Dialogue

 

Have you traveled on your own?

Did you like the last experience?

 

Did you go to Larcomar in the past? 

Yes. I went there with a friend. We enjoyed the view of the sea. I had Aji de gallina at one of the restaurants. I paid for it around 15 soles. My friend had an ice cream. We loved the views and everything.

 

 

Played          cooked         visited

Listened       worked         painted

Studied        jumped          decided

Called          smashed        wanted 

Discovered    

 

 How was your day? Was it good?

I can say that my day was good. I did enough for the day. In class virtually and doing household chores. It was good enough I may say.

 

 Practice for ED sound

 

A. washed – talked – cleaned – kissed – needed – laughed

B. loved – educated – reminded – knocked – advised – crashed

 

I washed the car yesterday.

I talked about my parents.

We all cleaned the house for Christmas.

I don´t like kissing these days, but I kissed in the past.

My parents needed me to buy groceries from Plaza Vea.

Who laughed the most at the party yesterday?

This man loved his wife a lot, but they got divorced, sadly.

My mom was educated in Piura city.

My friend reminded me not to forget my documents.

I knocked your door, but nobody opened it.

My teachers from high school advised me to study at college.

My friend Roy crashed his car into a tree in the park.

My friends started doing their homework at 4 pm.

 

 

 What were you doing at 4 pm?

 

I was watching a movie with my younger brother. I was also eating some snacks at home. My brother was drinking some lemonade.

 

 Telephone Tips

Practice each dialogue with a friend or classmate a few times. Next, write your own telephone dialogues, go into another room, and use your smartphone to call your partner. Practicing by using a real phone will make future conversations with native speakers much easier. After you've practiced with a friend, try these tips:

Call local businesses: The best way to get better is by practicing calling various stores or businesses. Before calling, jot down a few notes on the information you would like to find out. Use your notes when you call the stores to help you feel more confident when you speak.

Call yourself: To practice leaving messages, call yourself and leave a message. Listen to the message to see if you can understand the words clearly. Play the recording for a native-speaking friend to see if she understands the message you have left.

 

Introduce yourself properly: When on the phone, use "This is..." rather than "I am..." when introducing yourself in English.

Don't be shy about asking the speaker (politely) to repeat names and numbers to ensure that you get the right information. Repeating names and numbers will help slow speakers down.

Key Vocabulary

Before practicing the following dialogues, familiarize yourself with the following terms, which are common to many telephone conversations:

 

This is ...

May (Can, Could) I speak to...?

I'm calling ...

Hold the line a moment... / Hold on  / Wait a moment

put someone through...

Who's calling...?

take a message

call, ring, phone

 

Calling Someone at Work

 

Caller: Hello. This is [______]. May I speak to Ms. Sunshine, please.

Receptionist: Hold the line a moment, I'll check if she is in her office.

Caller: Thank you.

Receptionist: (after a moment) Yes, Ms. Sunshine is in. I'll put you through.

Ms. Sunshine: Hello, this is Ms. Sunshine. How can I help you?

Caller: Hello, my name is [your name], and I'm calling to inquire about the position advertised on JobSearch.com.

Ms. Sunshine: Yes, the position is still open. Could I have your name and number, please?

Caller: Certainly, My name is [_______]...

 

Leaving a Message

 

Fred: Hello. Could I speak to Jack Parkins, please?

Receptionist: Who's calling, please?

Fred: This is Fred Blinkingham. I'm a friend of Jack's.

Receptionist: Hold the line, please. I'll put your call through. (after a moment)—I'm afraid he's out at the moment. Can I take a message?                 

Fred:  Yes. Can you ask him to give me a call? My number is 909-345-8965

Receptionist: Could you repeat that, please?

Fred:  Certainly. That's 909-345-8965

Receptionist: OK. I'll make sure Mr. Parkins gets your message.

Fred: Thank you. Goodbye.

Receptionist: Goodbye.

 

Making a Doctor's Appointment

 

Caller 1: Dr. Peterson's office. How may I help you?

Caller 2: I'd like to make an appointment to see the doctor.

Caller 1: Certainly, are you ill at the moment?

Caller 2: Yes, I'm not feeling very well.

Caller 1: Do you have a fever or any other symptoms?

Caller 2: Yes, I have a slight fever and aches and pains.

