和外国同事、邻座第一次搭话，最稳的是从眼前的事说起：周末、吃的、这座城市、最近在看的剧。茶水间里一句 Any plans for the weekend? 就够了，对方回答之后你顺着问一句，再说一句自己的，话就聊开了。
下面先给 6 个安全话题，每个都有开场句、追问和你自己能接的回答；再说几个中国人常问、但在英语里容易冒犯的问题；最后按场合说怎么开口。
6 个安全话题
周末
- 开场：Any plans for the weekend? 周一就问 How was your weekend?
- 追问：Oh nice, where did you go? / Was it busy?
- 你能接：Not much, honestly. I mostly caught up on sleep. I did try a new hotpot place on Sunday, though.
吃的
- 开场：Have you tried much Chinese food since you got here? 看到对方在吃东西：That looks good. Where's it from?
- 追问：What's your go-to dish? / Can you handle spicy food?
- 你能接：If you like spicy food, you have to try mala xiang guo. You pick your own ingredients and they stir-fry it for you.
旅行
- 开场：Been anywhere nice lately? / Have you had a chance to travel around China?
- 追问：What was the highlight? / Would you go back?
- 你能接：I went to Yunnan last spring. Dali was really laid-back. I'd love to go back and stay longer.
工作或学习
- 开场：So what do you do? 同公司的人可以问 Which team are you on? / How long have you been here?
- 追问：How did you get into that? / What's the best part of it?
- 你能接：I work in marketing for a game company. The fun part is I get paid to play games, sort of.
所在的城市
- 开场：How long have you been in Shanghai?
- 追问：How are you finding it? / What do you miss most from home?
- 你能接：If you're into food, try the little noodle shops in the old lanes. Way better than the touristy spots.
剧、音乐、运动
- 开场：Are you watching anything good at the moment? / Did you catch the game last night?
- 追问：Is it worth watching? / Who do you support?
- 你能接：I just finished a Korean show about a family with superpowers. It was way better than I expected.
天气也能开场，比如 It's freezing today, isn't it?，但它只适合起个头，说一两句就换到上面这些话题。
中国人常问、但容易冒犯的问题
中文里很自然的关心，直译成英语可能让人不舒服。刚认识的人，下面这些先别问：
- How old are you? ——很多英语母语者把年龄当私事，尤其在工作场合。真想聊人生阶段，可以问 How long have you been working in this field?
- How much do you earn? / How much is your salary? ——收入在很多英语国家是非常私人的话题，熟人之间也少聊。
- Are you married? Why not? / When are you having kids? ——婚姻和孩子由对方主动提再聊，追问“为什么还不结婚”会很冒犯。
- You've gained weight. ——中文“你胖了”有时是关心，英语里评论别人身材基本是冒犯。想夸人，夸对方自己选的东西：I love your jacket. / Nice haircut!
- Have you eaten? ——直译“你吃了吗”，对方可能以为你要请他吃饭。打招呼用 How's it going? 或 How are you doing?
- Where are you going? ——中文“去哪儿啊”是寒暄，英语里像在打听行踪。说 Heading out? 或 Off somewhere nice?，对方想说自然会说。
还有一个：对方说了 I'm from London.，就别接着追问 But where are you really from?。不管对方长什么样，他说哪里就是哪里。
不同场合怎么开口
同事茶水间（一两分钟）
时间短，问一个轻松的问题，聊两三个来回就好：
A: Morning! Good weekend?
B: Yeah, not bad. I took my kids to the zoo. They loved the pandas, obviously.
A: Ha, of course. Which zoo did you go to?
B: The one in the west. It's huge. Have you been?
A: Not yet. I'll have to check it out. Anyway, see you at the meeting.
最后一句 Anyway, see you at the meeting. 就是收尾，更多结束对话的说法见英语怎么自然结束对话。
聚会上谁都不认识
最好用的一句是问对方和主人的关系：
- Hi, I don't think we've met. I'm Wei.
- So how do you know Sarah?
- Have you been to one of her parties before?
这个问题人人都能答，答案里通常有能接的东西：同学、同事、邻居，你就可以问 Oh, what did you study? 或 Which company?
语言交换
这里可以聊得更深一点，也可以直接定规则：
- Do you want to do English first, then Chinese?
- Could you stop me if I say something weird?
- Is there a more natural way to say that?
双方都是来练习的，可以提前想好一个话题，比如“各自国家怎么过年”“最想去的城市”，比临场找话轻松。
飞机或火车邻座
先看对方状态：戴着耳机、在看书或在睡，就别打扰。对方看起来也想聊，可以说：
- Heading home, or traveling?
- Is this your first time in Beijing?
- Do you know if they serve food on this flight?
聊够了，礼貌收住：Well, I'm going to try to get some sleep. Nice chatting with you.
话题有了，还要会接
拿到对方的回答以后怎么接，关键是回答里多给一个细节、再顺着对方的话问一句，具体见英语聊天总冷场？回答多给一个细节，再顺着问一句。对方说了累、开心、烦，怎么用英语回应，见情绪英语怎么说：压力大、夸人、吐槽、安慰。
在像话里练开场和接话
像话的「情景对话」里有点咖啡等日常场景，对方先开口（自动读出），轮到你说你那句，说完照出母语者版本，正好练“别人先说、你来接”。上面哪句话题回答你想按自己的情况改，比如「我老家在湖南，菜比四川还辣」，可以直接说中文，看母语者会怎么说。
常见问题
聊着聊着没话说了怎么办？
回到对方刚才提过的某个词，问一句 What's … like? 或 How did you get into…?。实在接不下去，也可以大方结束：Anyway, I'll let you get back to it. Nice talking to you.
对方说得太快没听懂怎么办？
直接说 Sorry, I didn't catch that. Could you say it again? 或者重复你听到的部分：You went where, sorry? 更多说法见没听懂英语怎么说。
像话口语（MirrorSay）是一款免费的英语口语练习 App：你说一句（说中文也行），它告诉你母语者会怎么说，再带你跟读。无需注册，语音优先在手机本地处理。