Flattering

Marco: Hello English learners! Welcome back to EnglishPod! My name is Marco.

Erica: And I’m Erica.

Marco: And today we’re gonna be teaching you a very important technique, especially for the guys, if you wanna have good luck with the ladies, right?

Erica: Oh, Marco.

Marco: Hehe.

Erica: Well, today’s lesson is called That’s flattering.

Marco: Right, so, we are going to be teaching you how to flatter someone.

Erica: Okay, so, what does it mean to flatter someone?

Marco: Well, basically, you’re going to be giving compliments and you’re gonna make that person feel good about themselves.

Erica: That’s right! Okay, so, flattering. Now, before we get on with this flattering lesson, we need to look at some vocabulary in “vocabulary preview”.

Marco: Alright, on vocabulary preview today we have two small words. So, the first one is bar exam.

Erica: The bar exam.

Marco: The bar exam.

Erica: So, the bar exam is that formal test that lawyers must do to become official lawyers.

Marco: Right, so, it’s that final exam in order to finally become a lawyer.

Erica: Uhu.

Marco: Okay, and what about our next word?

Erica: Well, we’re also gonna hear in the dialogue – obnoxious.

Marco: Obnoxious.

Erica: Obnoxious.

Marco: Okay, so, this is an adjective.

Erica: Yes, and it means something that is really, really annoying.

Marco: Okay, so, something can be obnoxious.

Erica: Or someone.

Marco: Or someone.

Erica: Uh.

Marco: Okay, very good. So, now we have these two words that we’re going to listen to in the dialogue and now let’s listen to two people as they flatter each other in our dialogue.

Erica: Alright, so, uh, this is your typical, normal, everyday… behavior that women show to each other, right?

Marco: Yeah, I think it’s very common; I, uh...

Erica: Yeah.

Marco: It’s very hard to argue against this, because I think everyone does it or at least you’ve heard maybe your mother or…

Erica: Yeah.

Marco: Somebody talked to her friends like this, right?

Erica: So, pretend that you like a person, who you actually hate.

Marco: Hehe. Right, you have to be courteous.

Erica: Hm, is that what you’re doing to me now?

Marco: Hehe. Alright, no, I’m not, but we can take a look at some of this great language, very rich language that we found in this dialogue in “fluency builder”.

Erica: Alright, we’re doing things a little bit different in this lesson, so, we’re going to do TWO fluency builders. And in the first one we’re going to focus on language you can use to flatter someone.

Marco: Right, so, let’s get started. In the very first part of the dialogue, we heard Valerie say “I love what you’ve done with your hair”.

Erica: I love what you’ve done with your hair.

Marco: I love what you’ve done with.

Erica: I love what you’ve done with.

Marco: Okay, so, if somebody says this, basically they’re saying…

Erica: I like the change you made.

Marco: Okay, and change not only to your hair, right?

Erica: It could be anything, so, I love what you’ve done with your new house.

Marco: Okay, or I can say “I love what you’ve done with your garden; it looks so beautiful”.

Erica: Uhu, so, something that you’ve changed you can use this phrase for.

Marco: Okay, and in this case it’s her hair, so, she is complimenting her on her hair.

Erica: We also heard Darlene say you haven’t aged a day.

Marco: You haven’t aged a day.

Erica: You haven’t aged a day.

Marco: Okay, so, now, she is saying that she hasn’t gotten any older.

Erica: That’s right, to age is to get older.

Marco: Okay, so, this is a very common way of telling somebody “you look great!”

Erica: That’s right, you look young.

Marco: You look young, you look great.

Erica: Uhu.

Marco: You haven’t aged a day.

Erica: Alright, so, then they talk about their kids and… they’re talking about the son and they… and Valerie says “he’s such a handsome guy”.

Marco: He is such a handsome guy.

Erica: He is such a handsome guy.

Marco: Okay, so, this structure is important, because now I can change the adjective…

Erica: Uhu.

Marco: And I’m saying he is very intelligent – he is such an intelligent guy.

Erica: That’s right, or even, um, this is such a good day.

Marco: Alright, very good, so, now why don’t we combine the two phrases that we’ve just heard – I love what you’ve done with and he is such a…? And let’s listen to some examples.

Man: We love what you’ve done with this place! Such a beautiful room!

男: 我们太喜欢你把这地方布置的效果了！这房间可真漂亮啊！

Woman: I love what you’ve done with your hair! Such a nice color on you!

女: 我太喜欢你做的新发型了！这发色染在你身上真好看！

Man: I love what you’ve done with this space! Such a wonderful garden!

男: 我太喜欢你对这块空地的改造了！这花园简直太赞了！

Erica: Okay, I really like how those two phrases can fit together.

Marco: Yeah, they are very good and now you can use them together or separately like in the dialogue.

Erica: That’s right, now let’s move to our final flattering phrase – Valarie says that Darlene’s son gets his looks from his mother.

