Views #1034 | Intermediate (B1)

Small Talk

Buddhi and Edwin discuss the weekend, weather and seasons.

Edwin: Hey Buddhi, how ya going?

Buddhi: I'm good Edwin, how are you?

Edwin: I'm not too bad. Did you do anything last weekend?

Buddhi: Yes, I did. I went out with a bunch of friends after a very long time. And, yeah, I had a nice time.

Edwin: What did you guys do downtown?

Buddhi: First, for lunch we wanted to go out for lunch and then we did some window shopping. None of us had saved up enough for any actual shopping, so it was window shopping, and then we did some karaoke and we went out for some dancing. It was nice. I enjoyed my Saturday.

Edwin: Do you love karaoke?

Buddhi: I do. I do. I end up losing my voice the next day.

Edwin: How as the dancing? Are you a bit of a dance master?

Buddhi: I wouldn't say that. Well, I love dancing, so we had a nice time. How about you? How was your weekend?

Edwin: My weekend was alright. I just went down to the city and did a bit of shopping.

Buddhi: So, did you spend a lot?

Edwin: I spent about two hundred dollars.

Buddhi: OK.

Edwin: Bought some winter clothing, and it's getting a bit cold these days, so yeah.

Buddhi: I'm not a very winter person. Do you like winter?

Edwin: No, I don't like winter. I'm a very summer person.

Buddhi: Oh, really. Well, I don't like when it's too warm. And you like it?

Edwin: I prefer to sweat rather than freeze.

Buddhi: So do you like sea bathing and like outdoor activities?

Edwin: Yeah, I love the sun so, I like a lot of outdoor activities. It's better than being cooped up in a room.

Buddhi: In my case, I'm not a very outdoor person. But now summer. Definitely not summer. I'd say my favorite season will be spring.

Edwin: Ah, I guess, yeah. Spring is a nice time. Not too hot, not too cold.

Buddhi: Yeah, yeah. Especially, I guess because I'm from a tropical country, and we are used to that kind of weather.

Edwin: I see. I guess Australia's summer's not so tropical. It's just a lot of dry.

Buddhi: Yeah.

Edwin: So, I guess Sri Lanka in Australia is really different?

Buddhi: It's quite warm, and throughout the year, it's quite hot, warm and in the hill country, you'll feel that it's like fall. You'll wanna wear, you know, some warm clothes, but it's really nice, you know you feel like having something cold or, being a bit cold, you go to the hill country. If now, you stay in the beach area.

Learn Vocabulary from the Lesson

How ya going?

notes

Hey, Buddhi. How ya going?

"How ya going" is a common greeting meaning how are you? It is a casual expression and is used with friends or informal acquaintances. "Ya" is a shortened pronunciation of "you".

  1. Hi Todd, I haven't seen you for a while. How ya going?
  2. Martha, how ya going? I'd heard you were sick a while back.

window shopping

notes

We did some window shopping.

"Window shopping" is when you go out and look at things in the shop windows or even inside, but you do not buy them.

  1. Today I went window shopping for a new coat, it isn't pay day until next week!
  2. I love window shopping because you can go to the most expensive shops, and it doesn't cost you anything.

dance master

notes

Are you a dance master?

A "master" of any kind of skill or art is someone who is an expert at that thing.

  1. Houdini was a master escape artist.
  2. The most famous master spy is probably the character of James Bond.

lose my voice

notes

I end up losing my voice.

To lose something means that it is gone and you no longer have it. In this case, it is the ability to speak. We can also lose our physical senses such as sight, hearing and smell.

  1. After having her first baby, Sally lost her sense of smell for 3 months.
  2. Janet lost 50% of her hearing after playing bass in a rock band for 5 years.

cooped up

notes

It's better than being cooped up in a room.

"Cooped up" is to be kept in a small space or the feeling of being trapped or confined. "Coop" literally means a cage for keeping in chickens.

  1. After being cooped up in the office all day, I like to go for a walk in the fresh air.
  2. We were cooped up in the car for 5 hours getting here.

Vocabulary Quiz

how ya going • cooped up • window shopping
dance master • lose my voice
  1. I hate being on a rainy day.
  2. When I have no money I love to go .
  3. I often at rock concerts.
  4. Hey, ? How are you today?
  5. I can't sing but I am a bit of a .
Answer the following questions about the interview.

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