English conversation

[belvedere]

my dear friends!
for me it's a no sense to open another thread to speak about serious topics. but i understand that natives here are bored... i speak english just a bit....(and others too)...
Here we can do everything we wish: that's our "private" session...
Melissa, i think different by you: i'm awaiting for spring and i hope it's more warm early..
i often say "i'm like a tree: when the spring is arriving i feel my body changing and sprouting!"

 

[LucaXY]

Hey boys ,

there's also the possibility of open a group (how do we call it?) where we can open threads on each topic that we want (in addition to this thread, obviously, where we have a free conversation).

Shall I "create" a group?

If yes, with witch name?

 

[elena_11293]

I'm wondering if you folks who are participating in this conversation in English might be interested in a "goal-based" conversation? I was thinking of descriptions of your gardens/balconies/pots on windowsills, that is, whatever and wherever you're growing plants. I'm a native English speaker (U.S.), by the way.

Nice to meet you, Melissa
I agree with you, talking about something we are interested in will be of help.


I just read about all of your gardens and plants, an enjoyable reading.

As for my garden, the first thing I have to say is that it still needs a lot of work. This was my grandparents' (from my mom's side) house and used to be a very nice place. But when they both passed away we couldn't spend much time taking care of it, so it became a little messy. Also, last year we had to dig all around the house to lay some big pipes and re-do the pathwalks, it was sort of a building site... no more grass, and stones everywhere, aww Sometimes I don't even know from where to start, since I should do it all by myself.
Anyway, the vegetable garden my grandad used to grow has gone by now, in the neighbours' yard there are some big birch tress whose roots reached our property and there's no way to grow anything anynmore.
There're still some fruit trees, a young cherry tree, two fig trees, an old persimmon, an apricot tree that is gorgeous in Spring when it blooms but so far has made only a few fruits, a plum tree that is very generous with that but is sick and I don't know if we manage to save it. And some old grape plants (it's 'uva fragola', yummy!).
As for flowers, there're lots of bulbs: especially daffodils, hyacinths and tulips. I'm looking forward to seeing the first ones! Then, there're a few plants of roses and many of hydrangeas: this is a vid of them I took in 2010, enjoy!

[video=youtube;AMyIc6_sDLI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMyIc6_sDLI[/video]

......I do not really understand your proposal.

I think that 'suggestion' would be a better choice, here. A 'proposal' is something formal, and what a guy does when he asks his girlfriend to marry him (he proposes). If she says yes, then they got engaged

........people who know well the language are here, I think that Elena would tell you lots of advice

Er... Actually, since Melissa is American, it's more likely that I could learn something from her

.........Exactly. Our professor has refused to let us learn them because he believes it's a waste of time; you learn them speaking and communicating.

That's just what I decided to do, because I don't really like learning things by heart. I find that passive learning is quite effective, in the long run.

......I'm a native of Florida (north Florida) and also lived for a decade in western Washington state. As I recall Philadelphia has a stupendous art museum, but that's not likely to impress a European. And of course it was the capital during our Revolutionary War.

In 2003 I spent a month in New York (well, I was in Jersey City, actually, but it was easy reaching the city), and I took a one day trip to Philadephia. I so wanted to visit the Museum of Art, but it was closed that day I could admire only the beautiful building with its statues and mosaics.. and some tourists taking pictures as Stallone in Rocky, you know, the end of the 'Rocky steps' scene. It was funny However, I managed to see the Liberty Bell


[video=youtube;GWFjD_e9OAg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWFjD_e9OAg[/video]

[video=youtube;cEfHfp2kDBk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEfHfp2kDBk[/video]


I already asked about that to JP and Harma... what brought you here in Italy, Melissa? (if you feel like telling us, of course) I was going to move in the States, a few years ago, to help an American friend of mine with her business (she wanted to open a shop and sell Tuscan and other Italian gourmet products in San Francisco), but then we the economy problems we all know she had to postpone the whole thing and then I'm still here.

 

[elena_11293]

Hey boys ,

there's also the possibility of open a group (how do we call it?) where we can open threads on each topic that we want (in addition to this thread, obviously, where we have a free conversation).

