To do a dry month means to not drink any alcohol during that month.
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I am not a big drinker, but learning English helps me still be a part of the fun.
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SBS acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country and their connections and continuous care for the skies, lands and waterways throughout Australia.
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You're at a party. Everyone is laughing, clinking glasses, and wishing your friend a happy birthday. You came to her party, even though you have an early start tomorrow. You don't want to drink, but you still want to enjoy the party. I'm Josipa, and in this episode, we are practicing how to politely say no to a drink without spoiling the fun.
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So, Alan is topping up everyone's wine, and Claire, well, Claire had enough for now.
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Want another glass? No thanks, I'm pacing myself. Don't want to have one too many. You
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sure? It's a special occasion. Go on, let your hair down.
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I've been wining and dining a lot lately. I'll skip this one.
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Fair enough. I'll be on dry month soon, but cheers in the meantime.
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Claire really kept her cool there.
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When you keep your cool, you stay calm and don't get upset or nervous even when things get difficult or awkward. She really didn't want another glass of wine, but she also didn't want to seem impolite. Let's see how she did it first, she said.
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No thanks, I'm pacing myself. Don't want to have one too many.
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I'm pacing myself. If you're pacing yourself, you're taking things slowly so that you don't get too tired, too full, or in this case, drink too much. You're being careful and managing your own limits. You're pacing yourself. You could also say.
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I'm taking it slow.
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And that would mean the same thing. Claire also said.
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I don't want to have one too many.
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It means that you don't want to drink more alcohol than you can handle. To have one too many means having just a little too much, enough to feel tipsy. When you are tipsy, you feel a little lightheaded and a bit unsteady. It's that funny, happy feeling after a small amount of alcohol, but before you're fully drunk. You're tipsy.
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When I'm tipsy, I try to keep my cool because it's so easy to have one too many in those moments. Wouldn't you agree?
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Allan then said,
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You sure? It's a special occasion. Go on, let your hair down.
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To let your hair down is to relax and enjoy yourself, especially if you have been careful or serious for a while. We use the phrase go on when we are trying to encourage someone to do something. In this case, to accept the offer of a drink. I, I work hard, so when I'm on holidays, I let my hair down, but not too much.
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I mean, I like to relax, but even when I'm having fun, I try not to go overboard. That's another way of saying we don't drink too much.
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I've been wining and dining a lot lately. I'll skip this one.
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Whining and dining means eating fancy meals and often drinking wine, usually at restaurants or special events.
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So Claire said that she'll skip another drink this time. She doesn't want any more alcohol. Another way to politely say no when someone is offering you a drink is.
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I'll sit this one out, or
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I'll give this one a miss. At the end of the dialogue, we heard Alan say.
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I'll be on dry month soon, but cheers in the meantime.
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A dry month is a period, usually a whole month, when someone chooses not to drink alcohol at all.
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People might do this for health reasons, as a personal challenge or simply to take a break. After the holidays, I always do a dry month to recover from the partying I do on my holidays. It makes me feel, I don't know, healthier. What about you? Let's say that you never ever drink alcohol. When out at a party or a restaurant and someone offers you alcohol, you can say.
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I'm sorry, I don't drink.
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Or uh I keep to soft drinks.
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Soft drinks are non-alcoholic drinks, usually fizzy or sweet, like soda, juice, lemonade, or sparkling water. You could also say,
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I'm on a permanent dry spell.
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This is a playful way to say that you never drink alcohol. A dry spell usually means a period without something, often rain or luck. But you can use it to say that you are not drinking alcohol at all.
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There are lots of ways to politely refuse a drink.
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And now we have some tools. So let's listen carefully to Alan and Claire, and let's pay attention because soon we'll get a chance to repeat after them.
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Want another glass? No thanks, I'm pacing myself. Don't want to have one too many.
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You sure? It's a special occasion. Go on, let your hair down.
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I've been wining and dining a lot lately. I'll skip this one.
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Fair enough. I'll be on dry Month soon, but cheers in the meantime.
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It's time to practice. See if you remember the meaning before hearing the answer. What does it mean to keep your cool?
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To keep your cool means to stay calm and don't get upset or nervous, even when things get difficult.
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What does it mean to let your hair down?
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To let your hair down means to relax and enjoy yourself, especially after being careful or serious for a while.
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Now, let's repeat after Alan and Claire, some phrases we can use to say no to having more drinks.
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No thanks, I'm pacing myself.
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I'm taking it slow.
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I don't want to have one too many.
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I'll sit this one out.
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You can practice your speaking skills more by pressing play on our bonus episode. You can also see all the phrases we use on our website, SBS.com.au/learnEnglish. Don't forget to check out our socials. We are on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. Just search for SBS Learn English. I'm Josipa. Thank you for learning English with me today.
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