Common Phrasal Verbs and Expressions: Meeting People at a Party or Work Event

Due to popular demand, we are back with some phrasal verbs in the wild (= in real life). This time we will look at parties and receptions because as an English tutor and coach, I always want to help my clients feel more at ease (= feel more relaxed) with their English in situations they encounter on a regular basis. The key to helping them improve is increasing their vocabulary with real life examples.

Now, let’s dive into English by reading little dialogues (= conversations).

Imagine you are at a work event or party, and you are trying to meet people by engaging in some small talk to increase your network. You will have to strike up a conversation (=start a conversation) first, or will have to try to keep a conversation going (= prevent it from stopping). Below you will find some typical situations you might come across (= encounter) at a party or work event.

Talking with someone who wants to give you their contact info:

Jane: “Nice to finally have some time to talk to you. We have met before during our trade meetings but never had the chance to actually talk.”

Roberta: “True. I think after this we should grab (= get) some coffee some time (= one day). Can I take down/write down (use this expression for something short like a number) your number real quick for that?”

Jane: “Sure. Let me pull out my business card for you. I would love to meet up sometime soon for coffee to talk more.”

Roberta: ”Great. Thanks. Let’s stay in touch then! I gotta (= have to) go now but will definitely call you as soon as I get the chance.”

Jane: “I am looking forward to it. Have a good night, and see you soon!”

Meeting someone you haven’t seen in a while:

Carl: “It is so nice running into you (= meeting someone by chance/unexpectedly) here.”

Paula: “It’s really nice to see you again, too. How have you been? I haven’t seen you in ages (= in a very long time).”

Carl: “I have been doing really great actually. I got a new job, and I really like it. How about you?“

Paula: “Really great so far this year. Why don’t we go over there and sit down for a bit. It’s really loud here.”

Carl: “Great idea......”

Asking about a previous meeting, even though a party is not the perfect occasion for that:

Kevin: “So sorry to bother you with this, but do you have a minute for me to pick your brain (= ask for someone’s opinion) a bit about the topic we talked about during our meeting last week.”

Or something like this:

“This might not be the right occasion, but we should talk about Peter’s idea a bit. Do you have a minute?”

Talking about someone else:

Sarah: “Can you believe that George just walked up to/came up to (= walking from one point to another/short distance) me and asked if I wanted a smoke outside with him? He approached me about the meeting yesterday. I didn’t know what to say so I shut him down (= stopped him before he could say what he was about to say) immediately by changing the subject.”

Or something like this:

“Terry just tapped me on the shoulder from behind when I was about to tell Dave about the disastrous meeting yesterday. This could have been awkward. Thank goodness I caught myself (= stopped myself) right away and changed the subject before he could overhear (= hear us talking) us talking about his dismal performance yesterday.”

Drinking together:

Let’s have a toast. (To drink to something)

Let’s toast to a successful launch!

Can I grab you a drink?

Can I get you anything?

Bottoms up! (Finish your drink all in one sip)

No, thanks. I am still nursing this (points at his/her drink). (=I am still drinking this)

Let’s drink to a successful launch.