English speaking lesson · Everyday Life

At the dry cleaners

You're at the dry cleaners, dropping off something that needs cleaning. 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 dry cleaning shop · you talk to the dry cleaning assistant

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At the dry cleaners — English speaking practice scene

What you have to do

Say what you're bringing in, mention any stains, confirm the timing, and pay. 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

Hi there! What are you bringing in today?

Spoken aloud by the tutor playing the dry cleaning assistant.

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
Say what you're bringing in
Say what you're bringing in to be cleaned.
“Hi! This jacket, please — can you clean it?”
02
Mention any stains
Mention any stains, or say there's nothing to note.
“There's a small stain here.”
03
Confirm the timing
Say if that timing works, or ask for it faster.
“In three days is fine, thanks.”
04
Check the order
Check the order is right, and ask how much it costs.
“Yes, that's everything. How much is it?”
05
Pay and finish
Say how you'd like to pay, and finish politely.
“By card, please!”

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 dry cleaning assistant.

Starter

A1 – A2

Simple, everyday words with a full hint on every step.

shirt: a piece of clothing for the upper body; “This shirt, please.”
jacket: a short coat; “This jacket, please.”
clean: to remove dirt from something; “Can you clean this?”
stain: a mark that's hard to remove; “There's a small stain here.”
ready: finished and able to collect; “When will it be ready?”
days: more than one day; “In three days, please.”
faster: quicker than usual; “Could it be faster?”
much: used to ask the price — 'how much'; “How much is it?”
please: a polite word when you ask; “This jacket, please.”
card: a bank card you pay with; “By card, please.”

Conversational

A2 – B1

Common words at a natural pace, with hints to lean on.

dry-clean: to clean using a special process, not water; “Could you dry-clean this jacket?”
delicate: easily damaged, needing gentle care; “It's a fairly delicate fabric.”
mark: a small stain or spot; “There's a mark on the sleeve.”
collect: to pick something up; “When can I collect it?”
standard: the normal, regular option; “Standard timing is fine.”
express: a faster, more expensive option; “Or is express available?”
everything: all of it — 'is that everything?'; “That's everything, thanks.”
total: the full amount to pay; “What's the total?”
cheers: informal thanks; “Cheers for that!”
appreciate: to be grateful for; “I appreciate you checking.”

Confident

B1 – B2

Richer, more specific words, with only light hints.

garment: a piece of clothing; “It's a fairly delicate garment.”
fabric: the material something is made from; “The fabric needs gentle treatment.”
treatment: a specific way of handling something; “It needs a gentle treatment.”
alterations: changes made to fit better; “Do you also do alterations?”
turnaround: the time taken to complete something; “What's the usual turnaround?”
priority: handled faster than normal; “Is priority service available?”
altogether: in total — 'how much altogether'; “How much altogether?”
receipt: the printed proof of payment; “Could I get a receipt?”
sorted: arranged and settled; “That's sorted, thanks.”
appreciate: to be grateful for; “I'd appreciate that.”

Natural

B2 – C1

Advanced, idiomatic words — no hints at all.

spruce: to freshen up (informal) — 'spruce up'; “It just needs a spruce up, really.”
rush: done quickly under time pressure — 'a rush job'; “Could you do a rush job on this?”
snag: a small tear or pull in fabric; “There's a small snag on the cuff.”
damage: the cost — 'what's the damage?' (informal); “What's the damage for that?”
tap: to pay by touching your card; “I'll just tap.”
cheers: informal thanks; “Cheers, appreciated.”
sorted: dealt with and settled; “Perfect, we're sorted.”
obliged: grateful for a favour; “Much obliged, thank you.”
collect: to pick something up; “I'll collect it Thursday.”
delicate: easily damaged, needing gentle care; “It's a delicate one, this.”

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At the dry cleaners

What you have to do

The 5 steps that finish it

Say what you're bringing in

Mention any stains

Confirm the timing

Check the order

Pay and finish