Roleplay: Let’s imagine a PR guy, Oscar – Congress

 

People always make dumb remarks not necessarily because they’re dumb just because they’re nervous and they just say the first thing that comes into their head, you already know what people tend to say that’s stupid about your name, so have a funny answer prepared

🎤 1. The “Oscar” Joke Question

Question: “Your name’s Oscar—have you ever won an Oscar?”

Simple safe answers:

• “Not yet, still waiting.”
• “Only in my dreams.”

Funny options (if confident):

• “Yes, best male in a supporting IT role.”
• “I did, but I punched Will Smith so they took it back.”

⚽ 2. Football Question (Barcelona)

They might ask:

• “Do you support Barça?”
• “Are you a Barça fan?”

Rule: Answer clearly and briefly. No long explanations.

If YES:

• “Yeah, I’m a Barça fan.”
• “Yes, I support Barça.”

If NO:

• “Not really.”
• “No, not a big football fan.”

If neutral but polite:

• “I follow them a bit.”

⚽ 3. Players People Might Mention

Be ready to recognize these names:

• Messi (legend, even if no longer there)
• Lewandowski
• Pedri
• Gavi
• Ter Stegen

Safe response if unsure:

• “Yeah, he’s quality.”
• “He’s really good.”

💼 4. Fast Professional Questions (SAP Congress)

These are more realistic for a business congress. Answers must still be SHORT and clear.

Q: “So, what company are you from?”

• “I’m with [company name].”

Q: “And what do you do there?”

• “I work in [area—IT, logistics, finance, etc.].”
• “I’m in [role].”

Q: “What aspect of SAP do you work with?”

• “Mainly [area—finance, logistics, HR, etc.].”
• “I focus on [specific module/process].”

Q: “What does your company use SAP for?”

• “Mostly for [logistics/finance/HR/process management].”

Q: “How long have you worked with SAP?”

• “About [X] years.”

Q: “What did you study?” / “What was your degree in?”

• “I studied [subject].”

Q: “So how did you end up working with SAP?”

• “I started in [area], then moved into SAP.”
• “I joined a company that used SAP and trained into it.”

Comment you might hear: “SAP… it’s driving me mad this week.”

• “Yeah, it can be intense.”
• “I know what you mean.”
• “There’s a lot going on.”

🏙️ 5. Barcelona / Catalonia Conversation

This replaces the football-only section—more realistic for international conversations.

Q: “Do you like Barcelona?”

• “Yeah, it’s a great city.”
• “I like it, but it’s quite busy.”

Q: “Do you go there often?”

• “Sometimes, not too often.”

Q: “What’s Barcelona like compared to where you live?”

• “It’s much bigger and busier.”
• “Where I live is more relaxed.”

Q: “Can you explain the difference between Catalans and Spanish? Is there a difference?”

• “There are cultural and language differences.”
• “Catalonia has its own language and identity.”
• “But it’s a complex topic.”

⚽ Optional Football (still useful, but secondary)

Q: “Do you support Barça?”

• “Yeah, I’m a fan.”
• “Not really.”

Q: “Oh man, I love Messi.”

• “Yeah, he’s incredible.”
• “Legend.”

🧠 Core Rules

• Keep answers SHORT (1 sentence)
• Don’t explain your whole life
• If unsure → give a neutral positive answer
• Smile + confidence matters more than perfect English

⚽ 5. Real Conversation Practice (Role Play)

Person: “Oh man, I love Messi.”

• “Yeah, he’s incredible.”
• “Of course, one of the best ever.”
• “Yeah, legend.”

If you want to be more neutral:

• “Yeah, he’s really good.”

If asked directly: “Do you support Barça?”

Option 1 (Yes):

• “Yeah, I’m a Barça fan.”

Option 2 (No – local pride):

• “Not really, I’m from Tarragona—I prefer the local team.”
• “I like local teams more, not always the big winners.”

Follow-up questions you will hear:

“Who’s going to win the Champions League this year?”

• “Hard to say, maybe [team].”
• “I think [team] have a good chance.”
• “No idea, it’s very open this year.”

“What happened to Barça in the Champions League?”

• “Yeah, not their best season.”
• “They struggled this year.”
• “They need to improve a bit.”

⚠️ 6. The “Have you got…” Problem

This is VERY common in fast native speech.

“Have you got” → often sounds like: “Have you got” → “Haveyougot” → “You got”

You must recognise it quickly.

Common Questions You’ll Hear

“Have you got kids?”

• “Yes, I have.” / “No, I don’t.”

“Have you got children?”

• Same answers

“Have you got time for another drink?”

• “Yeah, I’ve got time.”
• “Not really, I have to go soon.”

“Have you got enough time for another drink?”

• “Yeah, just one.”
• “Maybe just a quick one.”

“Have you got to go now?”

• “Yeah, I’ve got to go.”
• “Not yet.”

“Have you got the notes / a copy of the reading?”

• “Yeah, I’ve got them.”
• “Not yet, I’ll check.”

“Have you got five minutes?”

• “Yeah, sure.”
• “Just a couple of minutes.”
• “Not right now.”

🧠 Core Rules (Updated)

• Keep answers SHORT (1 sentence)
• Don’t explain your whole life
• Recognise fast speech (“have you got” = “you got”)
• If unsure → give a neutral positive answer
• Confidence > perfect grammar

🌍 7. “Where are you from?” – Full Conversation Flow

This is one of the MOST common conversation chains. Be ready for all the follow-ups.

Q: “Where are you from?”

• “I’m from La Sénia, but I live near Tarragona.”

Q: “Where do you live?”

• “I live in Torredembarra, near Tarragona.”

Q: “Where did you grow up?”

• “I grew up in La Sénia.”

Q: “Why don’t you live in Barcelona?”

• “I prefer quieter places.”
• “It’s too busy for me.”
• “I like being closer to nature.”

Q: “What’s the main difference between Barcelona and Tarragona?”

• “Barcelona is bigger and busier—Tarragona is more relaxed.”

🔁 Follow-ups you WILL get

Q: “What’s it like?” (Torredembarra / Tarragona / La Sénia)

• “It’s quite relaxed.”
• “It’s a nice, quiet place.”
• “It’s small but very friendly.”

Q: “What are the beaches like?”

• “They’re really nice—clean and not too crowded.”

Q: “How’s the weather in the summer? I hear it’s pretty hot.”

• “Yeah, it gets quite hot, but it’s nice near the coast.”

Q: “Is it true people don’t like tourists in Spain anymore?”

• “Not really, it depends on the area.”
• “Most people are fine with tourists.”

Q: “I saw people firing water pistols at tourists—what do you think?”

• “Yeah, I saw that—it’s a bit exaggerated.”
• “It’s not really common.”

🏡 Talking about La Sénia (your hometown)

Q: “What’s La Sénia like?”

• “It’s a very small, close community.”
• “Everyone knows each other.”
• “There are lots of local festivals.”
• “It’s very outdoors—hunting, hiking, that kind of thing.”

Q: “What was it like growing up there?”

• “Very close community, everyone knows each other.”
• “Lots of local parties and outdoor life.”

Q: “Did you use to hunt?”

• “Yeah, I used to go hunting with my father.”

Q: “What did you hunt?”

• “Wild boar and some types of wild birds.”

🎯 Goal

Sound natural, relaxed, and easy to talk to—not perfect.