Common English Phrases to Keep Your Conversation Going!

Do you feel frustrated when you get stuck in English

conversation

s? You want to continue the

conversation

but you don't know what to say or maybe you freeze because you don't understand them. You completely forget

your

words. You do not know what to say. Or they don't understand you. I'm Emma, ​​creator of mmmEnglish, where I help millions of English learners around the world develop confidence and fluency in English. Today I have thirty amazing

phrases

that will help you get unstuck during English conversations so you know what to say and can continue the conversation. I've also prepared a free PDF workbook for you with all of these useful and

common

English expressions, plus a quiz to help you make sure you can use them accurately when you speak.

The link to download it is in the description below. You will need to add

your

name and email address so it can be sent to you. You can also join my weekly newsletter so you never miss a lesson or free PDF. Every confident English speaker, whether native or not, uses the

phrases

and these strategies I'm

going

to share today to help them communicate. Native speakers use these phrases all the time because it's a really natural part of communication. We don't always know what to say and it doesn't always come out perfect. Sometimes native speakers do not explain themselves clearly and we have to use the expressions and phrases in this video to react and maintain our conversations.

But the difference is that native speakers or proficient speakers are more likely to speak English with confidence. They just know how to quickly get out of trouble if necessary or if they get stuck during a conversation. They know how to fix it without panicking too much. And this is the main difference between you and them. You just need to know what to say in those situations to get yourself unstuck. And there are countless phrases and expressions that will help you in those situations. Imagine that you have just met someone you know, perhaps a colleague or a professor at your university, and you have just started chatting in English.

Things are

going

well but suddenly you don't understand what they are saying. They have used a couple of words that you don't recognize or perhaps it could be because their accent is not one you are familiar with. So in these situations, you might say: Sorry, I didn't understand that. Could you repeat that? Maybe you just didn't quite understand what they said because they were talking too fast. In this case, you can ask: Could you repeat that a little more slowly? Sorry, I don't follow you. We use this when we don't understand what someone means. When the meaning is a little confusing, if you are a little confused, then you can use it.

I don't think I understood clearly. Could you repeat what you said? Well, then studying and memorizing these phrases is the first step. But to make them yours, to make them part of your own active vocabulary, you need to practice putting them into practice, using them in different situations with different people in different contexts. You know I'm a big supporter of Hey Lady! an online speech community for women learning English. Within Hey Lady!, you can join daily conversations and regular workshops to develop your conversation skills. And any eligible mmmEnglish student can join with a fifty percent discount on their first month.

Click the link below in the description to join Hey Lady! and use the code MMM50H. Well, here's a new situation. You are talking to someone but suddenly you forget your own words. It's like every English word in your head suddenly disappears. Or you forget what you're talking about after you've started talking. This is the worst because the other person you are talking to is looking at you waiting for you to continue. They are completely focused on you and you have lost words. This happens to everyone, including native speakers. So what can you say when you forget your words?

What is that word? It's on the tip of my tongue. We use this idiom to describe that familiar feeling when the word is so close, it's so close in your mind, it's right here but you just can't understand it. Very frustrating! Sorry, I had a mental emptiness. I don't remember the word in English. At this point, the person you're talking to will probably help you remember or remind you of the word you're looking for. You could even say: I forgot the English word. You know what I mean? Even if you can't find the word, don't let that stop you.

Say something like: It doesn't matter. And change the subject. Tell me about the new project you are working on. It doesn't matter, I might be back in a minute. This will help you change the subject and continue moving forward in your conversation. You don't need to stay stagnant. Sometimes it's not just a word you've forgotten, but you completely forget what you were talking about. When this happens to me, I just say: Wait, let me start again. Let me try again. Oh, I completely lost my train of thought. Hopefully it will come back to me in a moment.

You have the choice to feel ashamed and frustrated with yourself or you have the choice to just hit the reset button. You just need to point out what happened to the person you're talking to so they know what's happening, but then the conversation can continue. Listen to what I say but also how I say it. Note that I'm not taking myself too seriously. I am using facial expression as much as the words I choose to help communicate what is happening. And this is a really important point. Honesty is really important in conversation. If someone hears you speak and then for some reason you get stuck.

