Meeting People- Key Words, Phrases, Dialogues and Topics

Meeting people key words, phrases, dialogues and topics

 

Part One: Personalised realistic roleplays

Describe a situation in which you have to speak English when you meet people face to face (for the first time or again), describing factors like:

• Arranged meeting?/ Meeting by chance?
• Venue (= place where you meet, e.g. conference/trade fair, reception of your building, meeting room in their building, cafeteria, lift, airport, plane, bus, train, station, hotel)
• You travelled to the venue?/ The other person travelled to the venue?/ Both?
• Meeting for the first time?/ Meeting again?
• What you already know about each other (names, company, role, family, country, etc)
• Previous contact with that person (previous meeting, telephone to arrange the meeting, email to send an agenda for the meeting, etc) and time since then
• Formality (very formality/ formal/ medium formality/ fairly informal/ very casual)
• Good topics of conversation (venue, things going on around you, sport, weather, travel, countries, companies, jobs/ roles, the last time you were in contact, people you both know, food and drink, business conditions, present projects, products/ services)
• Exchange business cards?/ Already exchanged business cards?
• What will happen after the small talk (really start the meeting, have to meet other people, introduce to others, back to work, back to your desk, take to a meeting room, event starting, reach your floor, etc)

Roleplay that situation with you as yourself and your partner as the foreign person who you will meet. If you are roleplaying the small talk before a business meeting, don’t discuss the actual agenda of the meeting, just skip to the similar social language at the end. Note that the list above is not a format for a conversation, so you can’t follow it step by step.

If you haven’t already, roleplay meeting someone for the first time and then meeting the same person again, using the situations below to help if you like. The points below are not in order, so you need to read the whole situation before you start speaking.

Meeting people situation to roleplay 1 Meeting by chance Conference or trade fair Both travelled to the venue Meeting for the first time Know nothing about each other No previous contact with that person Medium formality Good topics of conversation: the place you are/ things going on around you, companies, jobs/ roles Exchange business cards Event starting, but will email each other later in the week

Meeting people situation to roleplay 2 Meeting by chance Conference or trade fair Both travelled to the venue Meeting again Already know names, companies, jobs/ roles, countries, etc Met at the same event two years ago and emailed just after Fairly informal Good topics of conversation: business conditions, products, people you both know Already exchanged business cards Have to talk to other people but will email later and hopefully meet up again

 

Part Two: Jigsaw dialogues

Without looking below for now, divide the cards that you are given into three categories:

• Used when you meet someone for the first time
• Used when you meet someone again
• Possible in both situations

Then put all the cards into two conversations in order, one with two people meeting for the first time at a conference, and the other with two different people meeting again at a conference. Both conversations go A B A B etc. All the cards should only be able to go in one place, including those which could be suitable in both situations. The two conversations are not the same length.

 

Check your answers with un-cut-up versions of the worksheet, test your partner on their ability to answer phrases from below (with true information about them), then roleplay the same two situations.

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Cards to cut up/ Suggested answers

Meeting for the first time

A: Is this the right place for the workshop on Lloyds of London?

B: Yes, that’s right. That’s what I’m here for too.

A: Oh good. Thanks. Is this seat free?

B: Yes, it is. Please take a seat. It’s really busy, isn’t it?

A: Yes, it is, isn’t it? I’m John, by the way. John Smith, from AIU.

B: Pleased to meet you, John. My name’s Javier. Javier Grande.

A: It’s a pleasure to meet you, too, Javier. Who do you work for?

B: I work for Swiss Re.

A: Where is it based?

B: Its HQ is in Zurich, in Switzerland. What do you do, John?

A: I’m in charge of marketing for new products. How about you?

B: My duties are almost the same as yours, actually. I’d like to learn more about what you do, but the workshop is going to start. Do you have a business card?

A: Yes, I do have one somewhere. Just a moment. Here you are.

B: Thanks. And here’s mine. It was really nice to meet you. I’ll email you later this week.

A: It was great to meet you, too. I look forward to hearing from you.

 

Meeting again

A: Excuse me, Javier? It’s John. We met at this conference two years ago.

B: Wow, John! Long time no see. Great to see you again.

A: It’s lovely to see you too. How are you?

B: I’m fine, thanks. How about you? How’s business?

A: Very good, thanks. Our new product is selling well. Do you still work with Leonardo?

B: Yes, I do. You must come for dinner with us next time you come to Belgium.

A: I’d love to! Anyway, I’m afraid I have to speak to a few more people before the conference ends, but I’ll email you sometime next week.

