Lesson 1: Small Talk & Introductions

Start conversations politely, sound natural, and feel confident.

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Goal: Learn natural greetings, introductions, and small talk used daily in the U.S. (work, store, neighborhood).

Friendly Greetings

  • “Hi! How’s it going?” — casual
  • “Good morning! How are you?” — polite
  • “Hey! Long time no see!” — for someone you know
  • “What’s up?” — very casual with friends

Quick Introductions

  • “I’m Abel. Nice to meet you.”
  • “This is my coworker, Sara.”
  • “I’m new to the area. I just moved from Ethiopia.”
  • “I work in IT. What do you do?”

Model Dialogue (Grocery Store)

Clerk:
Hi there! How’s your day going?
You:
Pretty good, thanks. How about you?
Clerk:
Doing well! Do you have a rewards card with us?
You:
Not yet. How can I sign up?
Clerk:
Just enter your phone number here. You’ll get discounts.
You:
Great, thanks!

Audio coming when backend is ready.

Pronunciation Tips

“How’s it going?” /haʊz ɪt ˈɡoʊɪŋ/

Linking: “How’s-it” sounds like howz-it. Keep it short and smooth.

“Nice to meet you.” /naɪs tə ˈmiːt ju/

“Meet you” → often sounds like meetcha /ˈmiːtʃə/ in casual speech.

American ‘R’

In words like “card”, curl your tongue slightly back: /kɑːrd/.

Polite Answers

  • “Good, thanks. And you?”
  • “Not bad. How about yourself?”
  • “Pretty busy today.”

Follow-up Questions

  • “Are you from around here?”
  • “How long have you lived in the U.S.?”
  • “What do you like to do on weekends?”

Micro-Practice

  1. Record yourself saying: “Hi! I’m [Your Name]. Nice to meet you.”
  2. Practice responding to “How’s it going?” with 3 different answers.
  3. Introduce a friend: “This is my friend, [Name].”

Quick Quiz

1) Which is the most natural for small talk?




2) A polite introduction is…




3) In casual speech, “meet you” often sounds like…




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