English speaking lesson · Home & Living
Calling a plumber
There's a leak under your kitchen sink, and you're calling a local plumber. 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 call to a local plumber · you talk to the plumber
Free plan: 10 messages a day. No card needed.
What you have to do
Describe the leak, give your address, agree a time, and find out the price. 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
Hello, plumbing services — what seems to be the trouble?
Spoken aloud by the tutor playing the plumber.
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
Describe the problem
Say what the problem is.
“Hello! There's a leak under the sink.”
- 02
Give your address
Give your address.
“I'm on Park Street — it's in the kitchen.”
- 03
Agree a time
Say if that time suits you.
“This afternoon is fine, thanks.”
- 04
Check the details
Check the details are right.
“Yes, that's right.”
- 05
Sort the price
Say how you'd like to pay, and finish.
“By card, please. Thanks for coming!”
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 plumber.
Starter
A1 – A2Simple, everyday words with a full hint on every step.
- leak
- water escaping where it shouldn't
- “There's a leak under the sink.”
- sink
- the basin where you wash things
- “It's under the kitchen sink.”
- pipe
- a tube that carries water
- “I think it's the pipe.”
- kitchen
- the room where you cook
- “It's in the kitchen.”
- street
- a road with houses on it
- “I'm on Park Street.”
- afternoon
- the part of the day after midday
- “This afternoon is fine.”
- much
- used to ask the price — 'how much'
- “How much is it?”
- right
- correct
- “Yes, that's right.”
- card
- a bank card you pay with
- “By card, please.”
- thanks
- a short way to say thank you
- “Thanks for coming.”
Conversational
A2 – B1Common words at a natural pace, with hints to lean on.
- dripping
- letting water fall in small drops
- “The tap keeps dripping.”
- tap
- the fitting that releases water
- “The tap keeps dripping.”
- steadily
- at a constant rate
- “It's leaking steadily now.”
- underneath
- below something
- “It's underneath the sink.”
- postcode
- the code identifying your area
- “The postcode is SW1 2AB.”
- suits
- is convenient for you
- “This afternoon suits me.”
- callout
- a visit made in response to a request
- “What's the callout fee?”
- correct
- right, with no mistakes
- “Yes, that's correct.”
- appreciate
- to be grateful for something
- “I appreciate you fitting me in.”
- cheers
- informal thanks
- “Cheers for that!”
Confident
B1 – B2Richer, more specific words, with only light hints.
- seal
- the part that stops water escaping
- “I think the seal has failed.”
- joint
- where two pipes connect
- “It's leaking from the joint.”
- isolate
- to shut off the water supply
- “Should I isolate the water?”
- valve
- the control that stops water flow
- “Where's the isolation valve?”
- escalate
- to get worse over time
- “I'd rather it didn't escalate.”
- hourly
- charged by the hour
- “Is it an hourly rate?”
- parts
- the components needed for a repair
- “Would parts be extra?”
- sorted
- arranged and settled
- “That's sorted, thanks.”
- appreciate
- to be grateful for
- “I'd appreciate that.”
- receipt
- the printed proof of payment
- “Could I get a receipt?”
Natural
B2 – C1Advanced, idiomatic words — no hints at all.
- gushing
- flowing out fast and heavily
- “It's not gushing, just steady.”
- trickle
- a thin, slow flow of liquid
- “It's more of a trickle, really.”
- stopcock
- the main tap that shuts off a home's water
- “I've found the stopcock.”
- bodge
- a rough temporary fix (informal)
- “I've done a bodge with tape.”
- sharpish
- quickly, without delay (informal)
- “If you could come sharpish.”
- damage
- the cost — 'what's the damage?' (informal)
- “What's the damage likely to be?”
- tap
- to pay by touching your card
- “I'll just tap on the day.”
- obliged
- grateful for a favour
- “Much obliged, thank you.”
- sorted
- dealt with and settled
- “Great, we're sorted.”
- cheers
- informal thanks
- “Cheers, appreciated.”
More Home & Living lessons
- Renting an apartment
- Reporting a repair
- Getting internet installed
- Moving day
- Furniture delivery
- Meeting a neighbour
- Talking to the building manager
- Setting up utilities
- Home insurance