Trip To Washington Vocabulary Lesson
Hello and welcome to the vocabulary lesson for the conversation “Trip To Washington.” In this conversation Joe and one of his friends named Eric are talking about a trip that Eric took with his wife and son. Eric and his family visited a friend of his and Joe’s who lives in Washington.
Let’s begin with the conversation.
Joe says, “Hello?” And Eric says, “Hey, Joe, this is Eric.”
Hey, meaning in this situation… It’s another way to say hi or hello.
And Joe says, “Oh hey Eric. How’s it goin’?”
Oh, here is just filler. Filler meaning that it’s not even needed. There is no meaning for it. And goin’ is short for going.
And Eric says, “It’s goin’ well.”
Or he’s saying it’s going okay. Or it’s going good.
“How ‘bout yourself?”
‘Bout is short for about.
And Joe says, “Yeah, I’m doin’ really well.”
Yeah is casual or informal for yes. And doin’ is short for doing.
And Eric goes on to say, “Great.” And Joe says, “How was your trip up to Washington this weekend?”
Now Washington is a northwestern state of America. It’s on the border with Canada. And weekend just means Saturday and Sunday.
And Eric says, “Oh, it was just over the top.”
Over the top. This means very good. Over the top. For example: Lewis’ birthday party was so much fun. It was just over the top.
And Joe says, “Nice, nice.”
Nice meaning, that’s good to know that your trip went well. Nice. Nice to hear that.
And then Joe goes on to say, “I…” and Eric says, “Yeah, it was…” And then Joe finishes by saying, “really wish I could have joined you guys.”
Joined, meaning gone with. I wish I could have gone with you guys.
And then Eric says, “Yeah, well, you should really try next year.” And then Joe says, “Yeah, no, it’s, it’s definitely on my list of things to do, for sure.”
On my list of things to do. This means… or what Joe is saying here is, it’s something that I definitely want to do. On my list of things to do. For example: I’ve always wanted to learn to speak Spanish. It has always been on my list of things to do.
And then Eric says, “Good.” And Joe says, “Yeah, how was, did you, did you make it up there, uh, as you expected?”
Did you make it up there. What Joe is saying is, did you make it up there? Because Washington is north of California, the state that Eric left from. Uh is just a filler. It has no meaning. So it’s not even needed there. As you expected. This means did everything go as you thought it would?
And then Joe goes on to say, “I mean how was your, how was your trip up there?”
I mean. This is just filler. It really has no meaning. It’s not even needed in this sentence.
And then Eric says, “Oh man…”
So, oh man… This is just showing emotion such as you’re not going to believe this.
And Eric goes on to say, “I am just fed up with the airlines.”
Just, here is just filler. It really has no meaning. Fed up. Fed up means upset or angry. Fed up. An example of fed up is: I am fed up with flying. The airlines charge way too much money. Fed up.
And then Joe laughs. And Eric laughs. And Joe says, “What’s new?”
And what Joe is saying here is, I’m not surprised. For example of what’s new: My father’s football team has not won a game all season. When I told him that I thought they were going to lose their next game he said, “What’s new?”
Then Eric goes on to say, “If it’s not one thing, it’s another…”
If it’s not one thing, it’s another. This means more than one bad thing has happened. For example: Sherry has had a bad day. First she was late for work. Then after work her car would not start. She called her husband to tell him about her day and said, “If it’s not one thing, it’s another.”
Eric goes on to say, “I mean we, we got up there…”
He’s talking about getting to the airport.
“and, uh, and the flight was delayed.”
Or the flight was late.
“And it was really crowded.”
So he’s saying there were a lot of people.
“And then gettin’ out we just…”
Gettin’. This is short for getting.
And he goes on to say, “you wait. And we waited and we waited and we waited for the luggage…”
Luggage is… They waited for their bags. The bags that they’d checked.
And Eric goes on to say, “And just, the wait just got out of hand.”
Out of hand. This means out of control. Out of hand. For example: The price of plane tickets has gotten out of hand. Out of hand.
