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Oxford Online English, 4 Tips for Natural English Conversation Responses - Improve English Speaking

4 Tips for Natural English Conversation Responses - Improve English Speaking

Hello, I'm Daniel.

Welcome to Oxford Online English!

In this lesson, you can learn to respond naturally in conversations in English.

If you simply stare at the other person when they're talking to you, your conversations

might not go so well.

We're partly joking, but when you're speaking a second language, you often need to concentrate

on understanding what the other person is saying.

This means you might forget to respond naturally, but natural responses are important to keep

your conversation going, and also to show the other person that you care about what

they're saying.

This lesson will show you natural conversational responses which you can use to express interest,

surprise, agreement, confusion, and much more!

When someone's telling you a story, it's important to show interest in what they're

saying.

First, let's see what not to do.

The other day, I met up with an old friend from high school.

It was great to catch up with him!

Mmm-hmm.

He's had such an interesting life.

At the moment, he's working in an orangutan sanctuary in Borneo.

Mmm-hmm.

Next, he told me he's planning to develop a spaceship which can take humans to Mars!

Mmm-hmm. Of course, you can nod your head and say mmm-hmm or hmm, but that doesn't sound

like you're very interested.

There are other ways to show that you're engaged.

Let's look at a better way to do this.

I had a chat with my boss the other day and he's putting me on this great new project.

Really?

That's great!

So I visited my family last Sunday and we had a lovely barbecue.

Sounds nice!

The exam was really hard, I'm not sure if I've passed it.

Is that right? Of course, you can't be interested in everything that someone

is saying to you.

But, it's still helpful to show that you're listening, and that you understand what the

other person is saying.

Let's see some useful phrases you can use to do this. My car broke down last week, so

I had to get it repaired.

Oh, yeah?

It seemed like it was leaking oil.

I see.

They told me it wasn't too bad, they could get it fixed easily.

Uh-huh.

Some situations need stronger responses, for example if you hear something surprising.

My sister broke up with her boyfriend.

Seriously?

Yeah, it turned out he was seeing someone else.

You must be joking!

It was her best friend!

No way! In this section, you saw how to show interest,

understanding and surprise.

How many of the responses can you remember?

Take a look, and pause the video if you need more time to read.

I think we're done here, right?

I don't think so, actually.

That last episode of Game of Thrones was amazing!

For sure!

I really like Sarah's new haircut.

It looks great on her.

Absolutely!

People shouldn't be so negative, especially if they don't have anything to contribute

themselves.

I couldn't agree more! Of course, sometimes you might NOT agree with the other person.

How could you respond then?

I'm glad Eric got the promotion to be our team leader.

He's such a great guy!

I'm not so sure about that.

I think I'm going to take my husband to a spa.

I'm sure he'll enjoy it.

You really think so?

The media should stop talking about celebrities getting together and breaking up.

Who cares?!

I don't see it that way; if people want to read about it, why not let them? In this

section, you've seen three phrases you can use to agree, and three phrases to disagree.

Can you remember them all?

Next, how about some language to respond to suggestions?

Great idea!

Whenever you want to make plans with friends, decide on a place to have dinner or plan a

meeting with colleagues, you'll need to respond to other people's suggestions.

Let's see how you can do this. Why don't we go for a bike ride this Saturday?

Sorry, I can't on Saturday.

What about Sunday?

Ok, Sunday it is!

It's Rita's birthday tomorrow.

How about we buy her a bottle of wine from the team?

I'm not sure if she likes wine.

Maybe we can get her some flowers and chocolate?

That sounds good!

What do you think of this colour for the living room?

I don't know…

It looks quite dark.

I think it'll make the room feel gloomy.

Can we try a lighter shade?

Yeah, sure. Here, you saw three phrases you can use to reject a suggestion, and three

phrases to accept.

Can you remember any of them?

Here are the phrases you saw; pause the video if you need more time to read:

You can see that it's common to use a vague phrase to reject a suggestion, like I'm

not sure or I don't know.

This is important as a non-native speaker of English: people are often more indirect

when saying ‘no' to something.

Of course, this depends on the culture you're in, and the people you're with.

However, it's a good idea to remember that if you make a suggestion, and people reply

in very vague ways, they will often be saying ‘no' to your idea. I'm confused about

what Daniel means…

If only there was some way I could ask him to clarify what he said.

My computer just crashed, I think it has a virus.

You should start it in Safe Mode and run a virus scan.

You've lost me.

What's “safe mode”?

It's a special way to start your computer, use F8 when you turn on the computer and it

will start the system in safe mode.

