RealEnglishConversations.

com
Conversation: Introductions

Transcription:

AMY: Hello this is Amy from RealEnglishConversations.com. Today Curtis and I are
going to be having a conversation asking each other some questions so that you can get to
know us a little bit better. And make sure that you stay tuned for the end of the episode
because we’re going to explain a little bit about some of the sounds that we make while
we’re thinking.
AMY: Hi there everyone! My name is Amy
CURTIS: and I'm Curtis
AMY: and we want to welcome you to our recording for real English conversations.
CURTIS: This is the first one.
AMY: This is the very first one
CURTIS: It´s exciting
AMY: Yeah.
CURTIS: We´ve been talking about this idea for a long time, so it, it's nice to finally start
recording and working on this project: but what this project is… We're trying to bring
you guys a real English conversation, the type of conversations that two people have
naturally, with the natural ummm´s and ahhhh´s and pauses. The thinking, the natural
flow, so everything that you were going to hear is completely unscripted, completely
unrehearsed. We may get off topic from time to time. So…
CURTIS: But it´s going to be a great example to show you how conversations happen.
AMY: How this language works and how two people have a casual conversation. So, we
thought that the best way for you guys to get to know us a little bit better is, to maybe,
pretend like we don't know each other.
CURTIS: Or like we are meeting for first time
AMY: Yeah like we are meeting for the first time. But I going to try to keep it pretty
natural and the type of questions that I would probably ask somebody that I don't know
yet and the type of information that I want to know to try to stir up1 a more natural
conversation. So that we can, talk for a longer period of time (Curtis: Right) more than
two or three minutes. So Curtis, Where are you from?
CURTIS: I´m from, Edmonton, Canada originally. I was born and raised2 there. And
then about 16 years ago I moved to where I live now which is, Kelowna.
AMY: What made you move here?
CURTIS: Well, my parents wanted to find a nicer place to retire3. They wanted to retire
and settle down4. And I thought, I might as well jump along5 and go with them. It, was a
nice city, because we had visited Kelowna almost every summer, when I was growing up
as a kid.
AMY: Ohhhh, so, you already liked Kelowna. You knew it a little bit, and it was a place
that you, you thought, “yeah, (Curtis: Yes) I'd like to go there!”
CURTIS: Yeah exactly. And I would like to live there. And what about you?

-1-
© 2015 RealEnglishConversations.com Amy Whitney & Curtis Davies
AMY: Well for me, I am actually from Kelowna. I was born and raised here. I was lucky
enough that my parents decided not to move throughout the whole time that I was
growing up. And, I guess after my parents moved, maybe like five hours away from
here6, when I was about 18 or 19 years old. But by then I had already established my life.
I had a job; I was moving out on my own anyway, all of my friends are here, a lot of
family. I decided that I wanted to stay in Kelowna and I'm pretty happy I did. It a, it's a
really nice place here.
CURTIS: Cool. Do you have any brothers or sisters?
AMY: Yeah, yeah. I have one brother. I come from a pretty small family. So, you
know… I have one brother, he has a couple of kids. So, I have a niece and nephew yeah,
I have a couple aunts and uncles and my grandparents live here. So, most of my family
lives here.
Family is a kind of boring subject. So, what ah...what type (should be types) of hobbies
do you have? Or what do you… what do like to do?
CURTIS: I´m a music guy.
AMY: Okay
CURTIS: I´ve always been, you know, into music. All forms of and genres of music.
AMY: Okay. So, more like listening.
CURTIS: Yep. I´ve got a bit of a disc jockey side to me but.
AMY: Disc jockey? Hahaha.
CURTIS: Yeah well, DJ…
AMY: That´s not a, that’s not a word that I hear very often but DJ, DJ would be better so.
CURTIS: And I´ve also got a musician part of me, I play drums.
AMY: Yeah?
CURTIS: Yeah funny story. I used to line up paint cans in the basement. And use the end
of the paint brushes to play on top of the paint cans like they were a drum set.
AMY: Ohhh! So they made, sort of, different noises when you tap one paint can and it’s
only half full.
CURTIS: Right.
AMY: It’ll make a different sound than another paint can that is almost empty. And…
CURTIS: Yeah.
AMY: You probably drove your parents nuts7!
CURTIS: Hahaha
AMY: Crashing and banging8on paint cans.
CURTIS: I drove them so nuts, that they bought me a real drum set
AMY: Well that’s, that’s even louder.
CURTIS: Yeah, exactly. What kind of things do you like to do?
AMY: I like to hang out with my friends a lot. Yeah, I have a lot of friends. Some,
sometimes I end up doing sports with my friends. I, I go snowboarding in the winter, in
the summer we have a lot of Barbeques9 at my house and…you know, you invite some
people over, you cook some good food, hang out, listen to music. It’s, it’s a really, really
nice, nice way of spending, a nice summer day. So…
CURTIS: Nice.
AMY: I like doing that, right now I am studying Spanish. I’ve been working at that for a
really long time but I’m seeing some really good progress with my Spanish. So, that’s
really exciting.