Caller 1: OK, Dr. Peterson can see you tomorrow. Can you come in the morning?

Caller 2: Yes, tomorrow morning is fine.

Caller 1: How about 10 o'clock?

Caller 2: Yes, 10 o'clock is fine.

Caller 1: May I have your name?

Caller 2: Yes, it's David Lain.

Caller 1: Have you seen Dr. Peterson before?

Caller 2: Yes, I had a physical exam last year.

Caller 1: Yes, here you are. OK, I've scheduled for 10 o'clock tomorrow morning.

Caller 2: Thank you.

Caller 1: Drink plenty of warm fluids and get a good night's sleep.

Caller 2: Thank you. I'll do my best. Goodbye.

Caller 1: Goodbye.

 

 Making a Dinner Reservation

 

Caller 1: Good Evening Brown's Grill. How may I help you?

Caller 2: Hello, I'd like to make a dinner reservation for Friday.

Caller 1: Certainly, I'd be happy to help you with that. How many people are there in your party?

Caller 2: There'll be four people.

Caller 1: And what time would you like to make a reservation?

Caller 2: Let's say at 7 o'clock.

Caller 1: I'm afraid we don't have anything available then. We could seat you at 6 o'clock or 8 o'clock.

Caller 2: Oh, OK. Let's make the reservation for 8 o'clock.

Caller 1: Fine, 8 o'clock on Friday evening for four people. May I have your name?

Caller 2: Yes, it's Anderson.

Caller 1: Is that Anderson with an "e" or an "o"?

Caller 2: Anderson with an "o."

Caller 1: Thank you. Great. I have a table for four for the Anderson party at 8 o'clock on Friday evening.

Caller 2: Thank you very much.

Caller 1: You're welcome. We'll see you on Friday.

Caller 2: Yes, see you then. Goodbye.

Caller 1: Goodbye.

 

Telephoning the School about Your Child

 

Caller 1: Good morning, Washington Grade School, this is Chris. How may I help you?

Caller 2: Good morning, this is Alice Smith, I'm calling for my daughter, Judy. She's not feeling well today.

Caller 1: I'm sorry to hear that. I hope it's not too bad.

Caller 2: No, no she has a little fever and a cough. Nothing too serious.

Caller 1: Well, I hope she feels well soon.

Caller 2: Thank you. Do you think I could get her homework for today?

Caller 1: Is there any specific class?

Caller 2: I'm especially concerned about math and science.

Caller 1: OK, is it all right for me to give your email address to the teachers? They can then send the homework along later today.

Caller 2: That would be great. Do you have my e-mail on file?

Caller 1: Just a moment... We have chrisp@gmail.com. Is that correct?

Caller 2: Yes, that is correct.

Caller 1: OK, I'll make sure Mr. Brown and Ms. White get your message and email.

Caller 2: Thank you very much.

Caller 1: I hope Judy feels well soon.

Caller 2: She should be fine by tomorrow. Thanks for your help.

Caller 1: My pleasure, have a nice day.

Caller 2: Thank you. Goodbye.

Caller 1: Goodbye.

 

Asking a Question about a Bill

 

Caller 1: Good afternoon, Northwest Electricity, how may I help you?

Caller 2: Good afternoon, this is Robert Tips. I have a question about my electricity bill this month.

Caller 1: I'd be happy to help you with that Mr. Tips. Can I have your account number?

Caller 2: I'm afraid I don't have that with me.

Caller 1: It's no problem. I'll just look your name up in our database.

Caller 2: Great.

Caller 1: Could you give me your address as well?

Caller 2: It's 2368 NW 21st Ave., Vancouver, Washington.

Caller 1: Yes, I have your account up on my computer. How may I help you?

Caller 2: The last bill I received seemed too high.

Caller 1: Yes, I see that it was considerably higher than last year. Did you use more electricity?

Caller 2: No, I don't think we used any more electricity than the year before.

Caller 1: OK, I'll tell you what I can do. I'll mark this and have a supervisor take a look at the account.

Caller 2: Thank you. When can I expect an answer?

Caller 1: We should have an answer for you by the end of the week. I'll give you an inquiry number.

Caller 2: OK, let me get a pen... OK, I'm ready.

Caller 1: It's 3471.

Caller 2: That's 3471.

Caller 1: Yes, that's correct.

