Talking About Hobbies/Interests
Colleagues discover common interests outside of work, such as sports, movies, books, or travel, and share experiences.
Dialogue
Listen and follow along with the conversation
Vocabulary
Essential words and phrases from the dialogue
hike
To hike means to go for a long walk in the countryside or mountains for exercise or enjoyment. It's a common outdoor activity.
trails
Trails are paths or routes designed for walking, hiking, or biking in nature, often in parks or forests.
mountain biking
Mountain biking is riding a bicycle off-road on rough terrain like hills or mountains; it's an adventurous sport.
binge-watch
To binge-watch means to watch multiple episodes of a TV show in one sitting, often without stopping; popular for streaming services.
sci-fi
Sci-fi is short for science fiction, a genre of stories involving futuristic technology, space, or imaginary worlds.
world-building
World-building refers to creating a detailed imaginary world in books, movies, or games, making it feel real and immersive.
common ground
Common ground means shared interests or opinions that help people connect, even if they have differences.
Key Sentences
Important phrases to remember and practice
What's everyone up to this weekend?
This is a casual way to ask about people's weekend plans. Use it in social settings to start conversations. 'Up to' means 'doing' or 'planning'.
I'm thinking of hitting the trails for a hike.
This expresses a tentative plan using 'thinking of' for ideas, and 'hitting the trails' is idiomatic for going to paths. Useful for sharing outdoor activities.
That sounds fun!
A simple expression of enthusiasm or agreement. 'Sounds' shows opinion based on description. Great for positive responses in casual talks.
I had no idea you two were into mountain biking!
This shows surprise with 'had no idea' and 'be into something' means 'like or enjoy'. Use it when discovering shared hobbies.
I'm planning to binge-watch that new sci-fi series on Netflix.
This shares future plans with 'planning to' + verb. 'Binge-watch' is modern slang for watching a lot at once. Common for talking about entertainment.
Has anyone seen 'Cosmic Frontier' yet?
A question to check if others have experienced something, using present perfect 'has seen' for recent or ongoing relevance. 'Yet' implies up to now.
It's so cool how we're all into such different things, but also find common ground.
This wraps up a conversation positively, using 'it's so cool how' for admiration and contrast with 'but'. Highlights finding similarities amid differences.