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 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