This is an All Ears English podcast, episode 100, top 100 most used phrases in English conversation.
Welcome to the All Ears English podcast where you'll finally get real native English conversation and fluency for business and life.
We believe in connection, not perfection, when it comes to learning English.
Now here are your hosts Lindsay McMahon, the English adventurer, and Aubrey Carter, the IELTS whiz, coming to you from Arizona and Boston, USA.
USA.
How can you become fluent in English fast?
Learn the 100 most common phrases in English.
In today's episode, you'll see a few of these in role plays and find out how to get the full ebook today.
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Go to allearsenglish.com slash B2.
That's allearsenglish.com slash letter B number two.
Aubrey, how's it going?
Good.
Happy 100th episode, Lindsay.
Oh, wow.
Happy 100.
I'm sure we'll have many, many, many more.
100 is big though.
This is awesome.
We'll celebrate 100.
We got to celebrate the milestones, Aubrey, right?
How do you like to celebrate milestones?
Cake?
With cake?
We should have a cake.
We should have a cake.
We should be eating cake right now.
We really should.
Well, that's okay.
Well, just imagine we're eating cake.
This is so good.
100 episodes.
Guys, we are so excited to have you as listeners of All Ears English.
Make sure you follow our show.
Stop right now.
Go and hit that follow button so you don't miss a single episode of All Ears English.
What are we getting into today for our special 100th episode?
Yeah, we wanted to do something a little different special for you guys.
So we are going to talk about the 100 most used phrases. in English conversation.
I think this is vital to know these and be able to use them well.
Exactly.
And you guys will have to know that this episode was inspired in this.
We do have an ebook.
We're going to let you know how to get all of these immediately.
Right.
Well, first of all, let's just let our listeners know exactly where they can go to get all of these 100 most common phrases immediately in a simple ebook.
Where can they go?
Yes, go to allearsenglish.com slash 100, the number 100.
We have compiled these all in a free e-book, so just go to that link and download it today.
Yeah.
And this is based on linguistic research that was done by Viviana Cortez from Georgia State University.
And she did a presentation at the TESOL conference that I was lucky enough to be in attendance for.
And so we've taken some of this academic research and put it into a special ebook for you guys.
All right.
So why should we be focusing on the most common phrases?
I mean, is this...
Sound like a good shortcut to you, Aubrey, here?
Yes, exactly right.
These are what you're most likely going to hear in conversations.
You want to be able to use them in conversations.
You're just setting yourself up for success to make connections in English.
Exactly.
And so today we're going to break down these 100 common phrases. into three categories.
The first one is how to check in at a hotel, right?
What's the second one, Aubrey?
Do you see that one there?
Second situation?
Yes, how to introduce yourself to an American in your home country.
Love that.
So good.
So good.
And then number three is how to ask for more information.
I feel like these are scenarios where there's going to be a lot of common language, very commonly used language.
We're going to do three role plays here to give you guys examples of these.
And this is just a sampling, a sneak peek of the phrases that you'll get in this ebook.
And we just want to show you some of them in context.
Got it.
Okay.
So let's start with our first situation and we're checking in at a hotel.
Are you ready, Aubrey?
I'll be the first one.
I'll be A and you can be B. Okay.
Perfect.
Yes.
Okay.
Hi, miss.
How are you today?
Are you checking in?
Yes, I had a room reserved under the name Carter.
Oh, okay.
Let me check.
Oh, great.
I found your reservation.
You're in room 207.
Great.
So I say that.
Okay, great.
So here are your keys and we have a complimentary continental breakfast between 7 and 10 am in the lobby.
Would you like a hand bringing those bags up to your room?
Our bellhop can take care of those for you.
Sure.
That would be great.
Okay.
Enjoy your stay with us.
I love how these are very simple phrases, but it's true.
We hear them all the time.
That's why they sound so simple.
They're so commonly used.
Exactly.
So the good thing we're showing you guys this in this situation of checking into a hotel, but they're going to be used in more than just this scenario right, Aubrey?
Is that what you mean?
Yes, exactly.
You hear them everywhere.
