What topic will you talk to your SO family?

[MsMickey]

What topic will you talk to your SO family?
I will be meeting my SO family soon, and I need to prepare some topic to talk to them in case of awkward moments. Share you experiences please

[TwoThree]

My experience with my SO's family might be a bit different from yours because Finnish people aren't at all bothered by "awkward" silences, they're a part of a normal conversation I don't think you should really think up topics to be discussed on your first meeting. I mean the point of it is to get to know each other, isn't it? Just ask them questions about themselves, their lives, etc. The same you would anybody you've met for the first time (provided you are really interested in them).

You could also ask them about how your SO was as a kid, that's always fun for all parties involved!

[SoFarAway]

Yeah, the trick is that you get to keep them talking! Ask them a whole bunch of questions and they will talk. You can avoid to have to come up with your own story to tell. Some of the taboo topics on first meetings are politics, religion, and of course extremely private questions.

As long as they talk, you should be fine. That's at least what I do when the awkward silence threatens to set in. In Germany, it is the same thing like in Finland. We do awkward silences and they belong to a conversation like everything else. I even love watching people who get into awkward silences with me and see how long it takes until they can't take it anymore.

But one more thing, if you and your SO's family get along, I wouldn't be worried about the awkward silence at all. You will have to talk about so much anyways. And it comes all automatically.

[MsMickey]

I don't think you should really think up topics to be discussed on your first meeting. I mean the point of it is to get to know each other, isn't it? Just ask them questions about themselves, their lives, etc. The same you would anybody you've met for the first time (provided you are really interested in them).

Because there are older seniors like Grandparents and I don't think they can speak english, so I need to prepare some polish words for topics

You could also ask them about how your SO was as a kid, that's always fun for all parties involved!

This is a very good one, thanks!

[jleec24]

It's usually good to come up with one or two topics but for the most part wing it. If there's a specific something you would like to talk about, use those as your main topics then when they say something interesting ask more about that or share your similar experiences.

My s/o and I's family are very close, I still visit them even though my s/o is in another country. What I found to help is that I ask about them. Their interests, their experiences, their hobbies, etc. Then I branch out on those main topics so it's constantly a good conversation.

[kittyo9]

None because we don't speak a common language...

Our "discussions" usually revolve around my studies and research.

[Moon]

How much time will you be spending with them? If it's limited, you should be fine. When I met my guy's mom, we went for lunch. She speaks very, very little English, but we managed fine, mostly talking about my guy as a kid and teasing him a little, which was great because he had to translate it She asked about my family, how I grew up, my daughter, just the basic, nice conversation topics. Unless you're staying with them, you shouldn't run out of things to say to each other, and if you try sticking to a list of pre-defined topics, it could get awkward and less natural. Just be yourself

[EnglishMan]

Just try and find out more about who they are . One immediate thing you've got in common is you're with their child, as TwoThree says talk about then maybe try and ask about their life. Whenever I talk to my SO's mum, we'll joke a little about my SO, just in a poke fun kinda way. For instance she's quite tall (and taller than me), so i'll make myself the butt of the joke by saying that they better have a good stock of telephone directories, so that I can stand on them to kiss her . Obviously I wouldn't say that if she was tetchy on her height, but she's not, and little teases about your SO tend to go down well.

Ask about their life, kinda things they do, what they're into etc. I imagine they'll ask about your background too, what its like to live where you do etc. That should tie you over for a bit, then you find the more you've spoken usually the easier it is to just throw in random stuff to talk about

[Dziubka]

Aww you're going to Poland? WELCOME And have a great time! Where are you going? (If you don't mind me asking)
I think your SO will have to translate for you anyway, so you don't really need to look up thematic words. It's useful to learn things like thank you, please, tasty/good (!), good, etc. But that's probably enough for the beginning. If you want to be really prepared, you can learn family terms (brother, sister, mother, etc) and jobs, so you can talk a little about your family. Actually "I have a black dog" and "My mum is a nurse" were amoing my first Polish sentences back when I only started to learn it.

You can talk about things like your travel/flight, the weather, their city/town, yourself, your family etc.
There will probably be breaks or awkward silences because of the language barrier, but if they like you it shouldn't really be a problem.

[MsMickey]

[QUOTE=Dziubka;240049]Aww you're going to Poland? WELCOME And have a great time! Where are you going?
[\QUOTE]
I will be going Warsaw, where are you from?
I know he can do translation for me, but I would really like to talk with his family

[MsMickey]

Thankyou people for your replies! Im well info-ed and feels very grateful to all of you

[Tooki]

My experience with my SO's family might be a bit different from yours because Finnish people aren't at all bothered by "awkward" silences, they're a part of a normal conversation

Add me to the list!

Why not get his family to show you photos? You can pick up a lot of things via the visual aid and other members of his family (who speak better English) can help you out and also contribute their own comments.

Also, FOOD is a great topic. In the likely case that his family will prepare food for you, you can enjoy it as much as they do! All it takes is a smile to show that you like it, and also it will go a long way in regards to his family liking you. If you can learn phrases such as "I like it" or "This is delicious", then that will be a big bonus.

Also, try telling them about yourself. Tell them about things that are unique in your own country.

And a big no-no in conversations in Eastern Europe: The Soviet Union!

[MsMickey]

Understood! Thanks