In Britain, people often invite friends for a meal, a party or just coffee. People who know each other very well close, family or neighbors visit each other's houses without an invitation (邀请), but usually an invitation is needed．people invite someone to their homes, they often say: “Would you likefor dinner on Saturday?” Answers are: “Thanks. We'd love to. What time?” or “I'm sorry. We'd love to but we have ticketsthe concert.” However,is not polite to say “No, we wouldn't!”

    Sometimes, the British use expressions (表达) that sound like invitations but which are not invitations. For example: “You must come over fordrink sometime.” or “Let's go out for a meal one of these days.” These are usually just politeof ending a talk. They are not real invitationsthey don't mention an exact time or day. They just show that the person isto be friendly and the answers are: “Yes, that would be nice.” or “OK, yes, thanks.”

    So next time you hear what sounds like an invitation, listen. Is it a real invitation or is the person just being friendly?