Learn how to explain details about an appointment
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Intro |
|---|
| Imagine you're going to meet your friend at his office, but before you can talk to him, you need to talk to the receptionist. How would you do it? |
| Hi. Alisha here. |
| Checking in with a receptionist in English is easy. In this lesson, you'll learn how. |
| Gustavo has come to meet his old friend George Silva at his office. |
| Let's watch! |
| Dialogue |
| ALTA Secretary: Good morning, welcome to ALTA. |
| Gustavo: Good morning. I have a 10: 00 a.m. appointment with Mr. Thomas |
| ALTA Secretary: Your name, please? |
| Gustavo: Silva. |
| ALTA Secretary: Just a moment, Mr. Silva. |
| ALTA Secretary: I'm very sorry, but Mr. Thomas' meeting is running a little late. |
| Gustavo: Oh. |
| ALTA Secretary: He should be out in few minutes, though. |
| Gustavo: OK, no problem. |
| ALTA Secretary: Then, please have a seat over there. I'll call you when Mr. Thomas is ready to see you. |
| Gustavo: Sure. |
| Now with subtitles! |
| ALTA Secretary: Good morning, welcome to ALTA. |
| Gustavo: Good morning. I have a 10: 00 a.m. appointment with Mr. Thomas |
| ALTA Secretary: Your name, please? |
| Gustavo: Silva. |
| ALTA Secretary: Just a moment, Mr. Silva. |
| ALTA Secretary: I'm very sorry, but Mr. Thomas' meeting is running a little late. |
| Gustavo: Oh. |
| ALTA Secretary: He should be out in few minutes, though. |
| Gustavo: OK, no problem. |
| ALTA Secretary: Then, please have a seat over there. I'll call you when Mr. Thomas is ready to see you. |
| Gustavo: Sure. |
| Vocab |
| appointment (slow) appointment |
| moment (slow) moment |
| meeting (slow) meeting |
| should (slow) should |
| sure (slow) sure |
| Phrase and Usage |
| Alisha: In the scene, how did the receptionist greet Gustavo after he said good morning? |
| Receptionist: Welcome to ALTA |
| Alisha: First is the phrase |
| Brandon: Welcome to |
| Alisha: Last is the business name |
| Brandon: ALTA |
| Alisha: Together it's |
| Brandon: Welcome to ALTA |
| Alisha: This phrase can be used anytime and anywhere to welcome someone to a new place, including any business. Now you try! Say the receptionist's first line to Gustavo. |
| (freeze action, cue for viewer to speak) |
| Brandon: Welcome to ALTA |
| Alisha: In the scene, how did the receptionist ask Gustavo to wait for a moment? |
| Receptionist: Just a moment |
| Alisha: First it the word |
| Brandon: Just |
| Alisha: And next is the phrase |
| Brandon: a moment |
| Alisha: together it's |
| Brandon: Just a moment |
| Alisha: This is a polite way of asking someone to wait for a short period of time. Now you try! Say the receptionist's line to Gustavo when he asks him to wait. |
| (freeze action, cue for viewer to speak) |
| Receptionist: Just a moment |
| Alisha: In the scene, what phrase does the receptionist use to tell Gustavo that Mr. Thomas will be late? |
| Secretary: Mr. Thomas' meeting is running a little late. |
| Alisha: First is a name with a possessive s sound at the end |
| Brandon: Mr. Thomas' |
| Alisha: Next is the word |
| Brandon: meeting |
| Alisha: After this is the word |
| Brandon: running |
| Alisha: Next is the phrase |
| Brandon: a little |
| Alisha: And last is the word |
| Brandon: late |
| Alisha: Together it's |
| Brandon: Mr. Thomas' meeting is running a little late running a little late |
| Alisha: The phrase (Brandon: running a little late) describes a person or thing that is behind schedule. In this case, the phrase is used to describe Mr. Thomas' meeting. Now you try! Say the line that the receptionist uses to explain that Mr. Thomas will be late. |
| (freeze action, cue for viewer to speak) |
| Receptionist: Mr. Thomas' meeting is running a little late. |
| Focus |
| Alisha: Do you remember the phrase Gustavo and the receptionist used to greet each other at the beginning of the scene? |
