SIOC Language Labs · Real-Life Dialogues · University · Reviewed with care · 9 August 2026

Seminars, assignments and asking lecturers for help

Practise the kind of conversation you may genuinely need. Start simple, then add detail as your confidence grows.

EnglishA2–B2UniversityBranching dialogue
A friendly way to use this lesson: You do not need a perfect sentence. Start with the key message, listen to the reply, and add one useful detail.

A2 — get the message across

Student
When is the assignment due?
Lecturer
Could you tell me a little more about that?
Student
When is the assignment due, and where do we submit it?
Lecturer
Thanks, that makes it much clearer.

B1–B2 — add a useful detail

Student
I’d like to ask a question about the reading.
Lecturer
Could you tell me a little more about that?
Student
I’d like to ask a question about the reading for this week.
Student
Do we need to cite this source?
Lecturer
Could you tell me a little more about that?
Student
Do we need to cite this source in the bibliography?

Useful phrase bank

When is the assignment due?
deadline

When is the assignment due, and where do we submit it?

I’d like to ask a question about the reading.
seminar participation

I’d like to ask a question about the reading for this week.

Do we need to cite this source?
academic writing

Do we need to cite this source in the bibliography?

I have a meeting with my tutor.
student support

I have a meeting with my tutor after the lecture.

Could you explain the assessment criteria?
assessment

Could you explain the assessment criteria in a little more detail?

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.

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