Sorry, I didn't catch that; could you say it one more time?

So, press F8 as soon as you turn on the computer, and when the system starts, you can scan for

viruses.

Okay, so, you mean that I need to turn on the computer, press F8, and then run the virus

scan?

That's right.

And then what?

It depends what the virus scan shows.

Hold on, are you saying that I might have to do more stuff after that?

This sounds like a huge hassle.

Well, sure.

If you have a virus or other malware, you'll need to remove it.

I think I'll just take it to the shop.

Suit yourself!

It's common not to understand exactly what someone else said, even for native speakers.

Even if you understood, you might need more information.

In these cases, you can use these phrases to ask for clarification. Now, you've learned

some natural conversational responses to deal with many different situations in English.

Let's practice what you've learned!

Now it's time to practice!

We'll show you some phrases which you need to respond to.

Depending on the situation, there are often different ways in which you can respond.

Let's do an example together!

Here's a phrase:

I need to go to the shop to buy couscous.

And here are three possible responses:

Why don't we go together?

OK, I see.

You've lost me.

What's couscous?

You can respond with a suggestion: “Why don't we go together?”

Maybe you just want to show you understood, so you say: “OK, I see”.

But, maybe you don't understand what your friend needs to buy, so you ask: “You've

lost me.

What's couscous?”

For the next phrases, think of responses you would give.

We'll show some examples on the screen, but of course, there are many good ways to

respond!

Ready?

Here's your first sentence.

Last weekend I finally bought a new phone, but when I got home and opened the box, it

turned out they had given me the wrong one!

Here's another one.

Think about how you would respond.

Justin Bieber is the best singer in the world; I can't wait to go to his concert!

Let's do one more:

How about we go hiking in the mountains this weekend? To practice, tell us which responses

you would choose, and why.

Let us know in the comments, and you can check that you're using these phrases in a natural

way!

Want more practice with this topic?

Check out the full version of this lesson on our website: Oxford Online English dot

com.

We also have many other free English lessons which you can watch and learn from.

Thanks for watching!

See you next time!

4 Tips for Natural English Conversation Responses - Improve English Speaking 4 consejos para una conversación natural en inglés - Mejorar la expresión oral en inglés 4 conseils pour des réponses naturelles lors d'une conversation en anglais - Améliorez votre expression orale en anglais 英会話で自然な受け答えをするための4つのコツ - 英語スピーキング上達法 4 tips voor een natuurlijk Engels gesprek - Engels spreken verbeteren 4 wskazówki dotyczące naturalnych odpowiedzi w rozmowie po angielsku - Popraw mówienie po angielsku 4 dicas para respostas naturais de conversação em inglês - Improve English Speaking 4 совета для естественных ответов в английской беседе - Улучшение разговорного английского Doğal İngilizce Konuşma Yanıtları için 4 İpucu - İngilizce Konuşmayı Geliştirin 4 个技巧助你自然地回答英语对话 - 提高英语口语

Hello, I'm Daniel.

Welcome to Oxford Online English!

In this lesson, you can learn to respond naturally in conversations in English. In dieser Lektion können Sie lernen, in Gesprächen auf Englisch natürlich zu reagieren.

If you simply stare at the other person when they're talking to you, your conversations Wenn Sie Ihren Gesprächspartner einfach nur anstarren, während er mit Ihnen spricht, werden Ihre Unterhaltungen

might not go so well. könnte nicht so gut laufen.

We're partly joking, but when you're speaking a second language, you often need to concentrate Wir scherzen teilweise, aber wenn man eine zweite Sprache spricht, muss man sich oft konzentrieren

on understanding what the other person is saying.

This means you might forget to respond naturally, but natural responses are important to keep

your conversation going, and also to show the other person that you care about what und auch, um der anderen Person zu zeigen, dass es Ihnen wichtig ist, was Sie sagen.

they're saying.

This lesson will show you natural conversational responses which you can use to express interest, In dieser Lektion lernen Sie natürliche Gesprächsantworten kennen, mit denen Sie Ihr Interesse ausdrücken können,

surprise, agreement, confusion, and much more!

When someone's telling you a story, it's important to show interest in what they're

saying.

First, let's see what not to do. Zunächst wollen wir sehen, was man nicht tun sollte.

The other day, I met up with an old friend from high school. Neulich habe ich mich mit einem alten Freund aus der Highschool getroffen.

It was great to catch up with him! Es war toll, ihn wiederzusehen!

Mmm-hmm.

