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Hello there, and welcome to Wall Street’s “Two Minute English”.
Have you ever had a conversation with strangers while you were travelling? Some of us are very good at making conversation with people we don’t know, but some of us aren’t sure what to say.
Today, we’ll go over some common phrases or topics we can talk about with people we don’t know while we are travelling.
After saying hello and introducing myself, the first thing I would ask someone is: “Where are you from?”
If they are local, I would ask them a bit more about their city or country. For example, “What’s something interesting to do here? What’s something I must try here? What do you recommend doing in this city? What is something that locals here love to do? Are there any restaurants or places I must try here?”
If the person is also a tourist or from somewhere else, I would ask them: “So what brings you here? How long have you been here? What do you think of the place or the city? Have you done anything interesting since you have been here? How long do you plan on staying here?”
You can also tell that person where you are from and why you are visiting the city or country. For example: “I am from Hong Kong. I am here on holiday (or business). I’ve only been here for a few days. I will stay here for a week. This is my first time here. I have been here many times before.”
Don’t be shy when you meet people while travelling. Be the first one to ask questions. If the person is friendly, ask some personal questions: “What do you do? What do your friends like to do for fun? What are your hobbies?” Avoid questions that are sensitive and not always culturally-acceptable: “How much money to you make? How old are you? Are you married?” Avoid topics like politics or religion unless the other person wants to talk about it.
Anyway, have fun talking to and meeting new people when travelling.
That’s all for this week’s “Two Minute English”. Bye-bye.
