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Oxford Online English, Learn English Conversation - How to Have a Conversation in English

Learn English Conversation - How to Have a Conversation in English

Hi Mikey!

Hi Stephanie!

Well, this is awkward!

Yeah, it is a bit.

We've got nothing to talk about!

That's right!

I just have no idea what to say to you.

I've got an idea.

Oh, what's that?

Let's do a lesson about how to have a conversation in English.

Great idea!

Looks like we really need it.

Shall we start now?

Yeah, why not?

Hi, I'm Stephanie.

Welcome to Oxford Online English!

Do you find it difficult to start conversations in English?

Do you feel that you don't know what to say?

It's common.

Speaking a foreign language is hard work.

You have to remember foreign words, pronounce sounds which your mouth isn't used to, and

now you have to build a conversation, too.

In this lesson, you'll see some simple, effective tips to help you start, develop

and end a conversation in English.

Let's start at the very beginning.

You'll see three easy ways to start a conversation in English.

Hello!

My name's Mikey.

What's your name?

Stephanie, nice to meet you.

Where are you from, Stephanie?

So, what did you think of the film?

It was… interesting.

Does that mean you didn't like it?

I'm glad I saw it, but I wouldn't watch it again.

Oh, hey, I saw some of your pictures from your trip.

They're amazing!

Thanks for saying so!

What kind of camera do you use?

Actually, I just use my phone.

First of all, if you don't know the other person, of course you should introduce yourself.

It can be awkward if you start talking and then you realise an hour later that you don't

know the other person's name.

You saw three ways to start a conversation.

What were they?

One: ask a simple question:

What's your name?

Where are you from?

What do you do?

Two: make a comment or ask a question about the situation you're in:

That looks delicious!

What is it?

What did you think of the film?

It's so cold in here!

Is the heating broken?

Great party, right?

Who do you know here?

Three: compliment the other person:

I love your top!

Where did you get it?

I thought your presentation was really interesting.

Oh, you're Mikey?

I've heard so many good things about you.

Don't think too much about what you say first.

When you start a conversation, it's more important to say something, even if it's

something very simple.

Easy, right?

Introduce yourself, say something simple, and you've started a conversation.

Next, you need to build the conversation.

Where do you go from here?

Hey, you're Stephanie, right?

Yeah.

Mikey?

That's right!

Peter told me you're in a band?

Well, kind of.

I play guitar, and we just play together for fun.

It's nothing serious.

I play the guitar too, actually.

Really?

What kind of thing do you play?

Actually, I play classical guitar.

I just do it as a hobby; I'm not that good, but I enjoy it.

That's the important thing.

Anyway, how do you know Peter?

We used to work together, and we stayed in touch.

Here, you saw three useful things you can do to build a conversation in English.

Do you know what they were?

They're all very simple.

Anyone can use them!

First idea: make a reference to something you have in common.

For example, do you know that the other person is a football fan?

Ask:

Who do you support?

Or: Did you see the City game on Sunday?

Or: What's your prediction for the cup final next weekend?

If you meet someone while you're travelling, you could ask:

Where are you going to next?

You went to Rome?

Any recommendations?

Do you know any good places to eat around here?

We said that you saw three ways to continue a conversation.

What's the second one?

Ask the other person about themselves and their life.

People generally like to talk about themselves, and they like it when other people are interested

in them, so this can be very effective.

For example:

Your job sounds really difficult.

How do you manage everything?

I like your pictures.

Is that in India?

I heard you're really into cooking.

What kind of stuff do you like to make?

Finally, you can also continue the conversation by referring to someone you both know, like

this:

How do you know Lisa?

Have you known Simon long?

You work with Lee?

I heard he can be quite difficult.

Again, it's more important to say something, even if it's something very basic.

When you've just started talking to someone, anything is better than saying nothing.

The longer you can keep the conversation going, the more you'll learn about each other,

and the more topics you'll have to explore.

Let's look at some other important points to think about as your conversation continues.

Mikey, hi!

How was your trip?

It was great, thanks.

Where did you go?

Well, we started in Madrid, and then…

Where did you stay?

We found a really great homestay near the centre, and…

Did you eat tapas?

Well, yeah, a couple of times, but…

Did you go to the Royal Palace?

No, actually, we…

Why not?

Yeah, so as I was saying, it's basically the best film ever.

