What sound more like a native speaker in a casual conversation?

M: Hello, everyone! Today, English teacher Nina Weinstein is .back to talk about some ways to sound less formal in a casual conversation. Nina, please.
W: Well, generally speaking, whenever we have the chance to use a two-word verb, that is kind of an instant way to sound more informal and more natural.
M: Why don’t you give a couple of examples?
W: "Get together" : "Let’s get together for a meeting this weekend" rather than "Let’s meet this weekend. And we say, " Let’s set upa meeting" rather than " Let’s arrange a meeting".
M: So "get together" instead of "meet" , "set up" instead of "arrange". Adding one word kind of softens them a little bit.
W: Right, it makes it more informal. We also say "I’m tied up next week" rather than "I’m busy next week". Busy, we have many, many ways to say "I’m busy" , "I have a lot on my plate," "I have a million things to do. " "I have a ton of paperwork. " So all of these very colorful idioms sound more like a native speaker, more informal and more natural.
M: Although actually, just going back to the word "busy" for a second, I mean that doesn’t sound too bad if you say "I’m busy next week. " You could say "I’m tied up," but...
W: You can say "I’m busy". But if that’s the only way you can say it, it makes your vocabulary sound as if it’s pretty limited.
M: Well, is there any difference between "I’m busy" and "I’m tied up"?
W: Well, "I’m tied up" —that’s much different than "I’m busy. " There’s a meaning that I cannot change whatever it is I’ m doing. For instance, if you call a company and you ask for Mr. Jones and they say "I’m sorry, he’s tied up in a meeting," the implied meaning is that you cannot interrupt him. We don’t want to just say "I’m busy" because then it doesn’t carry that implication.
M: So we’ve talked about sounding more natural. But as you point out, there’s something else traditionally important when talking to Americans—that is, making eye contact.
W: In some cultures it’s not considered polite to look in the person’s eyes when they’ re talking to you. But in our culture, if you don t make eye contact and look at their eyes when they’ re talking, the speaker might feel that you’ re bored or you’ re not listening. And so this is really important. Or, in business, they might not feel like you’re telling the truth.
M: If you’ re looking away?
W: If you’ re looking away. Exactly.
M: Nina Weinstein comes to us from the VOA bureau in Los Angeles and I’ m Avi Arditti, until next time. Good-bye.