Formal English Phrases For Everyday Conversation!

Summary

The transcript is a lesson on using formal English phrases for everyday conversations. It covers greetings, expressing gratitude, asking for opinions, agreeing or disagreeing, and polite interruptions. The lesson uses a dialogue between Maddie from POC English and a person named John to demonstrate the use of formal phrases. Maddie provides examples and explanations for each scenario, emphasizing the importance of formal language in professional settings. The lesson concludes with a PDF offer for Maddie's YouTube subscribers, encouraging them to join her channel membership for exclusive content and live lessons.

Takeaways

• 😀 Greeting Etiquette: In formal settings, use phrases like 'How do you do' or 'How is life treating you' instead of informal greetings like 'Hey' or 'Sup'.
• 🙂 Responding to Greetings: In formal conversations, respond with 'Pretty good actually', 'Can't complain', or 'Not so good really', and always say 'Thank you for asking'.
• 🤝 Expressing Gratitude: Use formal alternatives to 'Thank you' such as 'I really appreciate that', 'I'm really grateful', or 'That's so kind of you'.
• 🙏 Responding to Thanks: When someone thanks you formally, respond with 'You're welcome', 'You're most welcome', 'Anytime', or 'My pleasure'.
• 🔍 Asking for Opinions: Inquire about someone's opinion formally by saying 'Can you give me your thoughts on...?' or 'Do you approve of...?'.
• 🤔 Agreeing and Disagreeing: To agree formally, say 'I absolutely agree with your idea' or 'I approve of your idea'. To disagree, use 'That's not how I see it' or 'I'm afraid I don't agree with you on that'.
• 💬 Polite Disagreement: Show respect for differing opinions by starting with 'I see what you mean, however...' or 'I understand your point of view, but...'.
• 📢 Interrupting Politely: Interrupt someone in a meeting or conversation by saying 'Excuse me, do you mind if I add to that?' or 'May I interrupt you for a minute?'.
• 🔄 Clarifying Understanding: If unsure about what was said, paraphrase it back with 'So what you're saying is...' to confirm your understanding.
• 🤝 Closing Conversations: End formal conversations on a positive note with phrases like 'It was nice chatting with you' or 'Let's keep in touch'.
• 👋 Saying Goodbye: When leaving a meeting or conversation, ensure to be polite and professional, using phrases such as 'I have some tasks to attend to, but it was great talking with you'.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video script?

The main topic of the video script is teaching formal English phrases for everyday conversation, especially in a workplace setting.

Who is the speaker in the video script?

The speaker in the video script is Maddie from POC English.

What are some informal greetings one might use with friends?

Some informal greetings include 'what's up', 'what's new', 'how's it going', and 'how's everything'.

How should one respond to informal questions about their well-being?

Responses to informal questions can be as simple as 'fine', 'thanks', 'not bad', or 'not so good'.

What are some formal alternatives to informal greetings when speaking to a boss or colleague?

Formal alternatives include 'how do you do', 'how is life treating you', 'what have you been up to', and 'how are you today'.

How can one politely express gratitude in a formal setting?

In a formal setting, one can express gratitude by saying 'I really appreciate that', 'I'm really grateful', or 'that's so kind of you'.

What is a polite way to ask for someone's opinion on a project?

A polite way to ask for someone's opinion on a project is by saying 'can you give me your thoughts on the new project' or 'I'd like to hear your views on the new project'.

How can one disagree with a colleague's idea in a formal manner?

One can disagree formally by saying 'that's not how I see it', 'I'm afraid I don't agree with you on that', or 'respectfully, I disagree'.

What is a polite way to interrupt someone during a conversation?

A polite way to interrupt someone is by saying 'excuse me, do you mind if I add to that' or 'may I interrupt you for a minute'.

How can one confirm if they have understood someone correctly in a formal conversation?

To confirm understanding, one can paraphrase what they heard and ask 'so what you're saying is that... is that accurate?' or 'if I understood correctly, you said...'.

What is the speaker's suggestion for ending a formal conversation?

The speaker suggests ending a formal conversation by saying 'it was nice chatting with you, let's keep in touch' or 'I should probably get back to work, we'll talk again later'.

Outlines

00:00

😀 Formal English Phrases for Everyday Conversation

This paragraph introduces the video's focus on teaching formal English phrases for daily workplace conversations. It starts with a casual conversation between colleagues, emphasizing the importance of using formal language when speaking with superiors. The instructor, Maddie, outlines the lesson's content, which includes greetings, responses to greetings, expressing gratitude, asking for opinions, and agreeing or disagreeing politely. She also introduces the concept of 'chunks' or common phrase combinations, and promises to demonstrate their use in dialogues throughout the video.