And Joe says, “Ugh…”
Now this is just emotion such as, I don’t believe all the problems you had.
And then Joe goes on, he starts to say, “je-, y’know, we, I, y’know, I have not had a good experience with the airlines here domestically in probably about a year I would say.”
Now. going back… Y’know. This is short for you know. And then when Joe’s talking about the airlines here domestically… he’s talking about the airlines here that fly just in America. Not internationally, not to other countries, but just here in America. And he says in probably about a year, probably meaning maybe about a year.
And then Eric says, “Oh, I mean, it’s just…” And Joe says, “At least.”
Meaning one year or more, I have not had a good experience with the airlines. So at least.
And Eric says, “It’s getting worse and worse and worse.”
So he’s saying, it’s just getting really bad.
And then Joe says, “Yeah. Well I hope that, that, that didn’t rain on your parade and…”
Rain on your parade. This means to make someone have a bad time. Rain on your parade. For example: Jessica’s mother said, “I don’t mean to rain on your parade but you did not get the job.” Rain on your parade.
And then Eric says, “No.” And Joe says, “that you actually were able to have a good time after you got up there.”
Actually, here… This is just filler. It has no meaning. It’s not even needed in the sentence.
And then Eric goes on to say, “Oh, I mean it, they, it’s just so wonderful…”
Or he’s saying it’s so great.
“to be up there with those guys. It’s, they’re like family.”
Guys. Now what he’s talking about here, this can mean men and/or women. He’s talking about, in this situation, his friends. And when he says they’re like family, like here is comparing his friends to being like family.
And then Joe says, “You gotta tell me a little bit about it…”
You gotta. Gotta or you gotta. What Joe is saying is you have got to tell me a little bit about it.
“‘cause…”
Which is short for because.
“you know I’ve never been there.” And Eric says, “Yeah, it, it’s such a beautiful place.”
Beautiful meaning very pretty place.
Eric goes on to say, “They’ve got a bunch of cabins on the water…”
A bunch. This means a lot. And cabins, these are small wooden houses that people usually pay money to stay in when they go to a lake, the woods or the mountains.
And Eric goes on to say, “um… It’s, y’know, bein’ with friends and family all the time.”
And when he says um… This is just filler. It has no meaning at all. And bein’… This is short for being.
Eric goes on to say, “And, uh, my kid had just a blast just bein’ out on the water…”
So my kid, or he’s saying my child, had just a blast. Now, just here is filler. That has no meaning. But had a blast… That means to really enjoy. Had a blast. For example: I had a blast at the concert. I really enjoyed the music. Had a blast.
And then Eric goes on to say, “and, um, just enjoyin’ himself.”
Enjoyin’. This is short for enjoying.
Then Eric says, “It was really his first time being able to, uh, be in a boat and realize…”
Or understand.
“that he’s on the water and not on the land. And, and it’s, at, at that age it’s, it’s just such a new exp-, everything’s such a new experience. He just…” And Joe says, “Yeah.” And Eric says, “it was wonderful.” And then Joe says, “So, how did he, uh, how did he handle the water?”
Handle. What Joe is asking here is how did he do on the water. Or how did he do with the water.
And then Joe says, “Was he like, uh, was he jumpy…”
Like here is just filler. It has no meaning. Jumpy. Jumpy means uneasy. Jumpy. For example: Some people are afraid to fly. When the plane takes off, they get jumpy.” Jumpy.
And then Joe goes on to say, “or was he, was he pretty calm while he was out there? ‘Cause I
Pretty here means really. Really calm.
And then Eric says, “He’s, he’s pretty calm. I mean, he’s a, he’s a water, a water baby of sorts…” And Joe laughs.
What Eric is saying is, he’s a water baby of sorts. He likes water.
And then Eric goes on to say, “he just loves the water. He just loves to be in it.”
So what he’s saying is, he really likes the water a lot.
