General Conversation

Useful vocabulary and phrases

Long time, no see

It has been a whileIt has been ages
It has been ages since I saw youHow long has it been?

Recent well-being

How have you been?How has life been treating you?
How have things been?

Recent activities

What have you been up to?Been up to much recently?

News of Peers

Did you see that…?Have you heard? …(news)
Did you hear that…?Have you heard what (x) did?
Did you hear what (x) did?

Major News

Did you see the story about…?What do you make of…?

Responses to News

Good for himI told you so
That’s good newsWe all saw that coming
Who would have thought?That’s a shame
Really?Poor guy
That doesn’t surprise meLast I heard…

Saying Goodbye

I have to goI’m afraid I can’t really talk right now
Sorry, I’m afraid I have to goIt was nice seeing you again
I’m afraid I have to rush off

Hinting at a future meeting

We should have lunch some timeGive me a ring some time and we can (do something)
We should do this again some timeStop by (my house) if you have time
Give me a call when you’re free

Dialogues

Dialogue 1

“Hey there Philip. How are things?”
“I’m OK, thanks. How about you?”
“Not bad.”
“Hey, did you hear that Chloe got offered a job in Italy?”
“Yeah, I heard that. Sounds exciting. But I’m afraid I can’t really talk right now. I have to get to the station.”
“No problem. It was nice seeing you again. Have a good trip.”

Dialogue 2

“Oh hi Anna. How are you?”
“Not bad. How has life been treating you? It seems like ages since I saw you.”
“It does. Maybe 6 months. What have you been up to?”
“Oh, same old same old. How about you?”
“I changed my job. I’m now working at the bakery downtown.”
“Very nice. Oh, did you hear that Samantha broke up with her boyfriend?”
“Did she? Well, I’m not surprised.”
“Yep. She’s back on the market.”
“How about Emili? Any news from her?”
“I haven’t heard from her in a while. Last I heard she was still working for the electric company.”
“Oh well. Hey, we should have lunch some time. Maybe on Saturday.”
“I’d like that.”
“Cool. Give me a ring and we’ll arrange a time. As for now, I’m afraid I have to rush off.”
“No problem. I’ll talk to you later.”