| Gustavo: Good morning |
| Alisha: First is the word |
| Brandon: good |
| Alisha: Next is the word |
| Brandon: morning |
| Alisha: Together it's |
| Brandon: Good morning |
| Alisha: You can adapt this structure to use it in several situations. First say |
| Brandon: good |
| Alisha: Then say the time of day. This can be morning, afternoon, or evening. Now, you try! Imagine you're greeting the person taking your breakfast order at a coffee shop. |
| PAUSE |
| Brandon: Good morning |
| Alisha: Now, imagine you're greeting business partners at an afternoon meeting. |
| PAUSE |
| Brandon: Good afternoon. |
| Alisha: Do you remember the sentence Gustavo used to tell the receptionist about his appointment? |
| Gustavo: I have a 10:00 a.m. appointment with Mr. Thomas |
| Alisha: First is the phrase |
| Brandon: I have a |
| Alisha: Next is the time |
| Brandon: 10:00 a.m. |
| Alisha: After this is the word |
| Brandon: appointment |
| Alisha: Next is the word |
| Brandon: with |
| Alisha: and finally, you add the person who you are meeting with |
| Brandon: Mr. Thomas |
| Alisha: Together it's |
| Brandon: I have a 10:00 a.m. appointment with Mr. Thomas. |
| Alisha: You can use this structure to explain the details anytime you have an appointment. The structure is |
| : I have a [Brandon: time] appointment with [Brandon:person]. |
| : Now you try! Imagine you have an appointment to see Dr. Smith at 2:00 p.m. What would you say to check in? |
| PAUSE |
| Brandon: I have a 2:00 p.m. appointment with Dr. Smith. |
| Alisha: Now, imagine you have a 9:00 a.m. meeting with the Director of Marketing. What would you say to the receptionist when you arrive? |
| PAUSE |
| Brandon: I have a 9:00 am meeting with the Director of Marketing. |
| Alisha: Do you remember what Gustavo said after the receptionist told him that Mr. Thomas was running a little late? |
| Brandon: Ok, no problem. |
| Alisha: First is the word |
| Brandon: Ok. |
| Alisha: Next is the phrase |
| Brandon: no problem |
| Alisha: Together it's |
| Brandon: Ok, no problem. |
| Alisha: This expresses agreement and understanding. Now you try! Imagine you ordered chocolate ice cream but the waiter says they only have vanilla. How would you express that you are ok with vanilla ice cream? |
| PAUSE |
| Brandon: Ok, no problem. |
| Alisha: Imagine you're trying to schedule a doctor's appointment and after you request a 9:00 appointment, the receptionist offers you a 10:00 a.m. appointment instead. If you want to accept his offer, what would you say? |
| PAUSE |
| Brandon: Ok, no problem. |
| Practice |
| Alisha Let's practice! This is your chance to check in for an appointment in English. Try to remember what you learned and practice speaking! You arrive at a company's office for an appointment with a friend who works there. Ready? Here we go. |
| Alisha What would you say to the receptionist to greet her if your appointment is in the morning? |
| (5 second pause) |
| Brandon: Good Morning |
| Alisha How do you tell the receptionist that you have an appointment with your friend, Mr. Thomas, at 10 am? |
| (5 second pause) |
| Brandon: I have a 10:00 a.m. appointment with Mr. Thomas |
| Alisha The receptionist asks you your name. How do you answer? |
| receptionist Your name please. |
| (5 second pause) |
| Brandon: [your name]. |
| Gustavo Silva. |
| Alisha Unfortunately, you're told that Mr. Thomas is still in a meeting and are asked to wait. How do you respond? |
| (5 second pause) |
| Brandon: Ok, no problem. |
| Alisha Great job! You've just mastered the basics of checking in with a receptionist in English. Be sure to keep practicing! |
Outro |
| Well done. |
| Now, watch the scene one more time. After that, |
| go and practice with all your American friends — or with us in the comments! |
| Bye. |
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