گفتن خداحافظی

Saying Goodbye

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 279: Saying Goodbye.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 279. I’m your host, Dr. Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California.

In this episode, we are going to learn how to say goodbye to someone that you know. Let’s get started.

[start of story]

Mina: I’d better be going. See you later.

Oliver: It might be awhile before we run into each other again.

Mina: Why is that?

Oliver: I’m going to Puerto Rico for three months starting next Tuesday. I got a job there for the summer.

Mina: I didn’t know that. That’s great! I’ve never been to Puerto Rico, but I’ve heard it’s nice. Have a good trip. It’s a shame we didn’t have more time to catch up. Is your girlfriend going with you?

Oliver: Yeah, she is. She got a job there, too, so we won’t have to be apart for three months.

Mina: That’s good. It’s too bad I won’t get to see her before you two leave. Give her my best.

Oliver: I will. Oh, I’d better get going or I’ll be late.

Mina: It was good seeing you.

Oliver: You, too. Stay in touch.

Mina: I will. Let’s get together when you get back from Puerto Rico.

Oliver: I’d like that. Bye.

Mina: Bye.

[end of story]

Our dialogue begins with Mina saying to Oliver, “I’d better be going.” The expression “I’d better be going” means “I need to go now” – “I should leave now.” It’s a way of telling the other person that you have to leave – you have to go – “Well, I’d better be going.” “See you later,” Mina says. That’s a very common way of saying goodbye, usually somewhat informally, “See you later,” but it could be used in formal situations as well. “I will see you at a later time” is what it means.

Oliver says, “It might be awhile before we run into each other again.” “Awhile” (awhile) means a long time. “It might be awhile” – it might be a long time – “before we run into each other again.” “To run into someone,” or “to run into each other,” means to see the other person, often without expecting it, almost by accident. “I ran into my friend today at the store” – I wasn’t expecting to see her, but there she was – “I ran into her.” “To run into each other” here would mean that Oliver and Mina would see each other again.

Mina says, “Why is that,” meaning “why will it be awhile before we run into each other again.” Oliver says he’s going to Puerto Rico, which is an island that is part of the United States. Oliver says he’s going to Puerto Rico for three months starting next Tuesday. He has a job there for the summer.

Mina says, “I didn’t know that” – I didn’t know you got a job. “That’s great! I’ve never been to Puerto Rico, but I’ve heard it’s nice.” She says, “Have a good trip” meaning “have a good journey” – “have a good time in your traveling.” Mina then says, “It’s a shame we didn’t have more time to catch up.” The expression “it’s a shame” (shame) means the same as “it’s too bad.” It’s unfortunate; it’s an unhappy thing that we didn’t have more time to catch up.

The expression “to catch up” (two words) means to talk about all of the things you have done since last time you met this person. Usually, we use this expression when it has been a long time since you have seen the other person. So for example, if I have a friend and I have not seen my friend in six months, I may say, “Let’s get together for coffee to catch up” – to go over and talk about all the things that you have been doing and I have been doing, since we met last.

Mina says, “Is your girlfriend going with you” to Puerto Rico? Oliver says yes, “She got a job there, too, so we won’t have to be apart for three months.” “To be apart” (apart) means to be separated.

Mina says, “That’s good. It’s too bad I won’t get to see her before you two leave.” “It’s too bad” is similar to “it’s a shame.” It’s unfortunate – “It’s too bad I won’t get to see” your girlfriend “before you two leave.” Mina says, “Give her my best.” When you say to someone “Give her,” or him, “my best,” you mean “Say ‘hello’ to that person for me.” Tell them that I say “hello” and am thinking about them, that I remember them, perhaps.

Oliver then says, “Oh, I’d better get going or I’ll be late.” “To get going” is the same as “to be going.” “I’d better get going,” “I’d better be going” mean the same thing. Again, we use that to indicate to the other person that now I have to leave – I can’t stay here any longer.

Mina says, “It was good seeing you” – it was good to see you. “It was good seeing you.” “You, too,” Oliver says. “Stay in touch.” The expression “stay in touch” means let’s keep in contact, let’s talk to each other or email each other, or have coffee together in the future. The opposite would be to lose touch with someone. If you “lose touch,” we mean that you do not have any communication or contact with that person. Perhaps you have lost his phone number, or you don’t have someone’s address – you “lose touch.” Oliver is saying the opposite here: let’s stay in touch.

Mina says, “I will” – I will stay in touch. “Let’s get together when you get back from Puerto Rico.” “To get together” means to meet – to have a meeting for lunch or coffee, or some other reason.

Oliver says, “I’d like that,” meaning “I would like to get together with you when I get back from Puerto Rico.” “Bye.” And Mina says, “Bye.” (Bye) bye means goodbye, a short form of goodbye.

Before we say bye, let’s listen to the dialogue again, this time at a normal speed.

[start of story]

Mina: I’d better be going. See you later.

Oliver: It might be awhile before we run into each other again.

Mina: Why is that?

Oliver: I’m going to Puerto Rico for three months starting next Tuesday. I got a job there for the summer.

Mina: I didn’t know that. That’s great! I’ve never been to Puerto Rico, but I’ve heard it’s nice. Have a good trip. It’s a shame we didn’t have more time to catch up. Is your girlfriend going with you?

Oliver: Yeah, she is. She got a job there, too, so we won’t have to be apart for three months.

Mina: That’s good. It’s too bad I won’t get a chance to see her before you two leave. Give her my best.

Oliver: I will. Oh, I’d better get going or I’ll be late.

Mina: It was good seeing you.

Oliver: You, too. Stay in touch.

Mina: I will. Let’s get together when you get back from Puerto Rico.

Oliver: I’d like that. Bye.

Mina: Bye.

[end of story]

The script for this podcast was written by Dr. Lucy Tse.

From Los Angeles, California, I’m Jeff McQuillan. Thanks for listening. We’ll see you next time on ESL Podcast.

English as a Second Language Podcast is written and produced by Dr. Lucy Tse, hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan. This podcast is copyright 2007.