English speaking lesson · Home & Living
Talking to the building manager
Something in the shared parts of your building needs attention, and you've caught the building manager. You practise it as a real conversation, at whichever of the four levels fits you — the room and the steps stay the same, only the words get harder.
A shared building · you talk to the building manager
Free plan: 10 messages a day. No card needed.
What you have to do
Raise the issue, explain it, say how it affects you, and agree what happens next. You finish the lesson by getting there in conversation — not by answering questions about it. Nothing is corrected while you talk; the corrections are collected and handed to you at the end.
How it opens
Morning! Did you need me for something?
Spoken aloud by the tutor playing the building manager.
The 5 steps that finish it
A step clears when you say the thing that clears it. The steps are identical at all four levels — only the example line fades, and at Natural there is none at all.
- 01
Raise the issue
Say what the issue is in the building.
“Morning! The light is broken.”
- 02
Explain it
Give more detail about the issue.
“It's on the stairs, for about a week now.”
- 03
Say how it affects you
Say how it affects you.
“It's very dark at night — could you fix it?”
- 04
Check the details
Check the details are right.
“Yes, that's right.”
- 05
Agree what happens next
Say how you'd like to be updated, and say thanks.
“Please email me. Thanks for your help!”
The words, at all four levels
The same room and the same steps, four vocabularies. These are the words the lesson listens for and scores you on — with what each one means and how it sounds when you are talking to the building manager.
Starter
A1 – A2Simple, everyday words with a full hint on every step.
- light
- a lamp that gives brightness
- “The light is broken.”
- stairs
- steps between floors
- “It's on the stairs.”
- dark
- with little or no light
- “It's very dark at night.”
- week
- seven days
- “For about a week now.”
- night
- the dark part of the day
- “It's dark at night.”
- fix
- to repair something
- “Could you fix it?”
- right
- correct
- “Yes, that's right.”
- a message sent over the internet
- “Please email me.”
- please
- a polite word when you ask
- “Could you fix it, please?”
- thanks
- a short way to say thank you
- “Thanks for your help.”
Conversational
A2 – B1Common words at a natural pace, with hints to lean on.
- hallway
- the shared passage inside a building
- “The hallway light is out.”
- entrance
- the way into a building
- “It's by the entrance.”
- rubbish
- waste thrown away
- “The rubbish hasn't been collected.”
- collected
- taken away
- “It hasn't been collected.”
- unsafe
- not safe
- “It feels a bit unsafe.”
- residents
- the people who live somewhere
- “Other residents have noticed too.”
- correct
- right, with no mistakes
- “Yes, that's correct.”
- updated
- given the latest news
- “Could I be updated by email?”
- appreciate
- to be grateful for something
- “I appreciate you looking into it.”
- cheers
- informal thanks
- “Cheers for that!”
Confident
B1 – B2Richer, more specific words, with only light hints.
- communal
- shared by everyone in a building
- “It's in the communal area.”
- maintenance
- the work of keeping things in good repair
- “Is that a maintenance issue?”
- recurring
- happening repeatedly
- “It's a recurring problem, sadly.”
- hazard
- something that could cause harm
- “It's becoming a bit of a hazard.”
- logged
- officially recorded
- “Has it been logged already?”
- timeframe
- the period something will take
- “What timeframe are we looking at?”
- escalate
- to raise an issue to someone more senior
- “Should I escalate it?”
- sorted
- arranged and settled
- “That's sorted, thanks.”
- appreciate
- to be grateful for
- “I'd appreciate that.”
- confirm
- to say something is definitely settled
- “Could you confirm in writing?”
Natural
B2 – C1Advanced, idiomatic words — no hints at all.
- niggle
- a small ongoing annoyance
- “It's a bit of a niggle, really.”
- chase
- to follow up on something (informal)
- “I've had to chase it twice.”
- grumbling
- complaining quietly and repeatedly
- “People have been grumbling about it.”
- eyesore
- something ugly to look at
- “It's becoming a bit of an eyesore.”
- flag
- to raise something for attention
- “I wanted to flag it early.”
- ping
- to send quickly (informal)
- “Could you ping me an update?”
- obliged
- grateful for a favour
- “Much obliged, thank you.”
- sorted
- dealt with and settled
- “Great, we're sorted.”
- cheers
- informal thanks
- “Cheers, appreciated.”
- loop
- to keep someone informed — 'in the loop'
- “Keep me in the loop, if you can.”
More Home & Living lessons
- Renting an apartment
- Reporting a repair
- Calling a plumber
- Getting internet installed
- Moving day
- Furniture delivery
- Meeting a neighbour
- Setting up utilities
- Home insurance