Shall I "create" a group?

If yes, with witch name?

Sincerely, I wouldn't have time to follow a group or other threads.

 

[LucaXY]

Sincerely, I wouldn't have time to follow a group or other threads.

Well I mean, our "official" conversation remains here, the purpose of a group is secondary, maybe for talking about the design of a terrace, or a garden, or for asking advice about a special kind of plant, obviously totally in english.
Each of us can open a little "thread" for asking whatever we want (even sharing pictures...).
It's only a suggestion, we can also continue here.

 

[LucaXY]

Ok I've understood: let's remain here

 

[Harma]

Hi Elena we missed you!!!!I had the same story like you in Philadelphia,we went to the Art Museum but it was closed, and ofcourse we took some pictures:Rocky-style....I didn't like very much the centre of Philadelphia,it's so grey....I loved the murals in the poor part of Philadelpha,did you see them??? I love the way you write,it let me think to my daughter,even when she writes one simple phrase it's always special!!!

My husband(ex) met me in Holland,he was there on holiday,and after some month we went to Italy,my poor mammy,one daughter in America and one in Italy and her sister in Austria.When she was eighty she finished travelling around the world....

I prefer to remain in this thread,but ofcourse you can open some others but like Elena said:no time enough!!

 

[LucaXY]

Ok, then mission failed

Good evening

 

[jp60]

I think what Melissa meant was to talk about something in particular within this thread, not start another one. Her idea was to have a topic of conversation to keep things going.

Luca you can't say - boys - to cover all of us. I know in Italian it works that way, but not in English. We would probably say - 'Hello everyone' or as is often used in 'internet language' 'Hello peeps' (meaning people).

 

[Harma]

HELLO PEEPS.........That's very nice...I love it
Have a nice day.....I go work a little in my garden!!!!

 

[LucaXY]

I think what Melissa meant was to talk about something in particular within this thread, not start another one. Her idea was to have a topic of conversation to keep things going.

Luca you can't say - boys - to cover all of us. I know in Italian it works that way, but not in English. We would probably say - 'Hello everyone' or as is often used in 'internet language' 'Hello peeps' (meaning people).

I know it! (even in italian you can't say it, especially in a forum like this one) I was just joking, I perfectly know that you must use espression like: hello everyone, hello dear (not very widespread) or similar...
Usually when I talk to people with close relations I do not much care to use the correct expressions, perhaps is a big mistake :fifone2:

 

[belvedere]

hey everyone!
do you remember that today it's friday???
what are you going to do in this week end?
after the job i go to sanremo to visit my mum, my brother and my two sweet nieces.
when i stay there i don't think anything: i have much relax; i read a lot, i sleep more then usually... i enjoy to play with my mum's cat... in a word i spend all my time only for amusing things....
i hope you have too a good weekend...

 

[elena_11293]

I usually use 'guys', but I guess it's AE (American English)

Probably you are already there, Belvedere, however I wish you a nice relaxing weekend in Sanremo! What does your mom say about living there when there's the festival?

to all of you!!

 

[LucaXY]

Yeeees! Finally it's Friday. I wish you a wonderful week-end where you can relax and think that soon will begin a new long and stressful week

 

[Harma]

Hi Belvedere....have a nice weekend!!!!! I'am sure you heard about Guglielmo Libereso,I met him some years ago on a convention...Such a special person...

hey everyone!
do you remember that today it's friday???
what are you going to do in this week end?
after the job i go to sanremo to visit my mum, my brother and my two sweet nieces.
when i stay there i don't think anything: i have much relax; i read a lot, i sleep more then usually... i enjoy to play with my mum's cat... in a word i spend all my time only for amusing things....
i hope you have too a good weekend...

 

[MelissaP]

Hi folks!
("folks" is U.S. southern; "guys" Elena is right is good in the U.S., I don't know about GB)
You all have a nice weekend too! I'm going out to work in the garden, where it is HOT. I wish the weather would just be normal for a while. I still have lots of roses to prune, plus weeding, especially clumps of some very tough grass (or a grass-like plant) that I need to get out of the beds. I rather like this plant, but I don't want it to get into the peonies or the roses, because it's impossible to remove once established among their roots. Yesterday I finished pruning and tying 'Jaune Desprez', but am going to wait until next month to begin on my other few Noisettes, Tea-Noisettes, and climbing Teas.

