Everyday Dialogues: St. Valentine’s Day

Una chiacchierata indispensabile per San Valentino.

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Daniel Francis

Speaker (UK accent)

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Molly Malcolm

Speaker (American accent)

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Valentine's Day

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Woman: Ugh, it’s Valentine’s Day again. I wish we could skip it.

Man: Why would you want to skip the most romantic day of the year?

Woman: I hate all that lovey-dovey nonsense. All the hearts and flowers and chocolates.

Man: Love isn’t nonsense. You’re just grumpy because you haven’t got a girlfriend/boyfriend.

Woman: Yes, I’ll be spending it alone again.

Man: Maybe an admirer will send you a card this year.

Woman: Well, that’s the other thing I hate: the humiliation of not getting one.

Man: Come on... You’re funny, good-looking, kind... There’s someone out there destined to be your other half.

Woman: I should be so lucky. Cupid wants nothing to do with me.

Man: Just you wait. I have a feeling that this year will be different.

NOW LET’S REVIEW THE VOCABULARY!

  • To skip is to omit, to pass over without mention or notice.
  • Lovey-dovey is an informal way of describing something romantic or affectionate, often excessively and publicly.
  • When someone is bad-tempered or irritable, you can call them grumpy.
  • The verb to spend can be used in relation to time: to spend the day at home or to spend Valentine’s with a loved one, for example.
  • An admirer is a person who has a romantic interest in someone.
  • Humiliation is the feeling of being ashamed.
  • Come on is a phrase used to encourage someone.
  • Good-looking means ‘physically attractive’. Synonyms include ‘handsome’, ‘beautiful’ and ‘pretty’.
  • Out there describes an unspecified place somewhere in the world.
  • Other half refers to someone’s partner, wife or husband. They can also be described as their ‘better half’. It indicates that, together, the two halves are complete.
  • I should be so lucky implies ironically that one’s wishes are not likely to be fulfilled. (It’s also the name of Kylie Minogue’s first single.)
  • Cupid is the Roman god of love.
  • "Just you wait" is said to indicate that someone is sure that something will happen.
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