-2-
© 2015 RealEnglishConversations.com Amy Whitney & Curtis Davies
CURTIS: A bit of a challenge though?
AMY: It’s very rewarding at the same time though. I like learning new things. I really
like when I can see progress that I’ve made. And I feel like I’m, I’m making progress
with my Spanish, so I’m very happy with it. You were talking about music though. What,
what’s your favorite type of music?
CURTIS: I’m a really big fan of Reggae music.
AMY: Reggae?
CURTIS: Reggae music.
AMY: Like Bob Marley?
CURTIS: Right! Yeah like Bob Marley, I guess that he is the most famous one that
everybody can relate Reggae music to.
AMY: Yeah, yeah.
CURTIS: There are quite a few artist out there, that…
AMY: Oh I’m sure. I’m sure.
CURTIS: Hahaha. That you probably wouldn’t know. Uh a very large vinyl record
collection.
AMY: Vinyl? Like you mean yeah like the, like records. Like big, black 12 inch, yeah,
records. We are going back in time here!
CURTIS: Yeah.
AMY: Okay. Umm, so you have a lot of music on records?
CURTIS: I do.
AMY: Yeah and…Do you like any other types of music or just…
CURTIS: Yep.
AMY: Or just Bob Marley?
CURTIS: I also like a lot of old funk and mo-town soul. I like some rock as well. So,
yeah. There’s a few that I don’t like though. Haha. Including country music. I’m not the
biggest fan of that, soo…
AMY: Country music is one of those things that, that people either love or hate. I, I agree
with you. I, I don’t like country very much either. For me…: I really like rock music.
That, that’s my, my… my favorite. I like um music with guitar and drums and, you know,
a little bit of an edge to it. But, I’m finding as I’m getting a little bit older, I’m starting to
like some mellow music too. So, sort of some electronic chill music. You know, more
ambient background music. It’s a little bit more relaxing. But it kind of, it depends on my
mood and it depends what I am doing. Like if I’m, you know, doing some sort of sport or
an activity that’s a little bit more… a little more energy into it. I like to have a faster sort
of beat of music. But if I’m just Chillin’out10 at home. I kind of like…
CURTIS: Something to relax to.
AMY: Yeah, just something that matches my mood. So yeah.
How about, have you seen any good concerts?
CURTIS: Yes. I’ve seen a lot of good concerts. I like concerts; live music is, is different.
It’s a different kind of feeling.
AMY: It’s exciting.
CURTIS: It is! I would say one of the best concerts…. There is an artist, uhh, or group
called The John Butler Trio.
AMY: I know them, very, very good band.
CURTIS: Yeah

