Basic English Phrases To Use In Your Daily Conversations To Practice Speaking
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Do you want to start speaking in English in your daily conversations? Do you want to sound like a native English speaker? Here are some basic phrases that beginners can use to kickstart their English conversations!
Conversation Starter: Meeting New People
When you meet someone new, you would of course need to make introductions. Here are some phrases that you can use:
My name is Sarah. What’s your name?
Hi, I don’t think we’ve met before. I’m Siva.
Hi, I’m Tom. You are ..? (informal)
Yusuf, I’d like you to meet Simon (if you’re introducing someone else)
After introducing yourself, you can also say:
Nice to meet you!
Pleased to meet you.
Here are some questions that you can ask people you’ve just met:
Where are you from?
What do you do for a living? / What do you study? / What do you do?
Conversation Starter: Making Small Talk
Small talk is chatting about things that are casual or informal, usually between people who do not know each other well. If you’re using English in your daily conversation, it is often considered polite to include a little bit of small talk before going into the main point of the conversation.
The most common and safe way to start small talk is to ask someone how they’re doing. Here are several ways to ask someone how they’re doing and how to respond to the question:
Question: How are you? / How are you doing?
Answer: I’m fine, thank you / I’m doing well!
Question: How’s it going? (informal) / How are things? (informal)
Answer: Things are going great / Things are going not so great
Question: What’s up? (very informal)
Answer: I’ve been busy doing…. / Nothing much. I’ve only been….
Other questions that you can use to initiate small talk are:
How is your day going?
How did you get here?
I like your …. Where did you get that?
You may also want to exchange contact details. In that case, you can use phrases such as:
How can we keep in touch?
Are you on Facebook/Instagram?
What is your phone number?
Let’s exchange our contact details.
While conversations about the weather may seem a bit cliche, it is still a good English conversation starter, especially for beginners. You can ask questions like ‘Do you think it’s going to rain?’ or simply state things like ‘It’s hot today!’ and wait for the other party to respond.
Asking For Clarification
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When speaking to others in English in your daily conversation, you may find yourself needing to ask for clarifications or further explanations. Don’t worry, this is perfectly normal. Even in your first language, you’d find yourself doing this sometimes!
Here are some phrases that can help you:
I’m sorry, I don’t think I understand. Could you please explain?
Sorry, I didn’t catch that. Could you please repeat that? (this can also be used if you simply didn’t hear something)
Could you say that again, please?
Asking For Opinion
In your daily conversations when speaking in English, you might also find yourself wanting to ask for other people’s opinions. Here are some phrases that you can use:
What do you think?
How does that sound?
Would you have any suggestions?
Any thoughts? (informal)
In spoken English, intonation also plays a role to convey what you mean so you can simply say ‘Sounds ok?’ or say ‘Thoughts?’ with a questioning tone to ask for opinions.
Ending A Conversation
Have you ever found yourself needing to end a conversation for whatever reason but am not sure how to go about it? Well, worry not as here are some phrases that you can use without being afraid that you may sound rude.
I have to get going.
Sorry, it’s time for me to leave.
I have to go but can we continue later? (if you do want to continue the conversation)
I have to run! (informal)
I have to leave now but it’s been nice talking to you.
Thank you for sharing! It’s really helpful. (if you already have all the information you need)
See, using English in your daily conversation when speaking doesn’t have to be difficult! Just make sure you choose the phrase that is most appropriate based on the circumstances.
Saying Goodbye
After you’ve signalled that the conversation is ending, it’s polite and nice to also say a proper goodbye. While you can’t go wrong with a simple ‘goodbye’ or ‘bye’, you can also add in parting phrases such as:
Have a good day! (appropriate in almost all situations)
Talk to you later!
See you soon!
I’ll catch up with you some other time.
Good luck! (if appropriate to the situation)
Where To Find More Samples Of Daily Conversations In English To Practice Speaking
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1) Daily English Conversation
This is a popular YouTube channel which has plenty of videos with conversations that can be used in everyday life. Try imitating the dialogues but instead of repeating them word for word, you should try to paraphrase and make it relevant to you. Ask yourself, what would I ask and how would I respond in real life?
2) Helena Daily English
On this website, you will find short conversation dialogues on topics such as introductions, small talk as well as pastimes and activities. These sample dialogues should be able to give you some ideas on what to say in your daily conversations when speaking in English.
3) Basic English Conversation
You’d find sample conversations on this website in both text and audio form which enables you to practice your English listening skills as well as your speaking skills. The conversations are categorised by topic and consist of questions and answers. Increase your confidence to speak in English by practising with the dialogues.