Small talk at the coffee machine
Ninety seconds with somebody whose name you did not catch, and silence is not an option.
The phrase
Is there a kettle on this floor?10 words10 sentences
The ten words
- kettle/ˈketəl/
noun
The pot used to boil water.
- weekend/ˈwiːˌkend/Also said ˈwiːˌkɪnd.
noun
Saturday and Sunday together.
- commute/kəˈmjuːt/
noun
The journey between home and work.
- team/tiːm/
noun
The group of people you work with.
- floor/flɔːr/
noun
One level of a building.
- settle/ˈsetəl/
verb
To become comfortable somewhere new.
- weather/ˈweðər/
noun
What the sky and the air are doing.
- busy/ˈbɪzi/
adjective
Having a lot to do.
- lunch/lʌntʃ/
noun
The meal in the middle of the day.
- nearby/ˌnɪrˈbaɪ/
adverb
A short distance away.
The sentences
Is there a kettle on this floor?
Did you do anything at the weekend?
How long is your commute each way?
Which team are you working with?
Is everybody on the same floor as us?
It takes a while to settle in.
The weather has been strange all week.
Is it always this busy in here?
Where does everybody go for lunch?
Is there somewhere decent nearby?
Pronunciation
kettle/ˈketəl/
The TT is a soft catch: KEH-tl.
commute/kəˈmjuːt/
Stress the second syllable: com-MUTE.
settle/ˈsetəl/
Like kettle, the TT is soft: SEH-tl.
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Past days are part of the Pass. Practice the first 3 of the 10 words free, or all of them with the Pass.
Get the Pass7 days free, then USD 5.99 a monthToday's words are freeQuestions
- How do I ask someone what they did over the weekend?
- You can say 'Did you do anything at the weekend?'
- What does kettle mean?
- It's the pot used to boil water.
- How do I ask if there's somewhere good to eat nearby?
- You can say 'Is there somewhere decent nearby?'