When we write or send messages to friends, we use short, friendly phrases. We don't write long sentences like in a letter — we keep it short and casual. Here are some phrases you can use every day.

Starting a message:

• Hi! or Hey! — a casual hello to a friend
• How are you? — asking about your friend
• What are you doing? — asking about their plans

Asking questions and making plans:

• Do you want to come? — inviting a friend somewhere
• Are you free tonight? — asking about time
• Can you help me? — asking for help

Ending a message:

• See you later! — saying goodbye for now
• Talk soon! — I'll message you again
• Have a good day! — a friendly end
• Thanks! — thank you

Quick answers in messages:

• Yes, sure!
• No, sorry.
• Maybe later.
• Cool! or Great!

Remember: messages to friends are short. Use contractions like I'm, you're, don't, and can't. They make the message friendly and quick. Don't write long, formal sentences — keep it casual!

In English, friends often use very short messages. Sometimes a message is only one word: "Cool!" or "Thanks!" or "Yes!". Other times, a message is two or three short sentences. The important thing is to sound natural and friendly. Be careful: messages to your teacher or your boss are different from messages to your friends. With friends, you can be casual and relaxed.

Two friends are chatting online.

Say this question to invite a friend. Sound friendly!

Say this phrase to end a chat with a friend.

Tom and Emma are good friends. It is Saturday afternoon. Emma is at home, sitting on the sofa. She is writing a message to her friend Maya on her phone. Tom calls her. He wants to know what she is doing this evening.

Friends often write messages to each other to make plans. Maybe they want to meet for coffee, see a film at the cinema, or just talk. Messages to friends are short and friendly. We use simple phrases and contractions like 'I'm', 'we're', and 'let's'.

Listening strategy: Listen for key information When you listen to a conversation, don't try to understand every word. Listen for:

• Names of people and places (Emma, Tom, Maya, cinema)
• Time words (tonight, at seven, Saturday)
• Places (cinema, home, school)
• Activities (watching a film, meeting friends, writing a message)

These key words help you understand the main idea and the important details.

Before you listen, think: What do you do on Saturday afternoon? Do you write messages to your friends? Do you make plans with them? What is the best way to invite a friend to go out with you?

Listen to Emma and Tom talking on Saturday afternoon.

What is Emma doing at the start of the conversation?

The /θ/ sound is very important in English, and we use it a lot when we talk to friends. Words like think, thanks, and three all start with this sound. Many languages do not have this sound, so it can feel strange at first. But it is easy to learn!

To make the /θ/ sound, put the tip of your tongue between your teeth. The top of your tongue should touch the top of your bottom teeth. Then push air out gently. Do not use your voice — this is a "voiceless" sound. Your throat does not vibrate. The air comes out as a soft hiss.

Do not say "t" (your tongue goes behind your teeth, inside your mouth) or "f" (your top teeth touch your bottom lip). For /θ/, keep your tongue between your teeth and push the air out. Look in a mirror when you practise — you can see your tongue!

This sound is very common in friendly messages. When you say "Thanks!" to a friend, you use /θ/. When you say "See you Thursday!", you also use it. So learning this sound helps you sound more natural in English. Many people from different countries have problems with this sound at first. Don't worry! With practice, your tongue learns the right position.

Here are six common English words with the /θ/ sound:

Practice saying each word out loud. Put your tongue between your teeth, push air out, and then add the vowel and the rest of the word. Listen to the sound, then try it yourself!

How to make the /θ/ sound: 1) Put the tip of your tongue between your teeth (touching the top of your bottom teeth). 2) Push air out gently — do not use your voice. 3) Your throat does not vibrate. 4) The air makes a soft hiss. Practise in front of a mirror!

Say the word 'think'. Remember: tongue between teeth, no voice, push air out.

Say the word 'thanks'. Use it when a friend helps you. Tongue between teeth!

Say 'Thursday'. It's the name of a day — useful for messages to friends. Tongue between teeth at the start!

When you read a short message from a friend, you don't need to read every word slowly. You can use a strategy called skimming. Skimming means reading quickly to get the main idea — the most important information.

