“The first date back is always the toughest.”
Why it's great
It names the fear of starting over in one calm line, which makes it easier to bear.
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Neutral
Use it yourself
The first week back at work is always the toughest.
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Harry and Sally Talk Like This, Explained
When Harry Met Sally... · 1989
Chapter 10 of 20 · 3'14"
Harry and Sally try out a whole new way of speaking, ordering paprikash in a stiff, formal accent: “Waiter, there is too much pepper on my paprikash.” The game keeps the flirtation at arm's length, until talk turns to dates and Harry's pointed questions about Sally's. “What, do you have a hot date?”
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 0:02–0:51
❝ Monologue · 14 lines Sally's recurring dream
Told like a sports broadcast, the private dream gets funnier the straighter she plays it.
49s - 1:04–1:41
Harry and Sally's Accent Game
37s
Harry and Sally Talk Like This, explained
What happens
At a restaurant, Harry and Sally decide to spend the day speaking in an affected, old-fashioned register. They order their food that way, drawing out the vowels, and the joke becomes a way to keep their closeness light. Later they compare evenings; Sally has a date, and Harry, who is divorced, admits he is not ready.
What's really going on
The invented voice is a defense. By agreeing to “talk like this,” Harry and Sally get to be intimate and ridiculous at the same time — flirting without saying anything they would have to mean. “What, do you have a hot date?” breaks the game: the affected accent drops and the real jealousy shows. Sally's happy answer forces Harry to ask about his own life, and his reply, “I would not be good for anybody right now,” is the most honest line he has spoken. The rest of the scene stays funny — a bad date described as a man flossing with a pulled-out hair — but underneath it the two of them keep circling the same question about why they are not with each other.
Key lines & what they mean
- “The first date back is always the toughest.”
- The rule Harry offers about returning to dating after a divorce — reassurance wrapped in a warning about what is still ahead.
- “I would not be good for anybody right now.”
- Harry's blunt self-assessment: he believes he is too damaged to be a decent partner at this moment.
- “Had my dream again where I'm making love and the Olympic judges are watching.”
- The recurring dream he describes — scored like a sport — shows how much of his life he experiences as performance and judgment.
- “But I would be proud to partake of your pecan pie.”
- The exaggerated, formal line in their game: a joke about using ridiculously fancy manners for something as ordinary as pie.
Theme
- Romance — The silly accent lets them flirt safely, until the talk of dates makes the attraction impossible to hide.
- Friendship — Their private joke protects a friendship that both sense is becoming something else.
What this chapter teaches
Teaching points
Review right after watchingMy level3/6
A1–C2 is the CEFR scale. Cards above the level you pick fade, and playback will not auto-pause on them.
Language points
Click a card to jump to its moment in the videoGolden lines
A great line in its own right — why and how to use it“I would not be good for anybody right now.”
Why it's great
The blunt self-assessment is more honest than bravado and shows how unready he is.
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Neutral
Use it yourself
I would not be good for anyone right now, so I stay home.
“Had my dream again where I'm making love and the Olympic judges are watching.”
Why it's great
Narrating a sex dream like an Olympic event is so absurd it becomes instantly memorable.
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Informal
Use it yourself
I had my dream again where I forget my lines on stage.
“But I would be proud to partake of your pecan pie.”
Why it's great
Mock-genteel phrasing elevates a slice of pie into a ceremony, and the mismatch delights.
Register
literary
Use it yourself
I would be proud to partake of your leftovers.
Monologue
One character carrying the scene — shadow the whole passage❝ Sally's recurring dream
Had my dream again where I'm making love and the Olympic judges are watching. I'd nailed the compulsories. So this is it, the finals. Must have been the dismount. - What happens? - No, it's too embarrassing. - Don't tell me. - Okay, there's this guy. - What's he look like? - I don't know. - He's just kind of faceless. - Faceless guy. Then what? He rips off my clothes. Then what happens? That's it. That's it? A faceless guy rips off your clothes... Exactly the same? Well, sometimes I vary it a little.
Told like a sports broadcast, the private dream gets funnier the straighter she plays it.
Up next · 11downshift into small talkThe scene: Sally Fakes an OrgasmTakeaways
What you walk away with- Telling a dream like a sports event is its own kind of intimacy.
- Repeating silly lines together is how they flirt without saying so.
- Harry's advice to get out there is aimed at himself.
- A bad first date back is proof you tried.
People also search
Questions, then the linesWhy do Harry and Sally start talking in that strange accent?
It is a game they invent on the spot. The formal, old-fashioned voice lets them be silly and affectionate together without having to mean any of it, which keeps the tension manageable.
Why does Harry react so strongly to Sally's date?
He has just divorced and is not dating, so her evening out makes him aware of his own loneliness. He hides it behind questions, then admits he is not ready for anyone.
Is Harry telling the truth about not being good for anybody?
It reads as honest self-knowledge rather than a joke. He says it plainly after the accent game ends, and Sally does not argue with him, only tells him to get out there.
What is the bad date Sally describes?
She says the man reached over, pulled a hair from her head and started flossing with it, which is why she calls it the most uncomfortable night of her life.