Birthday parties

Birthday parties

Listen to a conversation about birthday parties between three friends to practise and improve your listening skills.

Do the preparation task first. Then listen to the audio and do the exercises.

Preparation

Transcript

Marco: The big four-oh, Charles!

Dora: Oh!! It's your 40th!

Marco: Are you planning a party?

Charles: Nah, I never celebrate birthdays. I don't see why this one should be any different.

Dora: Why not?

Charles: First, you know me, I can't be bothered with the hassle. It's my birthday but I'm supposed to do all the hard work – contacting people, finding a venue, organising food, worrying who will show up. No, thanks.

Marco: Ah, someone's angling for a surprise party, eh, Dora? 

Charles: Marco, stop! Even worse. Having to pretend to be delighted 50 people just sprang up in your living room when you thought you were coming home to put your feet up. Probably having a heart attack at the shock.

Dora: Note to self: never to organise you a surprise party. OK then!

Marco: You've got to do something, though, Charles. It's your 40th.

Charles: Why? What's so great about getting old?

Dora: Er … still being here to have your birthday?

Marco: Yeah, 'Ageing is better than the alternative', as they say.

Dora: Yeah, and it's true – so why not celebrate?

Charles: You guys can have parties for your 40ths if you like. I just don't go in for that kind of self-indulgent attention-seeking.

Dora: Wow, that's a bit harsh! I had a huge bash for my 30th. And you came. And enjoyed yourself if I recall. Are you trying to say I was just doing it for attention?

Charles: Not exactly … but … well … at least a small part of you must have been.

Dora: Remind me not to invite you to my 40th then, so you won't have to put up with my huge ego while I feed you and provide free drinks all night because I thought we were friends. 

Charles: I meant, er, I mean, not all attention-seeking is bad. It's just not my style is all.

Dora: Whereas it is mine?

Marco: Anyway ...

Charles: I didn't say that!

Dora: Er, yes, yes, you did. You said celebrating birthdays is self-indulgent and ...

Marco: Guys, guys! Who knew birthdays was such a touchy subject? Speaking of which, I have to sort out my nine-year-old’s party the weekend after next.

Charles: Now, that's a party I'd love to organise.

Marco: Really? It's a nightmare. It's not like when we were kids. Now you have to take them all rock-climbing or hire a make-up artist to come and teach them how to look like a zombie or a film star. And there'd be trouble if someone else in school had the same kind of party and your kid gets accused of copying. That fear you said about no one turning up? It's a million times worse when you're scared your kid is going to have no one turn up.

Charles: Is there that much pressure?

Marco: Yeah, it's crazy. Last year, I got it right with a cinema trip. Simple, but always a winner. But we can't do the same thing again apparently. It says it in my 'Official Laws for 9-Year-Olds' book.

Charles: That's a pity. I've got so many fond memories of birthday parties as a kid. Party food and games and watching cartoons until your parents arrived.

Marco: Trust me, your parents were stressing out!

Dora: At the risk of restarting the argument, when do you think you stopped enjoying birthdays then?

Charles: I dunno really … somewhere around moving away from home and getting a job and being a grown-up. I don't mean birthdays are immature. I mean, it takes a while to make new friends and so birthdays just become more low-key and it's drinks with a couple of friends or dinner or something. And I just got out of the habit, I guess. Maybe I just need to have a kids-style party like we used to have! Play musical chairs and eat pineapple and cheese on sticks and all that.

Dora: Very retro. I bet people would love that.

Marco: Yeah, they would. Well, I would anyway. And maybe it'll catch on with my kids and it'll start a new party trend.

Charles: You've got me thinking … it's not a terrible idea. Maybe I will have a party this year!

Discussion

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Average: 4.6 (25 votes)

Submitted by kawa on Fri, 01/05/2020 - 15:36

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celebrating a birthday, from my perspective, is an important occasion in human life like any other personal occasion such as a wedding, graduation from the university, however; when it becomes like a religious ceremony which should be celebrated every year I'm not for it. I assume it would be better if a person celebrates his or her birthday just in the years that he/she achieved his/her goals, graduated from the university, so one can feel that he/ she at least accomplished in that especial year something.

Submitted by Diegoratti90 on Thu, 23/04/2020 - 08:08

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Birthday Party is a touchy argument for a lot of people. The lowdown Idea among teenagers lastly in Italy, is to throw a party and dinner in some place, for example in a Pizzeria, where the partied ask other people to pay for themselves the dinner! I have always hated that idea since the fact I have to pay something like 15€ for the dinner and again 10€for the birthday present. It is not too much when you work, but it is annoying and a trouble when you are a student! what do you thing?

Submitted by MORDOCAI on Tue, 21/04/2020 - 23:11

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I don't like birthdays. I never celebrate my birthday.

Submitted by Milton2020 on Sun, 23/02/2020 - 06:56

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I often celebrated my birthdays when i was a kid, nowadays im 25 years old and i like party yet but the things is not like before, the animation to organize a party is not the same and thinking in the effort who need to do become begin something.

Submitted by Israa Moha on Fri, 14/02/2020 - 13:18

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In my hometown people rarely to make birthday parties. They believe it is a bad idea to make a party for someone just because he was born in that day, also I think for financial reasons. My grandfathers hadn't been celebrated in this day.

Submitted by hrahmani on Mon, 27/01/2020 - 16:04

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I doubt if I enjoy celebrating my birthday. The first reason is that I do not like being at the centre of the attention, especially when I have not done anything important. I mean it is a date of the calendar that repeats once a year even if I am the worst human being on the earth. Furthermore, I have hard time to convince myself that my birthday is an important event for a celebration. Therefore, I find it a day like other days of the year in the calendar! My mother tried a few times to motivate me to go for it but she could not succeed. Finally, she gave it up observing my lack of motivation!

Submitted by Mozani on Fri, 20/12/2019 - 14:27

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In my country, birthdays aren't often taken so seriously. Whenever some people of different ages don't want to celebrate their birthday, it's up to them. I wouldn't mind really.

Submitted by Mahmoud Samir on Mon, 09/12/2019 - 17:15

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i think birthday is not the terrible thing that we should carry about, the idea is to make people happier and much connected to each other; besides the blessing moments that couldn't be forgotten later

Submitted by HelianG on Thu, 05/12/2019 - 19:26

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I don't like birthdays overall,neither celebrate my own birthday nor someone's else,I think birthdays are embarrassing,I'd rather stay at home like a normal day.