Why You Should Talk About the Weather in English (Even If It Feels Pointless)

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1. 0:01Okay. I know that talking about the weather seems super boring, maybe even pointless.
2. 0:06This is something I hear a lot actually from native English speakers and my students. But what if it isn't actually boring?
3. 0:15What if it isn't pointless? Instead, what if talking about the weather is essential to experiencing more joy in your daily life and even feeling more connected to other people?
4. 0:27If that sounds totally ridiculous right now, I absolutely get it.
5. 0:32But in the next few minutes, I want to try to change your mind.
6. 0:36I want you to understand exactly why you should talk about the weather in English and why it's particularly great for English small talk.
7. 0:45And then after we discuss that, I wanna help you understand exactly how to do it right with some common phrases that you'll hear in daily English conversations,
8. 0:55including some phrases phrase that are sometimes confusing because the words they use aren't exactly the real meaning of what they're trying to say.
9. 1:05So we're gonna talk about what the real meaning is and how to best respond.
10. 1:10Now to really understand why you should talk about the weather in English conversations, there's another question that we need to answer First,
11. 1:18why should you even bother with small talk in English?
12. 1:23So many of my students ask me this question, and it's hard to understand the point of small talk when small talk
13. 1:31is usually about these really simple, polite, but unimportant topics.
14. 1:37All of that may be true, but that doesn't mean the actual process, the actual conversations in small talk aren't important. In fact,
15. 1:46this is so essential to really understanding English speaking culture.
16. 1:51The key here is that the topic of a small talk conversation isn't the important part. The interaction, the exchange,
17. 2:01the conversation is when you're using English in your daily life or at work. Small talk often has a purpose.
18. 2:11It helps people to feel comfortable with each other.
19. 2:14It's a really simple way that we show friendliness, respect, and openness in English conversations. It's a way to move from, I don't really know you,
20. 2:25to we can share this small happy moment together.
21. 2:31And this whole idea of the importance of small talk. This isn't just my opinion, there's research behind all of this, and I want to share three key points with you.
22. 2:42The first one is small talk can actually lift your mood or make you feel happier.
23. 2:49Researchers have studied what happens when strangers chat with each other in daily life. They found that after a quick conversation,
24. 2:58we usually walk away feeling a little bit happier and more connected.
25. 3:03And if you're wondering why the answer is because even a short interaction with someone we don't know, it can help us feel seen in the moment,
26. 3:14it can remind us that we're part of a community, we're not isolated from it.
27. 3:20The second reason small talk is so important is it can increase your sense of belonging. In one famous study, researchers looked at a very normal everyday habit buying coffee.
28. 3:32In this research study, they split people into two groups, and the first group was asked to be really friendly with the barista to smile, make eye contact, and even have a brief chat.
29. 3:44The second group was told to be purely efficient, just pay, get the coffee and leave.
30. 3:52The result of this study was that the people who had those tiny friendly exchanges felt significantly more positive and connected
31. 4:01afterward. That other group focused on efficiency. They saved time, but the small talk built a moment of happiness. Now,
32. 4:10the third reason why small talk is so important is it helps us build what researchers call weak ties.
33. 4:18These weak ties are the casual connections that you have in your daily life. These aren't your super close friends or family.
34. 4:27These are people like neighbors you don't know very well, coworkers that you don't know well, shopkeepers that you see regularly, or people that you always see when you go to the gym.
35. 4:38And studies show that on the days when you interact with more of these really casual connections, people feel happier and less lonely.
36. 4:49So small talk isn't really about the topic, it's about the moment of human connection, these tiny moments that help us feel happier, more included,
37. 5:01and more connected to the world around us. Okay, super quick before we talk all about why the weather is such a fantastic topic. For small talk, I want to say this.
38. 5:13If you're a woman learning English and things like this, things like small talk or basic everyday conversations still feel super hard even when you know the right words.
39. 5:23This is exactly why I created the Confident Women Community.
40. 5:27It's a women only speaking practice community where you have real English conversations and get support along the way.
41. 5:35The goal is to make sure that when you're learning new phrases, you actually start to use them in your conversations and you feel confident, you feel comfortable doing so.
42. 5:46So if this sounds like something you've been looking for, I'll leave a link where you can learn more about the confident women community down below. Okay, now we can talk about the big question question.
43. 5:58Why should you talk about the weather?
44. 6:00And I don't mean giving the forecast or reporting what is happening outside.
45. 6:05Small talk about the weather is usually about your feeling or your reaction to what is happening. Like maybe you're super tired of the heat, maybe you're grateful for the rain,
46. 6:18maybe you're surprised by an unexpectedly beautiful sunny afternoon.