He's had such an interesting life. Er hatte ein so interessantes Leben.

At the moment, he's working in an orangutan sanctuary in Borneo. Zurzeit arbeitet er in einem Orang-Utan-Schutzgebiet in Borneo.

Mmm-hmm.

Next, he told me he's planning to develop a spaceship which can take humans to Mars! Als Nächstes erzählte er mir, dass er plant, ein Raumschiff zu entwickeln, das Menschen zum Mars bringen kann!

Mmm-hmm. Of course, you can nod your head and say mmm-hmm or hmm, but that doesn't sound

like you're very interested.

There are other ways to show that you're engaged.

Let's look at a better way to do this.

I had a chat with my boss the other day and he's putting me on this great new project. Ich hatte neulich ein Gespräch mit meinem Chef, und er hat mir dieses tolle neue Projekt anvertraut.

Really?

That's great!

So I visited my family last Sunday and we had a lovely barbecue. Letzten Sonntag habe ich meine Familie besucht und wir haben gegrillt.

Sounds nice!

The exam was really hard, I'm not sure if I've passed it. Die Prüfung war wirklich schwer, ich bin nicht sicher, ob ich sie bestanden habe.

Is that right? Of course, you can't be interested in everything that someone Ist das richtig? Natürlich kann man sich nicht für alles interessieren, was jemand

is saying to you.

But, it's still helpful to show that you're listening, and that you understand what the

other person is saying.

Let's see some useful phrases you can use to do this. My car broke down last week, so Sehen wir uns einige nützliche Sätze an, die Sie dafür verwenden können. Mein Auto hatte letzte Woche eine Panne, also

I had to get it repaired. Ich musste ihn reparieren lassen.

Oh, yeah?

It seemed like it was leaking oil. Es schien, als würde Öl austreten.

I see.

They told me it wasn't too bad, they could get it fixed easily. Sie sagten mir, es sei nicht so schlimm und sie könnten es leicht reparieren.

Uh-huh.

Some situations need stronger responses, for example if you hear something surprising. Es gibt Situationen, die stärkere Reaktionen erfordern, z. B. wenn Sie etwas Überraschendes hören.

My sister broke up with her boyfriend. Meine Schwester hat sich von ihrem Freund getrennt.

Seriously? Ernsthaft?

Yeah, it turned out he was seeing someone else. Ja, es stellte sich heraus, dass er eine andere hatte.

You must be joking! Sie machen wohl Witze!

It was her best friend! Es war ihre beste Freundin!

No way! In this section, you saw how to show interest, Das geht nicht! In diesem Abschnitt haben Sie gesehen, wie man Interesse zeigen kann,

understanding and surprise. Verständnis und Überraschung.

How many of the responses can you remember? An wie viele der Antworten können Sie sich erinnern?

Take a look, and pause the video if you need more time to read.

I think we're done here, right? Ich denke, wir sind hier fertig, oder?

I don't think so, actually. Das glaube ich eigentlich nicht.

That last episode of Game of Thrones was amazing! Die letzte Folge von Game of Thrones war unglaublich!

For sure! Ganz sicher!

I really like Sarah's new haircut. Ich mag Sarahs neuen Haarschnitt sehr.

It looks great on her.

Absolutely! Ganz genau!

People shouldn't be so negative, especially if they don't have anything to contribute Die Leute sollten nicht so negativ sein, besonders wenn sie nichts beizutragen haben.

themselves.

I couldn't agree more! Of course, sometimes you might NOT agree with the other person. Ich könnte nicht mehr zustimmen! Natürlich kann es sein, dass man mit der anderen Person NICHT übereinstimmt.

How could you respond then? Wie könnten Sie dann reagieren?

I'm glad Eric got the promotion to be our team leader. Ich bin froh, dass Eric zu unserem Teamleiter befördert wurde.

He's such a great guy! Er ist so ein toller Kerl!

I'm not so sure about that. Da bin ich mir nicht so sicher.

I think I'm going to take my husband to a spa.

I'm sure he'll enjoy it. Ich bin sicher, er wird es genießen.

You really think so? Glauben Sie das wirklich?

The media should stop talking about celebrities getting together and breaking up. Die Medien sollten aufhören, darüber zu berichten, wie Prominente zusammenkommen und sich wieder trennen.

Who cares?! Wen interessiert das schon?!

I don't see it that way; if people want to read about it, why not let them? In this Ich sehe das nicht so; wenn die Leute darüber lesen wollen, warum sollen sie es nicht dürfen? In diesem

section, you've seen three phrases you can use to agree, and three phrases to disagree. haben Sie drei Formulierungen gesehen, mit denen Sie zustimmen können, und drei Formulierungen, mit denen Sie nicht einverstanden sind.