B: Of course, no problem. Me too. It was great to see you again. Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

 

Part Three: Useful phrases for meeting people and meeting people again

Without looking below, listen and hold up the correct card depending on if what you hear is something you say when you meet someone face to face for the very first time (“The 1^st time”) or when you meet someone for a second time or subsequent time (“Again”).

Decide if the language in each section is for meeting the 1^st time (1^st) or again (Again).

• You must be (name).
• I’m supposed to meet (name). (Is that you, by any chance?)

 

• Hi, I’m here to see (name)./ I’m here to meet (name). (I’m guessing that’s you.)
• Good morning/ afternoon/ evening. I have an appointment with (name).
• Excuse me, are you (name)?

 

• Long time no see. How have you been?
• What a nice surprise!/ What a great coincidence!

 

• Is anyone sitting here?/ Is this seat free?
• Is this the right place for the meeting about/ for the workshop on/ for the…?
• It’s really hot/ humid/ busy/ crowded, isn’t it? (Is it usually like this?)

 

• I don’t know if you remember me, but we met last year/ we worked together…/ we…
• (name)? It’s (name). We met…/ It’s (name), right? It’s (name). We… together.

 

• I don’t think we’ve been introduced./ I don’t think we’ve met.
• Can I introduce myself?/ May I introduce myself?/ I should probably introduce

 

• We’ve emailed each other, but it’s so nice to finally meet you (face to face).
• We’ve spoken (many times) on the phone, but it’s so nice to finally meet you.

 

• My name is (name). I work for…/ I’m from…/ I’m here for…/ I…
• I’m (full name) (but) please call me (first name/ shortened name/ nickname).

 

• Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m (name).
• I’m (first name), by the way, (full name), from (name of who you work for).

 

• I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.
• Sorry, could I ask your name?/ Sorry, do you mind if I ask your name?
• And you are?

 

• (It’s very) nice to meet you.
• (I’m very) pleased to meet you.

 

• (It’s) so nice to see you (again).
• (It’s) great to see you (again).
• (It’s) lovely to see you (again).

 

• (It’s a) (real/ great) pleasure to meet you.
• (I’m very) glad to meet you.
• (I’m) delighted to meet you.
• It’s so nice to finally meet you (face to face).
• I’ve been looking forward to meeting you. I’ve heard so much about you.

 

• How’s it going?/ How are things?/ How are you doing?/ How’s life?

 

• What do you do?/ What’s your job?
• What exactly do you (have to) do (in your job)?

 

• Who do you work for?
• I’m afraid I’ve never heard of… Wh…?/ I think I’ve heard of… Wh…?
• What kind of business are you in?

 

• How’s work?
• (Have you) been busy?

 

• What does your company/ division/ department/ section/ team do?
• What are you (most) famous for?/ You are (quite/ really) famous (in my country) for…

 

• Where is your company based?
• Do you do much business in…?

 

• How’s business?
• How’s your project going?

 

• How has your week been (so far)?
• How was your weekend?/ Did you have a good weekend?

 

• How was your trip?
• What are you working on at the moment?/ Are you still working on…?

 

• Do you still work with (name of another person)?
• How’s (name of another person)?
• Have you heard from (name of another person) (recently)?

 

• Do you have a business card (on you)?
• Perhaps we should exchange business cards.

 

• Let me give you my business card.
• It’s (all) written on my business card. Just a moment while I get one. Here you are.

 

• It was so nice to see you (again).
• It’s been lovely to see you (again).

 

• It was really nice to catch
• It was great to see you (again).

 

• It was a pleasure to meet/ It was so nice to finally meet you (face to face).
• It was nice meeting

 

Photocopiable cards for students to hold up

1st time	Again
1st time	Again
1st time	Again
1st time	Again
1st time	Again
1st time	Again

 

Without looking above for now, brainstorm at least two suitable phrases for each category below. Phrases not above might also possible.

Meeting for the first time

Checking if it’s the person that you think it is

 

 

 

 

 

Other ways of smoothly starting the conversation/ Leading into an introduction

 

 

 

 

 

Meeting someone who you’ve had other kinds of contact with/ Mentioning the last contact between you

 

 

 

 

 

Giving your own name

 

 

 

 

 

Asking for names

 

 

 

 

 

Expressions meaning “Nice to meet you”

 

 

 

 

 

Making conversation/ Chatting/ Small talk when you meet for the first time

 

 

 

 

 

Discussing business cards

 

 

 

 

 

Like “Nice to meet you”, but at the end of the conversation

 

 

 

 

 

Meeting again

Starting conversations

Expressions meaning “Nice to see you (again)”

 

 

 

 

 

Meeting again after a long time

 

 

 

 

 

Expressions like “How are you?”

