[319] How to Start Conversations with the Olympic Games
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Hey guys, you're listening to the English Made Simple Show. This is episode number 319, number 319, numero 319. 🎵

Welcome back amigos y amigas, you're tuning in to the English Made Table show and as always I'm your host Milena, welcome back everybody. Today we're going to talk about the Olympic Games and how you can use that as an icebreaker to start conversations with somebody in English. Plus I'll share some of my favorite Olympic sports with you as well. I'm sure you also have

some of the favorite games, sports you were watching in the Olympics. Now that I have you here, you can jump on the EnglishMadeSimple.net website if you'd like to learn more about the EMS show. If you want to listen to the podcast directly from the website, simply type in EnglishMadeSimple.net slash podcast into your browser and start listening. Easy peasy. Easy peasy Japanesey.

Today, hopefully, today's episode is going to be easy peasy. Well, maybe it's not as easy as competing in the Olympic Games, but we're going to be talking about the Olympic Games and learning how to start conversations using the Olympic Games. Let me start off with a question. Have you ever found yourself in a social situation where you didn't know what to talk about?

It can be pretty awkward, right? But don't worry, amigos y amigas, I've got a great tip for you. The Olympic Games can be a fantastic icebreaker. So what do I mean by icebreaker? Icebreaker conversations. An icebreaker is something you say or do to relieve tension and start a conversation with somebody.

So the Olympics are a perfect example for icebreakers. They are perfect for this because almost everyone has some interest in sports and there's always something exciting happening during the games. I certainly enjoyed watching some of the games. The Olympics are happening right now. Well, we're finishing with the Olympics in Paris, but it's still a relevant topic and

And it's the perfect opportunity to practice your English. Whether you're a sports fan or just enjoy the excitement of the Olympics, just enjoy watching the games with your family, talking about the Olympics is a great way to start a conversation. Here are some tips to help you chat like a pro, like a native speaker. So what are some things you can say? You can ask about favorite sports.

Which Olympic sport do you enjoy watching the most? You can ask this question if you are stuck for topics, if you are stuck on what to ask somebody, if you're chatting to somebody. So which Olympic sport do you enjoy watching the most? So this is a great way to find common ground and keep that conversation going with someone. I'm sure you can then ask some follow-up questions.

And they could also like the same sport as you. So that makes it really exciting. What else can we do? We can share a fun fact about Olympics. Did you know that skateboarding is now an Olympic sport? Yes. It's amazing to see how the games evolve. Now, I've seen some skateboarding games during the Olympics, and I really enjoyed it.

I have a friend who does this skateboarding just as a leisure. She does it because she enjoys it. And I always thought, oh, this is for young people. This is for 20-year-olds. I'm not 20 anymore.

But, you know, you can still do it. I've seen these athletes at the Olympic practice skateboarding. They were doing the skateboarding. They were competing, actually not practice, but they were competing in the Olympic sports. And you can see, wow, they're 36, 37 years old. And they're doing skateboarding. So that was my stereotype of skateboarders. And as you can see, now I have...

talked a lot about skateboarding because it's an interesting topic and just by asking that question you can actually get the conversation going you can

expand on the conversation you can add more interesting things about skateboarding whether you like it whether you want to try it I certainly would like to try it but I'm scared I'm gonna break my back as I said I'm not I'm not 20 years old anymore I'm not no spring chicken but um yes so it could be fun for for you guys if you want to try it

So did you know that skateboarding is now an Olympic sport? So you can ask this question if you want to spark some curiosity and get the conversation a bit more interesting. Sharing interesting things can make you sound knowledgeable as well and keep the conversation interesting and keep the conversation going, which you want to do to avoid any awkward silences. All right. So what else? You can also talk about your country's performance at the Olympics. Okay.

Now, how is your country doing in the Olympics? Have they won any medals? Okay, this can lead to a deeper discussion about different cultures and countries. Okay, so if you're like me, I am actually following three countries at the Olympics. I'm following Australia, New Zealand. I'm a citizen of both of these countries. I'm also a citizen of Serbia. So I follow all these three countries and Australia has been doing pretty well at the Olympics. So that was...

Pretty cool to see. And as you can see, I have again added more to this topic just by thinking of this question. How is your country doing in the Olympics? So I can definitely start and expand on this conversation with somebody. And if you really, really want to go deep into the conversation, you can also talk about the opening ceremony or the opening and closing ceremony.

So you can say something like, oh, I can't believe how incredible the opening ceremony was. What did you think of it? So it shows enthusiasm and it can make the conversation more engaging and fun. Now, I missed the closing ceremony because that was at 3.45 a.m. my time in Australia. Okay, so I didn't wake up at 3 a.m. to watch the closing ceremony, but I'll definitely watch the highlights of that. Okay, so...

