Listening transcript · Episode 78

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the phone rings, you see the number, you do not recognize it, and for a moment you think, maybe I will not answer, maybe I will let it go to voicemail, maybe later, but you know you cannot do that forever, so your thumb moves toward the screen, and the word answer feels enormous.

Welcome to your English toolbox.

I am Miranda, and this is the Basic Survival Kit, a short series designed for one thing only, to give you

the exact words you need in the moments that frighten you most.

We are not here to study grammar.

We are here to survive, and then to grow.

Want to take your learning even further?

Find your English toolbox on YouTube to watch every episode with subtitles.

It is the best way to support this project, and we truly appreciate it.

Today's situation, the phone call.

Specifically, a call you were not expecting.

It could be your landlord, your child's

school, a doctor's receptionist, or a number you do not recognize at all.

The problem is never the English itself.

The problem is the speed.

On the phone, there is no face to read, no gestures, no context, just words moving fast with no pause button.

Here are your five sentences for this situation.

Listen carefully, and then repeat each one out loud.

Sentence 1.

Hello, who am I speaking to, please?

This one does two things at once.

answers the call professionally, and it puts the other person in the position of explaining themselves first.

You are not on the back foot.

You are asking the first question.

That changes everything.

Sentence 2.

I am sorry, could you speak a little more slowly, please?

Say this without guilt.

Native speakers are asked this every day, by other native speakers.

The word slowly is not a confession of weakness.

It is a professional request.

And most people will honor

it immediately.

Sentence 3.

Could you spell that for me, please?

Names, streets, reference numbers.

On the phone, these disappear in a second.

This sentence gives you permission to stop the conversation and catch up.

Never pretend you heard something you did not.

Spelling it out protects you and the person calling you.

Sentence 4.

I want to make sure I understood correctly.

You said … and then you repeat back what you heard.

This is not just survival English.

This is what confident speakers do.

It confirms the information.

It shows you were listening.

And it gives the other person a chance to correct any mistake before it costs you.

Sentence 5.

Could you send me that by email or text, please?

This sentence is your safety net.

When the information is important – a date, an address, a payment reference – asking for it in writing is not rude.

It is … smart.

And almost every organization will

say yes immediately.

Now, the rescue sentence.

This is the single phrase that works when everything else disappears from your mind.

Write this one down.

Could you say that one more time, please?

I want to make sure I have it right.

Say it again, out loud, right now.

Could you say that one more time, please?

I want to make sure I have it right.

That sentence does something remarkable.

It asks for repetition.

It signals that you are

careful and attentive.

And it gives you five more seconds to breathe.

Five seconds is everything.

Let me tell you about Amara.

Amara moved from Accra to Manchester three years ago.

She told me that for the first six months, she never answered unknown numbers.

She let every call go to voicemail, and then felt ashamed when she could not understand the message either.

One afternoon, her daughter's school called.

Amara answered, and the words came too fast.

So she

said, quietly, could you say that one more time, please?

I want to make sure I have it right.

The woman on the other end laughed kindly and said, of course, take your time.

The conversation lasted four minutes, and Amara understood every word of it.

She called me afterwards and said, I did not know it was allowed to ask.

It is always allowed to ask.

Let's close with what you have today.

One.

Hello.

Who am I speaking

to, please?

Two.

I am sorry.

Could you speak a little more slowly, please?

Three.

Could you spell that for me, please?

Four.

I want to make sure I understood correctly.

You said, Five.

Could you send me that by email or text, please?

And the rescue sentence.

Could you say that one more time, please?

I want to make sure I have it right.

You are not someone who is afraid of the phone.

You are someone who knows

exactly what to say.

That is a completely different person.

And that person is you, starting today.

If you made it this far, you are truly committed to your English.

Please head over to YouTube, search for your English toolbox, and subscribe.

Your support there means the world to us, and keeps this podcast growing.

I am Miranda, and I will see you in the next one.

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