All those expressions we just saw will help you explain what happened and give the person listening some clues so they can help you. And let's be honest, it will happen to you many times on your path to English fluency, and once you achieve fluency, it will continue to happen. Fluidity does not mean perfect. It simply means that you have all the phrases and expressions you need to have successful conversations in English even when you make mistakes. There are many times when you just don't know what to say. Maybe because you are not adequately prepared. Maybe you've never talked about this topic before and have no idea what to say or how to contribute.

Or maybe you need a little more time to think about your answer. It is not something that is known instantly. And there are tons of things we say in English when this happens. To be honest, I am not very familiar with the political situation in Venezuela. If you need a little more time to think about your answer, try: That's an interesting question. Let me think for a moment. That's complicated, I've never been asked that before. I'm not sure. Give me a second to think about it. Just give me a second to think about how to explain it in English.

All of these phrases will give you some extra time, just a few seconds for you to take a deep breath, collect your thoughts and think about what you are going to say next. If you're in a group conversation, you can even direct that question to someone else. I need some time to think about my answer. Does anyone else want to participate? Another very

common

situation, especially at work, is when someone asks you to share your opinion or ideas about something but catches you off guard. You still have nothing to share with them. If you don't know what to say right now, you may freeze.

You may start searching for words and feel like every word has slipped out of your head and you have nothing to share. So in this situation, you can try to ask them back. I had never thought about that before. What about you? Oh my god, I've never been asked that before. What do you think? Or even more casually. What is your opinion? This does two things. The other person will start talking, so you'll have some extra time to think about your response, but if you don't really have an opinion or idea to share on this topic, you'll probably get some ideas from what the other person will tell you. he is saying.

They might inspire you to think of something to share or say. Or maybe you agree or disagree with something they said, but it's a way to

keep

the conversation going. What if someone asks you something you're not entirely comfortable with? This can happen in many different situations, and it's okay not to answer a question or talk about a topic if you don't want to. So I have some phrases to explain to you that you would rather not answer and want to change the subject. I'd prefer not to answer that, if that's okay, for personal reasons. Is it okay if we talk about something else?

What are you doing this weekend? You may find yourself in a situation where you are talking but notice the other person's face change. They don't seem to understand you. Alright! It may be your fault. Maybe you weren't being clear. But it could also be them. Maybe they were distracted or not paying attention. So if you feel this happening, you might say: Am I making sense? Are you following? Remember we used the following word earlier in this lesson. We said: I don't follow you. That's why it's good to use it in the context of a conversation. You are following me?

Both questions are used to check and allow the person you are talking to to ask a question if they need one. If you're really sure you're not being followed, you could say something like: I don't think I'm being very clear. Let me try again. Sometimes, despite all our best efforts, miscommunication occurs. They haven't understood you. But it's totally normal, we just have to be prepared to handle those situations when they arise. Then you can say: I'm sorry, I think there was a misunderstanding. What I meant was... This allows you to rephrase your ideas in a different way to help the other person understand.

You could also say: I don't think I explained myself clearly. O: I think you misunderstood. But the important point here is that you are putting the blame on the person you are talking to when you say that. It is quite rude to tell another person that they have misunderstood you. He simply tells them that it is her fault, not his. So you have to be really sure that they are the ones who misunderstood if you use it. Notice how in the first sentence we use the passive voice. There was a misunderstanding. I'm not specifically saying who was responsible for the problem and that's usually the best way to do it.

You either assume it was you, apologize and fix it quickly, or generalize that there was a problem here. Well, now you have thirty useful expressions that will help you when you are stuck in English and need help

keep

ing the conversation going. If you enjoyed this lesson be sure to like it, leave me a comment below, I'd love to hear from you. I suggest you take all of these phrases and practice using them in real conversations. If you are eligible to join Hey Lady! community, use the link in the description below and the discount code that will allow you to get fifty percent off your first month of membership.

Do you want to continue practicing? You know where to find me. See you there!