{"id":276,"date":"2021-02-08T21:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-02-08T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nativeintonation.com\/?p=276"},"modified":"2021-02-13T23:50:02","modified_gmt":"2021-02-13T14:50:02","slug":"how-to-start-a-conversation-in-english","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nativeintonation.com\/how-to-start-a-conversation-in-english\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Start a Conversation in English"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Want to practice your English with strangers but not sure how to start a conversation? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, look no further, this blog will help you out! <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Arthur's video <\/a>provides excellent examples of conversation starters, and great pronunciation models for you. His playlist<\/a> also has plenty of tips for keeping the conversation going once started. Many of the ideas in this post come from his video.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conversation Starter: Talking about something in common <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to Arthur, the key to starting a conversation with anybody, anywhere is to find something you have in common. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Talking about the place you\u2019re in or the weather is always a good start. British people are famous for talking about the weather! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

… isn't it?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Some example conversation starters you could use are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a nice day, isn\u2019t it?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s busy here, isn\u2019t it!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you notice something they have in common? They both follow the structure It\u2019s a \u2026, isn\u2019t it?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we use the question tag \u201cisn\u2019t it?<\/em>\u201d it always follows a verb in the positive form. It also has a rising intonation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Negative expression<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you wanted to talk about something more negative, you\u2019d flip the verbs:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Horrible weather today, isn\u2019t it?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Notice how I also dropped \u201cit\u2019s a\u2026\u201d as it\u2019s not really necessary. We often skip it out when making a statement such as this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What a…<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A third way to make a statement about the situation you\u2019re in is to use what a\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What a beautiful\/horrible\/wet\/windy day!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What a great presentation.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What a beautiful bag!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ok, so this is also a good one for giving compliments. Everybody loves a compliment, and it\u2019s easy to follow up with questions about where the item came from. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This could then lead to a longer conversation, and you might find some things in common!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a solid way to start a conversation with anyone! You\u2019ll generally find out from the response to your statement whether the other person wants to continue the conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conversation Example<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The first step is always the hardest!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But how do you respond? Well you could just say \u201cyes<\/em>\u201d but then that\u2019s the end of your conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It's a nice day, isn't it? <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div> \n\n\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t \t
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Yes. <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\n\t \t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\n\t\t\t\t
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…<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div> \n\n\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t \t\t\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n