LucaM,
language note: a while back you wrote "with witch name"---"witch" means "strega"; you meant "which": "with which name". "Which" and "witch" are pronounced the same, of course. English is a treacherous language.

Elena, your garden sounds like a lot of work, but I can tell you you're lucky to have trees already established. Most of our garden is planted on former grass meadows, extremely heavy compact soil, and trees and shrubs are very slow to start. I really look forward to the day when our shrubs will be taller than I am.
I hate trees with invasive roots. We suffer from our elms, a thoroughly wretched tree.

Melissa

 

[LucaXY]

Hi folks!
("folks" is U.S. southern; "guys" Elena is right is good in the U.S., I don't know about GB)
You all have a nice weekend too! I'm going out to work in the garden, where it is HOT. I wish the weather would just be normal for a while. I still have lots of roses to prune, plus weeding, especially clumps of some very tough grass (or a grass-like plant) that I need to get out of the beds. I rather like this plant, but I don't want it to get into the peonies or the roses, because it's impossible to remove once established among their roots. Yesterday I finished pruning and tying 'Jaune Desprez', but am going to wait until next month to begin on my other few Noisettes, Tea-Noisettes, and climbing Teas.

LucaM,
language note: a while back you wrote "with witch name"---"witch" means "strega"; you meant "which": "with which name". "Which" and "witch" are pronounced the same, of course. English is a treacherous language.

Elena, your garden sounds like a lot of work, but I can tell you you're lucky to have trees already established. Most of our garden is planted on former grass meadows, extremely heavy compact soil, and trees and shrubs are very slow to start. I really look forward to the day when our shrubs will be taller than I am.
I hate trees with invasive roots. We suffer from our elms, a thoroughly wretched tree.

Melissa

Write! This is the ideal period for pruning roses. Last year I did it on March, I was very late. So I decided not to grow too much roses anymore (at least for this year).
At Easter I've planned to prune the cherry tree in my house in the hill.
About invasive roots, it has already created many problems, including not to bear fruits (is it the correct espression?)!

 

[jp60]

Luca you don't need the 'it' in I know it'. 'I know' is sufficient. Of course you can use any expressions you like! Hello lads would be better than boys. There are many ways of greeting people in the UK too, hello luv is often used for women, hello mate for men. Up north they often use duck! Hello duck! Don't ask me why! Hello dear is used in the same way as 'cara' here.

Belvedere - after work, not after the job. You enjoy playing with the cat not to play. No infinitive after enjoy. I hope you have a great weekend. I love going home to stay with my parents! I can relax and talk and use the computer all day and go and buy plants and new clothes. I'm going home in March for a few days and I can't wait!

I'll be working in my garden this weekend (I hope no one turns up unexpectedly). There are a lot of weeds growing, unfortunately the snow doesn't kill them!

What are you all having for Sunday lunch? :food: Is it still a special lunch for you?

 

[Harma]

Hello peeps.....How are you.My holiday is finished.Big part of the week I spend in my garden,I love weeding and still I have to do a lot,also I spend a lot of time to look for a reflex(my first one)...may I'll go for a Canon...This summer I went with friends to visit Orticolario on the Como-lake It was beautiful and we bought a lot of plants ofcourse..We saw a nice natural bench...An irragular wooden plank rest on some trunks.My friends found the plank and today I'll go to pick it up.When it's ready I'll make a picture....For me sunday is a nice day because I have more time.....I open my fridge and invent something(I can do that because I live alone).When my sun with his family come for lunch I always cook a lot......

Elena ,I saw the moon smiling.....beautiful!!!!!!!!!!

 

[elena_11293]

Weeding time also here! I don't really like doing it that much, but with such a nice day I'm happy to spend time outdoors

Melissa, post some pic of your roses when you get a chance!

(..what about 'hey dudes!'? )