BARDI77

Hi everybody,

English is not my mother tongue. Last week I went to a barber and realised how frustrated I might be in such situations. The barber asked me how to cut my hair and I didn't have a single clue what to tell her. (I knew what I wanted but didn't know how to say it in English! )

I am not weak in English. If someone asks me to write an essay about a complex issue like "the effects of the global financial crisis on the divorce numbers", I am fully capable to do so!! But when it comes to day to day activities like " going to barber, going to butcher , booking a flight etc... I am really feel myself limited in words and phrases I can use! This has been always annoyed me.

So I am looking for a book or website or any other source of info to strengthen this weakness of mine.

Can anyone help me to find such source?

Thanks in anticipation fellas!

laven

dictionary?

lonndongeek

Pictionary

Red_V_Roger

Home and Away

BARDI77

I am not looking for words. I am actually looking for suitable sentences to use in various day by day situations.

laven

Get English-English dictionary, you surely find phrase patterns there.

Dorothy

There is such a huge immigrant base here in Australia that people are used to non-English speakers. Tell people in words what you want and the phrases will come with time and practice. It would be like me trying to speak Mandarin in China. I may know words but only practice will teach me how to speak in their language.

jimbo_d

Go to the pub, sit down, sink 5 beers and have a chat with the blokes next to you. You will be well versed after for almost any situation in Australia.

Pollyana

Go to a bookshop (Dymocks, Borders type)and get a phrase book for your language to English. Won't cover everything as a lot of them are aimed at travellers, but might give you a good start. Something like Berlitz is a good series to look for but just ask the assistant for an English-whatever phrase book

DeadVim

Beginners Australian - Words and Phrases:

----------------------------
"Mate" (in all it's wonderfully subtle forms)

"Ahhhhh yeeeeehhh"

"Nah, but yeeeehhh"

"No Worries"

"She'll Be Right"

"Good Thanks!"

"It's Great, I wouldn't want to live anywhere else"

"They should love it or leave"

"You think this is hot, you should have been here in <insert year>"
-----------------------------

They should last you for 5 years then you may have to branch out into the advanced section.

spartacus

But as the old saying goes . . . "a picture paints a thousand words" . . . therefore I humbly recommend that upon your next visit to said barber, carry with you the attached photo, thereby leaving no room for potential 'awkwardness' . . . Best of luck! I'm sure you'll be fitting right in in no time at all . . .

LouiseR

Oh Sparty, been raiding the family albums have we?

spartacus

Hands up you got me . . . school photo . . . grade 10. In fairness, I wasn't so much fat as just short for my weight.

Officer Dibble

If it was an Australian barber and the OP couldnt communicate, theres every chance he came out looking like that kid.

DeadVim

Looks a bit like Shane Warne.