05:01

📚 Polite Interruptions and Confirming Understanding in Dialogues

The second paragraph delves into the nuances of interrupting someone politely during a conversation and confirming understanding to avoid miscommunication. It provides various phrases for politely interrupting, such as 'excuse me do you mind if I add to that' and 'may I interrupt you for a minute'. It also covers how to ask someone to repeat what they've said or paraphrase their statement to ensure comprehension. The paragraph includes a dialogue example between Peter and Mr. Smith, illustrating these techniques in a professional setting, and ends with an offer for a free English book and channel memberships for additional learning resources.

10:02

🤝 Closing Conversations and Discussing Controversial Issues

The final paragraph discusses how to gracefully close a conversation in a formal setting, providing phrases like 'it was nice chatting with you' and 'let's keep in touch'. It also addresses the topic of discussing controversial issues, suggesting cautious language such as 'I know not everyone agrees with me but I think' to express personal opinions without alienating others. A dialogue is presented where two individuals discuss the responsibility of government funding for healthcare and education, showcasing the application of the discussed conversational techniques. The video concludes with a reminder to like and subscribe for more content.

Keywords

💡formal English phrases

Formal English phrases are polite and structured expressions used in professional or serious contexts. In the video, these phrases are essential for maintaining a professional tone during workplace conversations, such as when greeting a boss or discussing opinions on projects. For example, the script mentions alternatives to casual greetings like 'hey' or 'sup', suggesting formal options like 'how do you do' or 'how is life treating you'.

💡chunks

In language learning, 'chunks' refer to fixed or semi-fixed phrases that are commonly used together. The video teaches viewers a variety of these chunks to help them sound more natural and fluent in formal English conversations. The script provides several examples, such as 'I really appreciate that' and 'I'm really grateful', which are used to express gratitude formally.

💡opinion

The concept of 'opinion' is central to the video as it discusses how to formally ask for and give opinions in a professional setting. The script provides phrases for seeking opinions, such as 'can you give me your thoughts on' and for expressing agreement or disagreement, like 'I absolutely agree with your idea' or 'I'm afraid I don't agree with you on that'.

💡dialogue

A 'dialogue' is a conversation between two or more people. The video uses dialogues to demonstrate the practical application of the formal English phrases and expressions being taught. For instance, a dialogue is presented where a character named Peter discusses a presentation with his boss, using the taught phrases to communicate effectively.

💡interrupt

The term 'interrupt' is used in the context of politely interjecting in a conversation. The video provides phrases to use when one needs to respectfully interrupt someone, such as 'excuse me do you mind if I add to that' or 'may I interrupt you for a minute', which are exemplified in the script to show how to engage in a conversation without being rude.

💡paraphrase

To 'paraphrase' means to restate or reword something in one's own words to ensure understanding or to clarify. In the script, it is suggested as a method to confirm understanding after someone has spoken, for example, 'so what you're saying is that', which is used to reflect back what was heard to ensure accuracy.

💡controversial issues

The video touches on the topic of 'controversial issues', which are subjects that often lead to disagreement or debate due to differing viewpoints. Phrases like 'I know not everyone agrees with me but I think' and 'I know it's an unpopular idea, but I believe' are provided to express one's stance on such issues with sensitivity.

💡politeness

The concept of 'politeness' is a key theme in the video, emphasizing the importance of courteous language in professional interactions. The script provides examples of polite expressions, such as 'you're most welcome', 'my pleasure', and ways to close a conversation formally, like 'it was nice chatting with you', to illustrate how to maintain politeness throughout a conversation.

💡Channel memberships

The term 'Channel memberships' refers to a feature on YouTube that allows viewers to support content creators through subscriptions that come with benefits. In the script, the presenter mentions 'POC crew' and 'POC Elite' as membership plans, offering exclusive content and the opportunity for members to influence the topics of live lessons.

💡subscription

A 'subscription' in the context of YouTube refers to the act of signing up to receive updates and new content from a specific channel. The video encourages viewers to subscribe to the channel if they are new, which is a common practice among content creators to grow their audience and ensure viewers do not miss out on future lessons or videos.

Highlights

Introduction to the lesson on formal English phrases for everyday conversation.

Explanation of informal greetings and responses like 'what's up', 'what's new', and 'how's it going'.

