The Situation

Dave and Anne are colleagues who have known each other for a little while. They have become friends in a small way. They are making some plans. Does this conversation sound natural?

The Conversation

Anne: Hey, David. How’s it going with you?

David: Fine. Life is busy as usual. How are things with you?

Anne: I have no complaints.

David: That’s great. Is there something I can do for you?

Anne: No thank you. I just wanted to tell you that Jack, Lisa, and I are going to dinner and the movies after work Friday night. Do you wanna come with us?

David: That sounds like fun. What time are we meeting?

Anne: We’re meeting at 6:00PM at Jake’s Cafe. We’ll decide on a movie then.

David: That sounds like a great plan. I’ll see you then. thanks a lot for asking me.

Anne: It’s no problem. You have an awesome day.

David: You have an awesome day too.

Keep it Short

Have you noticed that the conversations you have in English, or the conversations you hear, are not like the conversations in your text books? There are many reasons for this: different words, quick speech, and others. One reason is that when we speak, the language that is necessary changes. Keep reading to learn how, and start using English more fluently.

Keep it Short and Sweet

I do not need to tell you that when native speakers speak quickly, their pronunciation changes, which makes them harder to understand. And I do not need to tell you that English speakers use a lot of cultural slang. But did you know it is often true that native speakers do not always say all the words that create their sentences? Yes, you read correctly. In English speech, it is okay to take out some words and phrases.

How do we Know

How do we know which words to take out? The answer is easy, but not so easy. The simple answer is context. Context is the situation: who is talking, what about, when, why, etc.

Easy Example

One easy example is when 2 people greet each other. Often they are looking at each other, or they are the only people in the phone conversation. Here is an example with all the words. 2 colleagues are greeting each other at work.

Anne: Hey, David. How’s it going with you?

David: Fine. Life is busy as usual. How are things with you?

These 2 people are looking at each other and no one is joining them in this conversation. So when Anne asks David how he is doing, the “with you,” and David’s name, are not necessary. Anne is not talking with an imaginary friend; she is looking at David. When David talks about being busy, it is easy to understand that he is not talking about another person’s life, so “life is” can be taken out. And he is a polite person, so of course he will ask Anne how she is. Only one word is necessary for this. The context of the conversation allows them to take out some words, and they still make clear meaning when they speak. Here is how the conversation might sound.

Anne: Hey. How’s it going?

David: Fine. Busy as usual. You?

So smooth. So short and sweet. That is how English speakers like to speak, and I think this is true for your language too. Think about how you use context in your language to make conversations shorter.

Special Note

One special note I will make is that each speaker might choose different phrases to take out. For example, if David says, “How are things with you?” this is still very natural. But many speakers will take out as many words as possible.

How Might it Sound

So how will Dave and Anne’s conversation sound if we use this rule? Before you read it, try to make their conversation shorter yourself. Then read my version. Does this sound natural?

Shortened Conversation

Anne: Hey. How’s it going?

David: Fine. Busy as usual. You?

Anne: No complaints.

David: Great. Something I can do for you?

Anne: No thanks. Just wanted to tell you that Jack, Lisa, and I are going to dinner and the movies after work Friday night. Wanna come?

David: Sounds fun. What time?

Anne: At 6:00PM at Jake’s Cafe. We’ll decide on a movie then.

David: Sounds like a plan. See you then. thanks.

Anne: No problem. Have an awesome day.

David: You too.

Your Turn

If you want to learn more, find some native English conversations on YouTube. Listen to them and ask yourself if you can understand which words have been taken out. Find dialogues on the internet and try to take out words or phrases that are not necessary for the meaning. And please, leave a comment to tell me when you are able to use this technique in your English speech.