Lesson
University Life - Meeting New Students
As you can see, these portions of our lessons are dedicated to school. There are many things to learn here, so we are going to spend numerous lessons on school. But don't worry; only a couple will be geared towards classes. The rest will be about night life, partying, and having a good time. Before we start learning about topics such as classes and examinations, let's learn some general university phrases.
The first type of speaking you will have to do is when you meet new people. During this time, you can engage in idle small talk. Since you have learned small talk, feel free to use your new skills. On top of that, let's learn some new phrases that will help you.
"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?"
Many of the answer to these questions are general things you should already know. But it never hurts to review again, so let's go over how we can answer some of these questions.
"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."
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."
"What are you going to major in?"
"I haven't decided, but I'm leaning towards biology."
"I'm thinking about majoring in psychology."
Universities in the States are a little different than others. You don't choose your major until you are in your 3rd year. Basically, you apply to get into a major your junior year and if accepted, you have a major. If you get turned down, you have to find a different major, or spend another semester or year trying to get in. That's why you see so many people not graduate after 4 years. The problem is that they do not know what to major in.
"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."
If you wonder how you can be a fourth year junior or a fifth year senior, you must understand that the number of credits you have completed represents what level you are. So a fourth year junior is someone who has been in school for four years, but has the same credits as a junior.
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."
Remember that when you are talking to somebody, an answer to a question is another potential topic to talk about. I'll show you an example of a conversation. Please take note that I ask questions about the answer. Look for it in the practice session.
. University Life - Interactive Practice
1
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 hookies."
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 a right, 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."
2
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."
University Classes
In this lesson, we are going to learn about the terminologies you need to know when you talk about classes with your peers.
There are several sections I will break this up into:
Registering for classes
Grades in class
Professors and different curriculum
Dropping out/Withdrawal
First, let's talk about registering for classes.
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?"
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."
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."
University Classes - Grades
Grades in Classes
Talking about grades is all dependent on if you open up about these things or not. I know some people are very secretive about their grades, and others like me freely talk about grades. So make sure you are close friends with the person you are talking to about grades.
Grades are different depending on school. Some schools give letter grades that translates into number grade. Other schools strictly give number grades only. The difference is in letter grades, you cannot get a 3.5. You either get a B+, which is a 3.3, or an A- which is a 3.7. However, in number grades, the instructor can give a 3.4, 3.5, or 3.6.
"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.
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."
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?"
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."
University Classes - Dropping Out / Withdrawal
There are two ways to leave a class. You either drop out, or you withdrawal. Dropping out usually means you are going to get a failing grade and you don't care about it. But primarily, dropping out refers to leaving college life altogether. So if you intend to say that you dropped out of a class, you should use withdrawal. There are several time periods for withdrawal. The first week, there is no penalty. The second week up to the first month, a W will show up on your transcript. And finally, withdrawal after the half-way point will give you a failing grade. But this is dependent on each school policy. So learn the withdrawal format of your school. I was using the dates mentioned above only as an example. 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."
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?"
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."
University Classes - Interactive Practice
1
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."
2
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."
3
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."
4
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."
5
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."
Examinations
What is a school without examinations? They all have it. So, we will have to spend a session talking about exams.
There are many types of tests and different terminologies. You can be taking an in-class test, or it could be a take-home final. It could be a multiple choice exam or an essay type format. In either case, we will cover it here. First, let's learn the different terminologies associated with testing.
Examination
Mid-term
Finals
Test
Quiz
Pop-quiz
Exam
Take-home final
Research paper
Final paper
Report
Essay
Presentation
Open-book test/final
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?"
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?"
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.'
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.
"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."
Examinations - General Information
The hardest types of questions to answer are the, 'What was it like' types, and the 'how was' types. The reason it is hard is because you have to explain in your own words the answer. 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.
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."
Examinations - Interactive Practice
1
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."
2
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."
Roommate - Dormitory
While in school it is common to have a roommate when you are in the dormitory. In the States, it's also common to share an apartment with a roommate. This lesson will cover the English you will need to talk to your roommate. Of course you can talk about many tings, but I will specifically target this lesson towards roommate stuff.
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:
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.
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?"
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."
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?"
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.
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?"
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."
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.
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."
Roommate - Apartment
When people live in an apartment, it is usually among friends. So there's no need to worry about being too polite. As long as you have common courtesy, you will have no problem. On the other hand, if you are looking for a roommate, then there are some things you should learn how to say. The list of questions below are examples of questions you should ask when looking to join existing people in an 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?"
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."
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."
2
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."
3
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."
Health - Dating – Marriage
1. Health
Health is an important part of life so it is useful to know how to speak about this topic. We will cover eating, and general health statements you will need to know.
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."
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."
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."
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.
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."
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."
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."
3. Health - Interactive Practice
1
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."
2
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."
3
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 doctors 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 every day."
A: "Well, I hope he starts feeling better. Say hi to him for me."
B: "Thanks. I'll let him know."
4. Body Parts
I'm not going to talk about every body part in this lesson. For information concerning detailed body parts, I would suggest a book that is solely covering body parts. Instead, we are going to cover various types of conversations and sentences most commonly used in standard English communication.
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
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."
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."
5. 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."
Charley horse is most widely used to describe as stiffness or a muscle ache of the upper leg after being hit. So if I hit someone in the thigh, then that is called giving someone 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."
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?"
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."
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."
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."
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."
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."
Six pack is a terminology used to describe a flat stomach with six or eight lines showing the muscle lines. You can also use washboard, "His stomach is like a washboard."
"He hit me in the groin."
Groin is the area between the legs. It can also mean the crotch area, but crotch is more specific to the personal area, where groin can mean the general vicinity.
Vicinity means area
"I pulled my groin when I was doing sprints."
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."
7. Body Parts - Interactive Practice
1
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 a while."
B: "I'll think about it after I start feeling better. Right now, I don't even want to hear the word snowboarding."
2
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."
8. Dieting
Everyone who wants to lose weight has to go on a diet. Since most of the people are somewhat overweight, this becomes a hot topic to talk about. Although both men and women go on diets, I will primarily focus this towards the women population as it is more of a discussion topic for them.
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."
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?"
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."
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."
Remember that it is ok to talk about dieting with friends, but if you are among people you do not know too well, make sure there isn't somebody who is overweight already. You don't want to talk about dieting in front of these people because they might be self-conscious about their weight.
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?"
Remember that most countries use the kilogram system, but the United States uses the pound system. Don't ask me why, it's just the way it is.
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."
Currently, the Atkins diet is very popular.
Atkins diet is a low carbohydrate diet that causes the body to burn fat. Don't quote me on this though. If you want to learn more about Atkins diet, you can find a lot of information over the Internet. 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."
Carbs is the short form of carbohydrate. You might hear people say, low carb diet in the place of Atkins.
Another common area about dieting is describing the exact area of where you want to lose weight. For some people, they want to lose weight on the arms or the legs, or even on the cheeks. 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."
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."
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."
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."
Let's put all this together and practice with a conversation.
11. Dieting - Interactive Practice
1
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."
2
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?"
12. Dating
There are several aspects of dating that are important so we will dedicate a couple of lessons on dating. There are two sections of dating. It comprises of the time period of trying to get a date, and then the time during the date. It is also important to point out the differences from the male and female perspectives. In this first lesson on dating, we will cover getting a date from both gender perspectives.
In the United States, both genders can ask each other for a date. Just like in any culture, it isn't normal to ask a complete stranger for a date. Usually, you have to start a conversation and get to know each other a little bit before asking for a date. In the beginning, it's normal to engage in small talk. During small talk, you should then find something that you have in common. The longer you talk, the greater the chance that you will get a date. It is all up to how you feel if you want to ask or not. In this lesson, I will cover some sentences you should know so you can succeed in getting a date.
Before we continue though, I would like to mention that blind dates are not common. For example, in Korea, So-geh-ting is a very popular way to get dates. This is in essence a blind date. It is not so common in the United States, so no need to cover it here.
During the conversation, throwing out compliments is a good thing to do. Most people will be flattered by them. But remember not to make them too cheesy.
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."
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."
The term 'hit on' means to be approached by the opposite sex. So somebody who gets hit on a lot means to have many people approaching them.
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."
