B I Person Talking Good Conversation Visiting Nice

Listen to the Entire Lesson

There are many opportunities to talk with strangers. If you are waiting for a bus, or if you are waiting in line, strangers start talking to each other. Another opportunity is if you are on a ferry or in the park sitting on a bench. Basically, opportunities can come everywhere. You should practice this section if you want to talk with different people. Talking to strangers require a lot of small talk. You can study more about small talk in the English Lesson section. For now, we will cover things like talking about where you came from.

If you look like a tourist, some people will ask where you are from. This is just a way to get to know strangers. It's quite common to talk with strangers here. Here are some questions you might hear.

"Are you visiting from somewhere?"
"Yes. I'm visiting from Korea."

"Are you on vacation here?"
"Yes. I'm taking a vacation from Korea."

It's very common for strangers to talk to each other if you are at a tourist location. For example, if you are at Disney Land and you are sitting down, someone next to you might ask some questions assuming you are visiting from somewhere.

"How are you enjoying your vacation?"
"I'm having a great time. How about you?"

"It's pretty fun here. Are you having a good time?"
"This is a great place. I'm having a lot of fun. Are you having fun?"

"Are you here with your family?"
"I'm here with my wife and 2 kids. They are so excited to be here."

"My kids love this place. This is our third time here. Have you been here before?"
"This is my first time here. I always wanted to come and I'm having a great time."

Starting a Conversation

The best time to start a conversation is when you are next to someone who is not moving. You can't start talking to someone walking away from you. Then you are bothering them by making them stop. But if you are sitting down on a bench and someone is next to you, or you are at a beach and someone is close by, you can start a conversation by saying something generic. Here are some conversation starting sentences. But after you make your first sentence, you should see by their reaction if they want to continue the conversation or not. If they appear a little rude, then stop talking to them. You don't have to say anything to stop talking. They don't expect you to. They expect you to not say another word. But if they ask a question back, and they seem friendly, then you can continue with the conversation.

"The weather is so nice today. Are you from around here?"
"How is your day going so far?"
"There are a lot of people out here today. Is this normal?"

An easy way to start talking is when you notice something such as their kids, family, or a dog they might be with.

"Are you here with your family?"
"Are you on vacation?"

"Are those your kids? They're so cute?"
"What kind of dog is that?"

It's much easier if they start the conversation. If they make a comment or ask a question, then you know that they would like to talk.

Finally, it's common for these types of conversation to last only a couple of minutes. So don't feel bad or feel pressured to keep the conversation alive.

There isn't that much more to tell you about speaking with strangers. The best way to understand what types of things are said in a stranger to stranger conversation is to hear a couple of examples. I will give a couple examples to help you understand more.

Talking to Strangers - Interactive Practice

Click on Listen All and follow along. After becoming comfortable with the entire conversation, become Person A by clicking on the Person A button. You will hear only Person B through the audio file. There will be a silence for you to repeat the sentences of Person A. Do the same for Person B. The speed of the conversation is native speed. Use the pause button if the pause between each sentence is too fast for you. After practicing several times, you will be able to speak as fast as a native.