How to Give Compliments to Sound Like a Native

Hey guys, welcome to linguamarina

Today, we're going to talk about complimenting people

and we're going to talk about phrases that you can use

and we're also going to discuss how to do it

in a polite and a correct way

Complimenting others is a part of culture in the U.S

When I first came to the U.S.

I was surprised that

I was walking down the street in New York

and I just got my new sneakers

and the lady stops and says

Oh my God, I love your sneakers

Where'd you get them?

And I was like, "Wow, maybe this lady is super friendly"

because I was just not used to people stopping in the street

complimenting me on my looks

But then I turned to another street

and then there was another guy who was like

Oh my God, I love your sneakers

So if you really have something that stands out

people would compliment you on it

Sometimes they would just compliment

and continue walking and that's it

Sometimes if you're in an elevator

for example, they would say

Oh my God, I love your earrings

Where did you get them?

And this is not only complimenting you

not only cheering you up

but also starting conversation

And I really like this culture

because sometimes you're just walking down the street

and you're really upset

but then somebody smiles at you

and compliments you're on something and you're like

Wow, my day just got better

And I especially feel great if I

put effort into something

like I put effort into dressing up today

and if somebody compliments me on my dress

I'm like, "Wow. Somebody actually noticed my efforts."

So complimenting people is really, really typical in the U.S.

It is also very typical to either start a conversation

by saying that someone or something is really cute

You wouldn't say to a person

Oh my God, you're so cute

This would be really weird, don't do it

Normally you wouldn't compliment people

on their physical appearance

If you want to say, "Oh my God, I love your hair"

that's good because

if you see that I took some time today to straighten it

yes, that's fine

But if you compliment me on my figure

I might not really like it

and I would be a little shy that you actually paid attention to it

So don't compliment people on something physical

compliment people on their wardrobe

If you're in a professional or academic setting

compliment people on their success like

Oh my God, you just opened a new office for a company

Congratulations, that's a huge success

Or, Oh wow, your recent publication is really, really deep

Thank you so much for doing this work

Your compliments should be consistent

with a situation you're in

And the last, but not the least

people compliment on dogs

on babies

that's very typical

I used to have a dog

I used to babysit my friend's dog

and he was really small puppy

He was actually a grownup dog

but he was really small

And whenever I walked him

even if the walk lasted for 15 minutes

I would get three or four compliments

from people, Oh my God, your dog is so cute

What is his name?

And sometimes again, people would just start a small conversation

asking me about the breed of the dog

asked me about his name

or sometimes they would just pass you by

And again, this just brings you to a completely different mood

And after a year in the U.S.

I started doing the same thing

I started complimenting people on their looks

I started complimenting people on their babies

especially on babies, after I got my own baby

I would be like

Oh my God, your baby's so tiny

How old is he or she? What is his name?

And because I'm genuinely happy to see babies

and I think Americans are just genuinely happy

about seeing beautiful people

genuinely happy about seeing small dogs

genuinely happy about seeing babies

So don't hide that emotion

don't hesitate to spread your positivity

don't hesitate to spread compliments and smiles

This is what really works in American culture

and this is what I really, really, really like about it

Because again, it just brings you to a completely different mood

especially if you're from a country

where this is really uncommon

And whenever I'm in my own country, Russia

I try to bring the same culture

I try to compliment people

and because they're not used to it, they'll be like

Thank you

this

race of emotions from confusion

to actually being happy

That's amazing

So normally

when you compliment people on something

it has two parts

First of all, it is a general observation

Oh wow. Your dress is so beautiful

Second, it's either specifying a part

or asking for more information

Specifying a part

I love the flowers

or you can ask, Where'd you get it?

Now let's move on to phrases

that you can use to give somebody a compliment

You look+adjective

You look amazing

You look amazing

You look amazing

You look smashing today

This dress is gorgeous

Number two, I like, or I love

love is stronger

+noun

I like your bag

I love your bag

Where did you get it?

Oh my God. I love your bracelet. Where did you get it?

That's such+adjective

+noun

That's such a cute dog

What is his name?

That's such a pretty melody

What+adjective+noun

What a beautiful jacket

Where did you get it?

What a beautiful office

You have+adjective

+noun, example

You have amazing taste

These shoes look great on you

You have great taste

You really did+adjective+noun

This is a phrase that you can use in a more formal situation

You really did an amazing job

Congratulations on getting promoted

You did an amazing job

Or, you really did a terrific job

repairing your house

It looks brand new

You really did a nice job

Good at+gerund

For example, you came to your friend's house

and you see a cake on the table

and you try the cake and you say

You are so good at cooking

Can you give me a masterclass?

You are so good at what you do

Noun, plus looks good on you

This dress looks so good on you

You look so elegant

That looks good on you

Great+noun

Great presentation

you totally nailed it

Write down those phrases

and get out of your comfort zone

If you're in an English speaking country

my home task to you

is to go outside

and compliment at least three people

on whatever you think is worth complimenting for

This helps you practice your language

this helps you bring up your mood

because by complimenting others

by giving something to others

you're getting back this amazing emotion

and you're also helping people

stay happier throughout the day

Thank you so much guys, for watching this video up to the very end

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and like this video. I'll see you very soon in my next videos. Bye-bye