As you can see, these types of compliments are not too aggressive. They are implying good things, but are not a burden to hear. For example, imagine you are talking to a stranger. If they say, "You're so beautiful." It will more likely scare you away. You will probably think that person is a little crazy. But if someone is talking to you and says a small compliment, then it is very welcomed. So keep that in mind when throwing out compliments.
13. Dating - Follow Up and Flirting
If the conversation goes well, and you feel that you have a strong connection, feel free to ask for a date. There are a couple of ways to do so. You can either ask for a phone number, or you can ask to go out by meeting somewhere. When you the conversation is about to end, make sure to bring up the subject of a date.
"It was so great talking to you. I would love to get together and chat some more. Would you care to have dinner with me sometime?"
"If you don't have anything planned for Saturday, I would like to take you to dinner."
"We should talk some more later. Can I get your number?"
There are many ways and if you are sincere, then you shouldn't have a problem. If you feel you are not sure, or you are scared, then you can leave your phone number and hope that the other person calls.
"I enjoyed talking to you. Let me give you my number. I would love to hear from you."
"Give me a call anytime you want to just chat."
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.
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 work out. You have a nice body."
"You want to feel my muscles?"
14. Dating Part - Asking for a Date
In the previous section, we covered talking to someone before getting a date. In the next section we are going to work on some sentences you need to say during the date.
As I said previously, there isn't really another dating language. Most of it is regular conversation such as small talk, movies, hobbies, school, and work topics.
Let's start where we left off. By now, you should have a phone number. It is your responsibility to call and get a date. Even though you got a phone number doesn't guarantee a date. You have to convince the person to actually show up. Here is what you should say.
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."
Let's analyze this small conversation real quick. First, Mike didn't assume that Janet remembered him. He reminded Janet where and when they met. It isn't a good idea to put someone on the spot right.
Next, Mike asked if Janet had a good time. This is a small talk question to break the ice.
Afterwards, Mike gave a small compliment by saying, '... it was real fun, especially meeting you.'
So Mike is giving an indication that he is interested in Janet.
Next, Mike asks for dinner.
Janet's response is important to learn from. She knows Mike has interest in her, but she is not too sure. When Mike asks for dinner, she is hesitant. We see this when she says, 'I am a little busy with school and all.'
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 cannot 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.
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.
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."
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?"
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."
So helping out with homework is another way to get another date. Although it will be more geared towards school work, you can take the opportunity to impress the other person.
16. 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."
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?"
17. 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.
"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?"
Mike made sure to look up movie times and locations before the movie. Then when he suggests a movie, he has all the information.
"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."
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.
18. Dating - Saying Goodbye on Date
Finally, when the date is over, you can say a couple of things depending on how the date went.
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."
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,
"I had a great time tonight. Can I call you again?"
"We should do this again."
"I really enjoyed spending time with you."
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."
19. Dating - Interactive Practice
1
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 kind of 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."
2
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."
Health - Dating - Marriage II
EngagementEngagement is the time period spent before getting married. In this lesson, we will learn about English when asking someone to marry and the terminologies when becoming engaged.
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?"
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."
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.
When two people are engaged, then they are not boyfriend and girlfriend, instead, they refer to each other as fiancΘ.
"This is my fiancΘe."
"She is my fiancΘe."
"He is my fiancΘ."
"Where is your fiancΘ?"
"I want to meet your fiancΘ."
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."
"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."
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?"
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?"
1
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."
2
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."
Honeymoon
Honeymoon is a small vacation two married people go to right after the wedding. It doesn't have to be right after the wedding though. I know some people who hold off the honeymoon until the summer, or if they are in school, until school is complete.
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?"
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."
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."
To learn about booking a flight and making hotel reservations, please refer to the traveler's guide. I cover everything you need to know about getting airline tickets and hotel rooms.
Honeymoon - Interactive Practice.
1
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."
2
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."
When we talk about married life, we talk about the good and the bad. In this lesson, I will teach you the English you need to know to communicate how you feel about your married life. If you are not married, then at least you can learn this lesson to speak about your opinions on your friends married life.
We will not go into detail about conversation between married couple. Mostly, couples talk about the same thing in a routine. But when you talk to friends, it's very different.
Girl talking to friends
"How is married life?"
"How is your husband doing?"
"What do you guys do for fun?"
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."
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?"
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."
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."
Talking about a friends marriage
There are some terminologies used when a man is controlled by his wife. For example, if a friend cannot come out because the wife said no, or if he needs to get permission for everything, then these words apply to him.
Attached to a ball and chain - Ball and Chain refers to the wife. The ball and chain is the old type of device used to lock somebody up. You put a chain around the leg that has a large heavy metal ball attached to it so they cannot move.
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."
Married Life - Cheating
Affair and cheating
In a marriage, having an affair and cheating on one another is a topic we'll discuss. Hopefully in your marriage you won't need to discuss this. But use this as a reference for when you see it on TV or something.
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?"
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."
Married Life - Interactive Practice
1
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."
2
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?"
Health Review - Interactive Practice
1
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."
2
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."
3
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."
4
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 valentine’s day, he got me a present. I thought it was an ordinary valentine’s 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."
Feelings and Emotions
Happy and Feeling GoodIt's common to talk to friends and family when you are happy. Most of the time, you want to express why you are happy and share with close people how you feel. In this lesson, let's take a look at many different ways you can express yourself when you are happy.
General statements are usually short. Here are a few examples.
"I'm very happy right now."
"I'm happy."
"I haven't been this happy in a long time."
"I don't think I can be any happier right now."
"He is very happy."
"She is so happy right now."
"My wife is pretty happy."
"My husband is happy."
These sentences are very basic. Most of the time, you will be explaining why you are happy. Let's incorporate the reason into the sentence.
"I'm so happy I got a job offer."
"I was happy when I received an A for my final report."
"I'll be happy when that happens."
"This semester is such a headache. I'll be so happy when it's over."
"My brother was happy after passing the examination."
"I think my mother was happier than I was when I got into the University."
"If you find a job you are happy with, then that is the perfect job for you."
"It's more important to be happy with your job then what other people think."
"I don't think she will be happy if you do that."
"My parents won't be happy if I drop out of school."
"I think my professor was happy with my essay."
"My grandmother is always happy when I come visit her."
"My grandfather is always happy to see me."
"I'm so happy for you. That's wonderful news."
"Congratulations on your engagement, I'm so happy for you."
"I want to find a gift that she will be happy with."
"He never likes his presents, but he is happy with the fact that we tried."
"Happiness is probably the most important thing in life."
"My goal in life is to make other people happy."
Happy and Feeling Good - Questions
Questions you might ask someone
"Do you think he will be happy with this present?"
"Do you believe money can buy happiness?"
"Do you think she will be happy if I show up?"
"What would make you happy?"
"Was your brother happy with the results?"
"When was your happiest time period?"
"How can you put a price tag on happiness?"
"How much money do you need to be happy?"
"Would you be happy if that happened to you?"
"Why are you so happy right now?"
"Why are you in such a good mood?"
"Did something good happen? You look so happy?"
"Why do you have such a big smile on your face?"
Happy and Feeling Good - Other Sentences
There are other ways to express you are happy without using the word happy. In the last half of this lesson, let's look at some of these sentences.
"I'm feeling pretty good right now."
"I'm in a very good mood."
"I feel great!"
"I'm so glad I didn't have to go to work today."
"It feels so good taking a long vacation."
"This is so awesome. I can't believe this happened."
"I got everything I ever wanted. I feel so blessed."
"My brother was jumping around everywhere when he heard he got into Stanford."
Here are some slang terms you might hear.
"I'm so stoked."
Stoked basically means to be happy or to be excited.
"I'm on cloud nine right now."
This terminology represents feeling high. High is usually associated with drugs, but if something good happens and you are so happy, it can make you feel better than being on drugs. That is where this terminology came from.
"I feel like I'm in paradise."
"I feel like I'm on top of the world."
"I feel like a king."
"I feel like a champion."
"I feel invincible."
1
A: "Hey John. I have some great news."
B: "What happened?"
A: "I got a job offer from Dell."
B: "That's great. I thought you said you didn't get the job."
A: "I thought I did bad on the interview, but I guess I was wrong. I'm so happy right now."
B: "I bet. That's great news. I'm very happy for you."
A: "Thanks. I feel like celebrating. Let's go have a beer. It's on me."
B: "Sounds good."
2
A: "Mike, did you win the lottery or something? Why the big smile?"
