1
person runs this conversation
5 min
The shortest conversation
An order said once, at full speed, with two modifications that are not on the board and six people behind her.
What actually happens
One of them is usually the real reason. What sits underneath it is what actually gets scored.
/01
“You say sorry and brace for the whole thing again.”
Sorry gets you the whole order again at the same speed. Sorry, oat or almond gets you a clean answer. This is the most useful sentence in a second language and almost nobody teaches it.
/02
“You catch the drink and lose the count.”
Two of something, a size, a price. Simple until somebody says them fast while you are still holding the last item.
/03
“You nod and find out at the end.”
Repeating the order is not politeness, it is error-checking, and it is the thing that stops a five-minute problem at the hatch.
/04
“You had it, and then she added one more thing.”
Actually, make that two. It arrives after you thought the order was finished, and it is where most of these go wrong.
Bring the real thing: the job description, the date on the letter, the words the school used. Everyone who runs behind the counter will work from what you actually walked in with.
How a first conversation worksWho you will be talking to
In whichever order helps. The first 5 minutes with a free partner cost nothing, so you can talk to two of them before you choose.
5 min freeBehind the counterWhat it costs
A harder conversation simply runs longer. The shortest way to rehearse behind the counter is 5 min.
You pay for the seconds you talk, and the minutes come off a balance you already hold. Nothing renews, and you are never sent a bill. Plans and refunds.
B1 · working
9 min
is how long a conversation at this difficulty runs
A customer at the morning rush who repeats once, louder, and not slower.
At $50 an hour, rounded up to the 60-minute booking nobody will sell you less than.
Your first 5 minutes
01
One of the free scenarios and one of the shortest. There is no reason not to.
The terms, in full
02
Find out what actually happens, in private, rather than at a counter with a queue.
Paid for out of your free minutes
Questions
Nearby
The rest of Everyday life first, then everything else at the same difficulty.
All the situations
B1 · workingB2 · confidentA manager explaining a till, once, while three other things need him.1 personfrom 5 minThe neighbour
B1 · workingB2 · confidentWarm, fast, and impossible to escape without saying something.1 personfrom 6 minYour child's school
B2 · confidentC1 · advancedTen minutes with a teacher, and everything you did not ask is a year of their schooling.2 peoplefrom 8 min