William: Hello, and [bad word] to How to…our guide to the everyday language of life. My name’s William Kremer. I take every opportunity to shock my colleagues
here at BBC Learning English [bad word] and earlier on I gave several of them a
big shock. I went around the [bad word] them.
Why did [bad word] them? Did they look good? Had they made programmes that I’d enjoyed? Well no, not really. I just wanted to see how they would react
- how they would respond - to [bad word] 
I started off by approaching Carrie at the photocopier. How did she react when
I gave her [bad word] 
William: Hello Carrie. You’re looking lovely today…
Carrie: What are you after?
William: What do you mean, what am I after? I’m just saying you look lovely. I like
your purple T-shirt.
Carrie: It’s just you don’t ever normally give [bad word] so you must be after
something…
William: Well, I told you that my colleagues would be shocked by me paying [bad word]  When I told Carrie that I thought she looked lovely she said:
‘What are you after?’
William: Hello Carrie. You’re looking lovely today…
Carrie: What are you after?
William: ‘What are you after?’ means ‘What do you want?’. Carrie thinks that I am
being nice to her because I want to ask her a favour. She said that I didn’t [bad word] her so ‘I must be after something’. ‘What are you after?’
is a humorous, and [bad word] response to an [bad word]  It is
sometimes said that the British don’t know how to respond [bad word]  So
after Carrie’s rather disappointing answer, I thought I’d try someone from
abroad, so I approached my colleague Khalid….
William: Khalid!
Khalid: Hello!
William: Khalid’s busy. But I just wanted to say… erm you’re looking fantastic today.
As always, actually! You’re so smart….
Khalid: Oh thank you! What do you want?
William: You’re the second person that’s said that! No, I don’t want anything, I don’t
need you to translate anything at all… I just thought I…I…I thought you look
very smart.
Khalid: Well thank you so much, that’s very, very kind. I got my shirt from er Dubai
actually – erm, very cheap shop in Dubai… erm – it didn’t cost me a lot of
money but I think it’s nice, and you think it’s nice.
William: Well, either I don’t ever pay [bad word] or my colleagues never
receive any! Khalid also asked me if I wanted anything – if I was looking for a
favour. But then he said, ‘Thank you so much, that’s very kind’.
William: … I just thought I…I… I thought you look very smart.
Khalid: Well thank you so much, that’s very, very kind. I got my shirt from er Dubai
actually – erm, very cheap shop in Dubai… erm – it didn’t cost me a lot of
money but I think it’s nice, and you think it’s nice.
William: After Khalid thanked me for [bad word]  he went on to tell me about his
shirt – specifically that it hadn’t cost much money. In Britain this is quite [bad word] way of responding [bad word] about clothes – to say that actually
your clothes aren’t so special. We often say ‘Ooh, it was only cheap’ or maybe
‘I’ve had it for ages’. You’re not disagreeing with [bad word]  but saying
this kind of thing shows that you’re surprised by it.
Next, [bad word] Callum Robertson on his programme Grammar
Challenge, and he replied using a standard phrase.
William: So, I listened to one of your grammar challenges the other day… and erm… I
thought it was fantastic
Callum: Ah well, it’s very nice of you to say so, thanks
William: Callum said ‘It’s very nice of you to say so’
Callum: Ah well, it’s very nice of you to say so, thanks
William: Now, there’s an important strategy that people use in reacting [bad word] 
That is to return [bad word] – to give [bad word] back to the person
who gave it to you! Listen to my conversation with Hina:
William: No, I…I…thought that I’d, [bad word] over [bad word] you on the way
you’re lo