And Eric goes on to say, “Up there the water’s really cold so, it’s not, we didn’t really get him in the water. And he had a little bit of problems with the life jacket.”
A life jacket is something that floats so it keeps people from drowning if they can’t swim.
Then Eric says, “The life jacket was a little, little tight on him. And that just made him a little uncomfortable. But, he’s, after getting the first butterflies out of his stomach he just loved it.”
Getting the first butterflies out of his stomach. This means getting used to something for the first time. Having butterflies in your stomach means to be nervous. Getting the first butterflies out of his stomach.
And then Eric says, “You could tell…”
Or you could see.
“he just was having the time of his life.”
Time of his life. This means a really good time. Time of his life. An example of time of his life would be: Kimberly had the time of her life at the party. She was smiling all night. Time of his life. Or, for this example, time of her life.
And then Joe says, “Oh, that’s great. He must have been psyched to see, uh, Derek’s kids also, and Mark’s new baby.”
Psyched. Psyched means excited. Psyched. For example: I was psyched to see the new Batman movie. Psyched.
And then Eric says, “Oh absolutely…”
So he’s saying oh definitely or oh for sure.
“at this age, he, they do a lot of, of parallel play. And, because he’s not old enough yet to, to play with, he kind of plays alongside.”
What Eric is saying here is that his son is too young to play with other children so he plays next to them by himself.
And then Eric goes on to say, “But he’s just starting to get the hang of playing with and interacting with.”
To get the hang of. This means to become better at. To get the hang of. An example of to get the hang of would be: It takes a child a while to get the hang of riding a bicycle. To get the hang of. And when Eric says interacting with, what he’s talking about is speaking with.
Then Eric goes on to say, “And he just, he loves to be in packs of kids.”
Packs just means groups.
And Eric says, “It’s just he really has a great time.” And Joe says, “Yeah, it’s like innate.” And he laughs and says, “Y’know.”
Innate. This means something you do not need to learn because you were born with it. Innate.
And Eric says, “Yeah, it really is. It’s fun to watch him learn. He’s at this age of language explosion…”
What Eric is saying here is he’s at this age of learning a lot of new words.
And then Eric says, “and certainly…”
Or definitely.
“being around other kids really helps.” And then Joe says, “Oh, definitely. So you guys, uh, you went out on Mark’s boat. So that must have been fun.” And Eric says, “Oh, it was.” And Joe says, “So, uh, what else did you guys do while you were there?”
When he says what else, he’s saying, what other things did you guys do while you were there?
And then Eric says, “Well, y’know, on the whole boat thing…”
So what he’s saying is speaking of going out on a boat.
And Eric continues to say, “We, uh, did some crabbing…”
Crabbing, meaning trying to catch crabs.
And then Eric says, “where we caught some crabs.”
Crabs live in the ocean. Many people like to eat crabs because they have soft white meat.
And Eric says, “And, uh, used the boat as sort of a shuttle…”
Sort of means a type of. And shuttle is just something that takes people somewhere and brings them back.
So Eric continues to say, “to get from island to island. So we did a little bit…”
Or a small amount.
“of island hopping…”
Island hopping just means that they went around to different islands.
Then Eric says, “with picnicking on some islands…”
Picnicking is just cooking and eating outside.
And Eric says, “uh… We cooked some great meals, sort of, um, with the whole group of us together…”
So what he’s saying is the whole group. All of them. Everyone together.
And Joe says, “Oh, that’s great.” And Eric says, “yeah, and some people got some massages…”
A massage helps people relax. It’s something… they pay money for someone to rub their back, legs and arms.
And Eric goes on to say, “just tried to chill out and relax…”
Chill out. This means to relax. Chill out. For example: I like to go to the beach to chill out. It is very relaxing. Chill out.
And then Eric says, “uh… And it was just really low key.”
Low key. This means relaxing also. Low key. For example: I like Sunday night to be low key because I work early Monday morning. Low key.
