Practice in Colloquial British English 3 - for English learners
Hope you enjoy it!
Notice (¡fíjate!) how many times I use 'get' or 'got' in my spoken English, which I would never do when writing. (I may make a thread about this soon, 'got' is a really interesting one to me.)
Here's the link to my audio recording:
At the cinema. (movies/pictures)
In the queue..
S: Hello Jan! How's it going? Managed to get parked okay then?
J: Hi Sally, yeh just about though! Everywhere's still chokka with Christmas shoppers.
S: Don't I know it! Oh, hang on a minute what's this.... Ah, that's Faye texting to say she's on the drag again. She wants us to get her tickets and she'll meet us inside.
J: Oh, okay, no probs. Do you mind getting them while I nip to the loo? I had a cuppa earlier and it's gone right through me.
S: Sure. I'll get in the queue.
In the theatre.
J: Where do you want to sit?
S: I don't mind, anywhere but the front row. I hate it if I have to sit in the front row, it's blurry and odds on I'd end up with a blinding headache.
J: Oh me too. Good job we got here early to get good seats, even if it does mean sitting through the ads and trailers.
S: Mind you, I often quite like the trailers, you get to see the best bits of the films.
J: True. Oh, Sal, did you know there's a new Johnny Depp film coming out soon?
S: I had heard, yeh, but to be honest with you I've gone off him a bit lately. I mean, there aren't many actors who could get away with the amount of over-exposure he's had, in my opinion.
J: Huh! That'll be the mainstream movie makers wanting to cash in on his poularity. Shame really, I absolutely loved some of his earlier films - Edward Scissorhands and Ed Wood spring to mind.
S: For me I started to get fed up when they made yet another Pirates of the Carribean. I think they should've stopped at one, because for me now he's pretty much typecast as Jack Sparrow. Doesn't matter what role he's meant to be playing! I just keep seeing that drunken swagger and the plaited beard.
J: I know what you mean. I'll probably wait till it comes out on DVD, the pictures are too expensive to keep splashing out on films I'm not desperate to see on the big screen.
Lights dim...
S: Oh, here we go!! I'm looking forward to this!!
J: Me too! Faye'd better get her skates on....
16 Answers
At the cinema. (movies/pictures)
In the queue..
S: Hello Jan! Howare you? Could you find a parking place?
J: Hi Sally, yes, but only just! Everywhere's still crowded with Christmas shoppers.
S: Don't I know it! Oh, wait what's this.... Ah, that's Faye texting to say she's on the drag again.
(I would have to look this up, I know to be a drag, but not to be on a drag, funny, jeje) She wants us to get her tickets and she'll meet us inside.
J: Oh, okay, no problem. Do you mind getting them while I go to the toilet? I had a cup of tea earlier and it's gone right through me.
S: Sure. I'll get in the queue.
In the theatre.
J: Where do you want to sit?
S: I don't mind, anywhere but the front row. I hate it if I have to sit in the front row, it's blurry and I am sure to end up with a terrible headache.
J: Oh me too. Fortunately we got here early to get good seats, even if it does mean sitting through the ads and trailers.
S: Mind you, I often quite like the trailers, you get to see the best bits of the films.
J: True. Oh, Sal, did you know there's a new Johnny Depp film coming out soon?
S: I had heard, yeh, but to be honest with you lately I don't like him that much any more I mean, there aren't many actors who could get away with the amount of over-exposure he's had, in my opinion.
J: Huh! That'll be the mainstream movie makers wanting make a profit on his popularity. Shame really, I absolutely loved some of his earlier films - Edward Scissorhands and Ed Wood come to mind.
S: For me I started to get fed up when they made yet another Pirates of the Carribean. I think they should've stopped at one, because for me now he's pretty much typecast as Jack Sparrow. Doesn't matter what role he's meant to be playing! I just keep seeing that drunken arrogant dude and the plaited beard.
J: I know what you mean. I'll probably wait till it comes out on DVD, the movies/cinema are too expensive to keep spending money like crazy on films I'm not desperate to see on the big screen.
Lights dim...
S: Oh, the film is starting!! I'm looking forward to this!!
J: Me too! Fayehad better hurry up
This is for SD member who are learning English
The word "get" has been mentioned here.
It is a problem for those who are learning English.
The following is from the Oxford Study Genie Plus dictionary.
*get at sth v + prep + n/pron
1 (coloq) insinuar algo:
What exactly are you getting at?
¿Qué insinúas exactamente?
I didn't have a clue what she was getting at.
No tenía ni idea de lo que quería decir.*
As with most "get" phrasal verbs there is an alternative "normal" verb.
In this case the verb is "to insinuate" which is much easier for Spanish speakers to remember.
It is a fact that the word "get" is almost redundant but we still use it a lot.
"Mind you......."
If you think "Bear in mind" you get closer to one usual meaning.
"Bear in mind" is another way of saying the command "Remember..."
Examples:
"Mind you I don't speak Spanish well"
"Bear in mind that I don't speak Spanish well"
"Remember that I don't speak Spanish well."