Mm-hmm.

I mean, people don't rate Michael Bay, but I really think the man's a genius, you know?

Mm-hmm.

I've seen it twice at the cinema already.

The last time I went it was so loud that I still couldn't hear properly the next morning.

Mm-hmm.

I'm still planning to see it again this weekend, though.

I love it!

Mm-hmm.

You saw two conversations.

I hope you realise that these were examples of what not to do when you want to build a

conversation.

What was the problem in each one?

In both conversations, there was a lack of balance.

In the first conversation, I was asking too many questions!

A conversation shouldn't sound like a police interrogation.

In the second conversation, I spoke too much, even though Stephanie clearly wasn't interested

in what I was talking about.

What's the point here?

For a successful conversation, you need balance.

You need to balance asking questions and saying what you think.

You need to balance speaking and listening.

Let's look at how those conversations could have gone better:

Mikey, hi!

How was your trip?

It was great, thanks.

Where did you go?

Well, we started in Madrid, and then we spent a few days in Andalucia.

Wow!

I loved Madrid.

What did you think of it?

We really liked it.

When we were there, we stayed at this really cool guesthouse near the Parque de El Retiro.

Did you spend any time around there?

Actually, we were staying a bit further out.

We did walk past there, though.

There are some great places further out, too.

What did you think of the food?

Guess what I just saw?

What?

The new Transformers film!

It's amazing!

I really think Michael Bay is one of the best directors alive.

Are you serious?

What, you don't like his films?

No.

I think a good movie needs more than explosions and robots.

That's a shame.

I was hoping you'd come to the cinema with me to watch it.

I thought you'd already seen it?

Yeah, twice!

The last time, the sound system was so loud that I couldn't hear properly the next morning.

It was great!

That doesn't sound healthy.

Maybe you should go to the doctor's, and you definitely shouldn't go to see it again.

Balancing your conversations helps you to keep the other person engaged, which means

the conversation will flow easily and naturally.

Anyway, let's talk about something else.

Sometimes, people complain to us about making conversation in English: “I don't know

what to talk about!”

Here's the thing: you can talk about almost anything you want.

Sometimes, the other person isn't interested in what you're saying.

Sometimes, you're not interested in what the other person's saying.

Sometimes, neither of you is interested in what you're talking about.

This is totally natural.

So, what should you do?

Change the topic, of course!

Seen any good TV shows recently?

Actually, I don't have a TV.

Oh…

So, er, what are you doing this weekend?

Do you like travelling?

Not really.

When I don't have to work, I just stay at home.

Anyway, whereabouts do you live?

Yeah, I've had this really bad cough for weeks.

All this green stuff keeps coming out of me.

I don't know when it's going to stop.

Mikey, I'm trying to eat!

Can we please talk about something else?

Oh, sorry.

Changing the subject is easy.

The easiest way is just to… change the subject!

If what you're talking about isn't going anywhere, ask a question or make a comment

about something different.

It's common to introduce a change of subject with a word like so or anyway.

For example:

So, what are you doing this weekend?

Anyway, whereabouts do you live?

If you're feeling uncomfortable with a conversation topic, you might clearly ask to change the

subject.

You can say something like:

Can we talk about something else?

Let's change the subject.

I don't really want to talk about that.

Remember that if you use phrases like these, you're clearly showing the other person

that you're uncomfortable with the conversation.

If you say something like this, make sure that you mean it.

Finally, let's see one of the most important skills for having good conversations in English:

…so then I say to her, ‘You must be joking!', and she's all like, ‘No', and I'm

all like, ‘That is so crazy!', and then…

Adele, I hate to be rude, but I have to be somewhere else.

We'll talk later, okay?

Oh, okay.

See you later!

You're an events manager?

That's exactly what I want to get into!

I have so many questions.

So, what's the best way to get a job with your company?

Will you help me out?

Listen, it's been great talking to you, but I should get back to work.

Can I ask you my questions later?

I have SO MANY.

Sure, just call me.

But, I don't have your phone number!

Have you finished the debugging work?

It's nearly done.

Is there any chance you can ask someone to help me?

It's a lot of work.

I'll see what I can do.

Anyway, I won't keep you any longer.

Try to have the work done by tomorrow evening.

Alright.

Here, you saw three short conversations with three different ways to leave a conversation.

