📅 Saturday, March 21 · Evening Session · Topic: Casual Conversation & Social Situations ⏱ ~20 minutes · 🎯 Intermediate
📖 Word of the Day
catch up /kætʃ ʌp/
🇻🇳 Vietnamese: Gặp gỡ để nói chuyện sau thời gian xa cách; cập nhật tin tức cho nhau
Part of speech: Phrasal verb (also used as noun: “a catch-up”)
🎤 Pronunciation Guide
- catch — /kætʃ/ — giống “cắt” nhưng thêm “ch” ở cuối
- up — /ʌp/ — nguyên âm ngắn, giống “ắp”
▶️ Watch & Listen:
- Cambridge Dictionary — “catch up”
- YouGlish — hear “catch up” in real context
- Rachel’s English — Phrasal Verbs Pronunciation
Example Sentences
- “We should catch up over coffee sometime — it’s been months!”
- “Let me catch you up on what happened in last week’s sprint.”
- “It was so nice catching up with the team at the company retreat.”
📋 Vocabulary Table
| Phrase | Vietnamese Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Long time no see! | Lâu quá không gặp! | ”Long time no see! How have you been?” |
| What have you been up to? | Dạo này bạn làm gì vậy? | ”Hey! What have you been up to lately?” |
| I’m swamped | Tôi đang bận tới mức ngập đầu | ”Sorry I haven’t replied — I’ve been totally swamped.” |
| That means a lot | Điều đó có ý nghĩa rất lớn với tôi | ”Thank you for saying that, it really means a lot.” |
| No worries at all | Không sao cả / Không có gì đâu | ”You’re late? No worries at all — grab a seat!” |
🎤 Pronunciation Practice
Read this sentence aloud 3 times. Focus on natural rhythm — stress the key words, not every word:
“We should grab coffee and catch up — it feels like forever since we last hung out!”
🔍 Focus points:
- “grab coffee” — link the two words: “grab-coffee”
- “catch up” — stress on “catch,” not “up”
- “hung out” — natural /ʌ/ sound: “hung” rhymes with “rung”
- Use rising intonation on “catch up” to sound enthusiastic
▶️ Check yourself: Speechling — record and compare | Elsa Speak app
✏️ Mini Exercises
Exercise 1: Fill in the blank
Complete these casual messages. Use words from today’s lesson:
1. “Hey! _______ no see! How’s life been treating you?”
2. “Sorry I missed your call — I’ve been totally _______ with the product launch.”
3. “We should _______ soon. Maybe dinner this weekend?”
4. “Thank you for the feedback — _______ a lot, seriously.”
✅ Answers (click to reveal)
- Long time no see!
- I’ve been totally swamped
- We should catch up soon.
- That means a lot, seriously.
Exercise 2: Translate to Natural English
Translate these Vietnamese sentences. Try NOT using Google Translate — use only the vocabulary from today!
1. “Lâu quá không gặp! Dạo này bạn làm gì vậy?”
2. “Mình đang bận kinh khủng với dự án mới, nhưng muốn gặp bạn lắm.”
3. “Cảm ơn đã support mình — điều đó thực sự có ý nghĩa nhiều lắm.”
✅ Sample Answers
- “Long time no see! What have you been up to lately?”
- “I’m totally swamped with the new project, but I’d love to catch up.”
- “Thanks for your support — that really means a lot to me.”
Exercise 3: Speaking Challenge 🎙️
Set a 60-second timer. Say 3 sentences using today’s vocabulary — as if you’re texting a friend you haven’t seen in a while. Record yourself if possible.
Template to get started:
“Hey [friend name]! Long time no see — what have you been up to? I’ve been [situation], but let’s [plan]. It would be great to catch up!”
💡 Idiom of the Day
”Bite off more than you can chew”
🇻🇳 Vietnamese: Cắn nhiều hơn mình có thể nhai → Nhận quá nhiều việc so với khả năng
Usage: When you (or someone) takes on more responsibility than you can handle.
Examples:
- “I volunteered to lead 3 projects this quarter — I definitely bit off more than I could chew.”
- “Don’t bite off more than you can chew — finish the MVP first.”
- “She bit off a bit too much, but she delivered in the end — respect!”
Similar expressions:
- “Spread yourself too thin” = dàn trải, làm quá nhiều thứ cùng lúc
- “Overcommit” = cam kết quá nhiều
🎬 Recommended Watching (15 min)
Practice your listening comprehension:
- 📺 BBC Learning English — Everyday Phrases — informal English for real situations
- 📺 Rachel’s English — Linking Words — why native speakers sound “fast”
- 📺 English with Lucy — Social Situations — conversations for everyday life
📊 Progress Tracker
| Session | Topic | Status |
|---|---|---|
| ☀️ Morning (7am) | Technical: API, deploy, refactor | ✅ Done |
| 🌤️ Noon (1pm) | AI/ML: agent, prompt, inference | ✅ Done |
| 🌙 Evening (7pm) | Social: catch up, swamped, hang out | 📍 You are here |
This week’s streak: 🔥 Day 21 · Keep going!
🎯 Weekend Challenge
Before Monday, try one of these:
- Write a WhatsApp message to a real friend — entirely in English, using “catch up” and one other phrase from today
- Watch 10 min of an English show without subtitles — just listen for phrases you recognized today
- Record yourself saying today’s pronunciation practice sentence and listen back
Chúc Thuan một buổi tối cuối tuần vui vẻ! 🌙 Consistent practice beats intense cramming — even 20 minutes a day moves the needle.
🗓️ Next lesson: Sunday Morning — Weekly Review drops at 7:00 AM.