Three people are chatting by the buffet — how to join the conversation politely in English without intruding.
B1 · Monologue · 3 Min. · free
Tip: listen to the episode twice before you start the test. · Worksheet (PDF)
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Transcript
Key phrases
Language notes
In this episode a sales rep explains how to join a group conversation at a company event: opening with "Mind if I join you?", introducing yourself briefly, connecting to the topic and moving on politely. You learn the key networking phrases in English (level B1) — and why "We see us" is not an English goodbye.
You do not enter a group with an introduction but with a permission question: "Mind if I join you?" It hands control to the group, which makes it polite rather than pushy. The name comes second — casually, with "by the way": "I'm Thomas, by the way." Starting with name, company and job title instead sounds like a sales pitch, not small talk.
The most common networking mistake is overwriting the running conversation with your own topic. Thomas does the opposite — he listens briefly and connects: "That sounds familiar — my train this morning was forty minutes late." Open questions then keep the conversation going: "How was your journey?", "Is this your first time at this event?" Open questions signal interest and give the group room — closed yes/no questions stall the talk.
Moving on is normal at events — nobody expects you to stay all evening. The polite formula: "It was really nice talking to you. See you later!" The German word-for-word "We see us" does not exist in English; native speakers usually understand it, but it instantly marks the speaker as unsure. Remember the three variants: "See you later" (concrete), "See you around" (non-committal) and simply "See you".
Keep practising: Learn business English online — with real teachers from Simmonds, since 2004.
Frequently asked questions
Level B1 (CEFR). The monologue uses everyday networking English with distinct pronunciation; the vocabulary list explains all eight key phrases bilingually.
In three steps: make eye contact and wait for a natural pause, ask "Mind if I join you?", introduce yourself briefly ("I'm …, by the way") and connect to the running topic ("That sounds familiar …").
"We see us" is a word-for-word translation of "Wir sehen uns" — the construction does not exist in English. Correct options are "See you later", "See you around" or simply "See you".
In the online business English courses from Simmonds Language Services (englisch-lehrer.com/online): live lessons with real teachers on Zoom, for companies and individuals across Germany — since 2004. Start with a free consultation.
Episodes are produced with high-quality AI voices (Hume) and editorially reviewed by our trainer team — the same method as our interactive lessons.
The podcast trains your ear — in our online lessons you practise the conversation yourself, with real teachers. For companies across Germany since 2004.