 

 

 

 

 

Making conversation/ Chatting/ Small talk with people who you’ve met before

 

 

 

 

 

Like “Nice to see you (again)”, but at the end of the conversation

 

 

Key words

Use these words to help with the task above. If there are words divided with a forward slash, there is more than one similar phrase.

Meeting for the first time

Checking if it’s the person that you think it is

• must
• supposed
• here
• appointment
• excuse

Other ways of smoothly starting the conversation/ Leading into an introduction

• sitting/ seat
• right
• isn’t
• we
• introduce

Meeting someone who you’ve had other kinds of contact with/ Mentioning the last contact between you

• emailed
• phone

Giving your own name

• name
• call
• forgot
• way

Asking for names

• catch
• ask
• and

Expressions meaning “Nice to meet you”

• nice
• pleased
• pleasure
• glad
• delighted
• finally
• forward

Making conversation/ Chatting/ Small talk when you meet for the first time

• do/ job
• exactly
• who
• heard
• kind
• company/ division/ department/ section/ team
• famous
• based
• much

Discussing business cards

• have
• exchange
• written
• let

Like “Nice to meet you”, but at the end of the conversation

• meet
• meeting

Meeting again

Starting conversations

Expressions meaning “Nice to see you (again)”

• so
• great
• lovely

Meeting again after a long time

• remember
• we
• long
• What a nice surprise!/ What a great coincidence!

Expressions like “How are you?”

• going/ things/ doing/ life

Making conversation/ Chatting/ Small talk with people who you’ve met before

• work
• busy
• business
• project
• week
• weekend
• trip
• working
• with
• how’s
• heard

Like “Nice to see you (again)”, but at the end of the conversation

• so
• lovely
• great
• catch

Suggested answers

Many other answers are possible, so please check if you wrote something different.

Meeting for the first time

Checking if it’s the person that you think it is

• You must be (name).
• I’m supposed to meet (name). (Is that you, by any chance?)
• Hi, I’m here to see (name)./ I’m here to meet (name). (I’m guessing that’s you.)
• Good morning/ afternoon/ evening. I have an appointment with (name).
• Excuse me, are you (name)?

Other ways of smoothly starting the conversation/ Leading into an introduction

• Is anyone sitting here?/ Is this seat free?
• Is this the right place for the meeting about/ for the workshop on/ for the…?
• It’s really hot/ humid/ busy/ crowded, isn’t it? (Is it usually like this?)
• I don’t think we’ve been introduced./ I don’t think we’ve met.
• Can I introduce myself?/ May I introduce myself?/ I should probably introduce

(PROBABLY NOT Hi. My name is…)

Meeting someone who you’ve had other kinds of contact with/ Mentioning the last contact between you

• We’ve emailed each other, but it’s so nice to finally meet you (face to face).
• We’ve spoken (many times) on the phone, but it’s so nice to finally meet you.

Giving your own name

• My name is (name). I work for…/ I’m from…/ I’m here for…/ I…
• I’m (full name) (but) please call me (first name/ shortened name/ nickname).
• Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m (name).
• I’m (first name), by the way, (full name), from (name of who you work for).

Asking for names

• I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.
• Sorry, could I ask your name?/ Sorry, do you mind if I ask your name?
• And you are?

(NOT What’s your name? X)

Expressions meaning “Nice to meet you”

• (It’s very) nice to meet you.
• (I’m very) pleased to meet you.
• (It’s a) (real/ great) pleasure to meet you.
• (I’m very) glad to meet you.
• (I’m) delighted to meet you.
• It’s so nice to finally meet you (face to face).
• I’ve been looking forward to meeting you. I’ve heard so much about you.

(NOT Nice to see you X NOT How about you? X NOT Nice to see you X)

(PROBABLY NOT How are you?)

(RARE It’s an honour to meet you RARE How do you do?)

Making conversation/ Chatting/ Small talk when you meet for the first time

• What do you do?/ What’s your job?
• What exactly do you (have to) do (in your job)?
• Who do you work for?
• I’m afraid I’ve never heard of… Wh…?/ I think I’ve heard of… Wh…?
• What kind of business are you in?
• What does your company/ division/ department/ section/ team do?
• What are you (most) famous for?/ You are (quite/ really) famous (in my country) for…
• Where is your company based?
• Do you do much business in the Kansai region/ in Southeast Asia/ in the US/ in…?

(PROBABLY NOT What’s your company name?)

Discussing business cards

• Do you have a business card (on you)?
• Perhaps we should exchange business cards.
• Let me give you my business card.
• It’s (all) written on my business card. Just a moment while I get one. Here you are.

