Lesson 2 of 12 · Breaking the ice

Small talk that goes somewhere

Small talk isn't empty. It's how strangers check that it's safe to keep talking.

About 20 minutes
Chapter 2 of the book
Saves on this device

Activity 1 of 5 · Build

Answer plus one

Short answers end conversations. The fix is simple: answer, add one detail, then ask one back. Build your own for the questions you hear most.

Answer-plus-one builder

Choose the question, then write your short answer, one detail and a question back.

✓ Done

A learner's story

Yuki and the neighbour

Yuki · nurse from Osaka, now in Manchester · intermediate

Every morning Yuki met her neighbour at the bus stop. He always said, “Morning! How are you?” and she always said, “Fine, thanks.” Then they stood in silence until the bus came. After a month, they still didn't know each other's names.

One morning she added one sentence: “Fine, thanks. A bit tired, actually. I've just finished a night shift.” He asked where she worked, told her his daughter was training to be a nurse, and by the end of the week he was giving her tips about the best bakery in the area.

She didn't need better English. She needed one more sentence.

Activity 2 of 5 · Sort

Safe, careful or avoid?

Some topics are easy openers in the UK. Others are best kept for people you know well. Sort these.

Topic sorter

Think about a first conversation with someone you've just met in the UK.

✓ Done

Say it

Phrase box

Useful phrases from this chapter. Anything that isn't British English is labelled.

Weather

Lovely day, isn't it?
It's a bit nippy today.
Looks like it's brightening up.

Weekend

Did you do anything nice at the weekend?
Any plans for the weekend?
How was your weekend?

Keeping it going

Oh really? How come?
That sounds fun. Where did you go?
Me too, actually.

Activity 3 of 5 · Match

Weather talk, decoded

The British talk about the weather a lot, and they have their own way of doing it. Match each phrase to its meaning.

Weather phrase match

Tap a phrase on the left, then its meaning on the right.

✓ Done

Activity 4 of 5 · Play

Keep it going

You meet a neighbour at the bus stop. Choose your reply at each turn and see how far the conversation goes.

The bus stop chain

There's no single right route, but some replies open doors and some close them.

✓ Done

The research

In studies by Nicholas Epley and Juliana Schroeder (2014), commuters who were asked to talk to a stranger on the train had a more pleasant journey than those who sat quietly, even though most had predicted the opposite. Small talk feels risky beforehand and good afterwards.

Activity 5 of 5 · Say it

Say it aloud

Practise your answer plus one until it comes out without thinking.

Your answer plus one

Your line comes from the builder. Make the question back sound curious.

✓ Done

Before you move on

Three questions

Who do you see regularly but never really talk to?

What is your “plus one” sentence for this week?

Which small talk topic feels most comfortable for you?

5 activities to go

Finish all five activities to complete Lesson 2. Your progress saves on this device, and finished lessons are marked on the lessons page.

What to remember

Five things to keep

Answer, add one detail, ask one back.
Weather, weekends and the local area are safe starters.
Salary, weight, age and religion are best avoided with new people.
A tag question (“isn't it?”) invites the other person to agree and add something.
Small talk feels better afterwards than you expect.

Your answers and progress stay on this device. Nothing is sent anywhere.