Please double-click on the English subtitles below to play the video.
00:06
Feifei: Hello. This is The English
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We Speak. This is Rob...
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Rob: And this is Feifei. So, Feifei,
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how did the blind date go?
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Feifei: Not great - a disaster in fact.
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Rob: Oh no. Why didn't you just
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follow my advice?
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Feifei: I did! Wear something nice,
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turn up late and make small talk.
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Rob: Yes, make small talk. Exactly.
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Feifei: Well, when I started making small
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talk, the guy looked at me in a strange
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way and then walked off.
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00:35
Rob: Oh no. What did you say?
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Feifei: Things like 'hi', 'good', 'yes', 'no',
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'great' - small words.
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Rob: But no sentences? I think you've got
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the wrong end of the stick here - I mean
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you've misunderstood - making small talk
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means making informal conversation
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about unimportant things.
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If you're meeting someone
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for the first time, it's a good way
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to make them feel relaxed
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- you know, break the ice.
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01:02
Feifei: Right! Make 'small' conversation.
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01:05
Rob: I guess we should hear
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some examples...
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01:10
I didn't know anybody at my
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cousin's wedding so I tried
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to make small talk with the guests.
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I'm shy and not very good at small talk.
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That's why I hate going to parties.
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At the office party, we all had to stand
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around making small talk, but all I really
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wanted to do was go home!
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01:31
Feifei: This is The English We Speak from
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BBC Learning English. And we're learning
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about the expression 'small talk' - that's
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informal conversation which is meant
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to make people feel more relaxed
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and stops any embarrassing silence.
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Actually, Rob, I do know about
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small talk. It's just that...
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01:51
Rob: So, why didn't you say?
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01:53
Feifei: Well, I was going to tell you that...
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01:55
Rob: You'll never get a boyfriend
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if you don't speak up, Feifei!
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You really need to talk more.
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02:00
Feifei: Rob.
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02:01
Rob: Yes?
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Feifei: What I was trying to say was, I did
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not have time for small talk because my date
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would not stop talking. He was rude,
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arrogant and wouldn't let me
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get a word in edgeways!
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Now, who does that remind me of?!
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02:17
Rob: Err... Nice weather for the
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time of year, don't you think?
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Feifei: It's a bit late for small talk now,
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02:24
Rob. You've said far too much.
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02:26
Rob: Oh.
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02:27
Feifei: Bye bye!
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02:27
Rob: Bye!
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