B: "I'm so relieved. I just passed the bar exam."
A: "You did? That's great! You must be very happy now?"
B: "That's an understatement. I'm on cloud nine. I couldn't be any happier."
A: "Did you tell your parents yet?"
B: "Not yet. I didn't get a hold of them. I'll try to call them again tonight."
A: "They're probably going to be so happy."
B: "I think so. It's turning out to be a great day."
3
A: "Life's so boring."
B: "Well, most of the time it is, I guess."
A: "What do you think will make you happy?"
B: "I think money will make me happy."
A: "You heard people say that money doesn't guarantee happiness."
B: "It will for me. Then I can do all the things I want to do."
A: "You'll get bored eventually."
B: "Then I can find something new to do. If I don't have to worry about money, then I don't have to work."
A: "That's true, I guess. If I didn't have to work, I think I would be happy."
B: "You see... money doesn't equal happiness, but it takes away a lot of responsibilities."
Different people react in different ways when they are angry. In this lesson, we will look at a variety of sentences people use when they are angry. When someone is angry in the real world, they use a lot of profanity or curse words. Because of this fact, this lesson will contain bad words.
There are many ways a person can get angry. Let's first look at the situation where it involved a different person.
"I'm so pissed. Roger just stabbed me in the back."
"What was he thinking! I thought we were friends too."
"I don't know what I'm going to do when I see him. I found out that he's been sleeping with my girlfriend."
"Matt is dating my ex-girlfriend. I'm pretty upset about that. He knows I still have feelings for her."
"Whenever I think about him, I get pissed. He treats his friends like crap."
"I can't believe he was talking behind my back. Whenever he talks to me, he acts like we're close friends."
"Matt borrowed my car and put a dent in it. He claims he didn't do it. I'm never trusting him again."
"I told Scott a secret and made sure he never tells anyone. The next week, I heard it from three different people. I was so pissed."
There are only a few things you need to say when someone is talking to you about anger. The best thing to do is understand their feeling.
"I can't believe that happened. I'd be so pissed."
"I know how you feel. I was so angry when that happened to me."
"I can't imagine how angry you must feel. That has never happened to me."
"If that happened to me, I'd get revenge."
"What are you going to do to get him back?"
"That totally sucks, but I'm not surprised. I always knew he was a back stabber."
"The best thing to do is stop being his friend. He doesn't deserve to have any friends."
When you are talking to the person that made you angry, it is common to lose control and say a lot of things. Here are some common sentences.
"I thought you were a friend. I had so much trust in you. I can't believe you did this to me."
"What were you thinking when you stabbed me in the back. Did it feel good?"
"Why'd you do it?"
"You know I still have feelings for Mandy. You didn't even consider my feelings. What? Am I not a friend or something?"
"You're not the only one hurting for money. You owe me five hundred dollars. I need it now."
"You didn't have to tell my parents that I owed you money. I said I would pay you back when I got my paycheck. I can't believe you would do this."
Sentences you can ask or say if you feel a friend is angry with you
"Are you mad at me?"
"Are you angry?"
"You're not disappointed are you?"
"Don't be angry with me. I really didn't mean it."
"I didn't know you were involved. I hope you're not mad at me."
"I really didn't know it was going to make you upset."
If you make good friends, you can avoid these types of scenarios. However, there are times when the situation was out of your control. For example, a friend of mine had to landscape his back yard for his house, so he called a company to delivery a lot of top soil. As the driver was driving back to the house, he hit my friends house and damaged a pipeline. The driver claimed it wasn't his fault and said he wouldn't pay for the damages. When things like this happen, we use the court system to get payment. But my friend was so angry because they were not accepting fault. Here are some of the things I heard.
"I was so pissed for a couple of weeks. During that time, I thought of twenty different ways I could hurt his business."
"I'm going to screw with him so much."
In the end, everything worked out. They went to court and my friend won.
There are a couple of other emotions that are similar to being angry. I'll cover some of them here.
"I'm so frustrated."
"It's so frustrating working with him."
"I was so frustrated, I stopped caring about the outcome."
"He gets frustrated pretty easily."
"It's easy to get frustrated when things are not fair."
"I'm not really mad, just a little disappointed."
"That really hurt me. I'm so disappointed."
"I'm really disappointed in you. I didn't know you could stoop to that level."
In boxing, a low blow is a hit below the belt that is considered unfair. The term low blow became widely used when someone did something unfair. Here are some sentences to give you an idea.
"That was low."
"I can't believe Jackie would do something so low."
Now that we know what low means, stooping to that level means to do something that is low. You are basically lowering yourself to perform a bad or unfair task.
1
A: "What happened to your car?"
B: "A tow truck was towing my car and put all those dents in my car."
A: "Are they going to pay you for the damages?"
B: "They're saying it was already there."
A: "What the hell. That doesn't make sense. What are you going to do."
B: "I have to go to court. A cop was there so he can prove that the damage wasn't there."
A: "That sucks. I'd be pissed if that happened to me."
B: I got an estimate and it's four thousand dollars."
A: "Oh my gosh. Damn... screw the court, I would burn down their store."
B: "We'll see what happens after court."
2
A: "Jack, what's wrong?"
B: "You!"
A: "What are you talking about? What did I do?"
B: "You told Martha that I was on a date? What was that all about?"
A: "No... that's not what I meant. I didn't mean that. She asked me where you were and I jokingly said that you were on a date with Sara. I thought Martha knew that you and Sara were just friends."
B: "She started feeling suspicious after you said that."
A: "I'm sorry man. I didn't know. I didn't mean to screw anything up."
B: "Martha gets jealous easily and it took a while to convince her that Sara was just a friend. Now, I have to explain to Sara that I can't hang around her because of you."
A: "Look. I really didn't mean to, and next time I see Martha, I'll really tell her that you and Sara are really just friends."
B: "Don't bother."
Being excited is another positive emotion. I'm sure everyone knows what it feels like to be excited, so let's get right into learning sentences.
The day before a big event, many people get excited. Here are some sentences you can use.
"I'm getting excited for golf tomorrow."
"I'm too excited to go to sleep now. Our trip tomorrow is going to be so fun."
"We're leaving for our camping trip tomorrow. I'm getting really excited."
"Tomorrow is going to be an exciting day."
"We're finally moving into our first house. It's a very exciting time for us."
"I have an interview tomorrow. Although I am scared, it's an exciting opportunity."
Regular sentences
"I'm excited to be here."
"Your sister must be really excited about starting law school."
"It's really exciting thinking about the benefits people will gain from our project."
"It's exciting starting a small business."
"I get excited thinking about how many people I will help."
"Don't get too excited. It's not guaranteed yet."
"I wouldn't get excited yet. You still have one more match to play."
"You didn't get the job yet, so don't get too excited about it."
Questions
"I'm pretty fired up about tomorrow. Aren't you excited too?"
"Are you feeling excited or scared about your interview tomorrow?"
"Do you get excited every time you get a phone number from a girl?"
"Is your brother excited about starting work?"
"Are you excited about your date tomorrow?"
Sometimes, being too excited can be negative. Here are some examples.
"I don't know what's wrong with him. He's always excited for no reason."
"He's too hyper. I don't know why he's excited about every little thing."
Hyper is usually used when someone has too much energy.
"If you feel too excited, you won't be able to sleep. Then you won't perform that well tomorrow."
"Calm down. You're over reacting."
"My friend can never go to sleep the day before we go skiing. He always gets too excited."
"My dog gets excited whenever the doorbell rings."
"People with heart problems shouldn't get excited too often."
"You should feel excited about this opportunity."
"I don't understand why you're unhappy with your situation. I'd feel excited to have your opportunity."
"Going to a concert is very exciting. There are many people there with so much energy and it's very fun."
"It's exciting to see a great singer perform so powerfully."
"I'm excited about my trip to Europe. It's going to be so fun."
Being pumped up is another way you can say you are excited.
"I'm pretty pumped up about my trip to Australia. I'm really looking forward to it."
"I'm pumped up about working out. I joined a health club and set a good schedule to follow."
Being thrilled about something is another way to say you are excited.
"It's so thrilling skiing down the mountain real fast."
"I'm thrilled thinking about buying a new car."
When you are referring to an exciting person, the word most commonly used is enthusiastic.
"He's a very enthusiastic person."
"I wish I had as much enthusiasm as he does."