-3-
© 2015 RealEnglishConversations.com Amy Whitney & Curtis Davies
AMY: One of my favorites.
CURTIS: Australian band. John Butler is obviously the front man lead singer.
AMY: Very, very talented. That man has an incredible voice and incredible guitar skills.
I highly recommend that you guys (you listeners) check him out11 and give, give his
music a listen. So what was he like in concert? How was the concert?
CURTIS: It was amazing one of the longest concerts I’ve ever been to. It seemed like
he…
AMY: That’s the best!
CURTIS: He played on forever. I, I don’t know he did 2 or 3 Encores12 or something.
You know they, you know, the crowd wants them to come back.
AMY: Play just one more song! One more! One more!
CURTIS: Yeah, the crowd was in this nice little bar.
AMY: More of an intimate environment for seeing someone play live.
CURTIS: Yeah, yeah. Compared to like a large stadium
AMY: It’s less personal.
CURTIS: Yes. Which is great cause (because) it, it makes for a different kind of feeling.
You feel a little closer to the, to the group so to speak. The place was Sold out13 it was, a
year or two ago? And I’m still talking about how it was probably one of the best concerts
I’ve seen.
AMY: It’s nice when you get the opportunity to have something like that.
CURTIS: Unforgettable.
AMY: I think everybody should see one of their favorite bands live. It’s one of the most
incredible experiences and it’s hard to… it’s hard to duplicate. You know, and you wish
at the time, it’s like, ‘Oh, I hope this never ends!’ But it always does. Until the next, big
show.
AMY: Well Curtis, I’ve got to get going on with the rest of my day here but it was really
nice meeting you.
CURTIS: It was nice meeting you as well. I’ve got to go listen to some music or play
some drums here, so…
AMY: So we will talk to you a little later.
CURTIS: Alright, catch you later!
AMY: Okay bye.
AMY: So that’s kind of how I feel a typical conversation might, start when you are trying
to get to know somebody and
CURTIS: Or even relate to at times
AMY: Yeah you can relate to and you want to go on it a little bit longer like the music
and the concerts. That was a topic that I felt like I could talk a little bit more about.
Rather than, you know15…
CURTIS: Almost like common interests or what you can relate to with someone else.
You might have similar interests.
AMY: It’s an easy way to start a conversation talking about the weather and family but it
doesn’t last very long. So you need to have a few more Tricks up your sleeve14.
CURTIS: Yeah. What, what do you really want to get to know about the person you are
talking to.
AMY: How are you going to come up with a topic that’s interesting enough, that you can
maintain it for quite a few minutes?

-4-
© 2015 RealEnglishConversations.com Amy Whitney & Curtis Davies
CURTIS: Yeah. You don’t want to put the other person to sleep.
AMY: No, cause ( Curtis: Then Your Boring ) then you’re going to want to find someone
else to talk to that is a little bit more interesting. So anyway, I hope that you enjoyed our
first podcast. Ahh, leave us a comment on our page. Let us know…what you think about
it and we’ll see you guys next time.
CURTIS: Catch you later.
AMY: Bye!

Real English Conversational Tip

AMY : Okay so for today’s English conversation tip we’re going to be talking about the
classic thinking sounds of a native English speaker from North America anyway. So
whenever we’re thinking about anything what are the two sounds that we typically make?
CURTIS : Ummm or Uhhhh
AMY : Yeah so one is like Ummmm with an M sound and the other one is Uhhh with a
more like a H sound right? With your mouth open?
CURTIS : Yeah
AMY : Yeah so when we’re thinking about something for just a small moment. What this
sound does is it’s indicating to the other person, that we’re thinking about it so they don’t
interrupt us.
CURTIS : True
AMY : Yeah. So Curtis what’s your work schedule like for next week?
CURTIS : Let me see ummm looks like I’m free Tuesday and Wednesday.
AMY : Ah okay perfect. So what we recommend is you guys go back and listen to this
episode there’s a ton of umm’s and aah’s in it because it was the first one that we have
ever recorded so we hadn’t learned to control our thinking sounds yet while we’re on the
microphone. But just uhh if you enjoyed this tip and you’d like to have more like it. Be
sure to come to our website and sign up for our email list because what we’re going to do
is, we’re actually going to send you access to a free lesson that we did with 31 sounds
that natives use, native English speakers use during conversation all the time. And you’re
also going to get unlimited access to our 3 most popular lessons with the transcript and
the slower version of the audio and things like that. So you can come to
realenglishconversations.com we’ll see you guys next time.

-5-
© 2015 RealEnglishConversations.com Amy Whitney & Curtis Davies
Lesson Notes:
to stir up1 – to create (when it is used as an expression.) The literal meaning is to mix.
 That girl is always stirring up trouble. (expression)
 Stir up the ingredients in the bowl before you eat them. (literal)

born and raised2– An expression to talk about where you were born and grew up as a child.
 She was born and raised in the countryside so she is not used to the city life.

to retire3 – The period of time after someone stops working for a living. Generally it is
between 65-70 years of age.
 They retired early and moved to Mexico because it was cheaper to live than the USA.

settle down4 – To calm down or live a tranquil lifestyle

 Those kids need to settle down, they have way too much energy!
 I want to find a city that I like to settle down in for a few years.

jump along5 – to join in, to follow the same plan.

