry?"
"Where would you go to buy jewelry?"
"Are all jewelry stores the same?"
"What do you think about Tiffany's?"
"Does the Shane Co. have good quality jewelry?"
"Do they have high quality rings?"
"What jewelry store do you recommend?"
"It all depends on how much you want to spend."
"The best place to buy jewelry is Tiffany's. Their service is great and the quality of all their stuff is amazing."
"Jared's is a pretty good place for the price."
"I like Costco because they are much cheaper than any other place."
"If you want to buy an engagement ring, EE Robins is a great jewelry store."
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In a jewelry store
Most or all jewelry items are behind a glass on display. You will need to work with a salesperson to view items directly.
"I'm looking for a bracelet."
"Can I see this one?"
"Can I see that one?"
"Can I try it on?"
"How much does this bracelet cost?"
"Do you have this in white gold?"
"Do you have any bracelets with diamonds in them?"
"I'm looking for clip on earrings. Do you carry any?"
"Do you have diamond studded clip on earrings?"
"What types of earrings do you carry?"
"I like this one, but do you have the same one with a bigger diamond?"
"Do you have this bracelet without the design on it?"
"Do you engrave here?"
"I would like to get this bracelet? How much is engraving here?"
"I'm looking for a titanium ring."
"Do you carry any titanium bands?"
"Do you have a matching necklace for this ring?"
"Could I get this diamond on that band?"
"How long will it take to mount this diamond on this ring?"
"This ring is too loose for me now. Can you make it smaller?"
"This ring is too small. Can you make it larger?"
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Jewelry - General Statements
"You can tell she is rich by all the jewelry she is wearing."
"Did you see the size of the rock on her finger?"
"Her boyfriend buys her a lot of jewelry. He must be rich."
"I want a necklace for my graduation gift."
"My mom is going to give me her ring when I get married. It's a tradition we have in our family."
"Girls love jewelry as much as guys love sports."
"Not all girls like jewelry. Some of them think it is a waste of money."
"Even the girls who don't like jewelry would buy a lot if they had a lot of money."
"Do you think I should buy her a necklace or a ring?"
"If you buy her a ring, she might think you are proposing to her."
"How much do you think I will need to buy my fiancé a nice diamond ring?"
"How much do I need to buy a decent diamond ring?"
"Do girls like diamond earrings?"
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Jewelry - Interactive Practice
A: "I love your bracelet. When did you get it?"
B: "I got it awhile ago, but I haven't worn it much. You really like it?"
A: "Yeah. It's beautiful. Is it white gold or silver?"
B: "It's white gold."
A: "Where did you buy it?"
B: "My boyfriend took me to the Shane Co. and he let me pick it out."
A: "That's so sweet. What was the occasion?"
B: "That's the best part. It wasn't for anything special. He just wanted to buy me something."
A: "You're so lucky. If he bought you something for no special day, I wonder what he would buy you for your birthday."
B: "My birthday is coming up next month. We'll find out pretty soon."
A: "What do you want?"
B: "I wouldn't mind a necklace. I was at the jewelry shop looking around, and they have a couple of beautiful necklaces I want."
A: "Why not a ring?"
B: "I don't think I'm ready for a ring from him yet."
A: "But you're ready for everything else?"
B: "Uh-huh."
A: "Hi. Can I help you with anything?"
B: "Yeah. Can I look at this ring?"
A: "Sure. Let me get it out for you. What is your size?"
B: "I believe I am a six."
A: "Here you go."
B: "Would you have any necklace that would go well with this?"
A: "Actually, we have a few to choose from. They are over here."
B: "There's no price tag on this necklace."
A: "Oh. I'm sorry. I'll check the price for you. It is $199."
B: "This necklace is a little short. Do you have one that is longer?"
A: "Yes. Why don't you try this one on."
B: "This one is much better. Can I try on the ring with this necklace?"
A: "Sure. Here you go."
B: "Let me think about it."
A: "Sure. Take your time."
B: "Thank you for all the help."
A: "No problem at all."
A: "What a beautiful watch. It goes very well with your ring."
B: "Thank you."
A: "Is that your wedding ring?"
B: "I'm not married yet. It's my engagement ring."
A: "Well, congratulations. When is the big date?"
B: "In June."
A: "Did you have the watch before getting the ring?"
B: "Actually, we bought the ring together after I got the watch."
A: "You did a fabulous job with the selection. It's gorgeous."
B: "Thank you so much."
A: "What kind of watch is it?"
B: "It's a Tag Heuer."
A: "If you don't mind me asking, how much do they cost?"
B: "This one is $1500. But they range from $600 to $3000."
A: "That's why it looks so nice. I should have figured. You always get what you pay for."
B: "Yeah. I would rather get one nice watch instead of 20 mediocre ones."
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Guy, Girls, Sports - Interactive Practice
A: "Hey Jason. What are you doing this Friday?"
B: "I'm going to go to the driving range cause I'm playing golf on Saturday."
A: "You're golfing without me? What's up with that?"
B: "Sorry man, but we already have a foursome. I'm going with a couple of guys from work."
