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Unit 1: The Experiment

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  1. 1 The Experiment

Session 18

The Experiment is a collection of short series that are a little different to our usual programmes - but still help you improve your English.

Our fifth series, Bad Dates, helps you learn the language you need to survive in the sometimes strange world of dating. Join Daniel as he battles his way through one bad date to another. He'll teach you some useful language along the way!

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    Activity 1

Activity 1

Bad Dates: Episode 1 - Mobile phone addict

Bad Dates - Mobile phone addict

In this episode, Daniel is on a date with a mobile phone addict. What phrases does he use to move the conversation along? Watch the video to discover some key dating language.

Watch the video and complete the activity

Show transcript Hide transcript

Claudia
Hi, are you Daniel?

Daniel
I am Daniel, are you...

Claudia
Hi, I’m Claudia. Nice to meet you.

Daniel
Lovely to meet you. I love your hair.

Claudia
Oh thanks.

Daniel
That’s gorgeous.

Daniel
She was quirky, you know. A really brilliant sense of style. She seemed very elegant… she was bubbly. You know, really my kind of person, I think.

Daniel
Have you come far?

Claudia
Erm, no no, erm well I was on the Tube for a bit but it was quite good cos I’ve erm, yeah I’ve just been kind of doing stuff online and…my battery’s actually quite low you don’t have a charger with you do you?

Daniel
I actually don't, no.

Claudia
Okay, I might see if they’ve got one behind the bar here.

Daniel
I wouldn’t say that. She was on her phone a lot. And I’m not really that technologically minded, you know? So I felt a little bit like she didn’t care about me… she cared little bit more about her friends.

Claudia
You’ve been working today, right?

Daniel
That’s right. I work in advertising.

Claudia
Cool.

Daniel
Yeah, lots of stuff on the web that kind of thing.

Claudia
Yeah nice, nice. Anything, any campaigns I’d know about?

Daniel
Ooh, I don’t know about that. Er… we’ve got various clients, but it’s boring. Let’s not talk about work. What are you… what are you up to? You’re just on… You got a text?

Claudia
Sorry, I’ve just… I’m just checking something, yeah.

Daniel
Yeah.

Claudia
Erm…

Daniel
Well actually, I tell you what, I’m just gonna put my phone on silent. I don’t like phones, they just bother. You know what I mean?

Claudia
I don’t, I couldn’t do that. I would just get too out of the loop. I would, I’d have to spend I don’t know how long just catching up if I did that.

Daniel
I’d really appreciate it.

Claudia
So, yeah…

Claudia
So yeah, what is it that you do?

Daniel
Oh I told you remember?

Claudia
Oh what, when we were texting? Or…

Daniel
Oh no, just a few seconds ago. I mean you, you were texting. Maybe you weren’t listening.

Claudia
Did you say advertising?

Daniel
Yeah.

Claudia
Yeah, that rings a bell.

Daniel
Yeah, yeah.

Claudia
Sorry, you’ll get to know this about me.

Daniel
Yeah.

Daniel
They got worse. There were phone calls, texts, she was sharing everything. I couldn’t eat my meal because she took a photo of it before… before I could even take a bite.

Claudia
Ooh, like no don’t, don't… err thank you, but like yeah. Just don’t, erm. Don’t eat that just yet. Just I want to…

Daniel
Oh please I’m really hungry.

Claudia
Ha ha.

Daniel
No don’t take a photo.

Claudia
No, no.

Daniel
Oh no, I’ve moved it out of place.

Claudia
No, no listen. Move your like cutlery and that out of the way. Just let me take this photo because it’ll look really cute, and then I can post it and like tag this place.

Daniel
I’ll tell you what, I’m, I’ll pop to the toilet.

Claudia
You don’t need to do that!

Daniel
You can take your photos. When I come back, we’ll put our phones away.

Claudia
Oh, look I’m done. I’m done. I’m done. Look it’s cool. Go to the loo though, that’s fine. I’ve got some stuff I can catch up with.

Daniel
Would you mind just putting your phone away?

Claudia?

Claudia?

Daniel
There will not be a second date. #idontthinkso. Get off your phone Claudia.

Useful Dating Language

Complimenting someone

I love your hair. That’s gorgeous.

Making small talk

Have you come far?

What is it that you do?

Making a polite (but firm) request

I’d really appreciate it.

Would you mind just putting your phone away?

Changing the subject

Let’s not talk about work.

Telling someone what you're like

You’ll get to know this about me.

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To do

Try our quiz to see what you've learnt about languages related to dating:

Bad Dates Quiz

3 Questions

Check what you learned from Daniel's date with a mobile phone addict

Congratulations you completed the Quiz
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End of Session 18

Join us in Session 19 to see Daniel go on another date in search of love!

You can see all our Experiment series here

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