Strategy: Skimming for gist When you skim a message:

1. Read the first sentence. It often tells you the topic.
2. Look for names of people and places.
3. Look for time words (today, tonight, tomorrow, Saturday).
4. Look for question marks (?) — these are questions.
5. Look for exclamation marks (!) — these show feelings.

Don't stop at words you don't know. Try to understand the general meaning first. You can read it again later for details.

Reading messages from friends is a useful skill. In real life, you get many messages every day — on WhatsApp, on Messenger, on your phone. You need to read them quickly. You don't read every message slowly like a book. You skim them.

Key words for this message:

Here is a message from Sara to her friend Maya. Read it quickly. What is the main idea? Is Sara busy or free? What does she want Maya to do? When do they want to meet? Look for the key words from the table above. They will help you understand the message faster.

Sara's message to Maya:

Hi Maya,

How are you? I'm fine, thanks. I'm at home today. It's Saturday and I'm free tonight. Do you want to come to the cinema with me? There's a new comedy at the Town Cinema. It starts at seven o'clock.

I think it's funny. Are you free tonight? Do you want to come with me? Please say yes!

See you at seven!

Sara

Skim the message quickly. What is the main idea? Who is writing? What do they want to do? When?

What is Sara's message mainly about?

When you send a message to a friend, or talk to a friend on the phone, you can use short, friendly phrases. These phrases are casual and relaxed. They help you sound natural in English.

Useful phrases for messages and chats:

Tips for speaking:

• Speak slowly and clearly.
• Use contractions: 'I'm', 'you're', 'let's'.
• Smile when you speak — it makes your voice sound friendly.
• Don't worry about mistakes. Friends understand you!

Speaking a foreign language with a friend can feel difficult at first. But remember: your friend wants to understand you. They are not looking for perfect grammar. They want to hear your message.

When you speak, you can:

• Use simple sentences
• Use contractions like 'I'm', 'don't', 'let's'
• Use question words: what, where, when, who
• Say 'Sorry?' if you don't understand
• Say 'Can you say that again, please?'

In the next steps, you will: listen to a model conversation, read the key phrase, speak the phrases out loud, and have a live conversation with the AI. Take your time. Speak clearly. Have fun!

Listen to this short model conversation. Then you will say the phrases yourself.

Say this phrase to start a chat with a friend. Sound friendly and relaxed.

Say this question to ask a friend about their plans. Don't forget the contraction 'are you'!

A message to a friend is short, friendly, and casual. Look at this message from Sara to her friend Maya:

Hi Maya,

How are you? I'm at home today. It's Saturday and I'm free tonight. Do you want to come to the cinema with me? The new film starts at seven. It's a comedy. I love comedies!

See you at seven!

Sara

This message is about 55 words. It is short and friendly. It has:

• A greeting: "Hi Maya,"
• A question: "How are you?"
• News: "I'm at home today. It's Saturday and I'm free tonight."
• An invitation: "Do you want to come to the cinema with me?"
• Details: time (seven), type of film (comedy)
• A friendly end: "See you at seven!"

Strategy: Using contractions In English, we use contractions in friendly messages. A contraction is two words joined together with an apostrophe ('). Contractions make your message sound friendly and natural — not formal or stiff.

Look at Sara's message. She uses 'I'm' three times and 'It's' twice. That's 5 contractions in 55 words! This is normal in English messages to friends.

Other good writing tips:

• Start with "Hi" + your friend's name
• Use a comma after the name
• Use short sentences
• Use contractions
• End with "See you..." or "Talk soon!"
• Sign with your first name

Now you can write your own message. Try to use 3–4 contractions!

Writing strategy: Use contractions in friendly messages. Contractions (I'm, it's, you're, don't, can't) make your message sound friendly and natural. They are two words joined with an apostrophe. In the model, Sara uses 'I'm' and 'It's' many times. When YOU write a message, try to use at least 3 contractions.

Which sentence is the best for a friendly message to a friend?

Now write your own short message to a friend. Invite them to do something with you tonight. Try to use 3 contractions (I'm, it's, don't, etc.). When you finish, read your message aloud. Practise: 'See you later!'