How to INVITE Someone in English (Practical Phrases)

Summary

In this video, Shayna from EspressoEnglish.net teaches practical phrases for making and responding to invitations in everyday English. The lesson covers common expressions for inviting someone to do something, such as asking about availability and using formal or informal phrases like 'Would you like to?' and 'Do you want to?'. Shayna also explains various ways to accept, decline, or respond when unsure about an invitation, with useful phrases like 'I'd love to' and 'Let me check my calendar'. The goal is to help learners sound natural and confident in social situations.

Takeaways

• 😀 Native English speakers use specific phrases for inviting and responding to invitations.
• 😀 To ask someone about their availability, you can use phrases like 'Are you doing anything this weekend?' or 'Are you free tomorrow afternoon?'
• 😀 When asking about availability, 'are you' is often pronounced quickly as 'arya' in casual speech.
• 😀 To make a more formal invitation, use 'Would you like to...', e.g., 'Would you like to join me for lunch?'
• 😀 Informal invitations can be made using 'Want to' or 'Do you want to', e.g., 'Want to go hiking on Saturday?'
• 😀 To respond affirmatively to an invitation, you can say 'I'd love to', 'Sure', 'Sounds good', or 'Sounds great'.
• 😀 To politely decline an invitation, you can say 'I’d love to but I have other plans' or 'I can’t because I have another commitment'.
• 😀 If you're unsure about your availability, you can say 'Let me check my calendar' or 'Can I get back to you on that?'
• 😀 To express the desire to attend later, you can say 'I’ll have to take a rain check' or 'Maybe another time'.
• 😀 The video introduces two levels of English speaking courses, focusing on practical English for daily life (Level 1) and advanced conversational expressions (Level 2).

Q & A

What are some ways to invite someone to do something in English?

You can ask about their availability using phrases like 'Are you doing anything this weekend?', 'Are you busy on Friday?', or 'Are you free tomorrow afternoon?'. After knowing their availability, you can invite them with phrases like 'Would you like to...', 'Want to...', or 'Do you want to...'.

How do native English speakers typically pronounce 'Are you' when speaking quickly?

When speaking fast, 'Are you' is often pronounced as 'arya'. For example, 'Are you doing anything?' sounds like 'Arya doing anything?'.

What does saying 'Are you free?' imply about someone's availability?

'Are you free?' means you're asking if the person is available. If they say 'yes', it indicates they have no other plans, and if they say 'no', they are unavailable.

What is a formal way to invite someone to join an activity?

A formal way to invite someone is to use 'Would you like to...'. For example, 'Would you like to join me for lunch?' or 'Would you like to see a movie tomorrow night?'.

What are some informal ways to invite a friend to do something?

Informal invitations can be made using 'Want to...' or 'Do you want to...'. For example, 'Want to go hiking on Saturday?' or 'Do you want to grab a coffee after class?'.

What are some phrases used to respond positively to an invitation?

To accept an invitation, you can say 'I'd love to', 'Sure', 'Sounds good', or 'Sounds great'.

What are some ways to politely decline an invitation in English?

You can decline an invitation with phrases like 'I'd love to but I have other plans', 'I don't think I can', or 'I'm really sorry but I have to pick up my kids from school.'

How can you express regret when declining an invitation?

You can say 'Wish I could make it but I've got another commitment that day.' This conveys a sense of regret while explaining why you can't attend.

What should you say if you're unsure whether you can accept an invitation?

If you're unsure, you can say 'Let me check my calendar' or 'Can I get back to you on that?'. You can also mention needing to check with someone else, like 'I've got to check with my husband/wife/parents.'

What does it mean to say 'I'll have to take a rain check'?

'I'll have to take a rain check' means you're politely declining the invitation but expressing the hope to reschedule or join in the future.