How are you today?
I mean, it couldn't get more common than that.
So you guys can save a lot of time by focusing just on these ones.
Now let's just go back and go over this first one here Aubrey, and highlight the common phrase right.
What was it?
So first, yeah, just how are you today?
I guarantee you guys have had a chance to say that to someone.
You've heard it many times.
Very common.
Yeah.
And it is very common.
Also.
This is not one of them, but it is very common for a person at a front desk of a hotel as you approach them with bags.
Are you checking in?
Right.
That kind of thing.
It may be the first thing they say to you.
So just to be ready for that.
Right.
Yes, exactly.
And the next phrase, let me check.
So here it's, you know, the person at the front desk checking for your reservation.
You'll hear this in all kinds of contexts.
If you're asking someone and they need to verify something, you just say, let me check.
Yeah, I mean, I could also see another context where maybe I'm following my map, my Google Maps, right?
And I'm making sure that I'm following the right route or I typed in the right address.
Oh, let me check.
What's our next move, right?
Where we're going.
Exactly.
Yes, I love that.
And then would you like a hand?
This is an idiomatic expression that we use all the time.
It means would you like help?
But we'll almost always instead say, would you like a hand with that?
Yeah.
And obviously that's really common with physically picking something up, but it could be a lot of other things.
Maybe someone just asked you to edit something for them.
Would you like a hand?
Right.
That could work too, right?
It's not just physical.
Am I right on that?
For sure.
Yeah.
In a business meeting, if you've been assigned to a big project and someone sees that you could use some help, they could say oh, would you like a hand with that?
I've got some free time.
Yeah.
And then, of course, this next one, sure, that would be great.
Super common.
This is just a very down-to-earth English today, right?
Down-to-earth common English.
Super native, supernatural phrases.
But...
The intonation, the word stress it is.
You know, it's pretty specific on how to make it sound native and natural.
So, even though they're very simple phrases, you do want to practice saying them so that it feels very natural.
Yeah.
And how is the intonation with that?
Would you say, Aubrey, for that one?
Yeah.
So we say, sure, that would be great.
We emphasize the sure a little more.
Sure, sure.
Yeah, sure.
That would be great.
Yeah, I love it.
And then the last one enjoy your stay with us is also a really common phrase especially obviously, in a hotel.
That's pretty specific to a hotel.
But you know, if you're at a restaurant, enjoy your dinner, right?
Yes, enjoy your trip always.
I do this sometimes, where someone will say something like that and i'll say you too, and then be like oh, that doesn't make sense, you too oh, never mind, just kidding exactly, because maybe you're used to someone saying have a great day, and so you say you too.
But if they're saying enjoy your dinner or enjoy your stay with us, it doesn't make sense to say you too, You're not the only one.
We all do it.
It's okay.
So that's a stay at a hotel.
Yeah, good stuff.
So that's the first one.
And now situation two.
What is it, Aubrey?
What are we doing next here?
So how to introduce yourself to an American in your home country.
So someone who's traveling, you've run into them in your hometown.
Yeah.
And this one's a little longer.
So I know you guys love role play.
So buckle up here.
Here we go.
Let's make sure hopefully we got the right the roles right and we didn't screw them up again.
Let's see.
I can't guarantee it.
All right.
So hi, what's your name?
I'm Jenny.
You?
Oh, I'm Akiko.
It's great to meet you.
So where are you from?
I'm from New York.
I'm in Tokyo for a 10-day work trip.
Ooh, how do you like Japan so far?
Oh my gosh, I never imagined the food would be this great.
I am having a blast.
Cool.
Are you getting a lot of time to explore outside of work?
Yeah, I am in the office during the day.
We have a Tokyo office, but I get out around 5 p.m. every evening.
So I've been going all around the city on my own.
Well, some friends and I are having a cherry blossom party this weekend at Yoyogi Park.
Would you be interested in joining us?
That sounds awesome.
Do you want to send me a text later in the week and let me know the time and the address?
Will do.
See you this weekend.
Oh, this is so good.
So many great native phrases for meeting someone for the first time.