 I like the vacation you have planned, I might just jump along and join you.

five hours away from here6 – Used to describe how far something is if you were to drive by
car or airplane, depending on the distance.
 Vancouver is 4 hours from Kelowna (really it is 450 kilometres)
 California is a 20 hour drive from Vancouver.
 Toronto is 4 hours by plane from Vancouver.

drove your parents nuts7 - to drive someone nuts

To annoy someone, be bothersome. Used to explain something that is bothering you. Usually
used in a joking way.
 That song is driving me nuts! I hear it 6 times every day.
 The dogs next door will not stop barking, they are driving me nuts!

Crashing and banging8– Making a lot of noise

 “What is all that crashing and banging in the kitchen? I wish you could put the dishes
away without being so noisy.”

Barbeques9 – Cooking on over an open flame. Usually refers to a propane barbeque. The
word barbeque is often written as BBQ but is pronounced the same way as the original word.
I prefer to cook steak on the BBQ compared to in a frying pan.

Chillin’out10 – To relax
 Sure you can come over to my house later. I’ll be here, I’m just going to be chillin’ at
home.

-6-
© 2015 RealEnglishConversations.com Amy Whitney & Curtis Davies
Check him out11 – To check out (someone or something)
To look at, research, view it or learn about it.
 1. Check out that guy, he is sexy.
 2. You should check out that song, it is good. You will like it.

Encore12 – when a musical artist plays an extra song or two after their main performance.
 The band did a double encore last night. They played 6 extra songs.

Sold out13 – When there are no tickets available for purchase for an event.
 The concert was sold out so I couldn’t go.

Tricks up your sleeve14 – More ideas or a surprise

 I was able to continue the boring conversation because I had a few (topics) tricks up
my sleeve.

You know15 – a filler word in conversation. It generally has no meaning but it is used to
verify the person you are talking with, understands what you are trying to say.
 It’s cold in Canada in, you know, the winter.
 I wish the barking dog would be quiet, you know, it’s annoying.

Exercises for the vocabulary are found on the next page. Practice what you have learned,
you will remember it better!

-7-
© 2015 RealEnglishConversations.com Amy Whitney & Curtis Davies
Practice Exercises

True or False:
1. Amy was born in Edmonton
2. Curtis likes reggae and country music
3. Amy thinks talking about family is really interesting
4. At the John Butler concert, there was an encore.
5. Amy prefers Rock music.

Fill in the Blanks

Fill the empty space with these words from the list in the lesson notes section
 born and raised
 retired
 4 hours from here
 check it out
 sold out
 settle down

1. He needs to _________________ or else he won’t be able to sleep tonight.

2. The resort was _________________ by car.
3. Juan was __________________ in Mexico but now lives in Canada.
4. Julie ________________ when she was 65.
5. This video is really interesting, you should _____________________.
6. Do you know if there are tickets for the football game, or is it _____________?

Writing Activity
Write your answer in our forum here: http://bit.ly/REC-introductions
The best way to have a good conversation is to talk about topics that are interesting and you
are able to talk about for a long time. Questions asking for an opinion are great. Try to think
of 5 questions that would require another person to provide a long explanation. Then answer
one of your own questions.
Example Questions:
 Why did you decide to learn another language?
 If you could travel to any country, where would you go and why?

If you cannot think of your own questions, answer one of the questions above.

Amy’s Answer: I think I would choose Colombia because recently I have been talking
with some people from Colombia over Skype. I have heard a lot about the culture and
especially how amazing the food is. Of course, I like warm weather and I love the coastal
towns, so I would probably visit the coastal areas of the country above anywhere else.
The main reason why I want to go, is to practice my Spanish with local people.

-8-
© 2015 RealEnglishConversations.com Amy Whitney & Curtis Davies
Answers to True or False
1. False
2. False
3. False
4. True
5. True

Answers to Fill in the Blanks

1. Settle down
2. 4 hours by car
3. Born and raised
4. Retired
5. Check it out
6. Sold out

-9-
© 2015 RealEnglishConversations.com Amy Whitney & Curtis Davies