English small talk phrases: 12 openers that always work
A2–B112 palabras
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.
Dónde la usarás: Meeting people, offices, parties and waiting rooms.
Small Talk Phrases — La lista de palabras
| Palabra | Significado |
|---|---|
| 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?” |
Cómo estudiar esta lista
Añade cinco o seis palabras al día en lugar de las doce de golpe, conserva la frase de ejemplo en la tarjeta y repásalas cuando toquen. WordNest programa cada palabra en siete intervalos crecientes —el mismo día y luego 1, 3, 7, 14, 30 y 60 días— para que la lista siga contigo meses después. Lee cómo funciona la repetición espaciada si quieres el razonamiento detrás de esos números.
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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