Practise Real British English with a Work Conversation - Intermediate level

There really is only one way to become confident speaking with a native English speaker. And that's to practice speaking with a native English speaker. And in this video, that's exactly what you get the chance to do. First, listen to a conversation that took place in my house the other day. Don't worry if you don't understand every single thing that's said. Because afterwards, we're going to go through some of the more difficult words and phrases that you heard in detail. And we'll also include some pronunciation tips, so you end up sounding like a native English speaker. Don't worry about taking any notes, because a full guide to the vocabulary, and including a small quiz, is available in the first comment. And also, there's a link in the description below. However, if you're already a member of our English Improvers community, a flip style version of this guide will be sent to you automatically. At the end of the video, it's your chance to really boost your speaking confidence by taking part in the conversation yourself. But I'll explain all about that later. Hi, I'm Steve. Let's do this. Yes, I know, I know. More fingers and thumbs today. Is something on your mind? Yes, my boss has gone AWOL. Now I've got to give someone the old Evo. Gosh, why are you letting them go? They're just not pulling the weight. Well, good luck with that. I wouldn't want to be in your shoes. I hate this part of the job. I hope it goes alright. Thanks. I'd better get going. I'll see you later. So how did you get on? It was a grueller. I called them into the office first thing to get it over with. And how did that pan out? When I told them that they were being let go, they completely broke down. They were sobbing their heart out. That sounds awful. Poor you. What did you do? I just sat there handing them tissues. It was a nightmare. This might not be the best time to mention it, but I, um, bumped the car. Can this day get any worse? Be careful what you wish for. Let's take a few minutes to go through some of the words and phrases that were used in that conversation that you might not have heard before. Don't forget there's a pre-guide to all the vocabulary and you get that just by clicking the link in the first comment. And there's also a link in the description below. Now this conversation started first thing in the morning when I was struggling to tie my tie. And I said I was all fingers and thumbs. Which means I was being awkward and clumsy. Because I was either nervous or in a hurry. I was all fingers and thumbs. That sounds terrible. I know. I'm all fingers and thumbs when you watch me play. To say this naturally in fast English, change the and to just an nn sound. So it's not fingers and thumbs. It's fingers and thumbs. You try. Kerry asked me if I had something on my mind. Which is another way of her asking me if I was worried about something. Did I have something on my mind? And the thing that I did have on my mind was that my boss was AWOL. Now this expression AWOL stands for absent without leave. It's an old army expression. But it's used in a slightly humorous way now to mean someone isn't where they're supposed to be and you don't know why. They're AWOL. In this case my boss had taken the day off without telling anyone. The horrible task that I had to deal with on that day was telling someone that they were dismissed from their job. And in English there are lots of expressions we can use for this. We heard two of them. To be given the old heave ho. And to let someone go. But you also hear lots of others. For example. To get the push. To get the elbow. Or to be fired. The reason I had to let someone go was because they weren't pulling their weight. This means they weren't doing their fair share of work. Basically they were being lazy. They weren't pulling their weight. When I got back I said that the day had been a grueller. Which means that the day had been tiring and demanding. It had been a grueller. Kerry asked how things had panned out. And basically this means she was asking what was the result? How did things go? How did they pan out? The person I had to let go broke down. Which is another way of saying emotionally they lost control. And the way they showed this was by sobbing their heart out. And this means to cry uncontrollably. They sobbed their heart out. To show how sorry she was for me. Kerry used the expression poor you. And the whole experience was described as a nightmare. Which means the whole thing was terrible. She then informed me that she'd bumped the car. Which is a casual way of saying that she'd damaged the car. There are a few ways in English that we pronounce words ending in ED. And in the case of bumped it's a T sound. Bumped. You try. Bumped the car. She also told me be careful what you wish for. Which is a funny way of warning someone to be careful what they want. Because it might not be good for them. Be careful what you wish for. Next it's time for you to boost your speaking confidence. As you take part in that conversation. Your words will appear on the screen as you need them. And for the best results speak out loud. Yes I know I know. More fingers and thumbs today. Yes my boss has gone AWOL. And now I've got to give someone the old Evo. They're just not pulling the weight. I hate this part of the job. Thanks. I'd better get going. I'll see you later. It was a grueller. I called them into the office first thing to get it over with. When I told them that they were being let go. They completely broke down. They were sobbing their heart out. I just sat there handing them tissues. It was a nightmare. Can this day get any worse? Now don't be all fingers and thumbs. Click this video for another great English lesson. I'll see you next time.