"mind you ............" can also be used to mean "having said that .........."
I hope this helps you more than confusing you.
"I'll get in the queue".... What does it mean, please?
I am getting mails from natives who do not dare do this excercise.
Please do not feel ashamed or intimidated. This is a very difficult excercise and if you have a question,I am sure sally or anybody else for that matter won't laugh.
You have no reason at all to feel ridiculous asking questions on this thread, we all ask questions, I did so recently when I got this new student from Fedex, so please do ask all the questions you need to ask, Sally will sure be happy to answer them
What does "mind you" mean, please?
¡Buena pregunta! Tenía que investigar para poder darte una traducción adecuada, estas palabras se usa casi de comodín, sin pensar, pero encontré dos significados que me parecen bastante bien:
..pero claro...
o
...fíjate...
No dudas en volver a preguntarme si te queda alguna pregunta, intento a ayudar.
S: Mind you, I often quite like the trailers, you get to see the best bits of the films.
What does "mind you" mean, please?
"I'll get in the queue".... What does it mean, please?
Hi Nila! It means to join the queue of people waiting to buy tickets, maybe in Spanish you'd say:
Ponerse en la cola para comprar las entradas. o quizás - meterse en la fila - ¡no sé!
Los ingleses estamos muy perozosos cuando se habla coloquialmente - a mucho menudo usamos 'get' 'got' para sustituir a otros verbos. Creo que algún día necesitamos un hilo sobre 'get' ...
Another use of "drag"
She dragged the meeting out for as long as possible.
Alargó la reunión todo lo que pudo.
I was shy of changing more things, as they are colloquial but not 'slangy', so they would be perfectly apt in a more formal setting.
S: Hello Jan! How's it going? Did you manage to park okay then?
J: Hi Sally. Yes, barely! It's still overcrowded everywhere with Christmas shoppers.
S: As if I didn't know that! Oh, wait a minute, what's this.... Ah, that's Faye sending me a text message to say she's late. She wants us to get her tickets and she'll meet us inside.
J: Oh, okay, no problem. Do you mind getting them while I sneak to the restroom? I had a coffee earlier and I need to excuse myself.
S: Sure. I'll get in the queue.
In the theatre.
J: Where do you want to sit?
S: I don't mind, anywhere but the front row. I hate it if I have to sit in the front row. It's blurry, and chances are good that I'll end up with a blinding headache.
J: Oh, me too. Good job we got here early to pick good seats, even if it does mean sitting through the ads and trailers.
S: Mind you, I often quite like the trailers, you get to see the best parts of the films.
J: True. Oh, Sal, did you know there's a new Johnny Depp film coming out soon?
S: I had heard, yes, but to be honest with you I've lost interest in his films lately. I mean, there aren't many actors who could get away with the amount of over-exposure he's had, in my opinion.
J: Huh! That's the fault of the mainstream movie makers who want to cash in on his popularity. It's a shame really, I absolutely loved some of his earlier films - Edward Scissorhands and Ed Wood come to mind.
S: For me, I started to grow tired when they made yet another Pirates of the Caribbean film. I think they should have stopped at one, because for me now he's pretty much typecast as Jack Sparrow. It doesn't matter what role he's meant to be playing! I just keep seeing that drunken demeanor and the plaited beard.
J: I know what you mean. I'll probably wait till it comes out on DVD, the pictures are too expensive to keep paying for a theater ticket on films that I'm not desperate to see on the big screen.
Lights dim...
S: Oh, here we go!! I'm looking forward to this!!
J: Me too! Faye had better hurry up.. (I wrote 'would' here, what was I thinking! :p )
What an amazing job you two are doing here.. Bravo.. to both of you.!
If we had a recording with an American accent on the text Heidi writes.. that would be awesome..!
I don't dare to ask.! 
My mind goes crazy.. what about Ray giving us an Australian version.. 
Keep up the good work.. I'm already studying hard..
¡Otra cosa!
dijo Heidita:
I am getting mails from natives who do not dare do this excercise.
A los que no se atreven escribir aqui en el hilo, podríais enviarme un mensaje a mi pérfil, de cualquier manera no voy nunca, jamás, a reírme a ningún miembro.
Hago estos ejercicios escritos para ayudar a todos vosotros, porque me gusta y porque me habéis ayudado tanto, tanto, desde hace ya más de un año en SD.
Un abrazo
Great post, I've written that so I can read it later on without digging through all the answers and posts 
On the drag
It's interesting that Patch doesn't know it either, it must be quite local!
It simply means 'running late', 'behind schedule'.
I also asked Jenny, she didn't know it either, and Marianne said: hey, is this smoking? lol
Seems to be local, in the context, I did think it was to run late, but I thought there might be more to it, as it was so unknown, I am happy to see that it was unknown to everybody else too
jeje
Swagger
There are a few good examples in the link below, for me the best Spanish equivalent for my intended meaning that I see there is 'pavonearse'.
