English speaking lesson · Health & Wellbeing
Physiotherapy session
You're at a physiotherapy appointment, describing an injury that's been bothering you. You practice 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 physiotherapy clinic · you talk to the physiotherapist
Free plan: this lesson is free to play at every level, with 10 messages a day. No card needed. The Learning Plan makes messages unlimited — $1.99 a month or $14.99 a year, with a 7-day money-back guarantee.
What you have to do
Describe the injury, say how it happened, answer a follow-up, and understand the advice. You finish the lesson by getting there in conversation — not by answering questions about it. The tutor never stops to correct you; the feedback appears beside your own messages, and the completion screen collects it all.
How it opens
Hi there! Come on in — what's been giving you trouble?
Spoken aloud by the tutor playing the physiotherapist.
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 injury
Say hello, and describe the injury or pain.
“Hi — my back hurts, quite a lot.”
- 02
Say how it happened
Say how it happened, or when you first noticed it.
“It happened while lifting something heavy.”
- 03
Give more detail
Say what makes it worse.
“It's worse when I stand up for a long time.”
- 04
Check everything's covered
Check everything's covered, and mention anything else.
“No, that's everything, thanks.”
- 05
Understand the advice
Listen to the advice, and ask a question if you have one.
“Okay, thank you — should I stretch it?”
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 physiotherapist.
Starter
A1 – A2Simple, everyday words with a full hint on every step.
- back
- the rear part of your body, from neck to hips
- “My back hurts.”
- hurts
- causes pain
- “My back hurts.”
- knee
- the joint in the middle of your leg
- “My knee hurts too.”
- week
- seven days
- “For about a week now.”
- lifting
- picking something heavy up
- “It happened while lifting.”
- running
- moving fast on your feet
- “It's worse after running.”
- stretch
- to extend your body gently
- “Should I stretch it?”
- exercise
- movement done to get better or stronger
- “What exercise should I do?”
- worse
- more bad than before
- “It gets worse standing up.”
- thanks
- a short way to say thank you
- “Thanks for seeing me.”
Conversational
A2 – B1Common words at a natural pace, with hints to lean on.
- strain
- an injury from overstretching a muscle
- “I think it's just a strain.”
- shoulder
- the joint where your arm meets your body
- “My shoulder's been sore.”
- stiff
- hard to move, tight
- “It feels stiff in the mornings.”
- twisted
- turned or bent awkwardly
- “I think I twisted it slightly.”
- posture
- the way you sit or stand
- “It might be my posture.”
- flexibility
- how easily you can bend or move
- “My flexibility's not great.”
- exercises
- movements done to recover or strengthen
- “What exercises would help?”
- improve
- to get better
- “I hope it will improve soon.”
- appointment
- a planned meeting, like with a physio
- “Thanks for the appointment today.”
- appreciate
- to be grateful for
- “I appreciate the advice.”
Confident
B1 – B2Richer, more specific words, with only light hints.
- tension
- tightness in the muscles
- “There's a lot of tension there.”
- range
- how far a joint can move — 'range of motion'
- “My range of motion's limited.”
- repetitive
- happening again and again
- “It's from repetitive movement, I think.”
- flare
- to suddenly get worse
- “It tends to flare up after exercise.”
- inflammation
- swelling and irritation in the body
- “Could it be inflammation?”
- mobility
- how freely you can move a joint
- “My mobility's improved a bit.”
- gradual
- happening slowly, over time
- “I'd expect gradual improvement.”
- referral
- being sent to a specialist
- “Would this need a referral?”
- recovery
- the process of getting better
- “What's a realistic recovery time?”
- appreciate
- to be grateful for
- “I'd appreciate that.”
Natural
B2 – C1Advanced, idiomatic words — no hints at all.
- niggle
- a mild, ongoing ache (informal)
- “It started as a niggle.”
- tweak
- a mild strain or injury (informal)
- “I think I've had a small tweak.”
- grumbling
- occasionally acting up (informal)
- “It's just been grumbling on and off.”
- overdo
- to do more than your body can handle
- “I might have started to overdo it.”
- seize
- to suddenly become stiff and locked
- “It occasionally seems to seize up.”
- ease
- to gradually reduce in intensity
- “It should start to ease with rest.”
- baby
- to treat gently and carefully (informal)
- “I'll baby it for a week or two.”
- flare-up
- a sudden return of pain or symptoms
- “Best avoid another flare-up.”
- obliged
- grateful for a favour
- “Much obliged, thank you.”
- sorted
- dealt with and settled
- “Great, that's sorted.”
More Health & Wellbeing lessons
- Doctor's appointment
- Pharmacy & symptoms
- Booking a doctor's appointment
- Dentist appointment
- Eye test
- Blood test
- Vaccination
- Personal trainer session
- Therapist check-in