Do you remember them?

Here are the three phrases you saw:

I hate to be rude, but…

It's been great talking to you, but...

I won't keep you any longer.

You can also add the person's name to make it sound more personal:

Stephanie, I hate to be rude, but…

Paul, it's been great talking to you, but…

You can make these phrases sound stronger by adding a word like look or listen at the

start:

Look, I hate to be rude, but…

Listen, it's been great talking to you, but…

Saying it like this adds emphasis and makes it extra clear that the conversation is finishing.

After the word but, make an excuse:

Stephanie, I hate to be rude, but I have to catch the last metro.

Paul, it's been great talking to you, but there are some other people here I need to

catch up with.

Another good way to leave a conversation is to pretend that you're stopping the other

person from leaving.

You can say something like:

I won't keep you any longer.

Or: I'll let you get back to work.

On the phone, it's common to say:

I'll let you go.

This is a clear signal that the conversation is ending.

Then, say goodbye, and you're finished!

You can see that starting, developing and ending a conversation in English is quite

simple.

Use the tips and language from this lesson, and you'll be able to have natural conversations

in English easily!

Anyway, it's been great talking to you, but we really have to go!

Don't forget to check out our website for more free English lessons like this one: Oxford

Online English dot com.

Thanks for watching!

See you next time!

Learn languages from TV shows, movies, news, articles and more! Try LingQ for FREE

Learn English Conversation - How to Have a Conversation in English Study||||||||| Konversation auf Englisch lernen - Wie man eine Konversation auf Englisch führt Aprender conversación en inglés - Cómo mantener una conversación en inglés Apprendre la conversation en anglais - Comment avoir une conversation en anglais Imparare la conversazione in inglese - Come avere una conversazione in inglese 英会話を学ぶ - 英語で会話をする方法 영어 회화 배우기 - 영어로 대화하는 방법 Engels leren converseren - Zo voer je een gesprek in het Engels Nauka konwersacji po angielsku - Jak prowadzić rozmowę po angielsku? Aprender conversação em inglês - Como manter uma conversa em inglês Изучение разговорного английского языка - Как вести беседу на английском языке İngilizce Konuşma Öğrenin - İngilizce Konuşma Nasıl Yapılır Вивчайте англійську розмовну мову - як вести розмову англійською 学习英语会话 - 如何用英语进行会话 學習英語會話 - 如何用英語進行會話

Hi Mikey!

Hi Stephanie!

Well, this is awkward! |||uncomfortable |||awkward |||nerodno Also das ist jetzt peinlich!

Yeah, it is a bit.

We've got nothing to talk about! Wir haben nichts zu besprechen!

That's right!

I just have no idea what to say to you. Ich habe einfach keine Ahnung, was ich dir sagen soll.

I've got an idea. |持っている|| Ich habe eine Idee.

Oh, what's that?

Let's do a lesson about how to have a conversation in English.

Great idea!

Looks like we really need it. Sieht so aus, als würden wir es wirklich brauchen. Схоже, він нам дуже потрібен.

Shall we start now? auxiliary verb||| sva||| Sollen wir anfangen?

Yeah, why not?

Hi, I'm Stephanie.

Welcome to Oxford Online English!

Do you find it difficult to start conversations in English? Fällt es Ihnen schwer, Gespräche auf Englisch zu beginnen?

Do you feel that you don't know what to say? Hast du das Gefühl, dass du nicht weißt, was du sagen sollst?

It's common. Es ist normal.

Speaking a foreign language is hard work. Eine Fremdsprache zu sprechen ist harte Arbeit.

You have to remember foreign words, pronounce sounds which your mouth isn't used to, and Sie müssen sich Fremdwörter merken, Laute aussprechen, die Ihr Mund nicht gewohnt ist, und

now you have to build a conversation, too. Jetzt müssen Sie auch ein Gespräch aufbauen.

In this lesson, you'll see some simple, effective tips to help you start, develop

and end a conversation in English.

Let's start at the very beginning. Beginnen wir ganz am Anfang.

You'll see three easy ways to start a conversation in English.

Hello!

My name's Mikey.

What's your name?

Stephanie, nice to meet you.

Where are you from, Stephanie?

So, what did you think of the film? Also, was denkst du über den Film?

It was… interesting.

Does that mean you didn't like it? Heißt das, es hat dir nicht gefallen?

