Small talk

Phrase bank

Your day

Phrases to start small talk	Phrases to respond
How're you doing today?	● Pretty good (informal), thank you. How're you doing? ● Pretty well, thank you. ● Doing good (informal). How are you? ● Doing well. How are you?
How's it going?	● Fine/great, thanks. Having a good week. How're you doing?
How's your day going?	● Great, thanks for asking. I’m very excited about the interview. And how's your day?
How's your day been so far?	● So far, so good. I’ve been rather busy lately. And how's your day going?

Weather

Phrases to start small talk	Phrases to respond
How's the weather over there? What's the weather like in [location] today?	● Unfortunately, it's raining/snowing. What’s the weather like in [location]? ● It's stopped raining/snowing, luckily. ● It's quite hot today. It's normally much cooler in May.
I hear the weather's been bad in [location] recently.	● That's right. It's been raining for three days in a row. Does it often rain where you are?
Are you enjoying the weather today?	● Yes, I love summer and just hope it lasts a bit longer. How about you?

Weekend

Phrases to start small talk	Phrases to respond
So, how was your weekend?	● Oh, you know, it was nothing special. I just did some housework and met up with some friends. How was your weekend? ● It was a pretty quiet weekend. I can’t say that I did anything special. How about your weekend?