Can you remember them all? Können Sie sich an sie alle erinnern?

Next, how about some language to respond to suggestions? Wie wäre es als Nächstes mit einer Sprache, um auf Vorschläge zu reagieren?

Great idea! Großartige Idee!

Whenever you want to make plans with friends, decide on a place to have dinner or plan a Wann immer Sie Pläne mit Freunden machen, sich für ein Restaurant entscheiden oder einen Ausflug planen wollen

meeting with colleagues, you'll need to respond to other people's suggestions. Wenn Sie sich mit Kollegen treffen, müssen Sie auf die Vorschläge anderer reagieren.

Let's see how you can do this. Why don't we go for a bike ride this Saturday? Mal sehen, wie du das hinkriegst. Warum machen wir am Samstag nicht eine Fahrradtour?

Sorry, I can't on Saturday. Tut mir leid, am Samstag kann ich nicht.

What about Sunday? Was ist mit Sonntag?

Ok, Sunday it is! Okay, es ist Sonntag!

It's Rita's birthday tomorrow. Morgen ist Ritas Geburtstag.

How about we buy her a bottle of wine from the team? Wie wäre es, wenn wir ihr eine Flasche Wein vom Team kaufen?

I'm not sure if she likes wine. Ich bin mir nicht sicher, ob sie Wein mag.

Maybe we can get her some flowers and chocolate? Vielleicht können wir ihr ein paar Blumen und Schokolade besorgen?

That sounds good! Das klingt gut!

What do you think of this colour for the living room? Was halten Sie von dieser Farbe für Ihr Wohnzimmer?

I don't know… Ich weiß es nicht...

It looks quite dark. Es sieht ziemlich dunkel aus.

I think it'll make the room feel gloomy. Ich glaube, das wird den Raum düster wirken lassen.

Can we try a lighter shade? Können wir es mit einem helleren Farbton versuchen?

Yeah, sure. Here, you saw three phrases you can use to reject a suggestion, and three Ja, sicher. Hier haben Sie drei Sätze gesehen, die Sie verwenden können, um einen Vorschlag abzulehnen, und drei

phrases to accept.

Can you remember any of them? Können Sie sich an einen von ihnen erinnern?

Here are the phrases you saw; pause the video if you need more time to read: Hier sind die Sätze, die Sie gesehen haben; halten Sie das Video an, wenn Sie mehr Zeit zum Lesen brauchen:

You can see that it's common to use a vague phrase to reject a suggestion, like I'm Sie sehen, dass es üblich ist, eine vage Formulierung zu verwenden, um einen Vorschlag abzulehnen, z. B. "Ich bin

not sure or I don't know. nicht sicher oder ich weiß es nicht.

This is important as a non-native speaker of English: people are often more indirect Als Nicht-Muttersprachler ist dies wichtig: Die Leute sind oft indirekter

when saying ‘no' to something.

Of course, this depends on the culture you're in, and the people you're with. Das hängt natürlich von der Kultur ab, in der Sie sich befinden, und von den Menschen, mit denen Sie zusammen sind.

However, it's a good idea to remember that if you make a suggestion, and people reply

in very vague ways, they will often be saying ‘no' to your idea. I'm confused about auf sehr vage Art und Weise, sie werden oft "nein" zu Ihrer Idee sagen. Ich bin verwirrt über

what Daniel means… was Daniel meint...

If only there was some way I could ask him to clarify what he said. Wenn es doch nur eine Möglichkeit gäbe, ihn um eine Klarstellung seiner Worte zu bitten.

My computer just crashed, I think it has a virus. Mein Computer ist gerade abgestürzt, ich glaube, er hat einen Virus.

You should start it in Safe Mode and run a virus scan. Starten Sie es im abgesicherten Modus und führen Sie eine Virenprüfung durch.

You've lost me. Sie haben mich verloren.

What's “safe mode”? Was ist der "sichere Modus"?

It's a special way to start your computer, use F8 when you turn on the computer and it Es ist eine besondere Art, den Computer zu starten. Verwenden Sie F8, wenn Sie den Computer einschalten, und es

will start the system in safe mode.

Sorry, I didn't catch that; could you say it one more time? Entschuldigung, das habe ich nicht verstanden; könnten Sie es noch einmal sagen?

So, press F8 as soon as you turn on the computer, and when the system starts, you can scan for

viruses. Viren.