Let's imagine the Olympics is still happening. I think it will still happen at the time of this recording. But let's imagine it's still happening. You can also discuss some future events that might happen during the Olympics. And you can say, which events are you looking forward to the most? I'm really excited for the gymnastics finals. Okay, so which events are you looking forward to the most? And you can make it even relevant for the Olympics.

next Olympics in 2028. I think it's going to be in Los Angeles. So you can say what future events are you looking forward to in the next Olympics? I am definitely looking forward to watching some basketball. I really enjoy watching basketball and there's a new category of basketball called 3x3 basketball, which is really fun, looks really cool.

Now, I would like to try it, but I'm not 2 meters tall. I'm really short. I'm 5'3 or 158 centimeters tall, so I don't think I can reach the basket if I was practicing basketball. But I like to watch, so I can watch it anywhere I want, really.

So the question was, which events are you looking forward to the most? Okay. Which events are you looking forward to the most? All right. I'll just quickly tell you about some of my favorite Olympic sports and you can use these as conversation starters as well. So basketball, like I said, I love watching basketball. It's fast paced. You know, you can see some players who are really talented. They,

demonstrate really incredible skills. They have incredible skills, how they move on the court. It's just amazing. And you can say basketball is exciting, especially when it goes into overtime. Okay, yes, that was fun to watch. Basketball is exciting, especially when it goes into overtime. So overtime is one word. It's extra time added to a game when there is a tie, when the score is tied.

at the end of regular time. So you could have a score that's 90 for one side and 90 for the other side. So that means it's a draw, it's a tie. And usually when that happens, the game goes into overtime.

Another thing I enjoy watching is archery. I really, really enjoy this. And it may be a little slow paced for some people, but I thought this is great. I don't have to be fit or athletic looking to practice archery. I don't have to, you know, look muscly and skinny. I can definitely practice archery, but I do wear glasses. I have prescription glasses sometimes.

So I will have to wear glasses or contact lenses. If I was to do archery and my husband keeps asking me, let's try it. Let's go and find like a club and try archery and see how we go. Maybe we'll like it. So archery at the Olympics was really something I enjoyed. It's all about precision and focus.

And if you want, you might start a conversation about this that goes something like this. Have you seen the archery competition? It's so impressive how accurate they are. I'm sure you have to have really good eyesight, really good vision for archery because the target is so far away that when you hit the target, you really, you know, you have to be precise and you have to see where the target is.

So precision means being very accurate and exact. Another sport I really enjoyed was water polo. And that's because I have friends who do water polo. It's a fascinating sport. It's like soccer or football, but in the water. And you can say that water polo is so intense, I can't believe how fast they swim and throw the ball. Intense means very strong or extreme.

I also enjoyed beach volleyball. Beach volleyball is not only exciting to watch, but also takes place in such beautiful settings. You can start with beach volleyball is so fun to watch, especially with those amazing dives to save the ball.

And it's pretty hard to move on the sand. If you've ever tried beach volleyball, it is quite intense sport and you do need to be strong. You need to have strong legs to be able to move in the sand. Dives, the term dive is when the athletes dive for the ball and they go to the ground. So dive in the context means jumping low to the ground to reach the ball. Okay, that's what I mean by dives.

Great. And the last thing I wanted to mention was the sprint, the 100-meter sprint. That is really exciting to see who the fastest person is in the world or at the Olympics. The 100-meter sprint is the ultimate test of speed. And you could say, if you're talking to somebody, you can say the 100-meter sprint is always so thrilling. It's incredible how fast they run.

And they run for only, what, nine seconds, 10 seconds, but they train for years and years. And that's really, really exciting and impressive, I should say.

So as you can see, using the Olympics as a topic not only helps you start conversations, but also gives you the chance to share your interests and learn about the other people's interests as well. And it's a win-win situation if you're ever stuck for topics to talk to somebody about something. If you're ever stuck on topics, you can just use the Olympics to start conversations. Cool.

Cool bananas. And speaking of winning, because Olympics is all about winning, here's something that will help you come out on top in your English learning journey.

Whether you're chatting about the Olympics or spelling your name over the phone, being clear and confident is key. Go to englishmadesimple.net slash spellmyname to download your free guide on how to spell your name clearly in English. It's an invaluable resource, especially if you find yourself having to spell your name frequently. Trust me, it makes life so much easier if you live overseas.

So go to englishmadesimple.net slash spell my name to get the guide. Well, that's it for today's episode. I hope you had a great time learning how to use the Olympic Games as an icebreaker and pick up some new phrases along the way. Talking about sports is a great way to connect with others.

And the Olympics provides a perfect opportunity for interesting conversations, as you can see. It's been a pleasure sharing this episode with your amigos and amigas. If you'd like to support the show, visit englishmadesimple.net slash transcripts.

and download the transcripts to contribute and support the show. If you can't contribute right now, then please share this episode with your friends and enemies and your fellow athletes, if you know anybody. Don't forget to visit englishmadesimple.net slash podcast anytime to continue listening to the rest of the episodes. Keep practicing, amigos y amigas. Stay cool and keep in touch. Until next time, hasta la próxima.