47. 6:24There are a few key reasons that make the weather such a useful topic of conversation. The first one is, it's safe.
48. 6:32It's not too complicated or too personal.
49. 6:36You don't need to talk about worries that you're experiencing or deadlines or something difficult happening in your life. It's just the weather,
50. 6:44nothing too personal. The second reason it's great is it's shared.
51. 6:49If you're at a grocery store, everyone around you is experiencing the same weather.
52. 6:55You already have something in common with all those strangers.
53. 6:59And if you're on a zoom call with people in different countries, you may not have the same weather obviously, but you all have weather.
54. 7:09You all have weather events that can be unexpected and wild and everyone can talk about it. And the third reason is it can lead to a real story.
55. 7:20Again, small talk isn't about the topic, it's about the connections that we create.
56. 7:25So when you're talking about what's happening outside and how you feel about it, you might talk about the perfect weather you had on Saturday and the picnic that you had with friends that you didn't plan.
57. 7:37It just happened because everyone was so ready to go out and enjoy the day.
58. 7:42Or maybe you have a story about the time that several strangers waited inside a grocery store during an absolute downpour.
59. 7:50And then while you're all watching this crazy weather storm, someone says, well, it's a good day for a swim. And everyone laughed,
60. 7:59A simple moment of experiencing laughter with other people.
61. 8:03Or maybe it's the shared experience of a very difficult heat wave and how everyone got through it.
62. 8:12So yes, the topic of the weather is super simple, and it may seem unimportant at the beginning, but is it boring?
63. 8:21Not when real human stories are involved. So with that in mind, let's look at some common phrases that you'll hear in real conversations about the weather.
64. 8:31I want to focus specifically on phrases that might be confusing because the words yes are simple, but the meaning may not be so obvious.
65. 8:41And with each one, I'll also share how to best respond.
66. 8:46So the first set of phrases that we're gonna look at are the questions that want just a super quick reaction. For example, at the grocery store,
67. 8:56or when you see your neighbor outside, you might hear someone say, cold enough for you, or hot enough for you, crazy weather we're having, huh?
68. 9:06Or Are you getting any of this rain over there? All of these are real questions.
69. 9:11They expect a response, but they're definitely not looking for a full weather report. Instead, these questions are invitations to a super quick back and forth.
70. 9:23In every case, the best response is usually short. You agree, you react and maybe ask a small question back.
71. 9:33For example, if someone says, is it cold enough for you? You could say, oh my gosh, seriously, it's so cold right now. I can't feel my face.
72. 9:41Or simply, I know I'm not at all ready for this winter weather.
73. 9:46In each of those responses, we agree with the statement that, yes, it's super cold. We share our reaction or feeling.
74. 9:54And again, if you want to, you could ask a question back. Now, let's take a look at another example. When someone says to you, are you getting any of this rain over there? When someone asks this question,
75. 10:05what they're really asking is, are you getting this rain too?
76. 10:09It's common in telephone and online meetings when there's some distance between you and the person you're speaking to in small talk conversations.
77. 10:20It's also a quick friendly way to connect across that distance.
78. 10:25And again, you don't need a long answer.
79. 10:28The goal is just to say what's happening where you are, and add that small reaction, that small feeling. And of course,
80. 10:35you can ask about their weather if you want to keep that conversation going.
81. 10:40So here's what that might sound like.
82. 10:42If it is indeed raining where you are as well, you could say, oh my gosh, yes, it's been pouring all morning. Is it bad where you are? Now, when answering questions like this,
83. 10:54the key to getting it right is don't answer with only a flat yes or no. And we don't wanna give a long explanation either.
84. 11:03The key is to give that small reaction.
85. 11:07That's what keeps the conversation feeling natural. Now, in a moment, I wanna move on to looking at how we use complaints, because let's be honest, we all love to complain about the weather.
86. 11:19I wanna talk about the example with that, huh? At the end, crazy weather we're having, huh?
87. 11:26That phrase or sound is common when someone wants to say, what was that? I didn't understand you as in, huh? What was that?
88. 11:36But here in this phrase, it's doing something a bit different. Instead, it's a sound that we use as a casual invitation
89. 11:45for agreement. It's really similar to saying crazy weather we're having, right? Or crazy weather we're having, isn't it? In this case,
90. 11:55when someone says that the expected response is a simple agreement, like, yeah, it really is.
91. 12:01Or I know it's been so strange or right, I wasn't expecting this at all. All right, now let's move on to complaints and their role in small talk.
92. 12:12I'm super curious.
93. 12:13Where you live is complaining about the weather a common topic of conversation. If it is, I want you to take a quick moment to tell me a common example in the comments.