A: "Where are you playing?"
B: "Washington National. Have you been there yet?"
A: "I've been there a couple of times. It's a great course. You know the Huskies play there right?"
B: "I didn't know that. Is it a hard course?"
A: "It's pretty challenging. But it all depends on which tee you play from."
B: "What are you shooting these days?"
A: "I'm still hovering around a bogey game."
B: "Still better than me. I'm still trying to hit a bogey game. Do you want to hit the driving range with me?"
A: "I can't this Friday. I'm playing basketball with the guys that night."
B: "At night?"
A: "Yeah. We're playing indoors at a school gymnasium."
B: "What's the occasion?"
A: "Just a small league I play on. Nothing special."
B: "I'm too short to play basketball."
A: "You're not that short. Plus, we have a couple of guys who are the same height as you. They're awesome players."
B: "I never got into basketball. It's fun and all, but maybe I'm just not good at it."
A: "It's still great exercise. I get a better workout from basketball than I do from the treadmill."
B: "That's true."
A: "What do you think about Matt's new girlfriend?"
B: "Samantha? She's pretty hot. I can't believe she fell for Matt."
A: "I don't seem to have much luck with girls."
B: "Why do you think that is?"
A: "I say the stupidest things around girls. I don't know why I do that?"
B: "It's because you're nervous. Best thing to do is not say a word until you know it's not stupid."
A: "It doesn't work that way. I stop thinking around pretty girls."
B: "I know. You got to date a girl who isn't that pretty then."
A: "What's the story of your love life these days?"
B: "It's only been a couple of months that I broke up with Sarah. But I think it's about time to start hunting again."
A: "Who's your type?"
B: "Anybody with a nice body and a pretty face."
A: "How about their personality or their character?"
B: "I'm not thinking about marriage, so those things don't matter."
A: "You're so shallow."
A: "So Mark. What is your favorite hobby?"
B: "Probably sports."
A: "Anything specific? Or just sports in general."
B: "Most sports. I like basketball, football, baseball, golf, tennis, so I guess most sports."
A: "I like tennis. Did you play for your high school team?"
B: "Yeah. I played on the varsity team starting from my sophomore year. How about you?"
A: "I played my junior and senior year."
B: "What other sports did you play?"
A: "I played volleyball. I would have to say volleyball is my favorite."
B: "What position did you play?"
A: "I was the outside hitter."
B: "That's so cool. I didn't know you were athletic."
A: "I don't know if I would consider myself athletic, but I have fun playing."
B: "I play on a co-ed volleyball team every Tuesdays. We're always looking for more girls to play on our team. Would you be interested?"
A: "Yeah. It sounds fun. Just call me anytime you need a player."
B: "That's great. Since we are on the topic of sports, what sport do you like to watch on television?"
A: "I never got into watching sports on TV. So I really don't know."
B: "Not even the Super bowl?"
A: "Only when the group of people I'm with is watching it. I just never had interest in TV that much."
B: "Well, I like following the Mariners. They're pretty good."
A: "I like to go watch them play. It's fun when you are actually there."
B: "A bunch of us are going to watch them play this June. Do you want to join us?"
A: "Yeah. I'll go. I like the new stadium. It's pretty cool."
B: "Ok. I'll make sure to get you a ticket as well."
A: "What did Mike get you for your birthday Pam?"
B: "He got me a watch. See."
A: "That's beautiful. He must have spent a fortune on it."
B: "He's so great. I think he might propose pretty soon."
A: "How do you know? Did he give you any clues?"
B: "He took me to a jewelry store and asked me what type of rings I like. It was a little obvious, but at least I got to pick the one I wanted."
A: "That's not so romantic?"
B: "He was never romantic. Silly and cute, but not romantic. I like all his quirkiness. He always makes me laugh."
A: "I guess you can't ask for much more than that."
B: "How is it going with you and Brad?"
A: "We broke up a week ago."
B: "I'm sorry to hear that. What happened?"
A: "I think we both just started to grow apart. I wasn't surprised."
B: "Are you doing ok?"
A: "Actually, I'm feeling great. I guess I needed some freedom."
B: "Have you started seeing other guys yet?"
A: "Not yet, but I when I meet a decent guy, I wouldn't mind dating again."
B: "What kind of guy are you looking for?"
A: "Although my relationship with Brad wasn't that bad, I want a guy who likes to go out more. Brad always spent all his time studying and researching for school. It was quite boring."
B: "You definitely need a guy who likes to have fun."
A: "I wouldn't mind dating a romantic guy. Maybe I'm dreaming, but a nice walk down the beach, or dancing in the moonlight would be something I would love to do."
B: "Hey. There are guys like that. All you have to do is find the right one."
A: "But that's the hard part. I always fall for the guy who is smart. And then after a couple of months, I get bored."
B: "Doesn't a tall, good looking guy turn you on?"
A: "Not really. What should I do?"
B: "We should go to a club this Saturday and find a smart romantic guy. How does that sound?"
A: "That sounds like a plan. Let's do it."
B: "Great. I'll see you at nine then."
A: "Ok. See you later."