Learning to paint

A. Oh. What a beautiful painting. Did you do that?

B. Yes, I’ve been learning to paint this past year. I go to classes every Saturday.

A. I never would have guessed. It looks like you have been painting for years.

B. Thanks. I’m flattered.

A. Is it difficult? I always wanted to try it but I didn’t know where to start.

B. To be honest, there are a lot of things to learn but part of the fun is just doing it. I mean.. it doesn’t need to be perfect.

A. Maybe I’ll try it.

B. You should! And.. it’s a great way to deal with stress.

A. Actually, I started going to mixed martial arts classes this year.

B. Wow. Remind me not to start a fight with you.

A. It’s really tough. But I feel great afterwards and I feel much more confident.

B. Maybe I’ll try it next year.

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flattered – to feel good because of something a person said.  A: That dress looks nice on you. B: I’m flattered, thank you!  

confident – to believe in yourself/ to value yourself. Professional athletes are very confident in their skills. They never think about failing.

start a fight – to try to fight with someone. He started a fight outside the bar, and someone called the police.

deal with + stress – deal + with+ something – deal with is another way to say solve/ fix. It is often used informally. I will deal with it later. He is difficult to deal with. I deal with stress by doing yoga.

never would have guessed – expression –  to show surprise. I never would have guessed he was a teacher, he has so many tattoos.

perfect – no mistakes-  My writing isn’t perfect, but, I think it’s quite good.

just doing it – informal- to show you do something for no reason –  I love to play piano, I don’t care about being famous. Just doing it makes me happy.

More topic: English Conversations in Real Life with common Phrases (Meaning & Example)