Speaker 1: Sometimes in the middle of a conversation you need to
change the topic. Maybe something that was said suddenly reminds
you of something else that you want to say. Well,
if that's happened to you, then you've come to the
right podcast. In situations like these, we have a few short,
natural phrases that gently guide the conversation in a new direction.
And that's what this podcast English Lesson is all about. It.
Speaker 2: Welcome to another Happy English podcast coming to you from
New York City, and here's your English teacher, Michael.
Speaker 1: Alright, thank you John In. Thanks everyone. It's Michael here
from Happy English and I help people speak English better.
And this is Happy English Podcast Episode nine to eighty seven.
How to change the topic politely in English. Today, we're
going to look at four very natural conversation phrases that
you can use to change the topic of a conversation
midway while keeping the tone of the conversation smooth, polite,
and friendly. Let's start with that reminds me. We use
that reminds me when the current topic makes us think
of something related but not exactly the same thing. It's
a gentle and thoughtful way to shift the conversation. For example,
if your partner asks, Uh, what do you want to
have for dinner tonight? You might say, Oh, that reminds me,
we're almost out of olive oil. Cooking made you remember
something connected, so the topic change feels natural. Or if
a coworker says I'm taking Friday off next week, you
could respond, oh, that reminds me. Are you free to
meet on Thursday instead? You can also use that reminds
me in everyday conversation, like when you're talking to a
friend about traveling and suddenly you remember something important. You
might say, ah, that reminds me, I still need to
renew my passport. That reminds me sounds polite and natural,
and it tells the listener that the topic change makes sense.
Now let's look at speaking of. We use speaking of
when the new topic is clearly and directly connected to
what was just said. The connection is usually stronger than
with that reminds me. For example, if your coworker says,
isn't the CEO coming next week, you might say, yes,
he is, and speaking of next week, we have a
team meeting on Tuesday. The time reference makes the connection clear.
Or if someone says, I watched a really good movie
last night, you could say, speaking of movies, have you
seen the new Frankenstein movie on Netflix. You may also
hear this in casual conversation, like when a friend says
I'm trying to save some money these days, and you reply, hey,
speaking of saving money, I found a really cheap but
good diner last weekend. We should go Speaking of works
best when the listener can easily follow the connection between
the two topics. Next up is by the way. We
use by the way when we want to add something
extra or change the topic quickly, even if it's not
strongly connected to what we were talking about before. For example,
if you're talking with a coworker about a project and
suddenly remember something important, you might say, by the way,
did you send the report to the accounting department? Or
when you're chatting with a friend about weekend plans, you
might add, ah, by the way, I heard Jack is
having a party this weekend. Did you know. You can
also use by the way for small, polite additions to
a conversation, especially when you suddenly remember something like oh,
by the way, thanks for your help yesterday. By the
way is very common in spoken English, but it's best
to used lightly, so the conversation doesn't feel jumpy. The
last one is before I forget. We use before I
forget when something suddenly pops into our head. Now we
want to say it right away, before we forget. It's
a polite way to interrupt or change the topic without
sounding rude. For example, if you're talking with a coworker
about a project and suddenly remember something important, you might say,
ah before I forget, can you send me the file
from yesterday? Or in a casual conversation with a friend,
you could say, ooh, before I forget, I wanted to
tell you that I bumped into Jenny at the deli
the other day. You can also use it at the
end of a conversation like oh, before I forget, don't
forget to bring your ID tomorrow. Before I forget sounds
natural and helpful, and it lets the listener know you're
interrupting for a good reason. So let's put these together.
We use that reminds me when the new topic is
loosely connected. We use speaking of when the connection is
clear and direct. We use by the way when we're
adding something extra or switching topics quickly. And finally, we
use ah before I forget when we suddenly remember something
important that we wanted to say. All four of these
phrases can help you change the topic politely and naturally,
without stopping the conversation or sounding rude. One important tip
to remember is that native speakers usually don't explain why
they're changing the topic. We just use one of these
phrases and keep talking. That's what makes conversation sound smooth
and natural. So try using them in your English conversations
this week. That's how you build real fluency. And keep
in mind the best way to remember English like this
and any other word or phrase in English, is to
take that word or phrase, write it in a sentence
that's true for you or true in your world, and
then memorize your sentences. Hey, thanks for listening, and remember
learning another language is not easy, but it's not impossible,
and I'm here to help you on your journey.
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English by leading us a review. Get English, Get Happy
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