The ability to win time in a conversation is necessary not only for politics. For those who have just started learning a foreign language? this is also very important, and here filler words will come to the rescue, as well as expressions that will allow you to fill in the pause and think about your next statement. Do not be afraid of formulaic phrases - our language consists of them.
Useful English expressions: filling in the gaps
So:
- Well - an analogue of our "good" or "well". Only "well" is not in the incentive sense of "come on!" - in this sense, we use it at the end of a sentence, and at the beginning of a phrase - when we need to “buy time”. For example: "Well, tell me more about your plans." "Well, tell me more about your plans." Another translation of this word is "in any case." For example: "Well, I am not good so good speaker." "Anyway, I'm not such a good speaker."
- Anyway – the translation options are the same as for well, but the use of anyway is typical for people fromUSA. Example: "Anyway, John divorced" - "Well, John divorced."
- As far as - regarding, relatively, regarding, how much, etc. For example: "As far as I remember you are planning to leave that job". “I understand you are going to leave this job.”
- By the way or a popular social media abbreviation for this phrase is btw. It is translated as "by the way", "by the way". For example: "By the way, my boyfriend also likes motorcycling." – “By the way, my boyfriend also likes motorcycles.”
These set expressions in English are common enough to be worth spending your time on in the first place.
Building connected sentences
These colloquial phrases in English will help not only dilute the text, but also logically build your narrative:
- First of all - first of all. For example, First of all I'd pefer you to tell me about your childhood. - First of all, I'd rather you tell me about your childhood.
- What’s more – moreover, moreover, and yes… For example: And what's more, your son fail his exam. “And besides, your son failed his exams.
- After all - finally, in the end, after all, after all, be that as it may, so. For example: She made a right choice after all. - She made the right choice after all.
- Moreover - more than that. For example: moreover, I don't believe him. “What’s more, I don’t believe him.
Travel Phrases
Howwithout spending much time to learn English for travel? Phrasebook is easy to find, but what is the best way to work with it? It is enough to memorize a few template phrases, individual words in which can be easily replaced or used in other sentences - and you will already have a good active dictionary.
For example: I don't understand English. – I don’t understand English.
Add a short word well (good).
I don't understand English well. – I don’t understand English well.
Instead of a simple well, you can use the most popular expression very well (very good). We get:
I don't understand English very well. – I don’t understand English very well.
Having analyzed these examples, you already understood that “I don't” means “I don't”, and instead of understand, you can substitute any verb in the initial form from the dictionary. Of course, it would be desirable to know that "I don't" is "I am not" only for the present tense, that is, with its help you can only say "I do not", but you cannot say "I did not". But all this can be easily clarified with the help of a quality grammar guide. In order to navigate your travels, it is important to have a good vocabulary, but grammar can wait. Mistakes will be forgiven. A set of expressions that are clear and useful to you is really very convenient to implement, parsing the sentences according to the scheme above. For example, try playing with the following phrases. Each of them will definitely come in handy on your journey:
How can I get to the airport(to get to the airport)?
(The verb get is one of the most used, its main meaning is "get").
May I pay by credit card?
(In this sentence, the words credit card can be replaced with a short cash - cash).
Could you help me a little?
(Similar. Help is very easy to replace with another verb).
Where is the supermarket?
Take a close look at the first parts of these sentences (can I, how can I, where is it, etc.). Using them, you can easily learn spoken English for tourists. Phrases, for example, could be:
Could you tell me…. - Could you tell me…
Where is the ticket office/shop/hospital? – Where is the ticket office/shop/hospital?
May I come in/help you/ask you/have another pastry? – Can I come in / help you / ask you / take another cake? (the word may has a connotation of permission "can", "allow")
The most common expressions and phrases
The following colloquial phrases in English cannot be ignored, they can be found in everyday life, in every film or literary work. They are repeated so often that it is impossible not to remember them. All of them are quite general, they can be used in a variety of situations. So:
What's the matter? – What’s the matter?
- Cool! - Cool! This word is almostis a parasite, it is so common. However, there is no easier way to express your admiration or approval.
