Four conversations

Four conversations

Listen to four conversations to practise and improve your listening skills.

Do the preparation task first. Then listen to the audio and do the exercises.

Preparation

Transcript

A

Man: How did it go?

Woman: Umm, I think it went quite well. I did a lot of research and prepared a lot. I was in there for ... I don't know ... half an hour?

Man: And? What did they say?

Woman: Nothing much. At the end I asked them, 'What happens now?', and the woman said, 'We'll call you back with news in three or four days.'

Man: Really?

Woman: Yeah, I think I've got the job. There weren't a lot of other people there. I was the only interview that day, you know?

Man: Well, good luck with it.


B

Man: Anyway, you were saying ...

Woman: Oh, yeah, um ... let's see. Yes, so I was in the museum and there were, I don't know, a hundred people waiting to get into the room. Finally, I got in, and I tried to see the Mona Lisa but I couldn't look at it.

Man: Why not?

Woman: Because the room was filled with people taking photographs of it!

Man: Oh, right.

Woman: Yes! And selfies.

Man: Wait a minute. You can take photos while you're in there?

Woman: Yes, but you can't use flash. I don't know ... Why do we take photos of everything we see when we travel?

Man: I know. And we never look at the photos after.

Woman: Exactly! I'm tired of always taking photos. I don't feel I'm enjoying things.


C

Man: Who took this?

Woman: I can't remember. Hmmm ...

Man: What am I doing?

Woman: You're sitting on the sofa, watching TV and eating chocolates. Nothing changes!

Man: Ha! Very funny. You look very young, though.

Woman: I know. Look at my hair – it was so long!

Man: Mine too, look at me! Hey … I think I know who took this photo.

Woman: Umm … who? Was it Dad?

Man: No, it wasn’t Dad or Mum. Do you remember Barry?

Woman: No.

Man: Yes, YES! You do remember. Barry, your boyfriend at high school. You were seventeen and he was sixteen and he was so very polite: 'Hello, I'm Barry. It's very nice to meet you ...'

Woman: Stop it! He was nice.

Man: Yeah, well, he took the photo.


D

Woman: Let's see. OK. I'm glad we could talk about this. It's not easy to say.

Man: What?

Woman: Well, you're not in our group – for the class project.

Man: What do you mean? You know I'm always in a group with you.

Woman: I know. It's just that this time … this time we made the group differently and because you were late ...

Man: I see. You don't want me in the group?

Woman: No, no. It isn't that. It's that we've already made the group, see? There's four of us already.

Man: So? We can't be a group of five?

Woman: Well, the teacher said four people per group.

Man: Oh.

Woman: It's not about you or your work or anything like that. It's ... errrr ... well, we already have the group.

Man: So I have to find another group.

Woman: I'm sorry.

Task 1

Task 2

Discussion

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Average: 4.1 (73 votes)
Profile picture for user CanVD11

Submitted by CanVD11 on Wed, 20/03/2024 - 13:44

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Discussion: 

Have you ever had a similar conversation? What new phrases did you learn in these conversations?

I have several related conversations. When I was in a university class, I had a best friend, I and he was always in the common project group. But one day, his group was full and I had to find another group. I was really disappointed at that time. 

Last month, I and my brother found some old family pictures, and my brother told me that I looked cute and young, then we talked about our old story regarding this picture. It is an unforgettable memory, once I remember it, I feel happy and temporarily forget all the pressure of daily jobs

The four conversations above are really useful to me, I learned many structures and grammar from it, even new vocabulary of various daily topics interviews, and daily communications, especially learned how to express my opinion like when I was thinking before response each other, "Hmm, Right, Wait a minute" for example, all situations were very helpful, I believe I can improve my English skills rapidly if I learn carefully and practice it. 

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Submitted by Stellayennipham on Fri, 15/03/2024 - 14:10

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Discussion

Have you ever had a similar conversation? 

I have so many conversations similar to those in the audio but all of them are in Vietnamese. I wish I could use English in my daily life, not just in books or notebooks. However, I am trying to imagine myself speaking English and practising with me myself. 

What new phrases did you learn in these conversations?

  • I'm tired of always taking photos, I don't feel I'm enjoying things.
  • It's not about you, your work or anything like that, well, umm... we already have the group.

Submitted by Jim34 on Mon, 29/01/2024 - 16:47

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Have you ever had a similar conversation? What new phrases did you learn in these conversations?
I've never really had a conversation in English with another person. I don't know where I can find people to talk to. Another reason is that I'm still learning, so I'm very insecure about my speaking skills and my pronunciation.
Everything about the four conversations was so interesting to me, so I learned a lot of phrases and expressions I could use in the future.

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Submitted by alessandro.it on Wed, 17/01/2024 - 17:26

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Unfortunately not, but I'm very glad to review them because if I remember to use these expressions I can interact much better with people who speak English, and my speech will sound more natural.

Submitted by DzhusAngela on Tue, 26/12/2023 - 09:43

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I had similar conversation about picture in the museum and family photo.In these conversations I learned two phrases:"Ive got a job" and "I got in".

Submitted by bartosh89 on Thu, 30/11/2023 - 07:25

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Yes, i often had a similar conversation about taking photos and than never watch them again

Submitted by arizonova on Tue, 21/11/2023 - 12:14

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Yes, sometimes I have a similar conversation. My best friend and I enjoy looking at old family photos. She admires how my parents looked when they were young. I like it too! We always find my baby photos cute and funny. I had sweet, round cheeks when I was a kid :)

Submitted by Toan3002 on Fri, 13/10/2023 - 05:03

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Yes, I have had a similar conversation with my friends and family. I learned interesting new phrases to refuse other people in a polite way. For instance: "No, no. It isn't that. It's that we've already made the group, see? There's four of us already".

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Submitted by AAFAQ on Fri, 29/09/2023 - 12:20

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Yes i do have similar conversations with my family and friends. I like the way the whole conversation was split into little conversations which makes it much more interesting and easier to understand each situation.

Submitted by kenan.zero on Mon, 25/09/2023 - 16:34

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Yes, I have similar conversations. Sometimes when I meet some old friends, we talk about happenings from our student days.