"It's always fun to be around an enthusiastic person."
Being Worried
Some people might say worrying is useless, but it is an emotion that everyone has. Worrying doesn't help the situation, but we can't help to feel worried when something happens. Let's look at some sentences that are commonly used.
"I'm worried about my son."
"I'm worried about the situation."
"I'm so worried."
"I'm a little worried."
"He's very worried about work."
"He's worrying about his financial situation."
"She's worried about her dog."
"Our dog has been missing for 2 days. My wife is very worried."
"Our son slipped and hit his head. It's going to be a couple of days before we know how serious it is. I can't help but worry about it."
"I'd be worried if I was in that situation."
"I bet she's really worried."
"The doctor said something was wrong with my wife's blood test. I'm so worried."
"I lost my job and I'm having a hard time finding another one. I'm beginning to worry about how I'm going to take care of my family."
"My husband lost his job. Although I'm worried, I can't put pressure on him because he feels really bad."
Worry - Serious Situation
Sometimes, a person might not take a situation seriously. If something bad happened and they don't think it is bad, then a popular comment is to say something like this.
"I would worry if I were you."
"Do you think this is a joke? This is pretty serious."
"This is one of your last chances. Aren't you worried at all?"
When we are worried, the word doesn't have to be used to express that we are worried. Here are a few examples of what I am talking about.
"I don't know how I'm going to pay for the medical bills."
"I have so much debt. I don't know what to do."
"I just took the exam and I don't know if I passed or not."
"I only applied for three schools. What's going to happen if I don't get into any of them?"
"I just had my interview. I don't know if I got it or not."
"I hope they come out with the results soon. I hate the waiting."
"The doctor said there are some complications with the pregnancy. I'm praying nothing bad happens."
"My mother got into a car accident. She's in critical condition. I don't know what's going to happen."
"So many people are counting on me. What if I let them down?"
Being Worried - Talking to a Worried Person
When someone is worried, here are some sentences you might need to say.
"Stop worrying. It's only making you feel worse."
"You should try to think positive. Worrying is not going to help you."
"Don't worry about the planning. I'll take care of it."
"Don't worry about the money. I already took care of it."
"I'm sure you passed the test. Don't worry about it."
"You had a high GPA and you did well on your test. Don't worry about getting into school. I'm sure all of them will accept you."
"You're over reacting. The situation is not that bad. I don't think you should be worried at all."
"Worrying is not going to help your situation. Let's think of a step by step plan that will help your financial problem."
"The hardest part of your situation is that you can't do anything about it. I hope everything works out."
"Everything happens for a reason. I'm sure something good will come out of all this."
Parents worry a lot about their kids. And if you have a mom or dad that worries about you, then you can say these types of sentences.
"Don't worry about me."
"Stop worrying about me. I'm doing great."
"My mom is always worried about me."
"I wish my mom would stop worrying about me."
"My dad is always worried about my future."
"I wish my mom would stop saying how much she worries about me. It doesn't really help my situation."
"Why do parents always tell us that they are worried about us."
"If you weren't such a screw up, then your parents wouldn't have to worry about you."
"Your parents only worry because they love you."
"Your mom only wants what is best for you. That's why she's worrying so much."
"Your dad wants you to have a better life than his. That's why he's worrying."
Finally, when we get older, it is common to worry about marriage and kids.
"I'm already 30 and I don't even have a boy friend. What if I don't ever get married?"
"My mom is worried that I won't get married."
"We've been trying to have a baby for 2 years now. I'm worried that we will never have one."
"My parents are worried that we won't have any children."
Unfortunately, stress is a common emotion that we all experience. Most of the time, stress is caused by pressure placed on us. We experience stress trying to live up to someone else's expectations. This is the same for school and work. We are given work to do and if there is so much, we experience stress.
School
"I'm stressing out. I have a mid-term tomorrow and I haven't studied yet."
"I have a paper due tomorrow and I didn't even read the book. I'm so stressed."
"I always get stressed out during finals week. Even if I study a lot, there are always unexpected questions I don't know about."
"My parents give me so much stress. They expect me to get straight A's all the time."
"I would enjoy school a lot more if my parents didn't put so much pressure on me."
"My dad gave me a beating when I brought home a C on my report card."
"I'm so stressed. I'm taking the CPA exam next week and I'm not confident."
"I've been stressed like this for two weeks now. I'll be happy when this semester is over."
"I took too many classes this semester. I shouldn't have tried to do so much. Now I'm stressing like crazy."
"My English professor is stressing me out. He wants me to help him write his article."
"I'm having a lot of trouble in my political science class. It's stressing me out."
"I get a lot of stress from work."
"I'm sick of all the stress I have to deal with."
"The project I'm working on is giving me a lot of stress."
"I have a lot of stress because of my manager. He wants me to finish my project in four days."
"The most stressful thing about work is always making sure my manager is happy."
"If I don't butt kiss, I might get fired. It's so stressful living like this."
"Work is so stressful."
"There's this guy at work. He's the biggest butt kisser. It's stressful competing against this guy."
"I get a lot of stress from my coworkers. They're all way too competitive."
"I volunteered for another project and it's stressful to say the least. I'm working 14 hours a day."
"My company is over working me. They expect way too much from everybody."
"If the work doesn't kill me, the stress will."
"My parents are putting pressure on me to get married. It's so stressful."
"My husband wants to have a baby. I don't want one yet. It's very stressful."
"I get so much stress before interviews."
"I feel a lot of stress when I have to talk in front of a large group."
"Learning English is the most stressful thing I ever had to deal with."
"I get stress every time I think about speaking English."
"He is always late with his work. It's beginning to stress me out."
"It's stressful because if anything goes wrong, our whole project will be ruined."
"It's so stressful because of the importance. So many people are dependent on
Family - Children – Friends
Preparing a meal and eating together is a wonderful way to spend time with family and friends. While doing this activity not only can you share foods you love but it is also a good opportunity to talk and learn about one another. In this lesson, we will be covering everything you need to know from coming up with a meal to prepare, cooking it together, and sharing a conversation.
Invitation and Planning
First you must choose a meal to share. Breakfast is eaten in the morning, lunch in the afternoon and dinner in the evening. The steps for planning a menu are relatively the same for all three. When planning a meal it is also important to try and come up with something you all will enjoy.
Here are some questions commonly used when asking someone to cook a meal and have dinner.
"Would you like to come over to my house and have dinner with me?"
"Maybe we could cook dinner together?"
"What time should we plan on getting together?"
"Do you have any suggestions on what we could make?"
"We should probably make a grocery list."
"Do you want to go to the grocery store together?"
"What grocery store do you prefer?"
"If we could go together do you want me to drive?"
"Should we pick up any wine or beer to drink at dinner?"
"Maybe we can split the grocery bill?"
If you are asked any of these questions, here are ways that you could respond.
"Sure, I would love to come over for dinner. I really love to cook and it might give us some time to catch up with one another."
"That sounds great. I am free tonight so I can definitely make it."
"Cooking dinner together sounds fun."
"I think that is a good idea, maybe we can share recipes."
"How does 5 o'clock sound?"
"I get off work at 5. I can go straight home to grab a few things and meet you around 6."
"I have this new recipe I have been dying to try. Do you like Italian food?"
"I am not too picky. I have some steak and chicken we can use."
"Yes we probably should make a list. I don't want to forget anything."
"I am pretty sure I will remember everything we need, but if you want to jot a few things down that is ok with me."
"Sure, we can go to the grocery store together."
"Let's see what we both have at home to cook and maybe we can skip the grocery."
"I usually shop at Albertsons."
"I don't have a preference where we go."
"If it's ok I can just meet you there."
"Sure, you can drive if you don't mind."
"I do not drink alcohol but maybe we could grab some soda."
"Sure, wine sounds good with dinner. I prefer white wine."
"I think splitting the bill is a good idea."
"No big deal. I can buy the groceries this time and if we do this again you can treat."
Cooking the meal together is a fun time to talk, share recipes and work together.
Here are some questions commonly used when cooking a meal together.
"You have a preference on which job to do?"
"Do you mind heating up some water on the stove?"
"Do you have any different ways to prepare this meal?"
"Would you like something to drink while we are cooking?"
"Do you mind setting up the table for us?"
"Can you turn the oven on to 360 degrees?"
If you are asked any of these questions, here are ways that you could respond.
