good morning aubry welcome to a part three of our small talk series yes this one's going to
be really fun you guys if you missed the first two check them out we talked about using very common
topics to to start small talk talking about entertainment what someone's watching talking
about what they do in their free time these are great subjects and we're going to give
you the third easiest most popular today which is to talk about a local hotspot yeah so all of
these conversations and vocabulary guys this is all stuff that you can use uh to network to talk
to new clients to develop relationships with co-workers um and these are also conversations
you can have in daily life if you want to make new friends or meet other students this is all stuff
that you could use in any situation both formal and informal um guys if you love today's episode
if you have seen the other episodes as well don't forget to hit like and subscribe right now
subscribe to all ears english guys because we are loving making these series for you this
series this small talk series in fact is based on a poll we did of all ears english subscribers guys
so be a subscriber and you could tell us what you want in the next series so hit subscribe and like
right now guys um all right so we're talking today about local hot spots now i envision this
more than the other two topics in fact i feel like today's topic is even better for networking
for developing relationships with new um people in your professional world yes for sure right because
you think about it so it's a win-win not only are you having this interesting conversation and
getting to know someone and what types of places they might get to go to you're also giving them
recommendations and you're getting recommendations for them so it's going to feel like a very
fruitful conversation for both of you yeah totally um now what do we mean by hot spots like what
what does that even mean local hot spots yeah it means popular a popular place that is fun to go
to it could be a restaurant a cafe a coffee shop it could be a new art exhibit or a theater right
it's just some place that's pretty popular maybe lots of people know about it but your
friend might not yet and you want to share it with them yeah exactly so like aubrey said restaurants
it could be nightlife places like clubs or bars entertainment cinemas theaters museums it could
even be outdoor places like parks and monuments like anywhere in your city that people like to go
um so aubrey here's the next question before we get to that role play when do you talk about local
hot spots i would talk about with anyone honestly like friends that i've had for a long time totally
if a new place opens up or even just one that has been there a while but i'm not sure they've been
strangers if i strike up a conversation like i did yesterday at the orthodontist while i was waiting
for my daughter i i would ask them you know are what are the best places to eat around here
yeah it's an easy conversation to have with anyone um if you guys have listened to aubry and i
talk on the ielts energy podcast you might already know us a little bit aubrey and i love
talking to strangers yes we just love talking to people um i talk to people when i'm in line
you know so like this is something you know if you're outline if you're in line outside
uh you know a museum or a restaurant or something you just talk to the person in front of you you
could be like have you have you been to this place before like is it worth waiting in line
do you know any other restaurants around here that don't have lines maybe i could go there
so again guys like this is such an amazing topic to connect with anyone about so before
we get to this role play guys i want to remind you that we have a free english quiz for you
all ears english dot com slash fluency score get your english fluency score and free materials we
made based on that score are you at fifty percent sixty-five percent eighty percent
where are you get materials based on that score guys it's a short quiz and it's very effective
go to all ears english dot com slash fluency score and remember guys hit like and subscribe right now
so vocabulary before we get to the role play we have three terms that are awesome for you
guys to use in these conversations the first phrase is swing by this is a phrasal verb it's
an informal phrasal phrasal verb i would say it's a little slangy as well um and it just means go to
usually for a short time you know exactly right i'm gonna swing by happy hour
even though i only have a few minutes yeah it definitely kind of means you're gonna pop in
make an appearance hang out for a little bit you're probably not gonna stay for
hours yeah so if a co-worker is like oh hey are you going to this event tonight are you
going to happy hour tonight blah blah blah you could be like i mean i'm going to swing by for
sure but i might not get to stay too long right so awesome phrase for you guys um the next one
very informal grab a bite it just means eat right like i'm gonna grab a bite at that salad place
yes exactly right or if you ask someone hey you want to come grab a bite with me totally this
is such a great way to ask it because it's a very casual very informal like we're just going to go
grab a bite this is not a date i'm not expecting to have a serious conversation with you i know
whereas would you like to go to dinner with me oh there's a little more nuance there
would you like to accompany me to a lunch place guys remember we're not about textbook english
we are very honest with you about what natives really say to each other like aubry said like
using language like this this natural native informal language it's a great way to take
the pressure off a relationship and establish a trustworthy vibe so if a customer like you don't
want the client to think you only care about their business right so you could be like you
know what do you want to take a break and just go grab a bite and then it's like okay we don't have
to talk about work for a little bit now we could talk about the other small talk topics like tv
and free time um all right the last is an idiom guys to catch sight of and that just means to
see for a short time or glimpse so you will hear all of these phrases in the role play so aubrey
what is this role play we're going to be doing so i'm visiting portland for a conference and i meet
jessica jessica's also attending the conference but actually lives in portland this will be not
too far from reality you know it's okay they stay in a role play so we don't get
too off track write about what you know that's the golden rule okay all right um hey that was a short
session i thought it was supposed to be like two hours i know right hey are you from here by chance
i'm starving but i have no idea where to go yes i do live here what are you in the mood for there
are actually tons of great spots around here to eat at oh i don't know just a sandwich i guess
well that's easy bunks sandwiches is just up on 11s i work near here too
and i often grab a bite there when i need something quick perfect oh and since you're
kind of on vacation you should definitely swing by 50 licks a local ice cream place
it's near here too you know what i think i might actually do that would you want to come with me
yes i would love that let's do it we might even catch sight of the unipiper the what a local
street performer that rides a unicycle and plays bagpipes what that's wild i please tell me that's
real that's real i love that so much you can look him up on wikipedia the portland unipiper
it's hard enough to ride a unicycle without playing the bagpipes we got a unicycle it i'm
gonna kill myself every time i try to get on it it is dangerous it's so hard you guys portland
is a wild place um so anyway i love this role play for you guys to practice and gain
confidence through because this is such a great example of how you could take a couple risks and
really make a new connection and you know like maybe well i'm just making a good friend or
maybe aubry is somebody that i could develop a work partnership with in the future right
but at the very least i get to have lunch with a cool person like you know and you're not taking
you know when you just say would you like to come with me maybe it may want to come with me yeah you
know who cares if they end up saying oh i can't no big deal right no big deal yeah you shot your shot
it was worth it to put yourself out there like you totally might make this a great connection might
make a friend or a really good business connection it's worth it just asking you never know they
might be free they might love to join you totally and practice some english right like just go for
it guys you got to take risks if you're going to improve um so comment on this video guys if you
have a suggestion for another series you'd like if you did not watch parts one and two of the small
talk series go back and watch those remember to hit like and subscribe on this video right now
um and then guys go to all ears english dot com slash fluency score for a free english quiz and
materials all right aubry this has been the funnest series it was a really fun series it makes
me want to just go introduce myself to a stranger and ask them about all of these things what are
they watching on tv what are they doing every time and where's a cool place to eat around here those
are all the things okay those are all the things we need to talk about um all right aubrey well
enjoy the rest of your day and i'll see you next time yep see you in the next series bye
you