Like “Nice to meet you”, but at the end of the conversation

• It was a pleasure to meet/ It was so nice to finally meet you (face to face).
• It was nice meeting

(NOT Nice to meet you X)

 

Meeting again

Starting conversations

Expressions meaning “Nice to see you (again)”

• (It’s) so nice to see you (again).
• (It’s) great to see you (again).
• (It’s) lovely to see you (again).

(NOT It’s nice to meet you again X)

Meeting again after a long time

• I don’t know if you remember me, but we met last year/ we worked together…/ we…
• (name)? It’s (name). We met…/ It’s (name), right? It’s (name). We… together.
• Long time no see. How have you been?
• What a nice surprise!/ What a great coincidence!

Expressions like “How are you?”

• How’s it going?/ How are things?/ How are you doing?/ How’s life?

Making conversation/ Chatting/ Small talk with people who you’ve met before

• How’s work?
• (Have you) been busy?
• How’s business?
• How’s your project going?
• How has your week been (so far)?
• How was your weekend?/ Did you have a good weekend?
• How was your trip?
• What are you working on at the moment?/ Are you still working on…?
• Do you still work with (name of another person)?
• How’s (name of another person)?
• Have you heard from (name of another person) (recently)?

Like “Nice to see you (again)”, but at the end of the conversation

• It was so nice to see you (again).
• It’s been lovely to see you (again).
• It was really nice to catch
• It was great to see you (again).

Do the same for these new categories that can be used in both situations.

Making conversation (when meeting for the first time or meeting again)

 

 

 

 

 

Asking the same question back to someone

 

 

 

 

 

Introducing other people

 

 

 

 

 

Signalling that the conversation is coming to an end/ Smoothly ending the conversation

 

 

 

 

 

Giving reasons for ending the conversation

 

 

 

 

 

Talking about the next contact between you

 

 

 

 

 

Good wishes for something that the other person will do in the future

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Key words

Use these words to help with the task above

Making conversation (when meeting for the first time or meeting again)

• journey/ flight
• traffic
• fly
• weather
• how long
• hotel
• staying
• here
• first
• finding
• come

 

Asking the same question back to someone

• and
• what
• how

 

Introducing other people

• this
• met
• introduce

 

Signalling that the conversation is coming to an end/ Smoothly ending the conversation

• interesting
• more
• time
• hear
• fascinating
• productive
• more
• catch

 

Giving reasons for ending the conversation

• someone
• meeting
• busy
• train
• people

 

Talking about the next contact between you

• check
• email
• phone
• card
• be
• later/ now
• next/ on/ then
• soon
• around
• change
• forward

 

Good wishes for something that the other person will do in the future

• luck
• time
• fun
• trip
• weekend
• care/ voyage/ journey

 

Suggested answers

Many other answers are possible (both with and without these key words), so please check if you wrote something different.

 

Making conversation (when meeting for the first time or meeting again)

• How was your journey?/ How was your flight?
• How was the traffic?
• Who did you fly with?
• Nice/ Lovely/ Terrible/ Horrible weather, isn’t it?/ How the weather in… (now)?
• How long are you here?/ How long will you be here?/ How long are you staying (in…) (this time)?
• What’s your hotel like?/ How’s your hotel?
• Where are you staying?/ Are you staying near here?
• What brings you here today?
• Is this your first time in…?
• Did you have any trouble finding us?/ Did you have any problems finding us?
• Where have you come from today?/ Did you have to come far today?

(NOT It’s a fine day X)

 

Asking the same question back to someone

• And you?
• What about you?
• How about you?

 

Introducing other people

• This is (my/ the…) (name).
• Have you met…?/ I don’t think you’ve met...
• May I introduce you to…?/ Can I introduce you to…?/ I’d like to introduce you to…

 

Signalling that the conversation is coming to an end/ Smoothly ending the conversation

• Well, it’s been really interesting talking to you but…
• So, I’d love to speak more but…
• Well then, I’m really glad we had this time to talk but…
• So then, it was great to hear about your job/ about…, but…
• Okay then, this has been fascinating, but…
• Okay, this has been very productive, but…
• So, I’d love to hear more about this, but…/ Well, you must tell me more about that (sometime), but…
• Well, it’s been great to catch up, but…

(NOT Well, it was nice to meet you X)

 

 

Giving reasons for ending the conversation

• I’m afraid there’s someone I really need to speak to.
• I have a meeting in five minutes, so…
• I know you are really busy, so…
• I have a train to catch, so…/ My train leaves in ten minutes, so…
• I have to meet a few more people/ speak to a few more people, so…

(NOT I have another arrangement, so… X NOT I’m very busy, so… X NOT I have to go X)

 

Talking about the next contact between you

• I’ll check with my boss and get back to your by the end of the week/ by…
• As I said, I’ll email you about this matter/ about meeting again/ about…
• I’ll phone you in the next couple days/ in a week or so/ in…
• Here is my business card, so please contact me (anytime/ sometime soon).
• Will you be at… later/ this evening/ tomorrow/ on Friday/…?
• See you later./ Bye for now.
• See you next…/ See you on…/ See you then.
• See you soon.
• See you around.
• I hope we have the chance to meet again soon.
• I look forward to seeing you then.