94. 12:25As for conversations in English, you might hear things like this, humidity is brutal, isn't it? Or I'm so over this rain,
95. 12:35I can't take this heat anymore.
96. 12:38There are a few key words that I wanna focus on here. First is that word brutal.
97. 12:43This means that something is really uncomfortable or difficult to deal with. And although brutal is a strong word, a strong negative word,
98. 12:55we use it in casual conversation to talk about weather that is extreme, like horrible heat waves.
99. 13:03And then that next example, I'm so over English, speakers love to use this to express that they are really
100. 13:13tired of something. It says, I've had enough, I'm done.
101. 13:18So when someone says, I'm so over this rain, it suggests that there's been days of endless rain
102. 13:26and you're totally done with it. And then that last phrase, starting with, I can't take. This means that something is too difficult,
103. 13:36too uncomfortable, or too much. You can't do it anymore.
104. 13:40You can't live with this thing anymore. Now, each of these phrases sound super negative, and they are,
105. 13:49but in small talk, they're also friendly invitations.
106. 13:54The person isn't asking you to solve a problem.
107. 13:57Obviously we can't solve the weather, but instead, they're inviting you to join in on a feeling, on an experience that they're having.
108. 14:06What they really mean when they share these comments is, we're in this together, right? So in those moments,
109. 14:14your response is simply to agree and add a small reaction of your own.
110. 14:19For example, if someone says, this heat has been brutal, you might say, oh, tell me about it. I'm so over it. Or Same here.
111. 14:28I'm ready for cooler weather.
112. 14:30Or I know I feel like I'm melting again.
113. 14:34The key is you don't need a long answer.
114. 14:36You just need to show that you understand that feeling that someone is trying to express. Now, for this third category,
115. 14:45I actually wanna go back to a story that I shared earlier.
116. 14:49It's a story that really.
117. 14:51Happened to me last year.
118. 14:53I was standing in a grocery store with 13 total strangers watching a torrential rainfall and then suddenly laughing when someone
119. 15:03said, huh, looks like a perfect day for a swim at the beach.
120. 15:06This kind of joke, that means the opposite is such a common way to talk about the weather in small talk.
121. 15:13Another example might be watching an absolute rainstorm and someone saying, lovely day for a swim, or someone saying, ah,
122. 15:22perfect picnic weather, when the wind is terrible.
123. 15:26Or someone simply saying, lovely, when the weather is awful.
124. 15:31The goal here isn't to be hilarious or to be some kind of comedian.
125. 15:35It's just to create a small moment where you share a smile or a tiny laugh about something that is so obviously not true.
126. 15:45And in these situations, a laugh is kind of all you need.
127. 15:49You don't need a clever comeback, you don't even really need to respond.
128. 15:53It's just about that shared moment of smiling or laughing.
129. 15:57If you do want to respond, you could say, I know, right? Or exactly, just the perfect day for a swim. And in doing so,
130. 16:06you're just showing agreement with their obvious joke. In each case, the reality of this conversation is, yeah, the weather may be awful,
131. 16:16but we can share these small moments together and just have a little laugh.
132. 16:20And that's exactly the point.
133. 16:22You're not trying to say something brilliant or share some really personal story.
134. 16:28You're just noticing a shared moment together human to human and responding together to that feeling that you're experiencing in the moment.
135. 16:37So now I'm really curious. At the start of today, I challenged the idea that talking about the weather is boring or pointless.
136. 16:47And I suggested that not only is it a great topic for small talk conversations, it can also bring more joy, more connection to your life.
137. 16:57And I wanna know what you think. Can you think of moments when moments, you shared a little bit of laughter or discovered some interesting story
138. 17:06about someone because you started talking about the weather?
139. 17:11I want you to tell me what you think in the comments below.
140. 17:14I'd really love to know. And this week, if you hop on a zoom call or see your neighbor out for a walk, I want you to pay attention to the small talk that comes up.
141. 17:25Do you notice how often the weather is the topic of the conversation?
142. 17:29Because it's easy, it's friendly, and it's open to everyone to participate.
143. 17:35You now also have common phrases that you can use to start or respond to these invitations to connect.
144. 17:43I encourage you to take one of these phrases today and make one simple comment.
145. 17:49In a conversation this week. Not because the weather is fascinating, but because it gives you an easy way to begin a conversation.
146. 17:59And sometimes that small beginning is exactly what helps a conversation feels smooth, natural, and connected. Now, as always, if you found this lesson helpful,
147. 18:11don't forget to subscribe or follow wherever you're watching or listening from today. Thank you so much for joining me, and I look forward to next time.