What a lovely day…
Let’s have a party!
So I had some friends over.
We cooked outside on the grill.
And we drank delicious Czech beer.
Here’s a picture I took:
After cooking the food for a few minutes it was time to serve my guests.
I carefully removed the meat and veggies from the grill.
I put them on a serving tray.
I put the tray on the table.
And I said to my guests…
(What do native speakers say before a meal? Do you know? Or do you make this mistake…)
LAST WEEK’S MISTAKE AND ANSWER
Last week I showed you this sign.
It’s a sign for a restaurant in Prague.
And it’s got an English mistake.
A funny mistake.
Usually, I say mistakes are fine… mistakes are good… you’ve got to make mistakes if you want to improve…
But not when you make a sign for your business!
I mean, come on!
That’s kind of important, right?
So I asked for your help.
How would you correct, “good taste”? (Ha!)
That’s what Czechs say before a meal, Dobrou chut’.
But according to Vitamin V reader Eva K. who lived in the UK for 26 years, the Brits say “Enjoy your meal.”
And Americans?
Well, in my family, we say the blessing (translation: we pray), and then we just start eating.
I know, that’s not very civilized to just start eating without saying any nice words…
But if you’re in a restaurant, and if the waiter wants a tip, he might say “Enjoy your meal” or just “Enjoy.”
And that’s what I would have written on the sign.
OPTION B
Or if you want to impress everyone and make them think you’re super smart and studied philosophy at the Sorbonne in Paris…
Then you can forget English entirely and speak French.
And you’ll say, Bon appetit.
OPTION C
Or… if you’re an uncivilized barbarian like your fearless teacher, you’ll shout to your guests, “Hey, don’t eat it all! I’m hungry!”
ANNOUNCING: ALL NEW VOCABULARY LESSONS FROM MR VIG PLUS A FREE GIFT
Words are powerful.
Do you agree?
The right word can make you sound smart.
And the wrong word can be a disaster.
How’s your vocabulary?
Here’s my guess — it could be better.
Am I right?
When I teach a private student — even if he/she is advanced — I always discover three things:
- the student is missing some very valuable words
- when the student’s vocabulary improves so do his/her other skills — speaking, understanding, confidence…
- starting with vocabulary gives the student the quickest results
So for the next few weeks, let’s focus 100% on vocabulary.
In every Vitamin V I’ll give you valuable tips on how to build a strong, native speaker vocabulary faster and easier.
And to start, I’d like to give you this special lesson I just created.
It’s called “Turn on Your Visual Brain Power.”
Go here to download it now for free.
Cheers,
Mr. Vig