 

Good wishes for something that the other person will do in the future

• Good luck with the launch/ with your presentation/ with…/ Best of luck with…
• (I hope you) have a good time.
• (I hope you) have fun.
• Have a good trip.
• (I hope you) have a good weekend.
• Take care./ Bon voyage./ Have a safe journey.

(NOT Good luck X)

 

Test each other on the phrases above:

• Read out a phrase with a key word missing
• Read out just a key word and help your partner make the phrase
• Read out the name of a function above and help your partner make as many phrases as they can with that function

 

Roleplay similar conversations using as many of the key words and/ or functions above as you can.

Part Four: Replies

Without looking above yet, try to think of/ remember phrases which take these replies. Sometimes more than one original statement or question is possible. If there is more than one thing on a line below, they can be used in reply to the same thing.

• Good idea. Let me just find mine.
• Looking forward to hearing from you.
• I do. Just a moment while I find them.
• I hope so too.
• I work for Kobe Steel./ I work for a Japanese raw materials company.
• I’m a sales rep.
• I’m in charge of customer support in the Middle East and North Africa./ I help develop new products./ I’m responsible for…/ I have to…
• I’m Japanese./ I’m from Aichi in Northern Japan.
• It checks quality and helps improve processes.
• It has been ages, hasn’t it?
• It is actually. It’s great to be here./ Actually, yes. I’ve always wanted to visit./ It’s my second time, but I haven’t been here for ages.
• It mainly produces raw materials like steel and copper.
• It was great to see you too.
• It’s lovely to see you too.
• It’s so nice to finally meet you too.
• Just Shinagawa, so not too far./ We came straight from New York, actually.
• Just two days this time./ I have to leave tomorrow, unfortunately.
• Nice to meet you (name). I’m (name).
• No, I don’t think we have. I’m (name).
• No, it’s free. Please take a seat.
• No, no problems at all. The map you sent was very clear thanks.
• Not bad./ Fine/ Great!/ Good/ Very well + thanks/ thank you. + And you?/ How about you?/ What about you?
• Of course I remember you. Long time no see.
• Of course, I’ll let you get on./ No problem, thanks for talking to me.
• Of course.
• Our HQ is in Kobe, Japan./ Our head office is in Western Japan.
• Pleased to meet you too.
• Thank you very much. Here’s mine.
• You too.
• That’s me. Thanks for coming.
• That’s right. You must be (name).
• Very comfortable, thanks.
• We’re quite well-known for stainless steel and aluminium.
• Yes, it is, isn’t it?
• Yes, that’s right./ I hope so! That’s what I’m here for too.
• Please go ahead.

Look on the previous worksheets to help check your answers, then check with the answer key below.

Suggested answers

Note that the phrases above are in alphabetical order, not the same order as above. Other answers might be possible, so please ask your teacher if you think you have other possibilities.

Meeting for the first time

Starting the conversation/ Leading into an introduction

• Is anyone sitting here? – No, it’s free. Please take a seat.
• Is this seat free? – Yes. Please go ahead.
• Is this the right place for...? – Yes, that’s right./ I hope so! That’s what I’m here for too.
• It’s really hot/ humid/ busy/ crowded, isn’t it? – Yes, it is, isn’t it?
• I don’t think we’ve been introduced./ I don’t think we’ve met. – No, I don’t think we have. I’m (name).
• May I introduce myself?/ I should probably introduce myself. – Of course.

Checking if it’s the person that you think it is

• Good afternoon. I have an appointment with (name)./ Hi, I’m here to see (name). – That’s me. Thanks for coming.
• I’m supposed to meet (name). Is that you (by any chance)?/ You must be (name)./ Excuse me, are you (name)?/ I’m sorry. Are you (name)? – That’s right. You must be (name).

Giving your own name

• My name is (name) and I…/ I’m…, by the way./ I forgot to introduce myself. I’m (name). – Nice to meet you (name). I’m (name).

Expressions meaning “Nice to meet you”

• It’s so nice to finally meet you (face to face). – It’s so nice to finally meet you too.
• Pleased to meet you. – Pleased to meet you too.