Marco: Right, he she says “he gets his looks from his mother, of course”.

Erica: He gets his looks from.

Marco: Okay, so, when she says “he gets his looks from”, she’s saying his appearance.

Erica: His positive appearance, his good appearance.

Marco: Right, his good looks.

Erica: Uhu.

Marco: Okay, so, now we can change the noun and I can say “he gets his intelligence from his father”.

Erica: Right, or even he gets his beautiful singing voice from his mother.

Marco: Okay, so, you… now, typically you would say his mother, his father or maybe one of the grandparents, right?

Erica: Maybe, yeah.

Marco: But you wouldn’t say “he gets his good looks from his brother”.

Erica: No, no, no… no, mother, father, grandma, grandpa.

Marco: Alright, so, now that we’ve covered four great ways of flattering someone, let’s listen to this dialogue again, but we’re gonna slow it down a little bit, so you can pick up on these phrases.

Erica: Okay, so, we… we see a lot of great flattering language in this dialogue, but we also have some really good language and phrases you can use in… in small talk in any situation.

Marco: Right, so, maybe if you talk to a friend that you haven’t seen in a while, we have some really great phrases for, as you say, small talk.

Erica: So, let’s look at those now in “fluency builder” (part 2).

Marco: Okay, so, let’s start with the first phrase – she says “Valarie, hi! Wow, how are you? It’s been such a long time”.

Erica: It’s been such a long time.

Marco: It’s been such a long time.

Erica: So, basically here she’s saying, we haven’t seen each other in a long time.

Marco: Right, but it kind of gives you that idea that she regrets not talking to her for such a long time.

Erica: Yeah, she wishes she could have talked to her.

Marco: Uhu, it’s been such a long time, how are you?

Erica: Uhu, so, a wonderful way to start a conversation. So, when they start talking about their kids, Valerie says “By the way, I heard your son recently graduated”.

Marco: Right, by the way, I heard your son recently graduated.

Erica: So, this phrase by the way, I heard bla-bla-bla is really, really useful.

Marco: Right, let’s take a look at the first part – by the way.

Erica: So, this is a way to… to connect two different ideas or to start a new topic.

Marco: Exactly, and now when she says “I heard your son recently graduated”…

Erica: So, we use this phrase I heard when we’ve got information that we’re not sure about.

Marco: Right, or also you are demonstrating interest about a certain topic or a… or a news event that you would like to know about.

Erica: Right, and so, basically, you’re asking the other person “tell me about this”.

Marco: Right, so, I can say “Hey, by the way, I heard you got married”.

Erica: So, I… then I’ll tell you all about my wedding.

Marco: Exactly. Okay, so, this is a very common way of talking to someone or getting some more information from a person. So, let’s listen to some more examples of by the way.

Man: By the way, I heard you’ve recently been promoted.

男: 对了，我听说你最近升职啦？

Woman: I heard your daughter just had a baby! Congratulations!

女: 我听说你女儿刚生了宝宝！恭喜恭喜呀！

Man: Oh, I heard you just got back from holiday in France.

男: 噢，我听说你刚去法国度假回来呀。

Erica: Alright, now, since these two ladies don’t like each other very much, they wanna end the conversation, right?

Marco: Right, they wanna end the conversation and, well, you wanna end it in a polite way, right?

Erica: So, they use a really great phrase here – they said “it’s been great talking to you, but I have to get going”.

Marco: Right, so, it’s like “well, it’s been great talking to you, but I have to get going”.

Erica: Uhu, so, it’s been great talking to you…

Marco: Uhu.

Erica: I’ve… I’ve enjoyed talking to you.

Marco: Right, so, this is a very polite, very subtle way of saying “hey, I have to go” or…

Erica: Yeah.

Marco: “Bye, I can’t talk anymore”.

Erica: Yeah, when you say that, you know that the conversation is ending.

Marco: Exactly. Now, she says “I have to get going”. What does that mean get going? That… that doesn’t make much sense.

Erica: Basically, it just means leave.

Marco: Okay, I have to leave - I have to get going.

Erica: Uhu.

Marco: You should get going, you’re gonna be late.

Erica: Exactly.

Marco: Okay.

Erica: So, really good small talk phrases that are useful in any situation. So, why don’t we hear them again, one more time by listening to the dialogue?

Marco: Alright, very good, so now you have a couple of phrases that you can use to flatter someone be it your friend or somebody that you know or anyone. And, well, they are very, very useful and if you use them correctly, of course.

Erica: Right, and these phrases sound really honest and really natural, very native-like.

Marco: Okay, so, if you have any other questions or comments or if you wanna share some other phrases that you use to flatter people, come to our website at englishpod.com and leave them in our comment section.

Erica: So, Marco and I have to get going, but we’re looking forward to seeing you on the website. Thanks for listening and until next time…

Marco: Bye!

Erica: Bye!