I have a very, very unusual etiquette question if you wouldn't mind helping me out?

[BeenThereDone_It]

Simply put: I never know how, or when, to end a conversation

It doesn't matter if it is on the telephone or face to face.

It doesn't matter if it is with a good acquaintance or a new friend.

I just don't know when it is polite to call it a day and move on.

Take today for example: I met a new french tutor in a cafe and he spoke to me in French for an hour (that's what he is supposed to do) and then we got chatting and it was very enjoyable

I wasn't sure if I was keeping him behind or if he thought he was keeping me late so I just continued chatting and waited for visual clues.

Eventually he politely glanced at his watch and I had been casually putting on my glasses to give him a polite way out and that was that. No problem

But Americans are more brash and just walk off mid sentence.

Can you advise?

(I live in America and I am English)

[gevigrows]

Get to the point and move on. if someone looks disinterested
its cuz they are. good conversation is like a river if its not flowing smoothly their could be big problems in your future.
its sounds to me like like you were at cafe not a dentist.
so why are you pulling teeth?

[Bryce S]

usuallly, I just move on and observe their reaction... then I kindly ask if they were done and apologize if I had cut them off or whatever the case may be. I would then explain on why I went on and how I figured they were done with that subject. Sometimes it's difficult to read other people, and conversation making is actually an art.

[Fulke Hunke.]

That's a very English problem, being English I have the same dilemma. I have a rule that if there is a gap of more than 20 secs in a conversation then its a good Que to say "oh well must dash" or use an English regional phrase like "better do one" leaves them stumped.