"No, I really don't have a preference."
"Yes, I would really like to prepare the salad."
"No problem, I will heat the water up now."
"Sure I can heat it up. Do you mind it boiling?"
"I have a way to prepare this that my mom taught me."
"I don't really have any other ways. Let's just do what the recipe says."
"Sure, can I have a glass of water?"
"No thanks. I might just wait until dinner."
"Sure I can set the table."
"I have never set the table before. Do you have a particular way of doing it?"
"Yes, I can turn on the oven."
"No problem."
This is also a good time to talk about other subjects while sharing interests and learning more about each other. If questions like these come up, just answer them the best you can. Everyone will have different opinions and answers about each of these personal topics.
"What is your favorite TV show?"
"Do you have a favorite book?"
"Do you have any brothers or sisters?"
"Where were you born?"
"Do you have any hobbies?"
"So how is work going?"
Here are some questions commonly used while eating and then cleaning up afterwards.
"Do you mind if we pray before we eat?"
"I love your recipe for the chicken. Where did you get it?"
"Can you pass me the salt?"
"Would you like some dessert?"
"Can you help me clear the table?"
"Do you want to take home any leftovers?"
If you are asked any of these questions, here are ways that you could respond.
"I normally do not pray but you can if you want."
"That sounds good. I will let you pray if that is ok."
"I found the recipe in a cookbook I have."
"My mom gave me the recipe a few years ago."
"Sure, here you go."
"Yes I can."
"Dessert sounds awesome."
"No thank you, I am too full to have dessert."
"Yes, let me help you clear the table."
"Sure, I will just put the dishes on the sink."
"Sure, I will take home some leftovers."
"No thanks. You can just save it so you can have something for tomorrow."
Here is a list of a few other statements you can say after eating.
"Thank you for a wonderful dinner."
"Thank you for your help."
"Thank you that was delicious."
"I sure am full."
"Thank you for inviting me."
"Thanks for accepting my invitation to come over."
"We should do this again sometime."
Grocery shopping is something commonly done when replacing or refilling things needed around the house. The steps involved include figuring out what you need and making a list, making a decision on when and where to go, and then the actual process of shopping at the grocery store. Below we will look at each section and the questions/answers associated with each.
Preparation
Preparation is the time for decision making. You will need to decide on making a list of what to buy, where to take coupons and the possibility of planning meals just to name a few.
Here are some questions commonly used when preparing to grocery shop.
"Should we make a list first before we go?"
"Should we check the newspaper for coupons?"
"Should we plan out our meals for the week?"
"Should we check in the fridge for anything that has expired?"
If you are asked any of these questions, here are ways that you could respond.
"Yes, I think making a list would save us time once we are there."
"I have been making a list this week as I noticed we needed things. Take a look and see if anything needs to be added."
"I will get Sunday's newspaper to look for coupons."
"That's ok. They usually have coupons at the store we can use."
"I think planning our meals would be smart. That way we know exactly what we need."
"I don't think we need to plan our meals. Let's just make a list of things we need and we can cook whatever we have."
"Yes we should check the dates on what we have. That way if anything is expired we can replace it."
"I think most of what we have is ok. We don't need to check the expiration dates."
5. Planning
Some of the important decisions in the planning process are where to go, when would be a good time to go, and who is going to go.
"Should we go to Costco for some of the bigger items we need?"
"Should we go at a certain time so it's not so crowded?"
"Should we go to the fresh market or to our regular supermarket?"
"Should we both go and take the kids or one of us stay home with them?"
"Should we take our own grocery bags?"
If you are asked any of these questions, here are ways that you could respond.
"Let's go to Costco some other day, it will take too long."
"Sure, I think we can find most of what we need there."
"I like to go to the grocery at night. There always seems to be less people."
"I prefer to go in the morning so I can get it over with."
"I think we should go to both. We can get the vegetables and fruits we need at the fresh market."
"Let's just go to the regular grocery. We do not have time for both."
"If we go to Fred Meyer the kids can go into the kids play area. That way we can shop without any distractions."
"It might be too much to take the whole family. I can just go if you do not mind staying home with the kids?"
"I think we should take our own recyclable bags. It's good for the earth!"
"We can just use what they have there."
While at the grocery you could be asked by workers a variety of questions.
"Do you need any help finding anything?"
"Would you like a sample?"
"Do you have any coupons?"
"Do you have your grocery card?"
"Would you like paper or plastic bags?"
"Would you like any help out to your car?"
If you are asked any of these questions, here are ways that you could respond.
"Yes, can you please tell me where I can find your produce section?"
"No thanks, I know where to find what I need."
"What kind of samples do you have?"
"From the samples you offered me, where can I find them in the store?"
"No I do not have any coupons."
"Yes I do have coupons. Let me get them."
"I do not have a grocery card. What is that?"
"I do have a grocery card. Here it is."
A lot of grocery stores offer a plastic card you could present when checking out that can offer special prices and points for how much you spend. These points can sometimes be used for special promotions and sales. You can usually apply for one at the register.
"I would like paper bags please."
"I brought my own bags to use. Here you go."
"No thanks, I don't need any help out today."
"Yes, I would like some help taking my groceries out to my car."
You too, may have questions while at the grocery. Below are a few examples of things that you might ask.
"Can you tell me what isle the frozen food is in?"
"Can you help me reach that?"
"Can you tell me the difference between...?"
"Can I please have a pound of the oven roasted chicken breast?"
"Do you have any more of this in the back room?"
7. Pet Care
Choosing a Pet
Choosing the right pet is one of the most important steps in becoming a pet owner. There are a lot needs to be considered when taking into account the time, money and effort a pet can require. Where you live, are you active, are you gone a lot, any medical issues and do you have a family? All of these questions and more should be discussed when thinking of buying a new pet. When looking for a pet you may also consider visiting a shelter. Many animals at a shelter need a good home and most likely will already have their vaccines and be spayed or neutered. A shelter is a good place where stray or homeless animals are taken in order to try and find them suitable homes.
Here are some questions commonly used when discussing what kind of pet to consider.
"Do you like cats or dogs?"
"Do we have time for training?"
"Do you have a house or an apartment?"
"Is this going to be a family pet?"
"Would you consider getting a pet from a shelter?"
"Is there any other animals you are considering?"
"Are you active?"
"Are you comfortable grooming a cat or dog?"
"What kind of food should you feed it?"
If you are asked any of these questions, here are ways that you could respond.
"We like cats and dogs but are looking more for a dog."
"My wife is allergic to cats, so we prefer a dog."
"We both work full time so finding time for training may be tough."
"I really want to be committed so I will take my dog to training classes."
"We live in a small apartment so maybe a cat or very small dog would be best."
"We have a house with a yard so we have lots of room for any size dog."
"Yes, we have children so we need a pet that can get along with small kids."
"This is just me, so my house is pretty quiet."
"We are not sure about cats or dogs but we really are interested in a fish."
"My kids really want a hamster, but my husband and I are not too sure yet."
"I run everyday so having a dog that could run with me would be great."
"We go on walks occasionally but are not really active."
"I am not too comfortable grooming animals so I would probably take it somewhere for nail trims and baths."
"Yes, I am familiar with brushing and nail cutting but we would have to take it somewhere to get it bathed."
"I think we should just ask our veterinarian."
"I hear that a raw diet is the best. Maybe we can look up information on it."
One of the most important things to do before bringing home a pet is to plan out everything. A few things you need to consider are food, shelter, space, and the overall safety for the animal.
"What kind of food do we need to get?"
"Should we get a crate to keep it in?"
"Should we get any toys?"
"If we get a crate where should we put it?"
"Do we need to put things out of reach of the animal?"
"Do we need a collar?"
"Where should we feed it?"
If you are asked any of these questions, here are ways that you could respond.
"The breeders gave me information on how much to feed."
"I read in a book we are suppose to feed it twice a day."
"I heard a crate is good with helping to house train."
"Yes, I think we should get a crate. I don't want it pooping all over."
"I think we should get some squeaky toys."
"I say we ask someone at the store what they recommend."
"I think we should keep the crate in our bedroom."
"I think we should keep the crate in the garage."
"Since she is a puppy we should definitely pick up anything around the house she can chew."
"Yes, we need to put away anything we don't want it to chew on."
"Yes we need a collar and leash so we can take it on walks."
