English small talk phrases: 12 openers that always work
A2–B112 words
Small talk is a fixed set of moves rather than free conversation: an opener, a comment, a question back. Once you own a handful of these phrases, the first two minutes with a stranger stop being the hardest part of speaking English.
Where you will use it: Meeting people, offices, parties and waiting rooms.
Small Talk Phrases — The word list
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| How's it going? | A casual way to ask how someone is.“Hey, how's it going?” |
| What do you do? | Asking about someone's job.“So, what do you do for work?” |
| How was your weekend? | A standard Monday opener.“Morning — how was your weekend?” |
| Long time no see | Said when you meet someone after a while.“Ben! Long time no see.” |
| I've heard a lot about you | A polite thing to say when introduced.“Nice to meet you, I've heard a lot about you.” |
| How do you two know each other? | Asking about a shared connection.“So how do you two know each other?” |
| Are you from around here? | Asking where someone lives.“Are you from around here originally?” |
| Same here | Agreeing that you feel the same.““I'm exhausted.” “Same here.”” |
| Fair enough | Accepting what someone said as reasonable.“Fair enough, let's do it your way.” |
| Anyway, I should get going | A polite way to end a chat.“Anyway, I should get going — see you Thursday.” |
| It was nice talking to you | A friendly closing phrase.“It was nice talking to you, take care.” |
| Let's catch up soon | Suggesting to meet again.“Let's catch up soon — coffee next week?” |
How to study this list
Add five or six of these words a day rather than all twelve at once, keep the example sentence on the card, and review them when they come due. WordNest schedules each word across seven growing intervals — same day, then 1, 3, 7, 14, 30 and 60 days — so the list is still with you months later. Read how spaced repetition works if you want the reasoning behind those numbers.
Studying small talk phrases pairs well with our adjectives to describe personality, everyday English slang words and job interview word list, or browse all free English word lists.
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