The moment

Kavya is getting married in Bangalore in three months, and she and her fiancé can't agree on a honeymoon. Over lunch in Singapore, she asks Mateo, who got married last year, for advice. He has an idea she didn't expect. Listen for the phrases from this unit: torn between, a mini-moon, stay within budget.

The conversation

KavyaMateo
  1. Kavya
  2. Mateo
  3. Kavya
  4. Mateo
  5. Kavya
  6. Mateo
  7. Kavya
  8. Mateo
  9. Kavya
  10. Mateo
  11. Kavya
  12. Mateo
  13. Kavya
  14. Mateo

Words to know

experience something, often something hard or important

keep money over time for something special

a good feeling after a worry goes away

not at all; far from it

Check yourself

1What's Kavya's problem?
2Why doesn't Kavya's first idea work?
3What does Mateo mean by "Nobody has to lose"?

Practice · 4 min

Round one: repeat each line in the gap. Round two: mute Mateo and give Kavya the advice yourself. Round three: mute Kavya and describe your own dream honeymoon in her place, using "I'm torn between" and "over our budget."

  1. KavyaMateo, can I ask you something? You've been through the honeymoon thing.
  2. MateoSure. Is this about the beach or the mountains?
  3. KavyaHow did you know? We're completely torn between the two.
  4. MateoEverybody is. Arjun wants to lie on a beach, and you want to hike?
  5. KavyaExactly. And I've already suggested a week of each, but that's over our budget.
  6. MateoHave you thought about a mini-moon? That's what my wife and I did.
  7. KavyaI've heard the word, but I'm not sure what it means.
  8. MateoA short trip right after the wedding, and the big trip later.
  9. KavyaSo we could do three days at the beach first?
  10. MateoRight. Then save up and do the mountains next spring, when you're less tired.
  11. KavyaHonestly, that's a relief. I thought one of us had to lose.
  12. MateoNobody has to lose. That's the first thing marriage teaches you.
  13. KavyaDid you and your wife stay within budget, though?
  14. MateoNot even close. But the photos from the second trip are incredible.

Say it today

Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.