"I think we should get a collar with sparkly diamonds on it."
"We should feed it in the kitchen."
"We should feed it in its cage."
Knowing how to take care of your pet is an important part of having a good experience and also making sure your pet is healthy and happy.
Here are some questions commonly used asking about pet care.
"How often should we walk it?"
"Should we brush its teeth?"
"How much should we feed it?"
"How often do we need to clean the cage?"
"How often do we need to change the water?"
"How often should we brush it?"
If you are asked any of these questions, here are ways that you could respond.
"I have never done a nail trim."
"Yes, I use to trim our dogs nails when I was growing up."
"We should walk her every day. The Vet said it is healthy for her."
"I think we should walk her as much as we can. It's good exercise for us too."
"I will ask the Vet if we should brush its teeth."
"Yes, I read it's good to keep their teeth clean."
"The breeder said to feed her 1 cup two times a day."
"I am not sure how much to feed her. Let's look on the food package."
"We need to clean the cage once a week."
"We should just change it once it starts to smell."
"We need to change the water once a week."
"We will just clean it once in a while."
"We should brush her daily."
"We only need to brush h
10. Child Care
Whether you're a single parent or a family in which both the mother and father work, child care can be an important issue when deciding what to do with your children while away. Being knowledgeable and being able to ask the right questions can help provide you with what you need to make the best decision.
Finding Child Care
If you live near family you may be fortunate enough to have one of them take care of your child while at work. But what if you have no family near you and need to look into other means of child care? Other options may include in home day care and daycare centers. Asking friends, coworkers, or neighbors can be a good way to get recommendations when beginning your searching process. Call and make appointments to see the facilities and meet the staff. You can learn a lot by seeing and talking to people in person. Below we will look at the different types of child care as well as questions you might be asked as well as important questions you may want information on.
In Home Child Care
In home child care can include someone coming to your house and watching your child or you dropping your child off at someone else's house. This could be a family member or someone with a licensed in home daycare. Since having a family member watch your child can be easier to set up, we will look more at having a non-family member come over or taking your child to an in house daycare.
Here are some questions you can use when looking into an in house daycare.
"How long have you been running a daycare?"
"Are you licensed?"
"What hours are you available?"
"What if I am late picking up or dropping off?"
"How much do you charge?"
"Do you have some references?"
"Are you certified in child CPR?"
"What is the ratio of children to teacher?"
"How do you discipline a child?"
"Do you have the children nap?"
"How many and what are the ages of the children you're currently looking after?"
"Are the children separated by age group?"
"What is your curriculum?"
By asking these and other questions that may pertain to your individual circumstances you will learn a lot about whether or not this daycare will work for you.
Below are some questions that you might be asked when looking into an in house daycare.
"Has your child ever been to a daycare before?"
"Does your child have any allergies?"
"Does your child have any special needs?"
"What is your child's feeding schedule?"
"What is your child's nap schedule?"
"How do you discipline at home?"
If you are asked any of these questions just answer them to the best of your knowledge. Providing good information about your child can help with the transition.
Day Care Centers
Day Care Centers are much like a school that a wide variety of children can attend. From babies to older children, daycares can vary in their prices, age ranges and curriculum. When making a decision on which Day Care Centers to use it is important to research them and what they have to offer. The questions listed for In-Home daycare are virtually the same for Day Care Centers as are the questions you might be asked. Just be prepared and make choices that you feel comfortable with.
11. Bank and Money
Managing your money is an important factor in building a savings and making sure that your money is accounted for and spent wisely.
"How often should I check my savings/checking balance?"
"When I withdrawal money should I write it down?"
"Should I come up with a budget?"
"Should I pay bills online or send payments in the mail?"
"Should I have a direct deposit from my work?"
"What if I notice anything unusual on my bank statements?"
13. Investing
Investing is to commit money or capital in order to gain a financial return. There are many ways to invest and spend your money. Since there are risks involved with investing, become knowledgeable yourself and possibly seeking out advice from a professional.
Here are some possible questions to ask when talking about investments.
"Can you tell me about bonds?"
"Can you give me more info on stocks and the stock market?"
"Can you give me information on mutual funds?"
"How long has this company been in business?"
"What am I investing in?"
"How risky is the investment?"
"When can I access my money?"
"Are there any fees?"
14. Mail
Mail basically is comprised of three components, the preparation, sending and receiving of mail. Sending mail can be as simple as putting addressed/stamped envelopes in your own mail box for your postman to pick up, to mailing packages or letters at the local post office or using one of the many delivery companies. Receiving mail/packages can also include delivery from your local postman as well as one of the many delivery companies.
The Preparation
Preparing mail/packages to be sent involves labeling with the recipient's name and address as well as the senders. Also making sure packages are sealed and wrapped to postal standards is a good idea. Make sure you are aware of postal laws regarding the types of materials that can be sent in the United States as well as other countries before mailing.
Here are some questions commonly used when discussing the preparation of letters and packages to send.
"Where do I put my name and address on the letter I am sending?"
"How do I know if I need to put more than one stamp on the card I am sending?"
"What should I put with the item I am shipping to make sure it does not break?"
"How heavy can the objects be that I am sending?"
Here are some possible answers to the question above regarding the preparation of letters/packages.
"You always put your name or the senders name and address in the top left corner of the package/letter. This is in case it cannot be delivered and needs to be returned to you. It will be returned to the address you have provided."
"I would either take the letter to the post office and ask them or look on the postal website to look at weight regulations when sending out letters."
"You can use newspaper or purchase packing material from the store to place in with what you are sending. You may also want to write on the outside of the package that what is inside is FRAGILE. This will inform whoever is handling it to be careful and handle gently."
"You can send objects of various weights but you will be charged upon how much it weighs when shipping it. Meaning the more it weighs the more it will cost you to ship."
15. Sending Mail
After preparing the items(s) needed to be mailed/shipped one must now decide in which manner to send it.
Here are some questions commonly used when discussing sending a package or letter.
"Can I just put this card in my own mailbox for the mailman to pick up?"
"If I am sending something breakable should I inform the post office?"
"How fast will my letter/package get to the person I am sending it to?"
"Why should I want to send a package through another company other than the post office?"
"How much will it cost to send this?"
"How do I know if I need more than one stamp on this letter?"
"Is there a way I can be notified once my package is delivered?"
If you are asked any of these questions, here are ways that you could respond.
"Yes, if your letter is stamped and addressed you can just put it in your mailbox and the postman will take it to the post office."
"Our mailbox has a different place to put outgoing mail. You may want to look at yours to see if you have one."
"Yes, I would inform the post office. They usually ask if what you are sending is fragile or breakable but you can also write on the outside of the box FRAGILE."
"I would definitely let them know so they do not break anything."
"There are lots of options when sending something. The price may vary depending on the weight of the package and how you want it sent. I would just check with the post office."
"You can choose anything from next-day delivery to regular delivery which could take days. Checking with your post office or looking online is always a good way to get information."
"Using a company like FedEx or UPS you can usually guarantee a faster delivery but they are a bit more expensive."
"The post office can weigh the package for you and let you know how much it will cost to ship your item."
"I have a scale at home I use to weigh packages. Then I look online to see how much it will cost."
"I think it depends on the weight, take it to the post office."
"Just send it with one stamp. If it is too heavy they will send it back to you."
"Yes, the post office can email you a confirmation of delivery."
"They can give you a tracking number so you can look online to check on the delivery of what you are sending."
16. Receiving Mail
Here are some questions commonly used when receiving mail.
"What happens if I am not home and something is delivered to me?"
"Do I need to sign for a package when it comes?"
"If I am out of town can I put a hold on my mail?"
"Can a neighbor accept a package for me?"
"What if I receive a package that is not addressed to me?"
If you are asked any of these questions, here are ways that you could respond.
"If you are not home the postman will leave you a note. They may try and deliver it another day or you might have to go to your post office to pick it up."
"Sometimes they will just leave the package on your front doorstep. If you live in an apartment they might just leave it at the rental office."
"Not all packages need to be signed for."
"If you need to sign for a package and are not home they will not leave it."
"Yes, you can put your mail on hold either by filling out a form at your post office."
"Yes, you can actually do it online. Just check the post office web site."
"I am not sure. Maybe you should call the post office."
"I think they can but you have to inform the post office before hand that you will allow it."
"I would take a package not addressed to me to the post office and let them know."