I'm glad I saw it, but I wouldn't watch it again. Ich bin froh, dass ich es gesehen habe, aber ich würde es nicht noch einmal sehen.

Oh, hey, I saw some of your pictures from your trip. Oh, hey, ich habe einige deiner Bilder von deiner Reise gesehen.

They're amazing! Sie sind großartig!

Thanks for saying so! ありがとう||| Danke, dass du das gesagt hast!

What kind of camera do you use?

Actually, I just use my phone. Eigentlich benutze ich nur mein Handy.

First of all, if you don't know the other person, of course you should introduce yourself. ||||||||||||||predstaviti| Zuallererst, wenn Sie die andere Person nicht kennen, sollten Sie sich natürlich vorstellen.

It can be awkward if you start talking and then you realise an hour later that you don't |||nerodno||||||||||||||

know the other person's name.

You saw three ways to start a conversation.

What were they? Was waren Sie?

One: ask a simple question:

What's your name?

Where are you from?

What do you do?

Two: make a comment or ask a question about the situation you're in: Zweitens: Machen Sie einen Kommentar oder stellen Sie eine Frage zu der Situation, in der Sie sich befinden:

That looks delicious! Das sieht lecker aus!

What is it?

What did you think of the film?

It's so cold in here! Es ist so kalt hier!

Is the heating broken? ||heating system| ||暖房| ||o aquecimento|estragado ||ogrevanje| Ist die Heizung kaputt?

Great party, right?

Who do you know here? quién|||conoces|aquí Wen kennst du hier?

Three: compliment the other person: |褒め言葉||| tres|||| Drittens: Kompliment an die andere Person:

I love your top! |||blusa Ich liebe dein Oberteil!

Where did you get it? ||tú|| Wo hast du es bekommen?

I thought your presentation was really interesting. ||||||interesante Ich fand Ihren Vortrag sehr interessant.

Oh, you're Mikey? Oh, du bist Mikey?

I've heard so many good things about you. 私は||||||| |he oído||||cosas||tú

Don't think too much about what you say first. Denke nicht zu viel darüber nach, was du zuerst sagst.

When you start a conversation, it's more important to say something, even if it's cuando|||||||||||||

something very simple. algo||

Easy, right?

Introduce yourself, say something simple, and you've started a conversation.

Next, you need to build the conversation. ||||||conversación Als nächstes müssen Sie das Gespräch aufbauen.

Where do you go from here? Wohin gehst du von hier aus?

Hey, you're Stephanie, right? Hey, du bist Stephanie, richtig?

Yeah.

Mikey?

That's right! eso|

Peter told me you're in a band? ||||||band Peter hat mir gesagt, du bist in einer Band?

Well, kind of. bueno|| So in etwa.

I play guitar, and we just play together for fun. Ich spiele Gitarre und wir spielen nur zum Spaß zusammen.

It's nothing serious. それは|| Es ist nichts ernstes.

I play the guitar too, actually.

Really?

What kind of thing do you play? qué|||||| Was für ein Ding spielst du?

Actually, I play classical guitar.

I just do it as a hobby; I'm not that good, but I enjoy it. Ich mache es nur als Hobby; Ich bin nicht so gut, aber ich genieße es.

That's the important thing. ||importante|

Anyway, how do you know Peter? de qualquer forma||||| Wie auch immer, woher kennst du Peter?

We used to work together, and we stayed in touch. |||||||kept|| |一緒に働いていた|||||||| Wir haben früher zusammengearbeitet und sind in Kontakt geblieben.

Here, you saw three useful things you can do to build a conversation in English. ||||||||||||||inglés

Do you know what they were? |||||verbo auxiliar

They're all very simple.

Anyone can use them! Jeder kann sie benutzen!

First idea: make a reference to something you have in common. Primera||||||||||común Erste Idee: Beziehen Sie sich auf etwas, das Sie gemeinsam haben. Перша ідея: зробіть посилання на щось, що вас об'єднує.

For example, do you know that the other person is a football fan?

Ask:

Who do you support? Wen unterstützt Du?

Or: Did you see the City game on Sunday?

Or: What's your prediction for the cup final next weekend? |||予測|||||| Oder: Wie lautet Ihre Prognose für das Pokalfinale am kommenden Wochenende?