Okay, so, you mean that I need to turn on the computer, press F8, and then run the virus Okay, Sie meinen also, ich muss den Computer einschalten, F8 drücken und dann den Virus ausführen

scan?

That's right. Das ist richtig.

And then what? Und was dann?

It depends what the virus scan shows. Es kommt darauf an, was der Virenscan anzeigt.

Hold on, are you saying that I might have to do more stuff after that? Warte mal, willst du damit sagen, dass ich danach vielleicht noch mehr Sachen machen muss?

This sounds like a huge hassle. Das klingt nach einem riesigen Aufwand.

Well, sure.

If you have a virus or other malware, you'll need to remove it. Wenn Sie einen Virus oder andere Malware haben, müssen Sie diese entfernen.

I think I'll just take it to the shop. Ich glaube, ich bringe ihn einfach in die Werkstatt.

Suit yourself! Wie Sie wollen!

It's common not to understand exactly what someone else said, even for native speakers. Selbst Muttersprachler verstehen oft nicht genau, was jemand anderes gesagt hat.

Even if you understood, you might need more information. Auch wenn Sie es verstanden haben, benötigen Sie vielleicht weitere Informationen.

In these cases, you can use these phrases to ask for clarification. Now, you've learned In diesen Fällen können Sie diese Sätze verwenden, um um eine Klarstellung zu bitten. Jetzt haben Sie gelernt

some natural conversational responses to deal with many different situations in English.

Let's practice what you've learned! Lassen Sie uns das Gelernte in der Praxis anwenden!

Now it's time to practice! Jetzt ist es an der Zeit zu üben!

We'll show you some phrases which you need to respond to. Wir werden Ihnen einige Sätze zeigen, auf die Sie reagieren müssen.

Depending on the situation, there are often different ways in which you can respond. Je nach Situation gibt es oft verschiedene Möglichkeiten, wie Sie reagieren können.

Let's do an example together! Lassen Sie uns gemeinsam ein Beispiel machen!

Here's a phrase: Hier ist ein Satz:

I need to go to the shop to buy couscous. Ich muss in den Laden gehen, um Couscous zu kaufen.

And here are three possible responses: Und hier sind drei mögliche Antworten:

Why don't we go together? Warum gehen wir nicht zusammen?

OK, I see. OK, ich verstehe.

You've lost me. Sie haben mich verloren.

What's couscous? Was ist Couscous?

You can respond with a suggestion: “Why don't we go together?” Sie können mit einem Vorschlag antworten: "Warum gehen wir nicht zusammen?"

Maybe you just want to show you understood, so you say: “OK, I see”. Vielleicht wollen Sie nur zeigen, dass Sie verstanden haben, also sagen Sie: "OK, ich verstehe".

But, maybe you don't understand what your friend needs to buy, so you ask: “You've Aber vielleicht verstehen Sie nicht, was Ihr Freund kaufen will, und fragen: "Du hast

lost me. mich verloren.

What's couscous?”

For the next phrases, think of responses you would give. Überlegen Sie sich für die nächsten Sätze Antworten, die Sie geben würden.

We'll show some examples on the screen, but of course, there are many good ways to Wir werden einige Beispiele auf dem Bildschirm zeigen, aber natürlich gibt es viele gute Möglichkeiten, um

respond! antworten!

Ready? Sind Sie bereit?

Here's your first sentence. Hier ist Ihr erster Satz.

Last weekend I finally bought a new phone, but when I got home and opened the box, it Letztes Wochenende habe ich endlich ein neues Telefon gekauft, aber als ich nach Hause kam und die Verpackung öffnete, war es

turned out they had given me the wrong one! Es stellte sich heraus, dass sie mir den falschen gegeben hatten!

Here's another one. Hier ist eine weitere.

Think about how you would respond. Überlegen Sie, wie Sie reagieren würden.

Justin Bieber is the best singer in the world; I can't wait to go to his concert!

Let's do one more: Lass uns noch einen machen:

How about we go hiking in the mountains this weekend? To practice, tell us which responses Wie wäre es, wenn wir dieses Wochenende in den Bergen wandern gehen? Um zu üben, sagen Sie uns, welche Antworten

you would choose, and why. Sie wählen würden, und warum.

Let us know in the comments, and you can check that you're using these phrases in a natural

way!

Want more practice with this topic?

Check out the full version of this lesson on our website: Oxford Online English dot

com.

We also have many other free English lessons which you can watch and learn from.

Thanks for watching!

See you next time!