"If it was addressed to a neighbor, I would just take it to their house."
17. House Care
Owning a home involves care both inside and out. Outside care can include yard work, window cleaning, insect and animal issues. Inside house care involves cleaning, washing, painting and upkeep. Below we can look at some of the questions and possible answers one might come across when dealing with house care.
House Care-Inside
Here are some questions commonly used when talking about taking care of your house from the inside.
"How often should I change the batteries in the smoke detectors?"
"How often should I change the air filter in the furnace?"
"Should I clean the house myself or look into hiring a cleaning company?"
"What should I use to clean my carpets?"
"What colors should I use to paint the inside?"
"Should I have one can for trash and one for recycling?"
"How should I decorate?"
If you are asked any of these questions, here are ways that you could respond.
"Some smoke detectors will beep loudly to let you know when the batteries are low."
"I would change the batteries every six months to be safe."
"You should change your filter every six months also."
"I am not sure, I just take it out and look at it. If it is dirty I replace it."
"Make time during the week to clean. It helps keep a clean environment and you can feel good about having a clean house."
"If you have the money I would hire a cleaning company. They do a good job and you can just relax more."
"For small stains I just use spot cleaner I purchased from the store, otherwise I rent a cleaner and do it myself."
"I usually hire a carpet cleaning company. They do a better job than I can do myself."
"I would go to a home improvement store and look at their paint colors."
"You could get some magazines and look for ideas."
"You should always recycle so I would have two cans, one for trash and one for recycling."
"You can just have one, it's less of a hassle."
"You could hire an interior decorator to help you decorate."
Here are some questions commonly used when talking about taking care of your house on the outside.
"How often should I mow the grass?"
"What should I do to get rid of the weeds?"
"When should I plant flowers?"
"How do I clean my outside windows?"
"How do I get rid of moles?"
"What do I do about bee hives?"
If you are asked any of these questions, here are ways that you could respond.
"You should mow your grass once a week."
"I just mow mine once it gets really long."
"I would go to Home Depot and ask someone for recommendations."
"It depends on what kind of weeds you have, some are worse than others."
"You should plant flowers in the spring."
"I would always wait until it gets warm to plant flowers, that way they will last all summer."
"I would use a ladder and clean my outside windows myself."
"I would see if you can hire someone. Your windows are really high and you could get hurt."
"They sell pellets you can put in mole holes to help get rid of them."
"I would call a pest control company and ask them for recommendations."
"I would not mess with bee hives, call for someone to come out and get rid of it."
"I would buy bee killer spray from the store and just spray it."
19. Phone
Technology is constantly changing and cell phones for one are more remarkable than ever. From adding applications and ring tones to texting and internet access, the options seem endless. With the constant advancement in technology comes a lot of decision making when one considers buying a new phone. Though cell phones add convenience and on the go communication, home phones too have advanced throughout the years making it possible to video chat, forward calls, and conference call.
Cell Phones
The use of cell phones has increased dramatically over the years adding a new dimension to the on-the-go, fast paced life styles of today's world. Below we will take a look at some questions involving the decision making process when looking at and ultimately choosing a cell phone.
Here are some questions commonly used when talking about cell phones.
"With all the cell companies out there how do I decide who to go with?"
"Should I ever consider a pre paid cell phone?"
"I have never text before. Would you recommend getting a phone I can text with?"
"How important are all the applications you can get for your phone?"
"Should I purchase a phone that is blue tooth compatible?"
"What kind of plans are there to buy?"
"Should I buy a warranty?"
"Should I consider a family plan and purchase phones for them?"
If you are asked any of these questions, here are ways that you could respond.
"I would go do some research and compare companies, that way you can try and get the best deal."
"I would go off of recommendations from friends. See who they are with and who they like."
"I would maybe consider getting a pre paid phone if you were buying one for of your kids. You can put a certain amount of money on it that they can't go over. So that way you can keep them from charging up the bill."
"I have never used a pre paid phone. I don't see why you just don't get a regular one."
"Yes, texting is great and it's a fun way to talk and keep in touch."
"Most phones you can text with. I would look for one with a bigger keypad so it's easier to use."
"Applications are fun. Some phones have free ones and others you can buy."
"I use applications on my phone all the time. I have one for music, one for games, and one I use as a GPS."
"Blue tooth is a wireless earpiece used for hands free talking. I would highly recommend getting one."
"Yes I would make sure it is blue tooth compatible. In some states it is illegal to talk while driving but if you're using a blue tooth it's ok."
"Every company has different plans. I would just ask when I go there to look at phones."
"I would get a plan with free long distance and free texting."
"I always buy a warranty. That way if you break your phone they will replace it."
"I think warrantees are a waste of money. If my phone breaks I just buy a new one."
"I would first look into the prices for family plans if you're interested."
"Family plans are great. Your whole family can get their own phones and it's a good way to keep in touch with busy teenagers."
20. Home Phones
With the popularity of cell phones, home phones seem to be getting less attention. But there have been many new upgrades with the home phone which allow families to enjoy lots of fun and exciting new experiences.
Here are some questions commonly used when talking about home phones.
"What company should I use for my home phone?"
"Should I get wireless phones for my home?"
"Is there a way to check my messages while I am away?"
"Can I forward a call coming to my home phone to my cell phone?"
"Should I purchase a video home phone?"
"How important is conference calling?"
"Is caller ID important?"
If you are asked any of these questions, here are ways that you could respond.
"I would check around with your neighbors and see who they use."
"I would check for any specials to see who is offering the lowest prices."
"You do not have to get wireless but they are a lot more convenient to use."
"Definitely go with wireless. Do they even make the non wireless anymore?"
"I would make sure you buy a phone that allows you to check your messages while away. That way you can get back to someone faster."
"I never use that feature. If someone wants to reach me that bad they can just call my cell."
"You can forward a call to your home to your cell. Just make sure the home phone you buy will allow you to do it."
"I tried that before and it's too complicated."
"Video home phones are great. I use mine to talk to my family in California. It's nice to be able to see them as you talk."
"I don't use video home phones. I just use my computer to video chat."
"Conference calling is great to use for work but not really practical for the home."
"I never use conference calling at home, we just use three way calling."
"Caller ID lets know who is calling you. That way you can screen your calls."
"I use caller ID so I don't have to talk to all the telemarketers."
21. Computers
Computers are used everywhere from work, education and for entertainment. With a vast variety of styles, sizes and types of computers the options seem limitless. Make sure that you learn as much as you can before purchasing a computer to assure you are buying the best one to fit your needs.
Here are some questions commonly used when talking about computers.
"I am interested in buying a computer. Do you have any recommendations?"
"Should memory of the computer be an important factor when making my choice?"
"I am unfamiliar with computers. Can I get help setting it up?"
"Should I get a laptop or a PC?"
"What do you plan on using the computer for?"
If you are asked any of these questions, here are ways that you could respond.
"It depends on what you're going to need it for. I would do a little research to learn more about them."
"I would go to the store and tell them your needs and interests and they can help you with which computer would be best for you."
"If you're going to be saving a lot of information or media I would get a computer with a lot of memory."
"Memory is always important. I would get a computer with more now so you don't have to upgrade later."
"Most places that sell computers offer help with setting it up and other troubleshooting areas."
"They are pretty simple to set up. I would just use the directions it comes with."
"Laptops are more mobile so if you're on the go a lot I would recommend a laptop."
"I would go with a home PC for now. It will be accessible for your whole family to use."
"I am using the computer mostly for storing all my photos and music."
"I have a home business so I will be using it for a variety of things."
22. Internet
The internet is a place accessed through your computer which contains large quantities of information. People use the internet in their daily lives for research, work and pleasure. Almost anything you can think of can be accessed or found through the internet.
Here are some questions commonly used when talking about the internet.
"Should I get some sort of virus protection for my computer?"
"How do I get virus protection for my computer?"
"Can I download music over the internet?"
"Is it safe to shop over the internet?"
"Why is my internet is running slow?"
If you are asked any of these questions, here are ways that you could respond.
"I would definitely get some sort of virus protection. You do not want your computer to crash."
"Yeah I would. My computer got a virus one time and it cost me $100 to get it fixed."
"There are a few good ones out there. I will come over and help you download them."
"I know of a few online. They cost money but are worth it."
"You can. There are a few sites to use for downloading music."