Formal alternatives to greetings such as 'how do you do', 'how is life treating you', and 'what have you been up to'.

Proper responses to formal greetings including 'pretty good actually', 'couldn't be better', and 'I'm fine thank you for asking'.

The importance of saying 'thank you for asking' after responding to a greeting.

Formal ways to express gratitude such as 'I really appreciate that' and 'that's so kind of you'.

Polite responses to gratitude like 'you're welcome', 'your most welcome', and 'my pleasure'.

Formulating questions to ask for someone's opinion formally, using phrases like 'can you give me your thoughts on'.

Alternatives to agree or disagree formally, including 'I absolutely agree with your idea' and 'I'm afraid I don't agree with you on that'.

Using 'respectfully' to disagree in a polite manner, as in 'respectfully, I disagree'.

Dialogue example demonstrating the use of formal phrases in a conversation with a boss.

Offering a free English book summary for subscribers and information on how to download it.

Introduction of Channel memberships with benefits like live lessons and input on teaching topics.

How to politely interrupt someone in a conversation using phrases like 'excuse me do you mind if I add to that'.

Strategies for asking someone to repeat what they've said for clarification, such as 'so what you're saying is that'.

Approaches to stating opinions on controversial issues without causing offense, starting with 'I know not everyone agrees with me but I think'.

Formal ways to end a conversation gracefully, like 'it was nice chatting with you, let's keep in touch'.

Dialogue example illustrating the use of formal conversation chunks to discuss controversial topics and conclude a conversation.

Encouragement for viewers to like, subscribe, and support the channel.

Transcripts

hello John how's life treating you Hi

boss not bad sup I can't complain thanks

for asking what is your opinion about

the recent contract with the Japanese

company nah I don't agree with that that

was a terrible idea thank you I was

interested in your opinion sure thing

gotta go peace it's been a great chat

you talked to your boss like that I'm

gonna fire you at least learn some

formal phrases for daily conversation

[Music]

