Small talk, wishes and suggestions

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Small Talk, Wishes and Greetings

The language of politeness

To a certain degree, understatement and exaggeration are part of national culture. Americans tend to be highly enthusiastic (‘Fantastic!’ – ‘I’d love to!’ – ‘I’m dying to meet him!’), whereas the British are more reserved in their way of expressing themselves (‘I’m afraid we’ve got a bit of a problem.’). These are, of course, just generalizations, as each person has their own style. In conversations, always try to be friendly and polite, but remember that polite phrases cannot always be taken literally.

The language of politeness

People don’t always say what they really mean; sometimes they even say the opposite: „I think you’ve got an interesting idea.“ (He’s really impressed!) (This is going to take a lot of revising.)

The language of politeness

The list on the left in the table below shows some polite phrases you might hear, especially in the UK. First, decide what you think they mean, then choose the ‘translation’ from the list on the right.1 There’s room for improvement. a I’m just being polite. 2 I wouldn’t mind. b I’m very annoyed. 3 Very original work. c I expect you to read it.4 You must come over for dinner. d I’d love to.5 I was a bit disappointed that … e That’s really good. 6 You might want to have a look at it. f I expect you to apologize. 7 I’m sure it was my mistake. g Hopeless stuff.

The language of politeness

The list in the table below shows some polite phrases you might hear, especially in the UK. This is what they really say.1 There’s room for improvement. (g) Hopeless stuff.2 I wouldn’t mind. (d) I’d love to. 3 Very original work. (e) That’s really good.4 You must come over for dinner. (a) I’m just being polite. 5 I was a bit disappointed that … (b) I’m very annoyed.6 You might want to have a look at it. (c) I expect you to read it. 7 I’m sure it was my mistake. (f) I expect you to apologize.

The language of politeness

2 - The table below contains polite phrases that can be used in everyday situations. Match them, then use one or two of the matching pairs to write a short dialogue:1 Would you mind if I borrowed one of these? I can’t find mine. a Great idea! I’d love to! 2 Sorry, I didn’t know … b Sure, come in and have a seat. 3 Thanks a lot! c Certainly. Here you are. 4 Is it all right with you if I …? d I’ll have to think about that. 5 Could I bother you for a minute? e Sure, help yourself. 6 Would it be possible for me to …? f That’s all right. Don’t worry about it. 7 We were wondering if you would be interested in … g You’re very welcome. 8 Could I get a …, please? h Of course. Feel free.

The language of politeness

2 - Of course, you found the solution. Then use one or two of the matching pairs to write a short dialogue:1 Would you mind if I borrowed one of these? I can’t find mine. - Certainly. Here you are.2 Sorry, I didn’t know ... - That’s all right. Don’t worry about it. 3 Thanks a lot! - You’re very welcome.4 Is it all right with you if I …? - I’ll have to think about that. 5 Could I bother you for a minute? - Sure, come in and have a seat.6 Would it be possible for me to …? - Of course. Feel free.7 We were wondering if you would be interested in … - Great idea! I’d love to!8 Could I get a …, please? - Sure, help yourself.

Good wishes are always welcome

Wishes and Greetings

Greeting other people

When Greek people want to say good morning, they say: Καλημέρα /kaliméra. (Angelina - Greece)''Good evening'' → Καλησπέρα / kalispéra''Good night'' → ''Καληνύχτα'' / kaliníxta (Vasiliki - Greece)In Germany you say: Guten Morgen / Guten Tag / (in Bavaria:) Grüß Gott. And in the evening: Guten Abend For Good night, we say: Gute Nacht - ch like j in Spanish (Sabine - Germany)"Hello" : "Hola" we use it everyday specially with family and friends (María Ángeles - Spain)French people say «Bonjour» for Good morning and «Bonsoir» in the evening.When they leave, you can also hear «Bon après-midi» in the afternoon wishing youa good afternoon and «Bonne nuit» later on to wish you a good night.

Birthday wishes

When it's someone's birthday we say: πολύχρονος / polihronos (Angelina, Greece)The German people say: Alles Gute zum Geburtstag! (Regina, Germany)The Spanish people say: ¡Feliz cumpleaños! (María Ángeles, Spain)In France you say: «Joyeux anniversaire!»

Taking someone's news

'How are you?'' → ''Τι κάνεις;'' (tí káneis) Vasiliki, GreeceWie geht es dir? (Josina, Germany)"¿Cómo vas? ¿Qué tal te va?" : they have the same meaning as " how is it going? " (María Ángeles, Spain)«Ça va?» is the normal question when you want to know if everything is OK.And you usually answer «Ça va.»

When it is time to go

'Goodbye'' → either ''Αντίο'' (adío) or ''Γεια'' (geiá again, but with a different meaning this time) - (Vasiliki, Greece)In Germany we say: Auf Wiedersehen! - It's like "See you again!" (Chiara, Germany)Or: "Bis bald!" (Sabine, Germany)"Hasta ahora": "see you later" (María Ángeles, Spain)French people say: "Au revoir" - It is the same as in German "see you again!"

Find out what you've learned so far

Languages in use

"¿Cómo vas? ¿Qué tal te va?"

What is it in another language?

Question 2/5

"Wie spät ist es?"

