The English Breakfast ☕
Hi there,
Welcome back to The English Breakfast — the newsletter for Italian professionals who want to feel more confident in English at work.
Happy weekend! I’m writing to you from Monferrato at the moment, enjoying some fresh air and the beautiful countryside here in Piedmont. If you’ve never been, you should definitely add it to your travel list—if not for the stunning scenery, then at least for the agnolotti. 🍝😂
Vignale Monferrato…not agnolotti.
But anyway, let’s get down to business.
When we think of Business English, we usually think of presentations, meetings and negotiations. But the truth is, the casual conversations you have with colleagues and clients over coffee or during lunch can be just as important for building strong professional relationships.
To help you navigate these moments smoothly, here are 5 essential phrasal verbs for small talk. Take the quick quiz below to see how many you already know!
How do you feel about company team-building activities?
In the dialogue below, two colleagues are on a coffee break discussing the upcoming weekend event. Rumours are flying around the office about what they'll actually be doing—and they have very different ideas of a good time!
Your Tasks 🏆 :
Spot the Phrasal Verbs: Read the conversation and see if you can find the 5 phrasal verbs from the quiz.
The Bonus Challenge: Do you know what the three phrases in bold mean?
Once you've finished reading, scroll down to find the explanations and Italian translations!
Mark: Did you see the email about the team-building weekend? It just says "Come dressed for adventure."
Sophie: I know, everyone is talking about it. I actually bumped into Sarah from HR yesterday and tried to get her to fill me in on the plans, but she wouldn't say a word.
Mark: Well, mark my words, it’s going to be one of those intense, muddy obstacle races. Someone always brings up the idea of "healthy competition" in these meetings. I really hope it's something relaxing instead, like a cooking class.
Sophie: A cooking class? You’re having a laugh! I almost burnt down my kitchen making soup. I’m a health hazard with a frying pan; HR would never allow it. Honestly, as long as I get to relax and catch up with everyone, I don't really mind what we do. We don’t have the chance to talk as much now everyone works from home three days a week.
Mark: Yeah absolutely. If I see a climbing wall on Saturday morning, I’m going to lose it.
Sophie: Haha, don't panic yet! Oh, by the way, David from accounting was asking after you earlier. He wanted to know if you were going to carpool with us.
Mark: Tell him definitely. If I'm going to face the unknown, I'll need a lift.
Did you understand the phrases in bold?
Here are the meanings and Italian equivalents:
Mark my words — Ascoltami bene
Meaning: Used to emphasise a statement or to show that you are absolutely certain your prediction will come true.
You’re having a laugh! — Ma stai scherzando?
Meaning: A British idiom used to express disbelief or to suggest that someone must be joking. In the US you’ll hear “you’ve got to be kidding!“
To lose it — Perdere le staffe
Meaning: To react angrily
🛠 Quick fix: un errore comune
This is becoming a regular feature here in The English Breakfast, but here’s another common mistake I frequently hear from my clients.
The good news? It’s a really quick fix for a potentially confusing slip-up.
Watch this week’s mini-lesson to find out what the mistake is and make sure you're not doing this yourself.
All right, that’s it for this week’s edition.
Time for some more agnolotti.
Have a great week and I’ll see you next time.
All the best,
Dan
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