And then Eric says, “A really restful trip, which is what I think about when I think about Mark and their place up there.” And then Joe says, “Yeah, it sounds like you were really able to let go, huh?”
To let go. This means to relax. To let go. For example: When I go to Hawaii it is easy to let go. To let go. Now when Joe says huh… He’s saying, do you agree?
And then Eric says, “It was, it was a longer trip for me than I’ve taken in the last couple of years…”
So he’s saying in about the last two years.
“goin’ up there…”
Goin’. This is short for going.
And then Eric says, “we went for five, five or six days, and…” And Joe says, “Oh, I didn’t realize you were goin’ that long.” And Eric says, “Yeah, normally…”
Or usually.
“I’m just up there for a long weekend…” And Joe says, “Sure.” And Eric says, “but this time I thought, y’know, I haven’t taken a vacation in a while.”
Vacation is time off from work or from school to go and do something. And a while… This means a long time.
And Eric says, “And I just wanna get up there and chill out.”
Wanna. This is short for want to.
And Joe says, “Oh, that’s great.” And Eric says, “Yeah.” And Joe says, “Y’know, I understand that John’s living up there now as well and, uh, if for no other reason I should go up and visit
everybody…”
Or I should go up and see everybody.
“y’know, while he’s there.”
If for no other reason. This means if nothing else made you do something. If for no other reason.
And then Eric says, “Absolutely. He, uh, he’s, he’s not living on their property anymore…”
Property just means land. Land that their friends own.
And Eric says, “uh… He’s moved just to, y’know, really close by on the mainland off of Bellingham Bay. But, y’know, he’s up there. And y’know he’s around. And he’s, uh, he’s close by.”
And Joe says, “Oh, that’s good to know. So you guys, uh, just had a chance to just really hang out and…”
Hang out. This means to spend time with. Hang out. For example: On Fridays, I like to hang out with my friends. Hang out.
And then Eric says, “Yeah.”
And then Joe goes on to say, “just really relax and…” And Eric says, “Yep.” And Joe says, “just have a good time and…” And Eric says, “Yep.”
And Joe says, “Well, that’s great, man.”
Man. This is just another way of calling a person’s name. It does not really mean a man. It’s just another way of calling someone’s name.
And Eric says, “It was wonderful.”
Or it was great.
And Joe says, “Good, good.” And Eric says, “And the weather was…”
Weather is just talking about outside. Like if it’s sunny, rainy, cold or hot.
And Eric goes on to say, “It was pretty nice…”
Pretty nice means really nice.
“so we got, we got some sunshine up there which was nice, nice to get out of the California gloom…”
Gloom means darkness. Or not happy.
And Joe says, “Yeah.” And Eric says, “which was, which was good.”
And then Joe says, “Cool, man. Well, I’m really glad to hear that you guys had a good time and…”
Cool. This is just saying, that’s great.
And then Eric says, “Yeah.”
And Joe goes on to say, “hopefully next year I can, uh, I can join you up there and we can, we can catch up and…”
Catch up. This means to find out what has been happening in someone’s life. Catch up. For example: I met an old friend from high school. We had coffee and caught up on old times. Catch up.
And then Eric says, “Absolutely. That’d be great.” And Joe says, “Awesome.”
Awesome means very good. Awesome.
And Eric says, “Yeah, we’d love to have you.”
Or, we would really like for you to come.
And Joe says, “All right, man. Well, take care and I’ll talk to you soon.”
All right. This means okay. Take care means good-bye. I’ll talk to you soon means I will speak with you soon.
And Eric says, “All right, thanks Joe. Take care.”
All right. This means okay. Thanks means thank you. Take care means good-bye.
And Joe says, “Bye.”
Bye is another way of saying good-bye.
And then Eric says, “Bye.”
This document is a detailed guide for understanding the conversation “Trip To Washington” including vocabulary clarifications, expressions explained, and situational dialogue. It offers insights into informal English expressions and idioms used in a casual conversation about a family trip, helping learners grasp the nuances of everyday English.