"Ça va? / Comment allez-vous?"

''Αντίο'' (adío)

''Καλημέρα'' (kaliméra)

What is it in another language?

Question 1/5

"Guten Morgen"

"Hasta ahora"

"Bonsoir"

"Vous avez l'heure, s'il vous plaît?"

What is it in another language?

Question 3/5

"Wie spät ist es, bitte?"

"¡Que chulo!"

''Τι κάνεις?'' (tí káneis)

What is it in another language?

"Me encanta"

Question 4/5

"J'adore"

''Γεια σας'' (geiá sas)

"Wie mutig!"

"Vielen Dank"

What is it in another language?

Question 5/5

"Je ne comprends pas"

''Καληνύχτα'' (kaliníxta)

"Gracias"

Congratulations!

in the all-languages quiz

Results

5 correct

5/5

0 correct

0/5

4 correct

4/5

3 correct

3/5

2 correct

2/5

1 correct

1/5

Writing cards and letters

In many cultures people write cards and letters to keep contact and to send good wishes. British people are very fond of Christmas cards that they collect and expose on the mantlepiece.Our students also wrote cards and letters to their peers at Christmas time and for Valentine's Day.

Christmas cards and letters

Valentine's Day

"Small talk is an art. That means that some people are, by nature, better at it than others. However, everybody can work on their skills and practise developing them."

Small Talk

Making small talk

"Small talk is an informal type of discourse that does not cover any functional topics of conversation or any transactions that need to be addressed. In essence, it is polite and standard conversation about unimportant things."

Making small talk

In spite of seeming to have little useful purpose, small talk is a bonding ritual and a strategy for managing interpersonal distance.

Making small talk

"The list below contains tips for making small talk. In each tip, one or more phrases is missing. Complete the tips with phrases from the box below."1 Stand roughly at arm’s length from your partner and … while you are talking. 2 Choose a topic that involves something you and your partner … (e.g. social or regional background, personal experiences, present situation, the weather, etc.). 3 Don’t ask any questions that you wouldn’t … 4 Avoid … (‘Do you like sport?’); use … instead (‘What’s your favourite sport?’). 5 Give your partner the opportunity to talk about him- or herself before you make a comment or … 6 Encourage your partner to … by interjecting remarks such as ‘That’s really interesting!’ or ‘Wow! That must have been awesome!’. 7 Pay attention to the silences; they may be a sign that your conversation is … 8 Phrases like ‘It’s been great talking to you’ or ‘We’ll have to continue this conversation some other time’ can help you to … elegantly.a change the subject b keep talking c have in common d end the conversation e coming to a natural endf open questions g look them in the eye h want to answer i ‘yes-or-no’ questions

Making small talk

"The list below contains tips for making small talk. "1 Stand roughly at arm’s length from your partner and look them in the eye while you are talking. 2 Choose a topic that involves something you and your partner have in common (e.g. social or regional background, personal experiences, present situation, the weather, etc.). 3 Don’t ask any questions that you wouldn’t want to answer4 Avoid ‘yes-or-no’ questions (‘Do you like sport?’); use open questions instead (‘What’s your favourite sport?’). 5 Give your partner the opportunity to talk about him- or herself before you make a comment or change the subject 6 Encourage your partner to keep talking by interjecting remarks such as ‘That’s really interesting!’ or ‘Wow! That must have been awesome!’. 7 Pay attention to the silences; they may be a sign that your conversation is coming to a natural end8 Phrases like ‘It’s been great talking to you’ or ‘We’ll have to continue this conversation some other time’ can help you to end the conversation elegantly.

Making small talk

Speech patterns between women tend to be more collaborative than those of men, and tend to support each other's involvement in the conversation. Topics for small talk are more likely to include compliments about some aspect of personal appearance. For example, "That dress really suits you." Think about three compliments that you could use when talking to a girl of your own age.

Making small talk

By contrast, men's small talk tends to be more competitive. It may feature verbal sparring matches, playful insults, and putdowns. However, the men are signalling that they are comfortable enough with each other's company to be able to say these things without them being taken as insults.Think about three "insults" that you could use when talking to a boy of your own age.

Examples of small talk

"A: I'm so stressed, because of school. We have so many exams. B: Yes, I know what you are talking about. What are you doing then? A: I work really long, but don't achieve anything. Because of that I don't get enough sleep and I'm always in a bad mood. B: You need to find ways of relaxing for example reading or doing some sport. Just do a short break and after 15 minutes go back to work. A: I'll try it. Thank you very much! B: You're welcome." Simone & Letizia from Germany

Small talk about a book

A: Hi, have you already read the book "The Hate You Give", which was written by Angie Thomas? B: Hey, no I haven't. But I would like to buy it in a book shop today! A: If you like, I can lend you the book so you don't have to buy it. B: That would be great! Thank you so much! A: You're welcome. Maybe we can meet some time, maybe next week, in a little Café and talk about it to share our thoughts and opinions. B: Sounds very good. Where do you want to go? A: I assume Café Rosalie is a good place. B: Okay, so let's do that. I think 4 o'clock would be a good time, wouldn't it? A: Yes, perfect. See you then! B: Bye. See you soon!Lilja M. - Germany

Small talk, wishes and suggestions

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