When you need this

On an American campus, weekend plans start on Wednesday. Someone mentions a party at an apartment off campus, a dorm floor is having a movie night, a club is throwing an end-of-term thing. You'll hear the same handful of phrases all semester: who's hosting, what kind of party it is, and how long you're staying.

Two things are worth knowing. First, the legal drinking age in the US is 21, which means most first- and second-year students can't legally drink, and plenty of older students don't. Good parties have soda, water and food, and nobody should care what's in your cup. Second, "stopping by" is a completely normal way to go. Saying you'll come for an hour is polite, not rude, and it's often the reason you get invited again.

Phrases

telling people about a party

asking whose party it is

at someone's home, usually informal and crowded

you're expected to dress a certain way

the host won't supply them; soda counts

you'll come for a short time

very crowded

the police or the building stopped it

you're leaving now

you prefer smaller plans

the friendly safety check at the end

arriving with a friend so nobody walks in alone

Say it out loud

Tap a sentence to hear it. Say it after the voice.

Practice · 3 min

Say what 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.