Learning English – Lesson Eighteen (Small Talk)

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You know, the world of English is a fun and exciting place to be. I’m so glad that you could join me for another lesson.

Hi everybody…this is Misterduncan in England!

How are you today? Are you OK? I hope so!

Are you happy? I hope so!

 In this lesson..we are going to take a close look at another fascinating part of the English language. Today we will discuss the fine art of small-talk. Turn tape off!

Cheers!

The word small-talk, means to hold a conversation and talk about a general topic. The subject is normally a simple or common one which will not cause any discomfort or awkwardness between the people involved. There are many popular topics of conversation when it comes to using small-talk.

You will find that the topics used during small-talk will vary from country to country. For example…Here in the UK…we talk about the Weather

• “Isn’t it a lovely day?”
• “Do you think it will rain later?”
• “Isn’t it cold today?”
• “Oh, terrible Weather we are having these days!”
• “I don’t like the Weather today, it’s too hot!”
• “Did you hear what the Weather Forecast is?”

“La la la la la, America!” People in the USA also use small-talk. They generally talk about their family. For example…

• ”Is your family keeping well?”
• Hey! “How’s your Sister getting along in Florida?”
• “Did you know my Cousin Rachael…got married last Fall?”
• “My Dad has just retired from working…hey how’s your Pop these days?”
• “You must come and visit the family one weekend”

Small-talk is often used when there is very little time to have a full conversation. In many cases it is done out of courtesy or to be polite. It is worth remembering that there are some general rules surrounding small-talk. For example.

Be careful not to run out of things to say.

“Do you know what my favourite food is?”

“My favourite food is bread”

“What’s your favourite food?”

“Do you like food?...I like food very much. But as I said..my most favourite food of all is bread”

“Do you know why I like bread?”

“Because bread is very simple..and it’s very easy to prepare. You can have it with butter.. You can have it with meat.. You can have it with vegetables”

Keep the conversation interesting.

That was a really boring conversation…don’t you think? Finally it’s worth remembering how to end the conversation..politely.

• “Oh..i really have to dash now..or I’ll be late for work.”
• “It’s been great talking to you..but I must go..or I’ll miss my train.”
• “Wow..is that the time?”
• “I really had better get a move on”
• “Oh..I would love to chat longer but I have something else to do. Maybe another time..OK?”

So as you can see..small-talk is quite a common part of everyday life. And it allows us all to take time to chat. Even it it’s just for a few moments. Oh my goodness, my chat time is also up now! This is Misterduncan in England saying..thanks for watching, see you again soon…bye-bye for now.