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Episode 1 · English Energy

Small Talk,
Big Impact

The first two minutes of a conversation. The ones that make someone smile.

Level A2 ≈ 25 minutes British English Short questions

How to use this lesson

  1. First, just read and listen. Nothing is checked here. Tap the underlined words to see them in Ukrainian.
  2. Then do the exercises. A mistake costs you nothing. That is what they are for.
  3. At the end, speak out loud. This is the most important part of the lesson. Do not skip it.
Two women talking in a café queue
Part 1 · Read and listen
Before you read

How easy is it for you?

Is it easy for you to start talking to a stranger, or to keep small talk going? There is no right answer here. Pick the face that is true today.

Step 1 · Text

The Two-Minute Door

Read it twice: once on your own, then again with the audio.

Nina is not shy. With her friends, she talks and laughs all evening. But with strangers, she says nothing.

Ніна не сором'язлива. З друзями вона говорить і сміється цілий вечір. Але з незнайомцями вона мовчить.

At the bus stop, she looks at her phone. In the queue, she looks at the floor. She thinks: “What can I say? My English is not perfect. And what if the person doesn’t answer?”

На зупинці вона дивиться в телефон. У черзі дивиться в підлогу. Вона думає: «Що я скажу? Моя англійська не ідеальна. А якщо людина не відповість?»
A woman waiting at a bus stop, looking at her phone
A woman standing in a queue, looking down

One morning she is in the queue for coffee. A woman she doesn’t know says: “Long queue today, isn’t it?” Nina smiles. “Yes! But the coffee is good here.” The woman laughs. They talk for two minutes: about coffee, about the rain, about Monday. Then the woman takes her cup and says: “Have a lovely day!”

Одного ранку вона стоїть у черзі за кавою. Жінка, яку вона не знає, каже: «Довга сьогодні черга, правда?» Ніна усміхається: «Так! Але кава тут хороша.» Жінка сміється. Вони говорять дві хвилини: про каву, про дощ, про понеділок. Потім жінка бере своє горнятко і каже: «Гарного дня!»
Nina and a stranger leaving a café with coffee, talking

It is only two minutes. It is only a queue and a cup of coffee. But Nina feels warm all morning.

Це лише дві хвилини. Це лише черга і горнятко кави. Але Ніні тепло весь ранок.

Nina never learns her name.

Ніна так і не дізнається її імені.

Small talk is a small door. Behind the door, there are people.

Small talk це маленькі двері. За дверима люди.
Step 2 · Listen and write

What did you hear?

Play the audio again and write the missing words. You can look back at the text, but try your ear first.

Nina is not .
But with , she says nothing.
At the bus stop, she looks at her .
In the queue, she looks at the .
My English is not .
Long today, isn’t it?
They talk for two .
Have a day!

Step 3 · Words and phrases

Listen and repeat

Say every phrase out loud. Not in your head. Out loud, so your mouth remembers it.

Step 4 · Dialogue

Emma and Nina

A café in Brighton, Tuesday morning.

Scene 1 · In the queue
EmmaNina! Hello!
NinaEmma! What a nice surprise.
EmmaLong queue today, isn’t it?
NinaVery long. But the coffee is good here.
EmmaTrue. How are you today?
NinaNot bad, thanks. A bit sleepy. And you?
EmmaCold, but happy.
Scene 2 · At the table
NinaEmma, I have a question. You talk to everybody. In the shop, on the bus, in the queue. How?
EmmaIt’s easy. Three steps.
NinaThree steps?
EmmaOne: notice something. Two: say one sentence about it. Three: ask a small question.
NinaThat’s all?
EmmaThat’s all. Look at the rain. “It’s raining again!” And then: “Do you like the rain?”
NinaHmm. But my English is not perfect.
EmmaMy English isn’t perfect either. I just say it anyway.
NinaReally? But you know all the words.
EmmaYou know more words than me. You know the grammar too. You just wait for the perfect sentence.
EmmaSmall talk is not perfect English. Small talk is: “Hello, I see you.”
NinaI like that.
Scene 3 · Practice
EmmaGo on then. I’m a woman at the bus stop.
Nina(laughs) Erm… Cold today, isn’t it?
EmmaVery cold! Are you waiting for the number 5?
NinaYes, I am. It’s always late.
Emma(stops acting) See? Perfect.
NinaBut it’s only two sentences.
EmmaTwo sentences, and the person smiles. That’s the big impact.
NinaOkay. Tomorrow I try. One stranger, one sentence.
EmmaOne sentence is enough. Have a lovely day, Nina.
NinaHa! Step three. Have a lovely day, Emma.
Переклад діалогу. Сцена 1: «Ніно! Привіт!» «Еммо! Яка приємна несподіванка.» «Довга сьогодні черга, правда?» «Дуже довга. Але кава тут хороша.» «Правда. Як ти сьогодні?» «Непогано, дякую. Трохи сонна. А ти?» «Змерзла, але щаслива.» Сцена 2: «Еммо, маю питання. Ти говориш з усіма. У магазині, в автобусі, в черзі. Як?» «Це просто. Три кроки.» «Три кроки?» «Перший: помічай щось. Другий: скажи одне речення про це. Третій: постав маленьке питання.» «І все?» «І все. Подивись на дощ. „Знову дощ!“ А потім: „Тобі подобається дощ?“» «Хмм. Але моя англійська не ідеальна.» «Моя англійська теж не ідеальна. Я просто все одно говорю.» «Справді? Але ти знаєш усі слова.» «Ти знаєш більше слів, ніж я. І граматику знаєш. Ти просто чекаєш на ідеальне речення.» «Small talk це не ідеальна англійська. Small talk це „Привіт, я тебе бачу“.» «Мені це подобається.» Сцена 3: «Ну давай же. Я жінка на зупинці.» «Емм… Холодно сьогодні, правда?» «Дуже холодно! Ти чекаєш на п'ятий?» «Так. Він завжди запізнюється.» «Бачиш? Ідеально.» «Але це лише два речення.» «Два речення, і людина усміхається. Оце і є big impact.» «Добре. Завтра спробую. Один незнайомець, одне речення.» «Одного речення досить. Гарного дня, Ніно.» «Ха! Крок третій. Гарного дня, Еммо.»
Step 5 · Grammar