Making conversation

• What do you do?/ What’s your job? – I’m a sales rep.
• What exactly do you do (in your job)?/ What are your duties?/ What’s your role? – I’m in charge of customer support in the Middle East and North Africa./ I help develop new products./ I’m responsible for…/ I have to…
• Who do you work for? – I work for Kobe Steel./ I work for a Japanese raw materials company.
• What does your company do?/ What kind of company do you work for? – It mainly produces raw materials like steel and copper.
• What does your division/ department/ section/ team do? – It checks quality and helps improve processes.
• What is your bestselling product?/ What is your most famous product? – We’re quite well-known for stainless steel and aluminium.
• Where is your company based? – Our HQ is in Kobe, Japan./ Our head office is in Western Japan.
• Is this your first time in…? – It is actually. It’s great to be here./ Actually, yes. I’ve always wanted to visit./ It’s my second time, but I haven’t been here for ages.
• Did you have any trouble finding us?/ Did you have any problems finding us? – No, no problems at all. The map you sent was very clear thanks.
• Where have you come from today?/ Did you have to come far today? – Just Shinagawa, so not too far./ We came straight from New York, actually.
• Where are you from?/ Where do you come from? – I’m Japanese./ I’m from Aichi in Northern Japan.

Discussing business cards

• Do you have a business card (on you)? – I do. Just a moment while I find them.
• Perhaps we should exchange business cards. – Good idea. Let me just find mine.
• Here’s my business card. – Thank you very much. Here’s mine.

Like “Nice to meet you” at the end of the conversation

• It was a pleasure to meet you. – It was a pleasure to meet you too.

 

Meeting again

Starting conversations

Expressions meaning “Nice to see you (again)”

• It’s lovely to see you (again). – It’s lovely to see you too.

Meeting again after a long time

• I don’t know if you remember me, but…– Of course I remember you. Long time no see.
• Long time no see. How have you been? – It has been ages, hasn’t it?

Expressions like “How are you?”

• How’s it going?/ How are things?/ How’s life?/ How’s business?/ How’s work?/ How was your weekend? – Not bad./ Fine/ Great!/ Good/ Very well + thanks/ thank you. + And you?/ How about you?/ What about you?

Expressions like “Nice to see you (again)” at the end of the conversation

• It was great to see you (again). – It was great to see you too.

Making conversation (when meeting for the first time or meeting again)

• How long are you here?/ How long will you be here? – Just two days this time./ I have to leave tomorrow, unfortunately.
• What’s your hotel like?/ How’s your hotel? – Very comfortable, thanks.

Giving reasons for ending the conversation

• I’m afraid there’s someone I really need to speak to./ I have a meeting in five minutes, so…/ I have a train to catch, so…/ My train leaves in ten minutes, so… – Of course, I’ll let you get on./ No problem, thanks for talking to me.

Talking about the next contact between you

• I’ll check with my boss and…/ As I said, I’ll email about…/ I’ll phone you about…– Great. Looking forward to hearing from you.
• I hope we have the chance to meet again soon. – I hope so too.

Good wishes for something that the other person will do in the future

• Good luck with…/ (I hope you) have a good time./ (I hope you) have fun./ Have a good trip./ (I hope you) have a good weekend./ Take care./ Bon voyage./ Have a safe journey. – Thanks. You too.

 

Test each other in pairs, then start and continue conversations with those phrases.

What are good topics and questions to continue conversations?

 

Part Five: Meeting people the same or different

Without looking below, listen to two or more expressions and raise “The same” card or the “Different” card depending on their meanings. If there are more than two, they are all the same or all different. Then label the lines below with S for the same or D for different.

• /Hi.
• Good evening./ Good night.
• Is anyone sitting here?/ Is this seat free?
• Can I introduce myself?/ May I introduce myself?
• I’m Alex./ My name is Alex.
• I’m Alex./ This is Alex.
• (And) can I ask your name?/ And you are?
• Nice to meet you./ Pleased to meet you./ How do you do?/ It’s a pleasure to meet you.
• Great to meet you./ It’s an honour to meet you.
• It’s so nice to meet you./ It’s so nice to see you (again).
• It’s so nice to finally meet you (face to face)./ Long time no see.

