Going to a party, potluck, or get-together? Learn common English words and expressions that native speakers use when talking about parties. We’ll cover useful vocabulary like house party, potluck, get-together, host, guest, RSVP, and dress code, plus everyday expressions such as “Make yourself at home” and “Thanks for having me.” This lesson is perfect for beginner and intermediate English learners who want to sound more natural in social situations. Practice your listening, build your vocabulary, and gain confidence using English at parties and other social events. Take the quiz after watching to practice what you have learned. https://www.engvid.com/english-for-parties-vocabulary-expressions-culture

More of my videos about culture, vocabulary, and expressions:
? Birthday English https://youtu.be/7dCrsuAgz-0
? Paying at a restaurant https://youtu.be/bZD6lihDw3I

In this lesson:
0:00 Party English: Vocabulary & Culture
0:19 What does the host say and do?
3:08 What do guests say and do?
5:43 potluck
7:05 get-together
8:14 house party
9:26 RSVP
11:02 dress code

Transcript:
Hello. My name is Emma, and in todays video, we are going to talk about party English. So I will teach you some key words to help you when you go to different parties, so youll learn a lot of great vocabulary from this lesson, and also some things about the culture of parties.

So, lets talk about people at the party. So, the first person you should know about is the host. Host means the person who invites people or organizes the party or the event. So, that person is the host. So, heres an example sentence of this. Maria is the host of the party. Maria invited the people to the party, and she organized the party. She is the host. It is Marias party. Heres another example. I hosted the party. So what youll notice is that host can be a noun, so a person. Maria is the host. It can also be a verb or an action. I hosted the party.

So, lets talk a little bit about culture, because parties are very cultural places. So, at a party, usually the host greets the guest. This means they say things like, "Welcome. Welcome to the party." "Oh, hey. You know, good to see you." So, the first thing they do is they greet their guest, and they might say something like this, "Make yourself at home." So, if this is a house party, the host might say, "Make yourself at home." This means be comfortable at this party. Treat this like your home. "Make yourself at home." And I like that this is "make"; a lot of learners confuse "do" or "make"; in this case, were using the word "make". "Make yourself at home" means be comfortable here.

So, what are some other things the host does? The host offers the guest food or drinks. They might say, "Would you like something to drink? Can I get you a drink?" So, those are common questions a host will ask. Or, if the guests can get the drink themselves, theyll say, "Oh, please help yourself. Help yourself to a drink." Another thing that the host does is they help to connect people. So, they will introduce people to each other. They might say, "Oh, I want to introduce you to Brad. He also is in the same business as you." Or, "Oh, let me introduce you to Sue. Shes my neighbor. I think youll really get along."

So, the next word for a party is "guest". The guest is the person who was invited to the party or event. So, for example, maybe theres a wedding and there might be 100 guests or 200 guests to the wedding. Maybe you have a party and you invite 5 people; those 5 people would be your guests. Its a hard word to say because of the "sts", so when were talking about guests - so sorry about my pronunciation - youll notice that when a guest goes to the party, theyll have fun, theyll meet people, we call that mingling, theyll make some small talk, and then when they leave the party, they often say this, "Thanks for having me." So, this is a common sentence the guest will say to the host when they go. Theyll say, "Oh, thanks for having me. I had a great time." Or they might say, "Thanks for hosting. This was a great party." So, if you ever hear the word "having me", its very common in party situations. It means, "Thanks for letting me come to your party."

So lets talk a little bit about culture. So, guests often bring gifts to parties, so they might bring something like, you know, depending on what country youre in, maybe some chocolate or some wine or, you know, its customary to bring something small to a party. You dont always have to do it, but youll notice culturally a lot of the times guests will bring something. Another thing to note is depending on your culture or your country of origin, there might be different expectations of when to arrive at a party and when to leave a party. So, sometimes, you know, guests might come right on time. Sometimes, its normal to come, you know, 30 minutes late. Sometimes, it might be an hour late, and it could be very cultural. […]