How to start a conversation in English from espressoenglish.net Do you have difficulty speaking English? Sometimes the hardest part is simply starting a conversation. Today you'll learn expressions for starting a conversation in English in any situation, formula or informal at work, school or other contexts. With friends you can use informal English expressions like these, what's up? What's new? How's it going? To reply to what's up or what's new, people often say something that has happened in their life currently or recently. You can also say not much if there's nothing to report. If someone says how's it going, you can answer great, good or not so good and then say why. With colleagues in the office you use slightly more formal English such as these. Hi John, how are you doing? How's your day going? We're sure having a busy day today or we're sure having a slow day today. Have you heard the news about? Have you got any plans for the weekend? Or how is your weekend? You can talk about projects you're working on or about hobbies you have outside work. Current, national and international news is also a good topic of conversation. How about starting a conversation with a friend who you haven't seen in a long time? Here are some common expressions to start a conversation with someone you see after a long separation. Hi Paula, how have you been? Long time no see. So what have you been up to lately? How's your family? Are you still working at ABC company? In this case you can ask about news in your friend's work, study, family and hobbies. The friend will probably ask you about recent developments in your own life too. How about starting a conversation at a social event like a party or a wedding? If you see someone you don't know, you can say, I don't think we've met. I'm Shayna. Are you from New York? So how do you know Mary? Have you tried the chocolate cake? It's delicious. If you're at a party or a wedding, you can start a conversation by asking how the person knows the host of the party or the people getting married. You can also comment about the food and drinks or about the music. Now let's look at phrases for starting a conversation at a conference or a work event. You can use that same line to greet a stranger who you'd like to get to know. I don't think we've met. I'm Shayna. So where are you from? What did you think of the speaker? That was an excellent workshop. I learned a lot. How about you? You can ask about the person's job, what company they are from, and their opinions about the conference events. How about talking to someone who you were just introduced to? Of course you can say, nice to meet you. You can also ask, how do you two know each other if a friend is introducing a new person? Other good conversation starters include, so what do you do for a living? That means what is your job? If the person is introduced as a student, you can ask, what are you studying? Another good follow-up question is, how long have you been a journalist? How long have you been doing yoga? How long have you been interested in music? And how did you get into it? When you meet someone for the first time, you can ask casually about the new person's profession, interests, hobbies, etc. Their answers will then give you opportunities to ask more or share about yourself. It's common to start conversations with people who you meet outside in public places. Here are some phrases for that. It's a beautiful day, isn't it? It looks like it's going to rain or snow. Can you believe all this rain we've been having or snow? Sure is a hot one today or sure is a cold one today? Just look at those flowers, they're amazing, aren't they? Your dog is so cute, what's his name? If you're in a park, on the street, etc., the most common way to start a conversation is by talking about the weather or the surroundings. Finally, when talking with a stranger that's a person you don't know in other contexts, the secret is to make a comment about the current social context. Here are a few examples of how to do this. At an art gallery, that's an interesting painting, what do you think of it? At a bar, this is a great song, I love Latin music, how about you? At a sports game, wow, that was a great play, so who's your favorite player? At a cafe, boy do I need a coffee? At a concert or event, what a great turnout have you ever been here before? At a playground, my kids are sure full of energy today. You don't need to ask a direct question, you can simply make a comment to the other person, and this is like an invitation for the other person to comment too. This can then begin a conversation, and we'll learn more about how to continue the conversation in our next lesson. If you want to learn the phrases you need for situations in day-to-day life, take my everyday English speaking course. You can click on the link in the video for more information.