Small talk

• How are you?/ How do you do?
• How are you?/ How about you?
• And you?/ How about you?/ What about you?
• How are you?/ Are you okay?
• Are you okay?/ What’s wrong?/ What’s the matter?
• How are you?/ How’s it going?/ How are things?/ How’s life?/ How are you doing?
• How are you?/ How have you been?
• How was your week?/ How has your week been?
• How’s business?/ How’s work?
• How was your trip?/ How was your journey?/ How was your flight?
• What brings you here today?/ How did you get here (today)?
• Did you have any trouble finding us?/ Did you have any problems getting here?
• I’m fine, thank you./ Very well, thank you./ Not bad, thanks.
• Not bad./ So so.
• So so./ Not so good.
• That’s too bad./ I’m sorry to hear that./ That’s a shame./ That’s a pity.
• That sounds good./ I’m glad to hear that.
• How do you do?/ What do you do?
• What’s your job?/ What do you do?
• What do you do?/ What are you working on?

Ending

• Well, it’s been great to catch up, but…/ Well, I’d love to hear more about this, but…
• So, I’d love to hear more about this/ you must tell me more about that sometime,…
• I have another meeting, so…/ I have to meet a few more people, so…
• I’ll mail you by Friday./ I’ll email you by the end of the week.
• It was nice meeting you./ It was nice to meet you./ Nice meeting you.
• Nice to meet you./ Nice meeting you.
• It was nice to meet you./ It was a pleasure to meet you./ It was great to meet you.
• See you sometime./ See you later./ See you then./ See you, then.
• I hope to see you sometime./ I look forward to hearing from you.

Check your answers, test each other and then hold conversations using the expressions.

 

Cards to hold up 

The same	Different
The same	Different
The same	Different
The same	Different
The same	Different
The same	Different
The same	Different

 

Part Six: Good and bad questions and topics for making conversation

Choose questions from below which you think might prompt good conversation with your partner and ask the questions, with follow-up questions if you like. Were you right that those were good questions?

• Are there any good… near here?
• Are you (originally) from (around) here?
• Are you allergic to anything?
• Are you married?
• Are you religious?
• Can you eat raw fish?
• Can you recommend… near here/ in (name of place)?
• Can you use chopsticks?
• Did you get much done this week?/ Have you had a productive week?
• Did you have a good weekend?/ How was your weekend?
• Did you have any trouble finding us?/ Did you have any problems finding us?
• Did you hear (the news) about…?
• Did you hear the weather forecast (for today/ tonight/ this weekend/…)?
• Did you see the game/ match between… and… (last night)?
• Do you do any sports?
• Do you drink alcohol?
• Do you drive?
• Do you eat meat?
• Do you follow football/ any team/ any Spanish teams?
• Do you have any children?/ Do you plan to have children?
• Do you have any pets?
• Do you have any plans for the weekend?
• Do you know (name)?
• Do you know what time…?
• Do you like/ What do you think about (name of famous person)?
• Do you like… food?
• Do you live near here?
• Do you own any shares?
• Do you smoke?
• Do you watch…?
• Do you work near here?
• Do you work with (name)?
• Have you been busy?/ Been busy?
• Have you ever been to…?/ Have you ever visited…?
• Have you ever read/ seen…?
• Have you heard from (name) recently?
• Have you read any good books/ seen any good movies recently?
• Have you tried… food?
• How are you (today)?
• How are you feeling?
• How are your family?
• How is (name)?
• How long are you here?/ How long will you be here?
• How long have you been… ing…?
• How much did your house cost?
• How much do you earn?/ How much money do you make?
• How much do you weigh?
• How old are you?
• How tall are you?
• How the weather in… (now)?
• How was your journey?/ How was the traffic?/ How was your flight?
• How was your week?/ How has your week been (so far)?
• How’s business?
• How’s the weather (outside now)?
• How’s work?
• How’s your love life?
• How’s your project going?
• Is it going to rain/ snow (do you think)?
• Is there anywhere good to eat around here?
• Is this your first time in (name of place where you are)?
• Is… a safe place?
• Is… popular in your country?
• Nice/ Lovely/ Terrible/ Horrible weather, isn’t it?
• That’s a nice… Where did you buy it?/ How much did it cost?
• Wasn’t your company in the news yesterday?
• What are you doing here?
• What are you working on (at the moment)?/ Are you still working on…?
• What did you study at university?
• What do you do?/ What’s your job?
• What do you think about Prime Minister/ President…?
• What do you think about… women?
• What does your company do?/ What kind of company do you work for?
• What does your division/ department/ section/ team do?
• What exactly do you do (in your job)?/ What are your duties?/ What’s your role?
• What is it like, working for…?
• What is your bestselling product?/ What is your most famous product?
• What’s your hotel like?/ How’s your hotel?
• Where are you from?/ Where do you come from?
• Where are you staying?/ Are you staying near here?
• Where are your parents from?
• Where have you come from today?/ Did you have to come far today?
• Where is your company based?
• Where is your family from?
• Which part of… do you live in?
• Which university did you go to?
• Who did you fly with?
• Who do you work for?
• Why are you here today?/ What brings you here today?

