English speaking lesson · Shopping & Money
Warranty and repair
You've brought something that's stopped working properly to a repair counter. 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 repair desk · you talk to the repair technician
Free plan: 10 messages a day. No card needed.
What you have to do
Report the fault, show it's still covered, and arrange the repair. 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 — what can I do for you?
Spoken aloud by the tutor playing the repair technician.
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
Report the fault
Say hello, and describe what's gone wrong.
“Hello! The screen is broken — can you fix it?”
- 02
Say when it started
Say when it started, or how long you've had it.
“It stopped working about a month ago.”
- 03
Ask if it's covered
Say what proof you have, and ask if the repair is covered.
“Here's my receipt. Is the repair free?”
- 04
Check the details
Check the technician has the details right.
“Yes, that's right.”
- 05
Arrange the repair
Say how you'd like to be contacted, and finish politely.
“Could you call me, please? 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 repair technician.
Starter
A1 – A2Simple, everyday words with a full hint on every step.
- broken
- damaged and not working
- “It's broken.”
- working
- operating as it should
- “It stopped working.”
- screen
- the display you look at
- “The screen is broken.”
- fix
- to repair something
- “Can you fix it?”
- month
- a period of about thirty days
- “About a month ago.”
- receipt
- the paper proving you bought it
- “Here's my receipt.”
- free
- costing nothing
- “Is the repair free?”
- call
- to phone someone
- “Could you call me?”
- please
- a polite word when you ask
- “Please call me.”
- 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.
- faulty
- not working properly
- “It's been faulty for a while.”
- repair
- to fix something that's broken
- “Can you repair it?”
- charging
- taking in power
- “It's stopped charging.”
- occasionally
- now and then, not often
- “It only happens occasionally.”
- warranty
- a promise to repair or replace
- “Is it still under warranty?”
- covered
- protected by a warranty
- “Is that covered?”
- replacement
- another one given in its place
- “Is a replacement possible?”
- a message sent over the internet
- “Email me when it's ready.”
- correct
- right, with no mistakes
- “Yes, that's correct.”
- appreciate
- to be grateful for
- “I appreciate that.”
Confident
B1 – B2Richer, more specific words, with only light hints.
- intermittent
- happening on and off, not constantly
- “The fault is intermittent.”
- diagnose
- to work out what's wrong
- “How long to diagnose it?”
- defect
- a fault in how something was made
- “It might be a manufacturing defect.”
- coverage
- what a warranty protects
- “What's the coverage on this?”
- expired
- no longer valid
- “Has the warranty expired?”
- loan
- an item lent to you temporarily
- “Is a loan unit available?”
- turnaround
- the time taken to complete something
- “What's the turnaround?”
- notify
- to let someone know officially
- “Could you notify me by email?”
- 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.
- glitch
- a small, sudden fault
- “There's an odd glitch.”
- sporadic
- happening at irregular intervals
- “It's fairly sporadic.”
- inherent
- built in, part of how it was made
- “Sounds like an inherent flaw.”
- recall
- an official callback of faulty products
- “Was there a recall on these?”
- voided
- cancelled and made invalid
- “Would the warranty be voided?”
- loaner
- a temporary replacement device
- “Any chance of a loaner?”
- ballpark
- a rough figure or estimate
- “A ballpark on the turnaround?”
- flag
- to raise something for attention
- “Just something to flag.”
- obliged
- grateful for a favour
- “Much obliged.”
- sorted
- dealt with and settled
- “Great, we're sorted.”
More Shopping & Money lessons
- Trying clothes on
- Buying a gift
- Collecting an order
- Returning an item
- Arranging delivery
- Choosing electronics
- Choosing a phone plan
- Bargaining at a market
- Changing money