If you meet someone while you're travelling, you could ask: ||conoces||||||| Wenn du jemanden auf Reisen triffst, könntest du fragen:

Where are you going to next?

You went to Rome? Du bist nach Rom gegangen?

Any recommendations? 何か|

Do you know any good places to eat around here? 助動詞||||||||| Kennen Sie hier gute Restaurants?

We said that you saw three ways to continue a conversation. Wir haben gesagt, dass Sie drei Möglichkeiten gesehen haben, ein Gespräch fortzusetzen.

What's the second one? Was ist das zweite?

Ask the other person about themselves and their life. ||otra|||||| Frage die andere Person über sich selbst und ihr Leben.

People generally like to talk about themselves, and they like it when other people are interested las personas||||||||||||||| Menschen reden im Allgemeinen gerne über sich selbst und sie mögen es, wenn andere Menschen interessiert sind

in them, so this can be very effective.

For example:

Your job sounds really difficult. ||||difícil Dein Job klingt wirklich schwierig.

How do you manage everything? ||tú|| Wie handhaben Sie alles?

I like your pictures.

Is that in India?

I heard you're really into cooking. |聞いた|||夢中で| Ich habe gehört, dass du wirklich gerne kochst.

What kind of stuff do you like to make? |||もの||||| Was für Sachen machst du gerne?

Finally, you can also continue the conversation by referring to someone you both know, like ||||||||mentioning|||||| Finalmente|||||||||||||| Schließlich können Sie das Gespräch auch fortsetzen, indem Sie sich auf jemanden beziehen, den Sie beide kennen

this:

How do you know Lisa? Woher kennst du Lisa?

Have you known Simon long? Kennst du Simon schon lange?

You work with Lee? Sie arbeiten mit Lee zusammen?

I heard he can be quite difficult. Ich habe gehört, er kann ziemlich schwierig sein.

Again, it's more important to say something, even if it's something very basic. Auch hier ist es wichtiger, etwas zu sagen, auch wenn es etwas ganz Grundlegendes ist.

When you've just started talking to someone, anything is better than saying nothing. Wenn Sie gerade angefangen haben, mit jemandem zu sprechen, ist alles besser, als nichts zu sagen.

The longer you can keep the conversation going, the more you'll learn about each other, Je länger Sie das Gespräch am Laufen halten können, desto mehr lernen Sie voneinander,

and the more topics you'll have to explore. und desto mehr Themen müssen Sie erkunden.

Let's look at some other important points to think about as your conversation continues. Sehen wir uns einige andere wichtige Punkte an, über die Sie nachdenken sollten, während Ihr Gespräch weitergeht.

Mikey, hi!

How was your trip?

It was great, thanks.

Where did you go?

Well, we started in Madrid, and then… ||始めました||||

Where did you stay? Wo bist du geblieben?

We found a really great homestay near the centre, and… |||||гостевой дом|||| |||||guesthouse|||| |||||homestay||||

Did you eat tapas? |||tapas Hast du Tapas gegessen?

Well, yeah, a couple of times, but… Ja, ein paar Mal, aber …

Did you go to the Royal Palace?

No, actually, we…

Why not?

Yeah, so as I was saying, it's basically the best film ever. Ja, wie ich schon sagte, es ist im Grunde der beste Film aller Zeiten.

Mm-hmm.

I mean, people don't rate Michael Bay, but I really think the man's a genius, you know? Ich meine, die Leute bewerten Michael Bay nicht, aber ich denke wirklich, dass der Mann ein Genie ist, weißt du?

Mm-hmm.

I've seen it twice at the cinema already. Habe ich schon zweimal im Kino gesehen.

The last time I went it was so loud that I still couldn't hear properly the next morning. Beim letzten Mal war es so laut, dass ich am nächsten Morgen immer noch nicht richtig hören konnte.

Mm-hmm.

I'm still planning to see it again this weekend, though. Ich plane aber trotzdem, es dieses Wochenende noch einmal zu sehen.

I love it!

Mm-hmm.

You saw two conversations. Sie haben zwei Gespräche gesehen.

I hope you realise that these were examples of what not to do when you want to build a |||perceba||||||||||||||| Ich hoffe, Sie erkennen, dass dies Beispiele dafür waren, was Sie nicht tun sollten, wenn Sie eine bauen möchten

conversation.

