Answering small talk questions can oftentimes be geared towards knowing some harmless opinions from each other, such as things we like and dislike. For example, someone may ask you, “How was the movie you watched last weekend?” or “What did you think about Margot Robbie’s red carpet outfit for the Barbie premiere?” while waiting for more members to join a Zoom meeting or standing in line for lunch with a coworker.
We may be tempted to take the easy route and give a simple “I liked it” or, (even worse) “Good.” Although these responses technically accomplish the bare minimum, they can unintentionally cut the conversation short, resulting in awkward and choppy [1] small talk. Branching out with new expressions can help make more space for the small talk to grow by making the other person intrigued, which is the main goal of sustaining small talk.
It’s also important to be mindful of how strong our language is compared to what we honestly feel. As many native speakers would say, “‘Hate’ is a strong word.” Perhaps you just “weren’t feeling it” instead.
Before we touch on alternative responses, let’s first start off with some ways to identify open ended opinion-based questions.
(Tip: Keep these in your back pocket [2] for good small-talk starters to try out yourself!).
Questions:
- What did you think about the “Barbie” movie?
- How did you like Thailand? I heard it was your first time going.
- Are you a fan of deep-dish pizza?
- What’s your take on this marketing strategy?
- How do you feel about this outfit for the Christmas party?
Responses:
We are going to express how much we liked or disliked something (and everything in-between) without using the words “good” or “bad”. Each section will start with the most formal tone, and make its way down to casual or slang expressions.
If you think something is…
Good: If you like something…
- It was worth (going/watching/doing…). (Neutral)
* It’s worth the watch = I would recommend it.
- It was/went better than I thought. (Neutral)
- I thought it was pretty on point [3]. (Neutral - Casual)
* [Nuance] accurate or relevant to a particular situation.
- I’ve been really into _____ lately / I can get into it! (Casual)
* [Nuance] You can use this for activities, or even people that you like/have interest in.
[Note] Other ways to switch up how to express liking something is through complimenting it with the use of positive adjectives. For example, if someone asks you “How did you enjoy Thailand?,” you can say “It was absolutely stunning” instead of “It was good / It was nice.”
Neutral: If you are not sure how you feel…
- I’m on the fence [4] about it. (Formal - Neutral)
* [Idiom] I can’t make a decision about it. / I can’t tell how I feel about it yet.
- I didn’t care for it that much. (Neutral)
* The meaning of this can lean more towards “not liking” something, depending on the tone.
If it was “not bad”...
- Could have been worse.
- Not too shabby (Casual)
- Can’t complain (Casual)
- Nothing special (Casual)
- “Meh” (Casual - Slang) = So-so / alright
* [Intonation tip] Say “meh” in a higher pitched sound than the rest of the words in the sentence (i.e. “I feel pretty ‘meh’ about it”). As a bonus, you can even make a small frown as you say it, or shake your palm (face down) to indicate “so-so”.
Bad: You dislike something…
- It’s not quite hitting the mark for me. (Formal)
* [Nuance] Something is missing, it’s not meeting my standards.
- I didn’t appreciate ____. (Formal)
* Example: “I didn’t appreciate how you talked to me in that meeting.”
- I found it underwhelming [5]. (Formal)
* Meaning: A formal way to say “boring”
- It didn’t sit well with me. (Formal - Neutral)
* [Nuance] Something about it made you feel uncomfortable
- It could be better. / You can do better. (Neutral)
- It’s overrated. (Neutral)
* Meaning: People are overly excited for what it actually is.
- It wasn’t my cup of tea[6]. (Neutral)
* [Idiom] It didn’t match my taste or preferences.
- I'm not blown away[7] by it. (Neutral)
* Meaning: It doesn't "wow" me.
- I'm not a fan of it. (Neutral)
* Can be used for people, ideas, things.
- It wasn’t really my thing. (Casual)
* Casual version of “It wasn’t my cup of tea.”
- I couldn’t get into it. (Casual)
* Meaning: I couldn’t naturally find interest or enthusiasm for it / It was hard to pay attention.
- It’s not worth the hype (Casual - Slang)
* Meaning: Slang version of “It’s overrated”
- I’m not really feeling it. (Slang)
* It’s not my vibe / I don’t want to pursue this.
Idioms can add a lot of color to expressing yourself in a truer and more nuanced way. If you feel intimidated by using idioms, the key is to commit them to memory (word-for-word!) in multiple tenses (start with the past and present tenses as these tend to be the most commonly used in conversations like these). Once you have your accuracy down, the final touch is to say it with confidence! Pick up your speed and volume, then play around with pitch and intonation to get used to hearing yourself say these idioms out loud. Native speakers converse quite quickly, so that’s just a part of the formula to sound like a natural, native speaker when using idioms too.
Good luck! We can’t wait to hear about some of your opinions and hot-takes [8].