hello my name is Maddie from POC English

this lesson we're going to learn some

formal English phrases for everyday

English conversation I will teach you a

lot of chunks and a lot of sentences and

then I will show you how to use them in

a dialogue so make sure you watch this

lesson to the end now what is the first

thing you do when you see someone you

greet them right if that person is your

friend or someone you know very well you

can use some informal questions what's

up

what's new

how's it going

how's everything and to respond to these

questions you can simply say fine thanks

not bad

not so good what if we're at workplace

and we want to talk to our boss or a

colleague

that should be a formal conversation so

can I say hey sup no because that's

informal so what are some formal

Alternatives I can say

how do you do

how is life treating you

what have you been up to

or I can use the good old-fashioned how

are you today in response you can say

pretty good actually can't complain

couldn't be better and it's a good idea

to say thank you for asking at the end

I'm fine thank you for asking

I can't complain thank you for asking

not so good really but thank you for

asking

speaking of saying thank you what if you

want to thank someone for what they have

done in a formal way well you can say

thank you but what are some Alternatives

you can say I really appreciate that I

really appreciate that I'm really

grateful I'm really grateful

that's so kind of you

that's so kind of you in response you

can say you're welcome or to emphasize

more you can say your most welcome

you're most welcome

you can say anytime or my favorite you

can say my pleasure what if you want to

ask someone's opinion on something in a

formal way well of course you can say

what's your opinion on or what's your

opinion about but what are some other

alternatives for example there is a new

project and I want to know my boss or my

colleague's opinion on the project what

should I say I can say can you give me

your thoughts on the new project

do you approve of the new project or in

a negative way do you disapprove of the

new project do you have any views on the

new project I'd like to hear your views

on the new project now what if somebody

asks for your opinion now what if you

want to agree or disagree with what your

boss or your colleague has said what can

you say well you can say I agree or I

disagree but what are some other

Alternatives you can say I absolutely

agree with your idea

you can also say and this one is quite

formal I approve of your idea

but to disagree you can say I disagree

yes but what are some Alternatives you

can say uh that's not how I see it

that's not how I see it it means I have

a different opinion and I disagree with

you uh that's not how I see it you can

use a phrase with I'm afraid I'm afraid

I don't agree with you on that I'm

afraid I don't agree with you on that

but to be even more polite you can say

something that shows you appreciate the

other person's opinion but then continue

with but for example I see what you mean

but and then you disagree with what he

or she has said I understand your point

of view but I agree with you up to a

point but now instead of but you can

also say however I see what you mean

however

I agree with you up to a point however

and this is even more formal another

thing you can use is an adverb which I

personally love and that is respectfully

so you can put it in the beginning of a

sentence and say respectfully I disagree

respectfully I think you are wrong

respectfully I see it in a different way

respectfully okay enough with these

chunks now let me show you how to use

them in an actual dialogue come on in

Peter what have you been up to recently

thank you I can't complain you wanted to

see me yes about the meeting we're

having this week I received your

presentation thanks for sending it you

are most welcome do you approve of it

yes I appreciate your effort but I think

it might take a little long we only have

15 minutes for the presentation I see

what you mean but I think we should

present all our research recent products

if we want to win the contract I agree

with you up to a point however we don't

need to explain all the details sure Mr

Smith I will delete some of those lines

I really appreciate that my pleasure I

hope you're enjoying this lesson so far

and we still have a lot to learn so

let's continue the lesson but before

that do you want to have the summary of

this lesson and all my other YouTube

videos on this channel in a single PDF

file for free then you can download my

free English book this book has 400

pages and you heard that right it's for

free for my YouTube subscribers in this

book you can find the summary of all of

my YouTube videos but how can you

download it it's very easy simply click

on the link above my head go to my

website type in your name your email

address and click download you will

receive the book in your email also I

have started Channel memberships and we

have two membership plans POC crew and

POC Elite by becoming a member you can

support my work and in return I will

have some live lessons specifically for

members of my channel and the good part

is that you can tell me what to teach in

the live lessons to join the membership

simply click on the link above my head

or the link in the description of this

video now let's get back to our lesson

now imagine you're somewhere somebody is

speaking and you want to stop them and

then perhaps add something or change the

subject what can you say basically you

are trying to interrupt the person but

how can you interrupt politely you can

say uh excuse me do you mind if I add to

that

somebody is saying something and you

have another opinion about what they

have just said you want to add your

opinion so you stop them and say excuse

me do you mind if I add to that you can

also say sorry to interrupt but may I

interrupt you for a minute

may I interrupt you for a minute if I

may interrupt you I'd like to add

if I may interrupt you I'd like to add

these are different ways of interrupting

politely now imagine somebody has said

something but you are not sure if you

have understood correctly so what can

you say well you might want to ask them

to repeat what they have said and say ah

excuse me come again or say that again

or could you repeat please but maybe a

better way is to paraphrase what they

have said to see if you understood

correctly for example so what you're

saying is that

you see what I did I repeat what I think

he or she has said just to make sure if

I understood correctly imagine you're at

a meeting with your boss your boss tells

you something your boss gives you some

instructions and then you're not sure if

you understood everything so you would

say so what you're saying is that just

to confirm are you saying if I

understood correctly you said

is that accurate in our world there are

some issues which are controversial

people may have different opinions on

those issues and they may never agree

with each other I may find your opinion

on that issue somewhat offensive and

likewise you may find my ideas about

that kind of not appropriate these

issues are controversial issues such as

religion or political issues if you want

to State your opinion about a

controversial issue and you know that

people may have different ideas on that

you may want to start like this I know

not everyone agrees with me but I think

I know not everyone agrees with me but I

think and then you state your opinion or

if you have an opinion and you know that

most people think in a different way you

can say I know it's an unpopular idea

but I believe and then you state your ID

or opinion about that controversial

issue now imagine you've met a person

your boss somebody at work and then

you've had a conversation and now it's

time to say goodbye you want to close

the conversation but how can you close

the conversation in a good way in a

formal way you can say lesson is getting

late I gotta run talk to you later bye

but that's not polite it's better to say

something like this it was nice chatting

with you let's keep in touch if there is

anything else I have some tasks to

attend to but it was nice talking to you

uh I should probably get back to work

we'll talk again later now let's see how

to use these chunks in a dialogue I

believe people should pay for their

health care service and education after

all the government cannot cover all the

expenses remember may I interrupt you

for just a minutes respectfully I

disagree with your idea people are

already paying taxes so I think

government should pay for education and

health care just to confirm are you

saying it's government's responsibility

yes it might be an unpopular opinion but

I strongly believe that health care and

education should be free

thanks for sharing your thoughts I have

a few tasks to attend to but it was

great talking with you you too thanks

for your time and that's it guys I hope

you've enjoyed this lesson don't forget

to give it a thumbs up and click

subscribe if you're new to my channel

see ya

foreign

[Music]