Course: How to... Speak English / Unit 1 / Session 19 / Activity 1

Hello and welcome to How To, the programme from BBC Learning English where we give you useful language for some everyday situations.My name's William Kremer. Now you may remember that in a different programme we found out how to invite people informally, by saying things like:EXAMPLEDiarmuidAre you up for a pint after work, Catherine?WilliamToday, we're looking at making invitations again, but this time they're going to be a little bit more formal. Let's start by listening to a short clip. Diarmuid is inviting Catherine to a barbeque, which is a kind of meal you can cook outside, usually in the summer.EXAMPLEDiarmuidCatherine, are you free on Friday?CatherineI think so. Why?DiarmuidWell, I'm going to have a barbeque on Friday night, in my back garden. I wondered if you'd like to come along.CatherineYeah, I'd love to. That sounds really nice.DiarmuidOK. You're not vegetarian are you?CatherineNo, no I'm not.DiarmuidAh, you'll be fine with burgers.WilliamWould you like to hear that clip again? Would you like to hear it now? Well, I'll play it again a bit later, but first I want to look at this phrase, Would you like? Would you like? means Do you want? but it's slightly more polite. So a slightly more polite way of saying, Do you want a banana? is:EXAMPLEElenaWould you like a banana?

And a slightly more polite way of saying Do you want to come for a drink? is:

EXAMPLEElenaWould you like to come for a drink?

So, Would you like to do something? is a very good way of asking questions politely. But, usually when we're being polite, we try and make what we say longer by using other phrases. Listen to Diarmuid:

EXAMPLEDiarmuidI wondered if you'd like to come along.WilliamDiarmuid says, I wondered if you'd like to come along which is a shortened way of saying I wondered if you would like to come along but it's sometimes hard to hear the -d - I wondered if you'd like to come along. To wonder, means to think or to ask yourself but the meaning of the word isn't that important here; Diarmuid is just using the phrase to be polite.Let's practise using this phrase, I wondered if you'd like. You're going to hear Elena. After she says a direct question, see if you can change it into a sentence beginning, I wondered if you'd like. You'll hear the correct answer after a short pause.EXAMPLE

Would you like a chocolate bar?I wondered if you'd like a chocolate bar.Would you like to come for a drink?I wondered if you'd like to come for a drink.Would you like to see my photos?I wondered if you'd like to see my photos.WilliamHow did you do? By the way, you can also say, I was wondering if you'd like. It has exactly the same meaning.EXAMPLEElenaI was wondering if you'd like to see my photos.

I was wondering if you would like to hear the whole conversation between Catherine and Diarmuid again. You would? OK, here it is:

EXAMPLEDiarmuidCatherine, are you free on Friday?CatherineI think so. Why?

Well, I'm going to have a barbeque on Friday night, in my back garden. I wondered if you'd like to come along.CatherineYeah, I'd love to. That sounds really nice.DiarmuidOK, you're not vegetarian are you?CatherineNo, no I'm not.DiarmuidAh, you'll be fine with burgers.WilliamDid you hear the question that Diarmuid asked Catherine at the beginning:

EXAMPLE