Mastering English: Conversations, Vocabulary, and Verb Tenses

Everyday English Conversations

Scene 1: At a Restaurant

Anai: Hello, how are you?

Friend: Well, thanks. I'm waiting for you.

Anai: I'm sorry to be late. I had a lot of traffic.

Friend: Look at the letter, although the sushi in this restaurant is delicious.

Anai: It's very kind of you, but I feel bad about the sushi.

Friend: Really?

Anai: Yes, I will ask for spicy fried chicken.

Scene 2: On Holiday

Will: Hi, how are you? What are you doing here?

Mr. Baptiste: Hello, Will. I'm on holiday.

Will: That's fine. And how many days will you be here?

Mr. Baptiste: I have a program for a weekend. It is a package deal with travel and hotel.

Will: Do you know how much everything costs?

Mr. Baptiste: Of course, the whole package to the UK is 399€ per person.

Will: Is this your first time here?

Mr. Baptiste: Yes.

Will: Do you like this city?

Mr. Baptiste: A lot. I would say it's the most beautiful city I have visited.

Will: Well, I've been to very nice places.

Mr. Baptiste: Where else have you gone on holiday?

Will: To Mexico, Spain, and Japan.

Mr. Baptiste: That's very well. What are you going to do tonight?

Will: Well, I have nothing planned.

Mr. Baptiste: You could come to a party I'm hosting at my house. Many people will come.

Will: It would be nice. I'll be there, thanks.

Mr. Baptiste: Oh, and tomorrow come play golf with me.

Will: It's very kind of you, but I don't like to play golf.

Mr. Baptiste: It's okay. What types of hobbies and sports do you like?

Will: I like riding a horse and going to the cinema.

Mr. Baptiste: Okay, well get on with your trip and see you at night.

Will: Well, see you later, bye.

Mr. Baptiste: Bye.

Essential English Vocabulary and Phrases

• Said: to say
• Told: to tell someone
• Asked: to ask
• About: regarding
• With: in the company of
• In/On: used for location
• To: toward
• For: intended to be given to
• Report: a document that presents information
• Invoice: a bill
• Apologize: to express regret
• Argue: to give reasons or cite evidence in support of an idea, action, or theory
• Almost half: nearly 50%
• One-third: 1/3
• Almost everybody: nearly everyone
• Respond: to react quickly and positively
• Listen: to give one's attention to a sound
• Deal: to take appropriate action
• Believe: to accept something as true
• Delegate: to entrust a task or responsibility to another person
• Communicate: to share or exchange information, news, or ideas
• Invest: to allocate money with the expectation of a positive return

English Verb Tenses

Present Simple

Used for habits, routines, permanent situations, general and scientific facts.

• (+) I/You + live, He/She/It + lives + rest
• (-) I/You + don't, He/She/It + doesn't + V.inf
• (?) Do/Does + I/You/He/She/It + V.inf
• (=) Yes/No + I/You + do/don't, He/She/It + does/doesn't

Present Continuous

Used for actions in progress at the moment of speaking, temporary situations, and future plans already agreed upon.

• (+) I am, You are, He is + V.-ing
• (-) I'm not, You aren't, He isn't + V.-ing
• (?) Am I, Are you, Is he + V.ing
• (=) Yes, I am, you are, he is / No, I'm not, you aren't, he isn't

Past Simple

Used to describe completed actions or situations in the past, and to say that one thing happened after another.

• (+) I/You/He/She/It + V.-ed, V.irregular + Rest
• (-) I/You/He/She/It + didn't + V.inf
• (?) Did + I/You/He/She/It + V.inf
• (=) Yes + I/You/He/She/It + did / No + I/You/He/She/It + didn't

Past Continuous

Used to describe an activity or situation that was in progress at a specific time in the past, often used for a longer action interrupted by a shorter one (while).

• (+) I was, You were, He was + V.ing
• (-) I wasn't, You weren't, He wasn't + V.ing
• (?) Was I, Were you, Was he + V.ing
• (=) Yes + I was, You were / No + I wasn't, You weren't