- Very well. - Very well. One of the most famous ways to show your approval.
- Calm down. - Take it easy. A popular expression similar in meaning is Don't worry. - Don't worry.
Courtesy Phrases
Traditional English textbooks and courses usually provide good grammar knowledge and allow you to expand your vocabulary, but it is impossible to learn spoken English phrases with their help. Therefore, it is worth paying special attention to them, because they are the main difficulty for most students when traveling to English-speaking countries. When studying the most popular colloquial expressions, you should immediately understand whether they refer to formal language, informal or slang. Consider examples:
The first thing to start with is "How are you?"
"How are you?" - has a rather formal connotation. It's not so much a question of "how are you?" as an expression of attention, a greeting, and a way to start a conversation. The standard response to this expression, which you can never go wrong with, no matter how things really go for you: I'm fine, thank you. There are other options, it is better to start them with "I'm" (I'm good / very well). "So-so" answers (So-so or Fifty-fifty) will be perceived as your desire to continue the conversation and are no longer so formal.
The following three phrases are examples of direct translation,but they have the same general meaning - “How are you?” They are more casual than "How are you?"
"How're you doing?" – “How are you doing right now?”
"How's it going?" – “How is it going?”
"How's everything?" – “How is everyone?”
"How is life?" – “How are you?”
"How are things?" - "How are things?"
Another popular way to ask "How are you?" is the famous expression "What's up?" It literally translates to "What's new?" This phrase is informal and works well with friends.
How to express gratitude and end a conversation
This is a must for anyone who wants to learn English for travel. The phrasebook of almost any author offers such an option - “Thank you”. However, you can hear "Thanks" much more often. Also, you may be told "Cheers" or "Ta" (especially in the UK).
"Have a nice day!" - "Have a great day!" With this phrase, you can end a conversation, letter, chat conversation. It is perfect for communicating with strangers. You can also use more informal expressions such as "take care" (take care of yourself, keep your eyes open), "see ya!" (classically spelled "see you", meaning "see you later")
Popular abbreviations
In colloquial English, very often used:
- gonna instead of going to (going to do smth.);
- wanna instead of want to(want);
- shoulda instead of shoud have ("should have done", after shoulda you need to use the past participle);
- coulda instead of could have (“could”, past participle is also used after coulda).
And now these English colloquial phrases with translation examples:
I wanna be a model. – I want to be a model.
You shoulda been there yesterday. – You should have been there yesterday.
I'm gonna visit Prague. – I am going to visit Prague.
You could help me. – You could help me.
Popular English expressions to keep the conversation going
How to agree or object, express your opinion or express your attitude to the subject of the conversation?
Let's start with the simplest: really? This short question, which translates as “really?”, will let the interlocutor understand that you are questioning what he is saying, waiting for clarifications and ready to listen to him again. You are right / wrong will allow you to clearly express your opinion (You are right / wrong). To start your thought, it is enough to say: I suppose … - I suppose …. To agree or disagree with the interlocutor: I (don’t) agree with you. – I (dis)agree with you.
Tips for learning English fast
How to learn conversational phrases in English? The most important thing for those who are going on a trip is the skill of listening. Put your textbooks aside. Of the four skills that characterize knowledge of the English language - listening, reading,grammar and speaking - it is the first that is important to you. By exercising your listening comprehension skills, you prepare yourself to speak well. Consider how children learn to speak. First - understanding, that is, a passive process, then - speaking. So listen as much as you can. It can be dialogues in English, conversations between other people, movies, radio, talk shows, and so on. Don't just watch movies, do work. It is highly recommended to watch movies with sub titles. Write down set expressions in English that appear in the film. Analyze them, check their meaning in the dictionary. Then watch the movie in a relaxed way, paying attention to other words as well. It doesn’t matter what result you have achieved and whether you remember at least something. Move on to the next movie and follow the same pattern. After a while, try looking at your notes. You will be surprised how much you already understand and are familiar with. This way, without straining too much and having fun, you can build up a good vocabulary.
