English speaking lesson · Social & Connection
Meeting your partner's parents
You're meeting your partner's parents for the first time, over dinner at their home. You practise it as a real conversation, at whichever of the four levels fits you — the room and the steps stay the same, only the words get harder.
Dinner at their home · you talk to the partner's parent
Free plan: 10 messages a day. No card needed.
What you have to do
Introduce yourself warmly, talk about yourself, find common ground, and accept an invitation to come again. You finish the lesson by getting there in conversation — not by answering questions about it. Nothing is corrected while you talk; the corrections are collected and handed to you at the end.
How it opens
Come in, come in! We've heard so much about you — welcome!
Spoken aloud by the tutor playing the partner's parent.
The 5 steps that finish it
A step clears when you say the thing that clears it. The steps are identical at all four levels — only the example line fades, and at Natural there is none at all.
- 01
Say hello
Say hello, thank them for the invitation.
“Hello! Thank you for having me.”
- 02
Talk about yourself
Say a little about yourself.
“I work in a school, and I live near the park.”
- 03
Find common ground
Say if you share the interest, and find common ground.
“I like cooking too!”
- 04
Compliment the meal
Say something kind about the meal.
“The food is lovely, thank you.”
- 05
Accept the invitation
Accept the invitation, and say thank you.
“That's very kind — I'd love to come again!”
The words, at all four levels
The same room and the same steps, four vocabularies. These are the words the lesson listens for and scores you on — with what each one means and how it sounds when you are talking to the partner's parent.
Starter
A1 – A2Simple, everyday words with a full hint on every step.
- hello
- a friendly greeting
- “Hello, thank you for having me.”
- thank
- to say you are grateful
- “Thank you for having me.”
- work
- your job or profession
- “I work in a school.”
- live
- to have your home somewhere
- “I live near the park.”
- too
- also, as well
- “I like cooking too!”
- cooking
- making food
- “I like cooking too.”
- food
- what you eat
- “The food is lovely.”
- lovely
- very nice
- “The food is lovely.”
- again
- one more time
- “I'd love to come again.”
- kind
- generous and thoughtful
- “That's very kind.”
Conversational
A2 – B1Common words at a natural pace, with hints to lean on.
- delighted
- very pleased
- “I'm delighted to meet you.”
- finally
- after a long wait
- “It's lovely to finally meet you.”
- originally
- in the beginning, at first
- “I'm originally from Leeds.”
- currently
- at the present time
- “I'm currently working in design.”
- shared
- held in common with someone
- “We have a shared interest, then!”
- enjoy
- to get pleasure from something
- “I really enjoy that too.”
- delicious
- tasting very good
- “This is absolutely delicious.”
- hospitality
- kindness shown to guests
- “Thank you for the hospitality.”
- welcome
- a friendly greeting to someone arriving
- “What a warm welcome.”
- appreciate
- to be grateful for something
- “I really appreciate it.”
Confident
B1 – B2Richer, more specific words, with only light hints.
- pleasure
- a feeling of enjoyment or gladness
- “It's a real pleasure to meet you.”
- grateful
- thankful for something
- “I'm very grateful for the invitation.”
- background
- your past experience and origins
- “My background is in architecture.”
- passionate
- having strong enthusiasm for something
- “I'm quite passionate about it.”
- common
- shared between people — 'in common'
- “We've got a lot in common.”
- generous
- giving more than expected
- “That's incredibly generous of you.”
- effort
- the work put into something
- “You've gone to such effort.”
- thoughtful
- showing care for others
- “That's really thoughtful.”
- genuinely
- truly, sincerely
- “I genuinely enjoyed this evening.”
- appreciate
- to be grateful for
- “I'd appreciate that.”
Natural
B2 – C1Advanced, idiomatic words — no hints at all.
- chuffed
- very pleased (informal, British)
- “I'm properly chuffed to be here.”
- hearing
- being told about something
- “I've been hearing all about you.”
- spread
- a generous amount of food laid out
- “What an incredible spread.”
- outdone
- gone beyond what was needed
- “You've really outdone yourselves.”
- wavelength
- a shared way of thinking
- “We're clearly on the same wavelength.”
- kindred
- similar in spirit or outlook
- “You sound like a kindred spirit.”
- gesture
- an action showing kindness
- “That's such a kind gesture.”
- warmly
- in a friendly, affectionate way
- “You've welcomed me so warmly.”
- obliged
- grateful for a favour
- “Much obliged, honestly.”
- delighted
- very pleased
- “I'd be delighted to come again.”
More Social & Connection lessons
- Small talk at a party
- Making a new friend
- Catching up with an old friend
- Inviting someone
- Declining an invitation
- Apologising for being late
- Congratulating someone
- Hosting a guest
- A first date