If you used some of the standard English coursebooks in circulation in the past, you will probably remember that "Betty's dog is called Barker" and that "the cat sat under the table". Learning sentences like these was certainly a good start, but how does your school English stand up to the real-life test of being in an English-speaking country? Do people really speak like they do in the coursebooks?
Of course, books can give only one standard way to say things - one easy, straightforward, simple way to speak. And if you learn those phrases, you can't go wrong. As a teacher and a coursebook writer myself, I'm in favour of giving one simple way to say things. Why make life more complicated? But as a native speaker living in the UK, I also notice that my own day-to-day English often doesn't match up with the language in coursebooks.
So, here are a few examples that I've noticed from my own experience, where there's a difference between "classroom English" and real life.
-
I'd like...
→ Can I get…?
→ Could I get…?
→ Could I have…?
The phrase "I'd like..." is perfectly fine - it's ideal, in fact! But if you sit in a restaurant with native speakers, you'll probably be the only one using it. It's the same with the question form "What would you like?". It's great, but you'll more likely hear "What can I get you?".
-
Can you tell me the way to…?
-
How do I get to…?
-
Is there a… near here?
→ I'm looking for…
Of course, these days, we just get our phones out and use Google Maps! But if you're out of data, just say "I'm looking for…" - it's so much easier than the complex alternatives you learned at school.
-
Good morning, Mr Smith!
→ Morning, David!
Family names are rarely used in the UK. Much to the frustration of some older people, it's the norm to be addressed by your first name.
-
We visited our friends.
-
We visited my aunt.
→ We went to see some friends.
→ We went to my aunt's.
"Visited" certainly exists, but sounds rather formal. We usually "go to see someone" or "go and see someone". Other informal options include "go round to someone's" or "go over to someone's".
-
Be careful!
→ Mind out!
→ Watch out!
If you hear a shout of "Mind out!" or "Watch out!", look for possible danger. Like Vorsicht! in German, it's a warning. Don't get it confused with "Take care", which is a friendly way to end a conversation or an e-mail, another way to say "Goodbye".
-
He invited me to a restaurant.
→ He asked me out to a restaurant.
→ He asked me out to dinner.
"Invite" is fairly formal in English. You're invited to a wedding or to another special event, but for informal arrangements, you just "ask someone out" or "ask someone to come for a meal at your house".
-
We had visitors at the weekend.
→ Some friends came over.
→ My brother and his family came to stay.
→ We had someone staying with us for the weekend.
As above, "visitors" sound rather formal, or business-like. If you ask these people to sign in at reception and wear a name badge, they're "visitors" - otherwise, they're just "friends" or "people".
-
I'll try to do it.
→ I'll try and do it.
The "to" becomes "and" in everyday speech - though only in the present simple (e.g. "I always try and eat healthily") and after some sentence starters: "I'll try and…", "I can try and…" and "Why don't you try and…?". In the past and with progressive tenses, you still need the standard structure "try to", for example "I tried to help her" or "I'm trying to help you".
-
It was a rainy day.
→ It was a wet day.
When you did "The weather" as a beginner, you probably learned a set of words that end with "-y": "sunny", "windy", "foggy", "snowy" and "rainy". The word "rainy" goes well in that group, but isn't used very often in everyday conversation. In real life, we get a lot of "wet weather" and "wet weekends".
-
He helped me to do it.
→ He helped me do it.
The "to" is usually dropped in everyday speech.
-
My colleagues are very nice.
→ The people I work with are very nice.
→ The people at work are very nice.
→ Everyone at work is very nice.
"Colleague" is a good, simple word for learners and it's fine to use in English, especially in a formal context - but it would be unusual in everyday speech. A British person will talk about "the people at work", while Americans have "coworkers".
-
I met a friend.
→ I met up with a friend.
→ I went out with a friend.
→ I bumped into a friend.
You "meet" someone only on the first occasion ("Nice to meet you"). After that, you "meet up with them" or "go out with them" (by arrangement), or you might "bump into them" (by chance).
-
I'm very well, thanks.
→ I'm fine, thanks.
→ I'm good.
→ Good, thanks.
In the past, teachers used to get frustrated when their German students answered the question "How are you?" with "Good", translating directly from the German gut - but now, since about the year 2000, "good" is … good!
-
The company organizes courses.
→ The company runs courses.
"Organize" is a nice, easy word for international learners to understand - like organisieren in German - and it is used in English. However, more often, you'll hear the word "run". Companies run courses, training days, schemes, systems, competitions… "Run" is a useful word in the world of work.