Common English Phrases to know

6 years ago
 Oftentimes my students tell me that they are nervous when speaking to strangers and not sure how to respond. Many times this results in the student simply refusing to even try to speak to natives for fear of sounding "silly."  That decision is the worst one you can make as a language student, and will not help you achieve the level of fluency that you want.   So if you are one of these people, this post is for you.  

Below you will see a list of common English phrases to memorize and try using them in live conversations with native speakers.  It is much easier to memorize new word by remembering phrases instead of new words one by one.  Also, this allows you to build a more extensive vocabulary.  It should help take some of the pressure off of speaking to someone in a second language, too.

    
Common phrases to ask how someone is:
What’s up?
What’s new?
What have you been up to lately?
How’s it going?
How are things?
How’s life?
Common phrases to say how you are:
I’m fine, thanks. How about you?
Pretty good.
Same as always
Not so great.
Could be better
cant complain
Common phrases to say thank you:
I really appreciate it.
I’m really grateful
That’s so kind of you.
I owe you one. (this means you want/need to do a favor for the other person in the future)
Common phrases to respond to thank you:
No problem.
No worries
Don’t mention it.
My pleasure.
Anytime.
Common phrases to end a conversation politely:
It was nice chatting with you.
Anyway, I should get going.
Common phrases to ask for information:
Do you have any idea…?
Would you happen to know…? (when you’re not sure if the other person has the information.)
I don’t suppose you (would) know…? (when you’re not sure if the other person has the information.)
Common phrases to say I don’t know:
I have no idea/clue.
I can’t help you there.
(informal) Beats me.
I’m not really sure.
I’ve been wondering that, too.
Common phrases for not having an opinion:
I’ve never given it much thought.
I don’t have strong feelings either way.
It doesn’t make any difference to me.
I have no opinion on the matter.
Common phrases for agreeing:
Exactly.
Absolutely.
That’s so true.
That’s for sure.
I agree 100%
I couldn’t agree with you more.
(informal) Tell me about it! / You’re telling me!
(informal) I’ll say!
I suppose so. (use this phrase for weak agreement – you agree, but reluctantly)
Common phrases for disagreeing:
I’m not so sure about that.
That’s not how I see it.
Not necessarily
Common phrases to respond to great news:
That’s great!
How wonderful!
Awesome!
Common phrases to respond to bad news:
Oh no…
That’s terrible.
Poor you. (Use this to respond to bad situations that are not too serious)
I’m so sorry to hear that.
Common phrases to invite someone somewhere:
Are you free… [Saturday night?]
Are you doing anything… [Saturday night?]
. (informal) Do you wanna… [see a movie?]
(formal)Would you like to… [join me for dinner?]
Common phrases for food:
I’m starving! (= I’m very hungry)
Let’s grab a bite to eat.
How about eating out tonight? (eat out = eat at a restaurant)
I’ll have… (use this phrase for ordering in a restaurant)
Common phrases for price:
It cost a fortune.
It cost an arm and a leg.
That’s a rip-off. (= overpriced; far more expensive than it should be)
That’s a bit pricey.
That’s quite reasonable. (= it’s a good price)
That’s a good deal. (= a good value for the amount of money)
It was a real bargain.
It was dirt cheap. (= extremely inexpensive)
Common phrases for weather:
It’s a little chilly.
It’s freezing. (= extremely cold)
Make sure to bundle up. (bundle up = put on warm clothes for protection against the cold)
Common phrases for hot weather:
It’s absolutely boiling! (boiling = extremely hot)
it scorching hot outside
Common phrases for being tired:
I’m exhausted.
I’m dead tired.
I’m beat
I can hardly keep my eyes open
I’m gonna hit the sack. (hit the sack = go to bed)
I hope this lesson helped anyone out there that was or is nervous about speaking.  There is nothing to be nervous about! If you want to practice using these more,sign up for a trial lesson! 