Caller 2: Thank you for your help

Common expression:

 

Good morning. How are you?

So, when are we going to do our homework?

You’re welcome.

Me, too.

Me, neither.

Good to meet you.

Talk to you later.

Please, help me / us with that.

Nothing serious.

What are you doing?

What’s up?

By the way, you live in Tarapoto?

But it’s hard to know if that’s true.

Let me see if I can help you.

As soon as you can.

This is easy

Will you open the window?

You like fish, don’t you?

We cooked pretty well yesterday.

Definitely, it was a good time together.

Long time, no see. How are you?

Let’s hang out some day.

I don’t mind doing that every day.

I’d love to, but I don’t have enough time for that.

How can I help you, guys?

Could I give an opinion?

Can you call me back later? Thank you.

Really?

Hurry up.

What do you mean?

How can I get there?

It’s next to a bank.

Do you prefer soccer or playing the piano?

What would you do if you were me?

I’d rather stay at home these days.

I used to do that when I was younger.

Have you ever traveled by yourself?

Let me understand the question.

I totally agree with you.

Who knows?  Ju nouz

Let’s go out, shall we?      Let’s do this, shall we?

Where did you go last weekend? I didn’t see you at home.

I have no friend in that city.

I don’t have money.

I will always be there for you.

Here's a short dialogue giving an example of personal questions. You can use these questions to practice with a friend or a classmate, using your own information. Here you'll find some other key questions as well.

Alex: Can I ask you a few personal questions?
Peter: Certainly. 

Alex: What's your name?
Peter: Peter Asilov.

Alex: What's your address?
Peter: I live at 45 NW 75th Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona.

Alex: What's your cell phone number?
Peter: My number is 409-498-2091

Alex: And your email address?
Peter: Let me spell it for you. It's P-E-T-A-S-I at A-O-L.com

Alex: When is your birthday?
Peter: I was born on July 5, 1987.

Alex: Are you married?
Peter: Yes, I am/No, I'm single.

Alex: What's your profession?/What do you do for work?
Peter: I'm an electrician.

Kevin: Where did you go last night?
Jack: We went to visit a friend and then out on the town.

Kevin: What did you do?
Jack: We visited a few stores and bought snacks.

Kevin: Can you drive well?
Jack: Ha ha. Yes, I can drive!

Kevin: Did you meet anyone?
Jack: Yes, I met an interesting Japanese woman.

Kevin: Can you speak Japanese?
Jack: No, but she can speak English!

Shop Assistant: How can I help you?/May I help you?
Customer: Yes. I'm looking for a sweater like this one, but in a smaller size.

Shop Assistant: Here you go.

Customer: May I try it on?
Shop Assistant: Sure, the changing rooms are over there.

Customer: How much does it cost?
Shop Assistant: It's $45.

Shop Assistant: How would you like to pay?
Customer: Can I pay by credit card?

Shop Assistant: Certainly. We accept all major cards.

John: What do you like doing in your spare time?
Susan: I like hanging out downtown with my friends. With Tom, mostly.

John: What does your friend Tom look like?
Susan: He's tall with a beard and blue eyes.

John: What is he like?
Susan: He's very friendly and really intelligent. 

John: What would you like to do now?
Susan: Let's go hang out with Tom!

John: Oh, really? Let me see if I can. I guess I can go with you.

Susan: That sounds perfect. Let's go.

 

Jenny: Good evening, Ronald.

Ronald: Hi, Jenny. How was your vacation?

Jenny: It was amazing. You should have gone with us.

Ronald: What did you see there?

Jenny: I visited animals at the zoo. I had been there before.

Ronald: I like to see animals.

Carmen: Good to see you, Mario.

Mario: It’s good to see you, too.

Carmen: Did you enjoy your vacation?

Mario: Yes, I went to Arequipa and Cuzco.

Carmen: What did you do in Arequipa?

Mario: I saw the Misti. I had never been there before.

Carmen: Is it hard to climb to the Misti?

Mario: Actually, yes. You should be in shape.

Ronny: Hello, Sandra. How was your vacation?

Sandra: Hey, good to see you. My vacation was fantastic.

Ronny: Oh, really? Where did you go?

Sandra: I went to Sauce in San Martin. The blue lagoon is fabulous. You should go some time. I had been there three times. However, it’s always good to be back.

Ronny: I’ll go there some time this year.