Stories · part 1 — you’ll never guess

Hook a listener and set the scene for a story.

つかみと場面設定で物語を語り始められるようになりましょう。

Key English phrases

You'll never guess what happened.
So, there I was, ~.
Out of the blue, ~.
And that's not even the best part.

Example conversation

AYou'll never guess what happened to me yesterday.
BGo on, tell me!
ASo, there I was, queuing for coffee, when out of the blue, my old boss walks in.
BNo way! What did he say?
AHe offered me a job on the spot. And that's not even the best part —
BDon't leave me hanging!

In context

You'll never guess what happened to me last weekend. So, there I was, just queuing for coffee, minding my own business, when out of the blue, a man tapped my shoulder — it was a friend I'd lost touch with ten years ago! We started chatting, and that's not even the best part: it turned out he'd just moved onto my street. Some coincidences are too good to make up. What's the strangest thing that's happened to you?

When to use it · practice

You have a great story for Drew. Hook him with the opener and set the scene.
Drewに話したい面白い話があります。つかみで引きこみ、場面を設定しましょう。
Add a twist. Introduce the surprise.
ひねりを加えましょう。サプライズを登場させましょう。
Build suspense. Tease that there's more.
期待を高めましょう。「まだ続きがある」とにおわせましょう。

Practice this for real

Say these phrases out loud with instant pronunciation feedback tuned for Japanese speakers.

Practice this lesson →Free 2-min level check Start free