What was the problem in each one? Was war jeweils das Problem?

In both conversations, there was a lack of balance. ||||||falta||equilíbrio In beiden Gesprächen fehlte es an Ausgewogenheit.

In the first conversation, I was asking too many questions! Im ersten Gespräch habe ich zu viele Fragen gestellt!

A conversation shouldn't sound like a police interrogation. |||||||审讯 |会話||||||尋問 |||||||допрос Ein Gespräch sollte nicht wie ein Polizeiverhör klingen.

In the second conversation, I spoke too much, even though Stephanie clearly wasn't interested Im zweiten Gespräch habe ich zu viel gesprochen, obwohl Stephanie offensichtlich nicht interessiert war

in what I was talking about.

What's the point here?

For a successful conversation, you need balance.

You need to balance asking questions and saying what you think. Sie müssen Fragen stellen und sagen, was Sie denken.

You need to balance speaking and listening. Sie müssen Sprechen und Zuhören ausbalancieren.

Let's look at how those conversations could have gone better: Schauen wir uns an, wie diese Gespräche hätten besser verlaufen können:

Mikey, hi!

How was your trip? Wie war deine Reise?

It was great, thanks.

Where did you go? Wo bist du gegangen?

Well, we started in Madrid, and then we spent a few days in Andalucia.

Wow!

I loved Madrid.

What did you think of it? 何||||| Was hast du darüber gedacht?

We really liked it. Es hat uns sehr gut gefallen.

When we were there, we stayed at this really cool guesthouse near the Parque de El Retiro. ||||||||||旅馆|||||| ||||||||||guesthouse|||||| ||||||||||pensão|||||| Als wir dort waren, übernachteten wir in diesem wirklich coolen Gästehaus in der Nähe des Parque de El Retiro.

Did you spend any time around there? Hast du dort Zeit verbracht?

Actually, we were staying a bit further out. |||ficando|||mais longe|fora Eigentlich blieben wir etwas weiter draußen.

We did walk past there, though. Wir sind dort allerdings vorbei gelaufen.

There are some great places further out, too. |||||mais|| Es gibt auch einige tolle Orte weiter draußen.

What did you think of the food? Was haltet ihr von dem Essen?

Guess what I just saw? Ratet mal, was ich gerade gesehen habe?

What?

The new Transformers film! Der neue Transformers-Film!

It's amazing! Es ist wunderbar!

I really think Michael Bay is one of the best directors alive. |||||||||||vivos Ich glaube wirklich, dass Michael Bay einer der besten lebenden Regisseure ist.

Are you serious? Sind Sie im Ernst?

What, you don't like his films? Was, du magst seine Filme nicht?

No.

I think a good movie needs more than explosions and robots. ||||||||взрывов|| Ich denke, ein guter Film braucht mehr als Explosionen und Roboter.

That's a shame. ||жаль それは|| ||que pena Das ist eine Schande.

I was hoping you'd come to the cinema with me to watch it. Ich hatte gehofft, du würdest mit mir ins Kino kommen, um es mir anzusehen.

I thought you'd already seen it? Ich dachte du hättest es schon gesehen?

Yeah, twice!

The last time, the sound system was so loud that I couldn't hear properly the next morning. Beim letzten Mal war das Soundsystem so laut, dass ich am nächsten Morgen nicht mehr richtig hören konnte.

It was great!

That doesn't sound healthy. Das klingt nicht gesund.

Maybe you should go to the doctor's, and you definitely shouldn't go to see it again. Vielleicht solltest du zum Arzt gehen, und du solltest definitiv nicht noch einmal zu ihm gehen.

Balancing your conversations helps you to keep the other person engaged, which means equilibrar||||||||||envolvido|| Das Ausbalancieren Ihrer Gespräche hilft Ihnen, die andere Person zu beschäftigen, was bedeutet

the conversation will flow easily and naturally. das Gespräch wird leicht und natürlich fließen.

Anyway, let's talk about something else. Wie auch immer, lass uns über etwas anderes reden.

Sometimes, people complain to us about making conversation in English: “I don't know ||express dissatisfaction|||||||||| Manchmal beschweren sich Leute bei uns darüber, dass wir uns auf Englisch unterhalten: „Ich weiß nicht

what to talk about!” worüber man reden soll!“

Here's the thing: you can talk about almost anything you want.

