English at Work
The English a workplace actually requires: asking for clarification, reporting a problem, and being understood on the phone.
By the end of this lesson you can
- Ask someone to repeat or explain without apologizing for it
- Report a problem to a supervisor clearly
- Use the phrases that keep a phone conversation moving
- Recognize when a coworker means something different from what they said
Lesson Notes
Read through the key concepts before you try the challenge.
Asking again is a professional skill
You are new on a shift and your supervisor gives instructions quickly.
You catch most of it, not all. Saying nothing feels safer than asking a third time. You do the task the way you understood it, and it is wrong — and now the problem is bigger than the question would have been.
Your task: Learn the phrases that let you ask again without it costing you anything.
Every worker asks for clarification, in every language. What changes is confidence, not need. The phrases below are ordinary professional English — they do not mark you as a learner, and coworkers use them constantly.
| Say | When | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Could you say that again, please? | You missed it entirely | Direct and completely normal |
| Sorry, I didn't catch the last part. | You got most of it | Shows you were listening and narrows what they repeat |
| Do you mean [X] or [Y]? | You heard it but it could mean two things | Gets a one-word answer instead of a repeat |
| Let me make sure I have this right — you want me to… | It matters that you get it right | Confirms understanding and catches errors before they happen |
| Could you spell that for me? | A name, a medication, an address | Expected and appreciated for anything written down |
| Could you write that down? | Numbers, times, or several steps | Reasonable to ask; nobody thinks less of you |
Reporting a problem to a supervisor
A machine on your line has stopped and you need to tell your supervisor.
- 1
Say what is wrong first, in one sentence.
English workplace reporting puts the main point first, not last. This is genuinely different from many languages, where context comes first and the point arrives at the end — and a supervisor who is busy may stop listening before you reach it.
- 2
Then say what you did about it.
'The machine on line two stopped. I turned it off and told the others to wait' tells them the situation is contained. It answers the question they were about to ask.
- 3
Then say what you need from them.
'Do you want me to call maintenance, or will you?' A report with no request leaves them to work out what you want, and that is the part most likely to be misread.
- 4
If they respond quickly and you miss it, say so immediately.
'Sorry — call maintenance, or wait for you?' Confirming now costs five seconds. Guessing costs the whole task, and the supervisor would far rather be asked.
Result: Three short sentences that tell the supervisor what happened, what you did, and what you need.
Problem, action, request — in that order. English puts the point first.
Your supervisor gives you a three-step instruction and you only catch the first two. What is the best thing to say?
Challenge
Apply what you've learned in this lesson.
Practice out loud. Reading these does not build the reflex; saying them does.
- Say each of the six clarification phrases out loud five times, until they come without thinking.
- Write a three-sentence report of a real problem from your work, using problem, action, request.
- Listen to any English conversation — a video, a podcast, coworkers — and count how many times a fluent speaker asks for clarification. Note what they say.
- Next time you are unsure at work, use one of the phrases instead of guessing. Write down what happened.
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