"Downloading music is great! You can find just about anything but you do have to pay for them."
"Make sure you are shopping on a reputable site otherwise I would be careful."
"I don't feel comfortable using my credit card over the computer."
"You can check with your provider to see if there are any problems."
"Maybe you need a faster connection for what you are doing."
23. Email
Email is a very useful tool to send and receive information as well as communicate with friends and family. It is basically a way to send letters and other information directly to a person through their computer.
Here are some questions commonly used when talking about email.
"How do I set up an email account?"
"How do I send people emails?"
"How will I know when I get one?"
"Can I send photos through email?"
"How do I know if they get my email?"
"Can I attach a file to an email?"
"Can I send an email to more than one person?"
If you are asked any of these questions, here are ways that you could respond.
"After you decide which email system to use just follow the instructions they provide."
"Check with your provider to see if they provide an email account."
"First you need to get their email address. Just type it in and then write them a message."
"I can come over and help you. It is easier for me to show you in person."
"You can set your email up to prompt you when you get an email."
"I just check my email often to find out."
"Yes you can send photos through email."
"Read your manual, I am sure it will tell you how to do it."
"You can set your email up so you get the notification when they receive an email you sent."
"I usually just talk to them or see if they send something back to me."
"Same as sending photos, I would check your manual to see how to do it."
"Yes you can attach files. Just look for the attach files button."
"Yes you can send an email to as many people as you want."
"Just cc them in the email and you can send it to more than one person."
24. Driving a Car
Knowing the rules of the road and how to operate a car properly are all important factors in staying safe while driving, both for your safety and others.
Getting a License
Getting your license is the first step in becoming a driver. Most states have certain regulations on how to go about getting one. Most require some sort of written test as well as an actual driving test. You can usually pick up study booklets with the information you will need to know to pass the test.
Here are some questions commonly used when preparing to get your license.
"Where do I get my study material?"
"Where is a good place to practice my driving?"
"Should I learn on an automatic or a stick shift?"
"Does someone need to be with me when I am practicing?"
"Is the driving test difficult?"
"Will my driver's license be good in other states?"
"What happens if I fail my test?"
If you are asked any of these questions, here are ways that you could respond.
"You will need to call your local DMV to set up an appointment to take your test." DMV stands for Department of Motor Vehicles.
"Call a DMV to set up a date."
"You can get your study material at the DMV."
"You may want to call the DMV and see if they offer the study material online."
"Practice in a safe place with no one around."
"Maybe an empty parking lot would be a good place."
"I would recommend learning on a stick shift. That way driving an automatic will be easy."
"I prefer learning on an automatic, it's just easier."
"Yes, you need to have a licensed driver with you while practicing."
"You first need to get a learners permit before practicing to drive."
"If you study for the driving test you should be ok."
"I did ok on the written test but had a bit of trouble on the driving part."
"You can drive from state to state with a legal driver's license from where you live."
"Yes it is good if driving to other states but if you move to another state, the laws may be different and you will need to get a license for that state."
"If you fail the test you can take it again at another time."
"Stay positive! You're going to do just fine."
25. Driving
Once you have obtained a legal driver’s license in your state, you are now able to drive. You should be knowledgeable on the laws and regulations regarding where you live.
"Do I need to have car insurance?"
"Can I talk on my phone when diving?"
"What if I get caught speeding."
"What are the carpool lanes for?"
"What if I have car trouble?"
"What if I get into a wreck?"
"If I have my license in one state can I drive in another state?"
If you are asked any of these questions, here are ways that you could respond.
"Some states require car insurance. Make sure you find out before driving."
"If you do not have car insurance and hit someone you are responsible to pay for the damages."
"In some states talking on the phone while driving is illegal, check you laws first."
"Always use a blue tooth device so you can concentrate on the road."
"If you get caught speeding just calmly do what the police officer asks you."
"You will most likely get a ticket and have to pay a fine."
"Carpool lanes are for cars with two people or more inside."
"Carpool lanes are for motorcycles and cars with a lot of people."
"If you have car trouble you can use a cell phone to call for help."
Some people use a service called AAA. It stands for American Automotive Association. You can become a member by joining and paying a yearly fee.
"You can wave down someone to help you or just wait for help."
"You should wait for the police to come and help handle things"
"You should get each other’s insurance and personal information."
"Yes, you can drive from state to state with your license."
"If you move permanently to another state you will need to get a driver's license for THAT state."
Other options besides driving
There are other options for transportation besides driving your car. You could ride the bus to work. You could ride a bike or use the public subway system if they have one. You may also choose to carpool. Carpooling is when you share a ride with friend(s) to cut down on the amount of traffic on the roads.
26. Car
The purchasing of a new car can be a fun experience as long as you do some research beforehand. You might want to consider price, condition the car is in, your needs and the practicality of the vehicle. All are important factors in deciding which car is best for you.
Purchasing a Car
Purchasing a car can be both exciting and intimidating. Knowing what you want, how much the car is worth and how much you can afford are all important factors. Sometimes dealing with car salesman you will want to know these points beforehand. If you an uncomfortable bargaining with a salesman just have an idea of what you can afford and stick with it.
Here are some questions commonly used when purchasing a car.
"How can I check what a car is worth?"
"Can I check if the car has been in any major wrecks in the past?"
"Should I consider financing?"
"Does the car have a warranty?"
"Can I negotiate price?"
"Should I buy used or new?"
If you are asked any of these questions, here are ways that you could respond.
"There are different ways to check. A common place is called the Kelley Blue Book."
The Kelley Blue Book is a trusted prices, values and reviews of cars.
"You might be able to look up prices on the internet."
"You can ask for a 'history' on the car from the salesman to check if there are any past accidents."
"There are websites where you can look up the history of a car. Just search for them."
"Almost all car companies offer financing."
"I would try and pay cash but if you can't afford the entire car you may need to finance."
"All cars have some sort of warranty. Check with the car dealership."
"Warranties are good in case you need anything fixed."
"Just know how much you can spend and only spend that much."
"You can try and negotiate if you're comfortable with it."
"Used or new depends on you and what you need."
"You can usually spend less money buying a used car. Just make sure it is in good shape."
27. Car Maintenance
Proper maintenance on your car can help assure it will run smoothly and last you a long time.
Here are some questions commonly used when talking about the maintenance of your car.
"How often should I change the oil in my car?"
"Should I rotate the tires?"
"What type of gas should I put into it?"
"Should I get tune ups?"
"Should I keep it outside or in my garage?"
If you are asked any of these questions, here are ways that you could respond.
"Normally you should change your oil every 3000 miles."
"Yes change your oil when it gets low."
"Rotating your tires will make them last longer."
"Rotating your tires will keep them in good condition and keep you safe."
"Most cars use unleaded gas."
"I would check your car manual. You don't want to put the wrong gas in your car, it can ruin it."
"Tune ups keep your car running smoothly."
"Tune ups are good and you may find something that needs replaced that you would normally not know about."
"If you have a garage I would use it. It will keep your car safe from the weather."
"If you don't have a garage just keep it in your driveway."
28. Selling a Car
There comes a time when you will need to sell your car. You may need a bigger one, or smaller one. You may want one less expensive or one that is better on gas. Make sure you research how much your car is worth as well as viable ways of advertising it before you attempt to sell.
Here are some questions commonly used when selling a car.
"How should I advertise my car to sell?"
"Should I fix any issues with my car before selling it?"
"Should I research how much it is worth before selling it?"
"Will I get more if I trade it in?"
"Should I be firm on the price I am asking?"
If you are asked any of these questions, here are ways that you could respond.
"There are many ways to advertise. You can use the newspaper, the internet, or even put a sign in it that says For Sale."
"I would advertise in a local car selling/buying magazine. A lot of people will see it there."
"You can fix any issues if you want. It might up the value of the car when you sell it."
"I would just be honest and inform people it has something wrong with it."
"Definitely research how much it is worth. That way you can be sure to sell for the right price."
"I would just sell it for what you owe on it. If you already own it then I might look up how much it is worth."
"I would try and trade it in if you are buying a new car."
"I would try and sell it, you will probably get more money for it."
"Once you find out how much it is worth, some people price cars at a higher price to try and make money."
"I would ask for more than it's worth, then you can lower the price and still get what you want."
Comments
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Kazakhstan |
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Kazakhstan |
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British Indian Ocean Territory |
