Small Talk Englisch

like your mother.
I've had it! I've tried everything this year, but my tomatoes are not doing well at all.
Let's play it by ear when I come and cut your lawn. A storm's brewing.
I just don't know when to tender my garden. The weather has been so bad, it's not fit to turn a dog out.
If you talk to your plants, they'll grow better. – To each his / her own.
This year my pumpkins are really not doing well. I have no clue what's happening.
If the drought continues, this may have serious consequences for my garden.
Be that as it may, I assure you that I can taste the difference between homegrown tomatoes and the ones from the store.
I dare say that my neighbor's herbal garden needs major work to be done.
So far so good. My potatoes were not hit by the Colorado beetle.
Rose-bushes are supposed to be cut in autumn, but experience has taught me they'll blossom better after a springtime cut.
No home gardener likes snails among the lettuce plants, neither do I.
My neighbor always shows off with his really fancy rakes. I still use Grandpa's and that does the job.
Not every gardener believes in adding dung / manure to his vegetables.
    Pets / Haustiere
    Wie viele Haustiere auf der ganzen Welt gehalten werden, wird man wohl nicht genau beziffern können. Doch muss es sich um Millionen von Tieren handeln. Diese kleinen Freunde sind ein beliebtes Small Talk Thema; gerade Hundebesitzer schließen über ihren collie, German shepherd, poodle oder dachshund schnell Kontakte.
    Example
    Mr Miller walks his dog Max, a dalmatian, every day at 5 o'clock in the morning. They usually meet Mrs. Smith with her Irish setter in the park and have a chat. Mr Miller: How are you today? You are not going to believe this but I had to call the veterinarian emergency last night. My dog was playing with his ball when he started to choke and whine.
    Mrs Smith: Oh no! That sounds terrible. What had happened?
    Mr Miller: Well. There was a little pebble stuck to the ball and my dog must have bitten on that. Everything is fine now, thank God.
Useful phrases
Oh dear! My new neighbor is a dogfancier He's got five dogs and three puppies.
I really like the new kennel. They take very good care of the animals.
Did you see the ad? They just came out with a new bird seed.
My family has to talk over what new pet to get: a tortoise or a rabbit.
It couldn't have been better! When we took our grandchildren to the zoo, the chickens were just hatching.
    Sports and Cars / Sport und Autos
    Sport und Autos sind schon lange keine Männerdomäne mehr: In den USA sind die cheerleaders längst nicht mehr die einzigen Frauen im Baseball- oder Basketballstadium. Frauenteams gewinnen die renommierte Rallye Paris-Dakar und im Breitensport Golf treten Frauen ebenso bei Wettkämpfen an, wie sie es schon seit Jahren im Tennis oder im Reitsport tun.
    Neben Politik und Wirtschaft werden wenig Themen so international diskutiert wie der Sport: Man stößt dabei auf hohe Identifikationsbereitschaft und das ist immer eine gute Voraussetzung für Small Talk. Dank weltweiter Fernsehübertragungen von internationalen Wettkämpfen wie den Autorennen in Monza oder Monte-Carlo, den world championships (Weltmeisterschaften) in den diversen Sportgattungen oder den Olympic Games / The Olympics (Olympischen Spielen) gibt es endlosen Gesprächsstoff.
    In den USA werden insbesondere baseball und football – nicht zu verwechseln mit unserem Fussball, der im Amerikanischen Englisch soccer heißt, diskutiert. Die NBA National Basketball-Liga und der Superbowl sind abendfüllende Small Talk Themen. In Großbritannien erfüllen das Golfen und das Polo-Spiel eine ähnlich kommunikative Funktion.
    Example
    Larry and Peter are both very much into sports. They watch every soccer and basketball game on TV. In addition, they are both great tennis players and keep their bodies in shape.
    Larry: Hi Peter, this is Larry calling. Did you watch the basketball game? It was a close game and quite nerve wracking, up to the very last minute.
    Are we still on to do our family day at the stadium?
    Peter: It's fine with us. We could first watch the game, then have a picnic in the park and play baseball and basketball with our children.
    Peter: That sounds like a marvellous idea. By the way, my youngest daughter just made the softball little league. In her first game she even hit her first homerun. She is so excited, you can't imagine.
    Larry: That's terrific. I've told you before that she has a feel for the ball. I guess she