Sometimes, the other person isn't interested in what you're saying.

Sometimes, you're not interested in what the other person's saying.

Sometimes, neither of you is interested in what you're talking about. |nem|||||||||

This is totally natural.

So, what should you do?

Change the topic, of course!

Seen any good TV shows recently? Hast du in letzter Zeit gute Fernsehsendungen gesehen?

Actually, I don't have a TV. Eigentlich habe ich keinen Fernseher.

Oh…

So, er, what are you doing this weekend? Also, äh, was machst du dieses Wochenende?

Do you like travelling? Magst du es, zu reisen?

Not really.

When I don't have to work, I just stay at home. Wenn ich nicht arbeiten muss, bleibe ich einfach zu Hause.

Anyway, whereabouts do you live? |где|||живёшь |in what location||| de qualquer maneira|onde||| |你住哪里?||| |kjer||| |どこに||| Wie auch immer, wo wohnst du? А взагалі, де ти живеш?

Yeah, I've had this really bad cough for weeks. ||||||кашель|| ||||||persistent cough|| Ja, ich habe diesen wirklich schlimmen Husten seit Wochen.

All this green stuff keeps coming out of me. ||緑の|||||| |||tudo|sai|||| All dieses grüne Zeug kommt immer wieder aus mir heraus.

I don't know when it's going to stop. Ich weiß nicht, wann es aufhört.

Mikey, I'm trying to eat! Mikey, ich versuche zu essen!

Can we please talk about something else? できますか|||||| Können wir bitte über etwas anderes reden?

Oh, sorry.

Changing the subject is easy. Das Thema zu wechseln ist einfach.

The easiest way is just to… change the subject!

If what you're talking about isn't going anywhere, ask a question or make a comment Wenn das, worüber Sie sprechen, nirgendwohin führt, stellen Sie eine Frage oder machen Sie einen Kommentar

about something different.

It's common to introduce a change of subject with a word like so or anyway. Es ist üblich, einen Themenwechsel mit einem Wort wie so oder so einzuleiten.

For example:

So, what are you doing this weekend?

Anyway, whereabouts do you live? Wie auch immer, wo wohnst du?

If you're feeling uncomfortable with a conversation topic, you might clearly ask to change the |tú estás||incómodo||||||||||| Wenn Sie sich bei einem Gesprächsthema unwohl fühlen, können Sie deutlich darum bitten, das zu ändern

subject.

You can say something like:

Can we talk about something else?

Let's change the subject.

I don't really want to talk about that.

Remember that if you use phrases like these, you're clearly showing the other person Denken Sie daran, dass Sie mit solchen Sätzen die andere Person deutlich zeigen

that you're uncomfortable with the conversation. ||que você está desconfortável com a conversa.||| dass dir das Gespräch unangenehm ist.

If you say something like this, make sure that you mean it. Wenn Sie so etwas sagen, stellen Sie sicher, dass Sie es ernst meinen.

Finally, let's see one of the most important skills for having good conversations in English: Finalmente||||||||||||||inglés Sehen wir uns zum Schluss eine der wichtigsten Fähigkeiten an, um gute Gespräche auf Englisch zu führen:

…so then I say to her, ‘You must be joking!', and she's all like, ‘No', and I'm ||||||||||||全部|||| |||||||||a brincar||||||| … also sage ich zu ihr: „Du machst wohl Witze!“, und sie sagt nur: „Nein“, und ich tue es

all like, ‘That is so crazy!', and then… todo|||||loco||entonces

Adele, I hate to be rude, but I have to be somewhere else. |私は|嫌い|||||私|ある|||| |||||||||||algum lugar| |||||||||||nekje drugje| Adele, ich hasse es, unhöflich zu sein, aber ich muss woanders sein.

We'll talk later, okay? veremos|||

Oh, okay.

See you later!

You're an events manager? Sie sind Veranstaltungsmanager?

That's exactly what I want to get into! ||||||入りたい| |exactamente|||||| Genau darauf möchte ich eingehen!

I have so many questions. Ich habe so viele Fragen.

So, what's the best way to get a job with your company? Also, was ist der beste Weg, um einen Job bei Ihrem Unternehmen zu bekommen?

Will you help me out? verbo auxiliar|||| Wirst du mir helfen?