Small question, short answer

In small talk nobody answers in long sentences. The answer is short, and it repeats the verb from the question.

How are you?Not bad, thanks. And you?
Are you waiting for the number 5?Yes, I am. / No, I’m not.
Do you like the rain?Yes, I do. / No, I don’t.
Is the coffee good here?Yes, it is. / No, it isn’t.
The rule in one line: whatever verb is in the question is the verb in the answer.
Are you…? → Yes, I am.  ·  Do you…? → Yes, I do.  ·  Is it…? → Yes, it is.
Part 2 · Exercises
Exercise 1

Match the pairs

Tap a phrase on the left, then its meaning on the right.

Exercise 2

True or False?

About the text and the dialogue.

Nina talks a lot with her friends.

In the queue, Nina starts the conversation.

The woman says “Have a lovely day!”

Nina and the woman talk for an hour.

Emma’s three steps are: notice, say, ask.

Nina thinks her English is perfect.

Exercise 3

Choose the word

One word is missing. Pick it.

Long ? today, isn’t it?

Not bad, ?. And you?

Are you ? for the number 5?

It’s always ?.

Have a ? day!

Small talk is not perfect ?.

Exercise 4

Put the lines in order

This is Scene 3. Tap the lines below and they line up above. Tap a line again to send it back.

Exercise 5

Translate into English

Write full sentences. Capital letters and punctuation are not checked.

Довга сьогодні черга, правда?
Непогано, дякую. А ти?
Ти чекаєш на п’ятий?
Він завжди запізнюється.
Гарного дня!

Part 3 · Speak
Speaking 1 · From the text

Retell the story in five steps

One sentence out loud for each card. Say it yourself first, and only then open the model.

Step 1 · a queue

Where is Nina one morning?

Nina is in the queue for coffee.
Step 2 · a woman

Who speaks first, and what does she say?

A woman she doesn’t know says: “Long queue today, isn’t it?”
Step 3 · Nina answers

What does Nina answer?

Nina smiles and says: “Yes! But the coffee is good here.”
Step 4 · two minutes

What do they talk about?

They talk for two minutes: about coffee, about the rain, about Monday.
Step 5 · all morning

How does Nina feel afterwards?

Nina feels warm all morning.

Now all five sentences in a row, in one recording.

Speaking 2 · From the dialogue

Be Nina

Emma speaks, you answer as Nina. Round 1: read along with the model. Round 2: speak on your own, with only a Ukrainian hint on screen.

Speaking 3 · Your turn

Your three steps

Choose a real place you go to every week: a supermarket queue, a bus stop, the gym, a lift. Write your own three lines using Emma’s formula.

1 · Notice “__________, isn’t it?”
2 · Say “It’s __________ here.”
3 · Ask “Are you waiting for __________?”

Now say them out loud. The page will listen and tell you which phrases from the lesson you used.

Speaking 4 · Fast

Ten seconds to answer

Five questions in a row. Answer short and answer fast. The point is not to be right. The point is not to go quiet.

Get ready to speak out loud.

Speaking 5 · In real life

Your mission this week

The hardest task in this lesson. And the only one that really changes anything.

Takeaways

What to take with you

Send

Send your work to your teacher

Your teacher sees what you finished and what you wrote, and builds the lesson on it. Nothing is sent until you press the button.

This is what will be sent:



    

    

  


  

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