It's so good.
And I think a lot of our listeners may end up in this situation, right?
They meet a native speaker from the UK, from the US, in their home country.
Such a good opportunity to talk to them about where they can go, invite them somewhere.
So let's go back to it.
I love how the first thing to say is just, hi, what's your name?
No need to come up with some cute, meet cute phrase.
Just ask someone their name as that icebreaker.
Yeah, we talk about this on the show a lot, right, Aubrey?
Don't get yourself all tongue twisted and overanalyzing how to open a conversation.
Just open the conversation as quickly as you can. right?
Yes, exactly.
Right.
And then build from there.
Yeah.
Okay.
What was next?
So then you're going to ask right away.
So where are you from?
Yeah.
Where are you from?
Very common.
You're going to see this across many situations.
That's why it's in the 100 most common phrases.
Right.
Again, the intonation is key because if you say, so where are you from?
Think how much that changes.
Then you're kind of saying like, what are you doing here?
Okay.
Interesting.
Why are you here?
Right.
Emphasizes you.
But in this case, you're saying, so where are you from?
So you're really looking for the place, right?
We're emphasizing the from, right?
It's so crazy how that intonation changes the meaning of what you're saying.
So you want to just say, so where are you from?
Yes, I love it.
I love it.
And then so far, so how do you like Japan so far?
So good.
This is so useful for so many situations.
Yeah, I'm acknowledging that you don't know everything about Japan at this point, right?
But what you've seen, I want to know what you think up to this point.
Yes.
Yeah, exactly.
That's so great.
And then this great phrase to say, I'm having a blast.
Kind of idiomatic that just means I'm having a lot of fun.
I'm really enjoying myself.
Yeah.
And it might be, and this structure might actually be.
What's the most common is I'm having something.
Like I'm having a great time.
I'm having an amazing day.
Yeah, very, very common.
And we've just added in a blast because blast is fun.
It's fun to say that, isn't it?
It's fun.
It is fun to say.
It's very native natural.
You're welcoming this person even though you just met.
You're being informal and positive about their country, what they've seen.
It's really opening that connection.
Yes.
And the next one here are cool, right?
Cool is very common.
Are you getting a lot of time to explore outside of work?
Getting from who?
Like what are we saying?
Getting from where?
So if someone's let you know that they're there for work, it could be that you know almost 24-7 they're having work responsibilities.
They're not being given by their employer a lot of time to explore.
Yeah.
So yeah, this is the way I would say this.
Are you getting a lot of time?
Meaning, you know, for whatever purpose you're here for work, are they giving you time to explore?
Yeah, that's probably a hard thing when you're traveling for business.
I wonder if people get a lot of time to actually see the city because they travel to the city, but do they see it right?
Or do they stay in the offices, right?
Yeah, I think that happens a lot, that you're having meetings until really late and you're not able to see as much of the country as you would like to when you're there for work.
For sure.
And then this next one, super common.
Would you be interested in... Right, so that's the common phrase.
Would you be interested in joining us, in doing something, right?
And I know for a fact that these cherry blossom viewing parties or in Yoyogi Park, which is the best park in Tokyo, are so popular and common.
And this is a very common thing that might happen that someone in Japan might invite a native English speaker to that party.
Right,
Yeah.
And this is just such an appropriate phrase when you've just met, right?
It's a little more formal maybe than saying like, want to join us?
Right.
It's a little formal.
You just met.
So it's a perfect way to build that in a little bit more of a formal way with a new friend, a stranger to say would you be interested in joining us?
That's a good point.
And because it's a little more formal, it has a connotation of not assuming that they'll definitely say yes.
Right.
Right.
Which makes more sense in this situation.
Yeah.
There's something else we want to pay at your level, guys.
You're ready to pay attention to what's behind the framework you're using, the conditionals, what's behind the grammar structure that you're using?
Right.
So think about that.
Yeah, and what's being implied, right?
For sure.
I love that you're saying you're not implying that they're for sure going to come or that they're obligated.
You're giving them a very polite easy out, which is appropriate when you've just met.
You don't know their schedule or how much time they have.
