Short, convenient, incredibly effective and natural when used properly, the phrases we’d like to teach you in this post are meant to elevate your English conversations to a new level. So, read on and converse more naturally than ever before.

Note that all the conversations provided as examples below, as well as the phrases we are focusing on, are informal.

Phrase	Meaning	Example
That figures	It’s not surprising	A: He forgot the meeting again. B: That figures. He often does.
Beats me	I don’t know	A: How do we get to the airport in time? The traffic is awful! B: Beats me.
Suit yourself	Do whatever you want It’s up to you	A: I think we should go to the beach. B: I’m not really in the mood. A: Suit yourself.
No kidding	Really? I can’t believe it	A: He’s actually moving to Paris! B: No kidding? That’s incredible!
No way	I can’t believe it That’s impossible	A: She’s got a new job after just a week of job hunting. B: No way! Is that even possible?
Good point	That’s a valid observation	A: We should leave early to avoid traffic. B: Good point. Let’s do that.
Makes sense	That is reasonable	A: Jane is not coming because she’s sick. B: That makes sense.
Whatever	It doesn’t matter	A: Do you want chicken or fish for dinner? B: Whatever. I’m fine with anything.
No big deal	It’s not a problem	A: Sorry I’m late. B: No big deal. We just got started.
Sounds good to me	I agree It seems fine	A: How about we meet at 3? B: Sounds good to me.
What a shame	That’s unfortunate	A; I lost my wallet. B: What a shame!
Too bad	What a shame	A: They cancelled the show. B: Too bad, I was really looking forward to it.
You’ve got this	You can do it You’re capable	A: I’m nervous about the presentation. B: Don’t worry. You’ve got this.
My bad	My mistake I’m sorry	A: You forgot to send the email. B: Oh, my bad. I’ll do it right now.
Bummer	That’s disappointing / unfortunate	A: We missed the last bus. B: Bummer. We’ll have to wait get home by taxi.

Practice

Exercise 1. Click the link here and match the parts of the phrases.

Exercise 2. Click the link here and match the phrases to their meanings.

If you found this article useful, you might want to check out our articles ‘How to Express Disbelief’ and ‘How to Cheer Someone Up in English,’ as they feature additional phrases to enrich your vocabulary.