English speaking lesson · Work & Career
One-on-one with your manager
You're having your regular one-on-one check-in with your 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 regular check-in · you talk to the manager
Free plan: 10 messages a day. No card needed.
What you have to do
Say how things have been going, share a win, mention a challenge, and get the support you need. 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
Hey, thanks for making time — how have things been going generally?
Spoken aloud by the tutor playing the 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
Say how things have been
Say how things have been going for you generally.
“Things have been good, thanks for asking.”
- 02
Share a win
Share something that's gone well recently.
“I finished a big task — I'm proud of that.”
- 03
Mention a challenge
Mention something that's been tricky lately.
“One part was hard — I need more time on it.”
- 04
Check the summary
Check the summary is accurate.
“Yes, that's right.”
- 05
Get the support you need
Say what support would help, and wrap up.
“Some help from the team would be good.”
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 manager.
Starter
A1 – A2Simple, everyday words with a full hint on every step.
- good
- going well
- “Things have been good.”
- busy
- having a lot to do
- “It's been quite busy.”
- finished
- completed
- “I finished a big task.”
- proud
- pleased with what you did
- “I'm proud of that.”
- hard
- difficult
- “One part was hard.”
- time
- the hours available for something
- “I need more time.”
- right
- correct
- “Yes, that's right.”
- help
- support with something
- “Some help would be good.”
- team
- a group working together
- “The team could help.”
- thanks
- a short way to say thank you
- “Thanks for asking.”
Conversational
A2 – B1Common words at a natural pace, with hints to lean on.
- steady
- consistent, not changing much
- “It's been fairly steady.”
- manage
- to handle or cope with something
- “I can manage the deadline.”
- achievement
- something successfully accomplished
- “That felt like a real achievement.”
- stretched
- having too much to handle at once
- “I've felt a bit stretched.”
- priorities
- the things that matter most right now
- “My priorities have shifted a bit.”
- accurate
- correct, matching reality
- “Yes, that's accurate.”
- support
- help given to get something done
- “A bit more support would help.”
- resource
- people or tools available to help
- “Extra resource would help too.”
- appreciate
- to be grateful for
- “I really appreciate that.”
- regularly
- at consistent, repeated intervals
- “Could we check in regularly?”
Confident
B1 – B2Richer, more specific words, with only light hints.
- momentum
- a sense of continuing progress
- “We've built some good momentum.”
- bandwidth
- the capacity to take on more work
- “My bandwidth's been pretty limited.”
- delegate
- to pass a task to someone else
- “I've started to delegate more.”
- bottleneck
- a point that slows everything down
- “There's a bit of a bottleneck there.”
- clarity
- a clear understanding of something
- “I could use a bit more clarity on that.”
- workload
- the total amount of work you have
- “My workload's been fairly heavy.”
- prioritise
- to decide what matters most
- “I've had to prioritise carefully.”
- constructive
- useful and helpful, not just critical
- “That feedback was really constructive.”
- sorted
- arranged and settled
- “That's sorted, thanks.”
- appreciate
- to be grateful for
- “I'd appreciate that.”
Natural
B2 – C1Advanced, idiomatic words — no hints at all.
- juggling
- managing several demands at once
- “I've been juggling a fair bit.”
- plate
- the amount of work you have (informal)
- “My plate's pretty full right now.”
- firefighting
- constantly reacting to urgent problems
- “It's felt like firefighting lately.”
- runway
- the time left before a deadline
- “We've got decent runway on that one.”
- traction
- growing momentum or progress
- “That project's finally gaining traction.”
- unblock
- to remove an obstacle stopping progress
- “That would really unblock me.”
- streamline
- to make something simpler and faster
- “We could streamline that process.”
- steer
- guidance on the right direction
- “A bit of steer would help.”
- obliged
- grateful for a favour
- “Much obliged, thank you.”
- sorted
- dealt with and settled
- “Great, we're sorted.”
More Work & Career lessons
- Give a meeting update
- Networking introduction
- Work phone / video call
- Small talk with colleagues
- Requesting time off
- Presenting an idea
- Giving feedback
- Delegating a task
- Negotiating a deadline
- Onboarding a new hire
- Job interview
- Asking for a raise
- Resigning