By Robby Kukurs
If you are new here please read this first.
There are plenty of phrase-lists published on this blog – starting from phrases using the word “thing” and ending with small talk phrases which has actually turned out to be the most popular article on this blog!
This time around let’s look at something that would come in handy for every single foreign English speaker out there. Well, it’s not that those other phrases wouldn’t be useful for everybody, it’s just that I’m trying to point out the fact that the phrases we’re going to look at today can be definitely used by all of us at least once a week!
Why once a week?
Well, guess what – Friday happens once a week, and for as long as you’ve got some work colleagues to talk to, you can always make sure to use this Friday phraseology to the best of your ability!
So, without further ado, let’s start looking at the different Friday expressions you’ll be able to use at work – and not only!
Thank God it’s Friday! – this is the most popular Friday-related English phrase, and I’m pretty sure that you’ve heard it before, right? In any case, it would be totally unfair to exclude this phrase from the list, so I decided to start the list with this one. And in case you’re wondering in what situations you can actually use this phrase, the simple answer is – you can use it as a small talk phrase to start a conversation! You wouldn’t probably use it as the very first sentence, however, you can most definitely throw this phrase at someone as a passing comment, and that person in turn will most likely say something in return which will get the conversation going.
Happy Friday! – does this phrase sound too simple to be even considered as a valid English phrase? Well, don’t be fooled by the appearances! While this two word phrase is indeed simple enough, please don’t underestimate what you can do with it! Why not make it your habit to greet people at work by saying “Happy Friday” instead of using the typical expressions such as “Good morning” or “Hello, how are you?” Even if you’re the only one who does that, don’t be discouraged, don’t be afraid of sounding a bit different.
I can’t believe it’s Friday already! – this is another conversation starter phrase, and you wouldn’t believe the type of conversations you can have as a result of such a simple opening phrase. You just have to say something along the lines of: “Hey Jim, I can’t believe it’s Friday already, isn’t that great?” – and Jim is going to respond with something that will keep the conversation going: “Yeah Max, it feels like it was Monday just yesterday! Did you get much done this week?”
Have you got any plans for the weekend? – if we keep the imaginary Jim and Max’s conversation going, this is something Max could tell Jim as a response. And of course, this English expression can also be used very well as a conversation starter in its own right. Just bear in mind this type of phrase would be typically used towards the Friday afternoon as the weekend would be approaching fast at that stage, and people would be generally chatting about the upcoming weekend plans.
I love that Friday feeling! – another passing comment you can make in relation to the fact that today is Friday, and most likely whoever you speak to, will share the same type of enthusiasm with you. We all love Fridays – unless, of course, someone happens to be working on an odd shift starting on a Friday which would then be their Monday. Such odd shifts aside, it’s pretty safe to say that you’ll be loved for spreading the Friday cheer around the workplace, so please, don’t hesitate to let everyone know that you love that Friday feeling! Who knows, someone might even ask you if you want to join them for a few Friday drinks after work as a response to that!
Wanna go for a drink after work? – do you want to be the person who offers someone to have a few drinks after a hard week’s work? Then this phrase is your friend! And obviously, you can slightly alter this expression to better suit the situation. “Wanna go for a few beers after work?”, “Wanna grab a beer after work?” – depending on who you’re speaking with, you may choose slightly different wording.
I wish everyday was Friday! – another phrase you might say just for the sake of it, and believe me – it wouldn’t be just a waste of time if you decided to say this to someone out of the blue. It would actually be a great way of making the Friday feeling even better, so add this phrase to your array of Friday related English phrases and put a smile on someone’s face this Friday!
Are we finishing early this Friday? – you probably wouldn’t be using this phrase on a Friday; this is something you’d say earlier in the week, however, this is still Friday related so I also added this expression to this list. As you may know, there are jobs where people might be allowed to go home a bit early, so this is what you’d ask your colleague if you’re unsure of whether or not you’ll be allowed to go home early on Friday.
See you Monday! – and finally we’ve come to the typical goodbye phrase that you’d use when parting with your colleagues on a Friday afternoon. While this is also a very simple phrase, I strongly believe it deserves its place on this list. Also, please notice that the word “on” is missing from this phrase – typically you’d say “see you ON Monday”, however, it’s not the case this time around. “How so?” you may be wondering? Well, guess what – this is a less formal expression, and we can actually drop the “on” and simply say “See you Monday!”
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