“How's your week going? Are you still buried in that project?”
B1 · Intermediate9 minPhrases
When you need this
Most of the English you speak at work isn't in meetings. It's the thirty seconds by the coffee machine, the walk to the elevator, the minute before a call starts while everyone waits for the last person. That small talk is how coworkers turn into people you trust, and people you trust are the ones who help you when things go wrong.
Work small talk has safe topics: the week, the weekend, the workload, the weather, the commute, food. It avoids salary, politics and anyone who isn't in the room. The trick is to ask a question people can answer in one sentence, then listen to the answer. If Rohan says he's exhausted, "Oh no, what's going on?" goes further than a new topic.
Phrases
the workday version of "how are you"
the standard Monday question
the standard Friday question
a friendly question about someone's workload
having far too much of one kind of work
very busy, with more work than you can handle
you're tired, said lightly
asks about progress in a friendly way
get a coffee together, often to talk
starts talk about office news
ends small talk politely and returns to work
Say it out loud
Tap a sentence to hear it. Say it after the voice.
Practice · 3 min
Say the line that fits. Situation on the left, one natural line on the right.
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Say it today
Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.