Do the same, but pretending that you have never met before.

What topics are good/ easy and bad/ difficult for starting and continuing conversations? Brainstorm topics of conversation into these three categories:

Good topics of conversation even with strangers	Good topics of conversation with people you know	Taboo topics of conversation

 

Rank and discuss the easy and taboo topics game

Work in groups of two to five. Without looking below, take one or two cards each and work together to decide which card is:

1. Very easy/ good topics of conversation, even with strangers
2. Fairly easy/ good topics of conversation, including with people who you don’t know (well)
3. Okay/ a little difficult topics of conversation
4. Fairly difficult topics of conversation (although maybe okay with friends)
5. Very difficult or absolutely taboo topics of conversation, best avoided

All are classified for British people, so might be different for people in your country.

Compare your answers with those on the pages below. They are the same as order as written above. Are there any which are surprising/ different for people in your country?

Choose a category that you want someone to ask you a question on. You will get that many points if you can answer the question fully, or some part of that many points if you can answer it partly, e.g. 2 points for half answering a 5 point question. You don’t get any points for refusing to answer the question, but here are some useful phrases for doing so:

“I’d rather not answer that (if you don’t mind).”        “I’m sorry, that’s rather personal.” “I’m afraid we don’t really talk about that in my culture.”

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• (Recent) movies and TV programmes
• America
• Cars (e.g. something on the TV show Top Gear)
• Celebrities (= famous people)
• Complaints about a place you both work or live
• Complaints about politicians
• Complaints about transport
• Drinking
• Favourite sportsmen
• First names
• Football
• Free time/ Hobbies
• Hometowns
• Hotels
• How busy you are
• International news stories
• People who you both know
• Pets
• Places you have and haven’t lived/ visited
• Precise job title and what exactly you do (= details about your jobs)
• Sightseeing in this/ your area
• The room or building which you are in
• The weather
• Travel (e.g. to the place you are now, commuting, or travel abroad)
• Your bad points

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• Airports/ Airlines
• Allergies
• Bargains/ How much you saved (for example in the summer sales)
• Books
• China
• Complaints about your children and husbands/ wives
• Cooking/ Food
• Crime
• DIY
• Exercise/ Sports
• Gardening
• Gay people who you know
• Holidays
• Relationships between your countries and their closest neighbours
• Relationships between your countries and their former colonies
• Which school/ university you went to
• Smoking
• Sports teams which you support
• Start a conversation with a taxi driver
• Start a conversation with the bar staff (if you are sitting at the bar)
• Vegetarianism (= not eating meat)
• Which newspaper (or newspaper’s website) you read
• Young people nowadays

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• Age
• Climate change
• Complaints about the police
• Dieting
• Domestic news (= news about your own countries)
• Fashion
• How good-looking (or not) men and women are in your countries
• Property prices in your country/ area
• Publically owned broadcasters (BBC, ABC, NPR, NHK, etc.)
• Scandals/ Negative news involving your companies
• Seasonal changes
• Start a conversation at the bar with another customer
• Start a conversation at a bus stop
• Suggest splitting the bill
• The food that you are both eating
• The history of your countries
• Where you buy your clothes
• WWI/ WWII
• The death penalty

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• Banking
• Baseball
• Censorship
• Complain about the food to a waiter
• Great things about your country
• Dating
• Discussing business/ Negotiating during drinks after work
• How you really feel
• Independence movements in parts of the country (e.g. Scottish independence)
• Personal investments
• Personal achievements
• Political extremism in your countries (= far right and extreme left)
• Poverty (= poor people)
• Previous political leaders of your countries (Tony Blair etc.)
• Stand up and introduce yourself
• Start a conversation on the bus or train
• The 2008 financial crisis
• The royal family
• The sex industry (hostess bars, “massage parlours”, etc.)
• Unions/ Industrial action
• What areas you live in
• What your houses cost
• Which political parties you are against

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• Animal rights
• Body weight
• Complaints about the other person’s country or area
• Compliment each other
• Expensive things you have paid for
• Gay marriage
• Health problems/ Medical problems you have had
• Immigration
• Marital state (= married, single, divorced, etc.)
• Nationalism/ Patriotism
• Nuclear power
• Parenting (= different ways to bring up your children)
• Plans to have (more) children
• Race
• Religion
• Salary/ Bonus
• Sexism
• Social class (working class, middle class, etc.)
• Terrorism/ The war on terror
• Trade pacts your countries belong to or could join (e.g. the EU)
• Welfare payments (unemployment benefit etc.)
• Which political parties you support
• Your personal experience of the sex industry (strip shows etc.)