Listen, it's been great talking to you, but I should get back to work. ||||||||私||||| escucha||||||||||||| Hör zu, es war toll, mit dir zu reden, aber ich sollte wieder an die Arbeit gehen.

Can I ask you my questions later? Kann ich Ihnen später meine Fragen stellen?

I have SO MANY.

Sure, just call me. Klar, ruf mich einfach an.

But, I don't have your phone number! |||tengo|||

Have you finished the debugging work? ||||debugging process| ||||depuração| ||||debugging| ||||调试工作完成了吗?| ||||odpravljanje napak| ||||デバッグ作業| Haben Sie die Debugging-Arbeit abgeschlossen? Ви закінчили налагодження?

It's nearly done. |almost| |quase| Es ist fast fertig.

Is there any chance you can ask someone to help me? Besteht die Möglichkeit, dass Sie jemanden bitten können, mir zu helfen?

It's a lot of work.

I'll see what I can do. ||||puedo|

Anyway, I won't keep you any longer. |それでは||||| |||manter||mais (tempo)|mais tempo Jedenfalls werde ich dich nicht länger aufhalten.

Try to have the work done by tomorrow evening. ||haber|||||| Versuchen Sie, die Arbeit bis morgen Abend erledigt zu haben.

Alright.

Here, you saw three short conversations with three different ways to leave a conversation. ||||curtas||||||||| Hier haben Sie drei kurze Unterhaltungen mit drei verschiedenen Möglichkeiten gesehen, eine Unterhaltung zu verlassen.

Do you remember them? Erinnerst du dich an sie?

Here are the three phrases you saw:

I hate to be rude, but… 私||||| Ich hasse es, unhöflich zu sein, aber …

It's been great talking to you, but... それは|||||| Es war toll, mit dir zu reden, aber...

I won't keep you any longer. |||||más tiempo Ich werde dich nicht länger aufhalten.

You can also add the person's name to make it sound more personal: |puedes|también||||||||||personal

Stephanie, I hate to be rude, but… Stephanie|||a|||

Paul, it's been great talking to you, but… |||||||pero Paul, es war toll, mit dir zu reden, aber …

You can make these phrases sound stronger by adding a word like look or listen at the |||||sonen|||||||||||

start:

Look, I hate to be rude, but… mira|||||| Schau, ich hasse es, unhöflich zu sein, aber …

Listen, it's been great talking to you, but… Hör zu, es war toll, mit dir zu reden, aber …

Saying it like this adds emphasis and makes it extra clear that the conversation is finishing. Wenn du es so sagst, wird es betont und es wird besonders deutlich, dass das Gespräch zu Ende ist.

After the word but, make an excuse: ||||||excusa

Stephanie, I hate to be rude, but I have to catch the last metro. ||||||||||pegar|||metro

Paul, it's been great talking to you, but there are some other people here I need to Paul, es war toll, mit dir zu reden, aber es gibt noch ein paar andere Leute hier, die ich brauche

catch up with.

Another good way to leave a conversation is to pretend that you're stopping the other |||||||||притвориться||||| Eine andere gute Möglichkeit, ein Gespräch zu verlassen, besteht darin, so zu tun, als würdest du den anderen aufhalten

person from leaving.

You can say something like:

I won't keep you any longer. ||||mais|mais Ich werde dich nicht länger aufhalten.

Or: I'll let you get back to work. |私は|||||| ||deixo||||| Oder: Ich lasse Sie wieder arbeiten.

On the phone, it's common to say: ||||común||

I'll let you go. 私は||| Ich werde dich gehen lassen.

This is a clear signal that the conversation is ending. ||||indication||||| |||||||||a terminar To je jasen signal, da se pogovor končuje.

Then, say goodbye, and you're finished! |||||terminé ||||has terminado| Potem recite nasvidenje in končali ste!

You can see that starting, developing and ending a conversation in English is quite Lahko vidite, da je začetek, razvoj in končanje pogovora v angleščini precej

simple. sencillo

Use the tips and language from this lesson, and you'll be able to have natural conversations

in English easily!

Anyway, it's been great talking to you, but we really have to go! |||||||||本当に|||

Don't forget to check out our website for more free English lessons like this one: Oxford

Online English dot com. Online English dot com.

Thanks for watching! Hvala, da ste gledali!

See you next time! Se vidimo naslednjič!