Inviting Guests
Sending out invitations and confirming attendance for the birthday party.
Dialogue
Listen and follow along with the conversation
Vocabulary
Essential words and phrases from the dialogue
planning
Organizing or arranging an event in advance, like a party. Use it when talking about preparing for something future.
birthday party
A social gathering to celebrate someone's birthday, often with food, music, and friends. Common in Western culture for fun celebrations.
free
Available and not busy at a certain time. In invitations, it means 'Do you have time to join?'
invites
Short for invitations, which are messages sent to ask people to attend an event. Practical for party or event planning.
RSVP
An acronym meaning 'please respond' from French; used to confirm if you'll attend an event. Reply yes or no when you see it.
headcount
The total number of people attending an event. Useful for planning food or space, like in parties.
catering
Providing food and drinks for an event, often by a service. Mention it when organizing larger gatherings.
get-together
An informal social meeting with friends, like a small party. Less formal than a big event.
Key Sentences
Important phrases to remember and practice
Hey Sarah, I'm planning my birthday party for next month and wanted to see if you're free to come.
This is a casual way to invite someone. 'Wanted to see if' makes it polite and indirect. Use it to ask about availability for events; the grammar uses present continuous 'I'm planning' for ongoing action.
Oh, that sounds fun! When is it? I'd love to be there.
Shows excitement and asks for details. 'I'd love to' expresses strong interest politely. Useful for responding positively to invitations; it's a common pattern for enthusiasm.
It's on Saturday, October 21st, starting around 7 PM.
Gives specific date and time details. 'Around' means approximately. Practical for confirming event info; uses 'on' for dates and 'starting at' for times.
I'll put it in my calendar right now.
Means committing to remember the event by noting it down. 'Right now' adds immediacy. Use this to show you're serious about attending; future tense 'I'll put' indicates a promise.
It'll be at my place.
Informs the location casually; 'my place' means home. 'It'll be' is short for 'it will be,' common in spoken English. Useful for telling where an event happens.
So, should I RSVP to you directly, or will there be a link or something?
Asks about how to confirm attendance. 'Or something' is informal for alternatives. Good for clarifying response methods; uses 'should I' for seeking advice.
Just let me know by text or email by October 10th.
Instructs a simple way to reply by a deadline. 'Let me know' means inform me. Practical for setting RSVP dates; 'by' indicates before a time.
I'm really looking forward to it!
Expresses excitement about a future event. 'Looking forward to' is a fixed phrase for anticipation. Use at the end of conversations to show positive feelings; present continuous for ongoing emotion.