Giving instructions and checking understanding
Practise the kind of conversation you may genuinely need. Start simple, then add detail as your confidence grows.
A2 — get the message across
B1–B2 — add a useful detail
Useful phrase bank
Work in pairs for five minutes, then we’ll compare answers.
Could you say that again a little more slowly?
There’s no problem with making mistakes — keep speaking.
Please hand in your work by Friday afternoon.
Let’s look at one example together before you try it alone.
Branch the conversation
Change the situation
Change the time, place or person and answer again.
Add a preference
Say what you would prefer, what you need, or what you want to avoid.
Ask one question
Turn the dialogue around and ask the other person for one useful detail.
Your turn
Read the dialogue aloud twice. Then change the time, place, person, problem or preference and say it again without looking.
Try changing one detail and continue the conversation.
Ready for another?
English dialogue collection → · Real Life & Culture → · English Language Lab →
Nice work. Real conversation gets easier when you practise a small number of phrases in situations that matter to you.