Yeah, that's perfect.
Okay, what was the next one?
What did we say here?
And to say, that sounds awesome, is such a great way to respond to that question.
Would you be interested in joining?
That sounds awesome.
So that means yes, right?
Yes, exactly.
Yes, definitely.
Exactly.
And then do you want to, right?
So this is the common phrase, super common across many, many, many situations in English.
So we're saying do you want to send me a text later in the week and let me know the time and address?
It's basically the same as saying, will you?
Right.
Exactly.
But more native, right?
We just don't often use will you in a direct formal way there.
We usually would instead say, do you want to send me a text?
Exactly.
And then the last one, I love this one.
I love that it's in the common phrases.
What is it?
Let's just say, will do, right?
We've removed the subject, shortening it just to say, yeah, will do.
See you this weekend.
Yeah, will do.
That's very common.
It's very natural and native.
And I feel like that goes across many generations.
I feel like my dad used to say that a lot when I was a kid.
Will do, will do.
Totally.
And I still do and my kids do.
It's not overly slang or informal or formal.
It's just appropriate for every situation.
Yeah, it's friendly, simple, succinct.
I love it.
So we got one more situation here, Aubrey.
Are you ready for it?
Yes, let's do it.
All right.
So what are we doing here?
Okay, I'll start.
We're going to ask for more information.
Okay, so Lindsay, what are you doing?
Oh, I'm trying to figure out how to make this microphone work better.
It sounds kind of strange.
What do you mean?
I think it sounds fine.
Do you know what my friend said?
He's an audio expert and he said that we need to improve it.
I don't know.
What do you think?
I think it's okay.
That's so weird.
Very strange conversation, but okay.
It is interesting, right?
I'm giving you pushback.
Normally, I'd be like, sure, yeah, I'm going to listen to that expert.
Yeah.
Don't listen to the expert.
It's fine.
All right.
So this what are you doing?
Very common way to open the situation.
Or maybe you call someone and you ask, hey, what are you up to?
What are you doing?
Right?
Yeah, it's interesting.
There's multiple uses there.
So you can just say, oh, like, what are you up to?
What are you doing?
This is a little more specific where clearly maybe we're recording and you're messing with your mics.
I'm like, what are you doing over there?
Exactly.
What are you doing?
Get ready for the episode.
Come on.
And then also very common what do you mean?
What do you mean?
And this is a way to push back and challenge them.
I don't agree.
What do you mean?
Yeah, I don't understand, or I don't agree.
I need a little clarification just to say, what do you mean?
Yeah, I heard this on a podcast last night when someone was saying they wanted more information.
They felt like the answer they were getting was incomplete.
Like they deserved more to hear from the person.
What do you mean?
We should have this.
We should have that.
They were talking about the podcasting industry and where we're at in this industry right now.
So used all the time, guys.
Yeah.
So good.
And then this next one to say, do you know what?
And then the rest of the, you know, this thought.
So do you know what my friend said?
Do you know what we're having for dinner?
That's a very common question starter.
Do you know what we should do?
Right.
Really common structure here, guys.
So we're learning the basis of language, right?
We're learning the basis of English here.
And then at the end, we said, so I'll just read the whole thing again.
Do you know what my friend said?
He's an audio expert and he said that we need to improve it.
I don't know.
What do you think?
Yes.
And this question is so common just to say, what do you think?
You're wanting to get their opinion.
You're asking, yeah, like, all right, let me know what you think.
Yeah.
Or you may just say something like, oh, what are your thoughts?
Which is just a little bit more formal, but also basically asking the same thing.
Yes.
Both very common, very natural.
I'm excited for you guys to get these 100 most common English phrases.
We're happy to prepare this e-book for you.
It's so useful.
Remember, you can get it at allearsenglish.com slash 100.
Yes, exactly.
And I'm sure that we will be getting a lot of comments on this episode, guys.
So make sure you go back, go to allersenglish.com slash 100 and check it out.
Thanks for hanging out today, Aubrey.
Awesome.
Yeah.
See you next time.
All right.
Bye.
Bye.
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