00:00
Julia, I think there is a mistake on my receipt.
What would you like to do?
I want to ask someone to check it, but I do notwant to sound rude.
Then today we have a practical situation for you.
Welcome to Everyday Useful Expressions from YourEnglish Toolbox.
Today we will explain a problem clearly and askfor help politely.
Imagine that you ordered a sandwich, but thereceipt shows two.
You do not need a long speech.
You can begin with, I think there might be amistake.
That introduces the problem without immediatelyblaming anyone.
Listen to the whole sentence.
I think there might be a mistake on my receipt.
The words I think in might make the statement lesscertain.
They leave room for the other person to check thefacts.
You can be polite and still be clear.
For example, I think there might be a mistake withmy reservation.
Now let us describe the specific problem.
I ordered one sandwich, but the receipt shows two.
That is simple and concrete.
The person helping you can understand what needsattention.
Our next expression is, could you check that forme?
Could you check that for me?
This politely asks someone to look at the problem.
You could also point to the receipt and say, couldyou check this for me?
Use this for the thing in front of you, and
that for something already mentioned or furtheraway.
The other person might reply, of course, let metake a look.
Let me take a look means, let me examine it.
Now imagine a different situation.
You booked a room with two beds, but thereservation shows one bed.
You can explain your expectation by saying, I wasexpecting two beds.
I was expecting means that you thought somethingdifferent would happen or
be provided.
You are explaining the difference between what youexpected and what you see.
You can add, could you check the booking for me?
The next useful question is, what can we do aboutit?
What can we do about it?
This invites the other person to discuss apossible solution with you.
It is a good question when you have explained theproblem and
want to know the next step.
The answer might be, I can correct the receipt.
Or let me see if another room is available.
If the matter is not clear, you can ask anothershort question.
Could you explain that please?
You do not need to understand everythingimmediately.
Asking politely for clarification is part of asuccessful conversation.
Let us hear a short exchange from beginning toend.
03:00
I think there might be a mistake on my receipt.
Of course, what seems to be the problem?
I ordered one sandwich, but the receipt shows two.
Thank you for telling me, and let me check that.
Could you correct it please?
Yes, I can print a new receipt for you.
Each turn gives the other person a clear nextstep.
Sometimes the person helping you needs anotherdetail.
They might ask, do you have your bookingconfirmation?
You can say yes, here it is on my phone.
Or, I do not have it with me, but I can give youmy name.
If you are not sure what they said, try sorry.
Could you say that again?
Then listen for the key information,
rather than trying to understand every word atonce.
A calm conversation can have several steps,
and that is completely normal.
The aim is to understand the problem together
and find a useful next step.
Now it is your turn.
Your receipt shows an item you did not order.
How could you introduce the problem politely?
I think there might be a mistake on my receipt.
Now ask the person to look at it.
Could you check that for me?
And if you want to discuss a solution?
What can we do about it?
On the website, you will find five moreexpressions
for handling everyday problems and a chance topractice them.
The link is in the episode description.
Thanks for learning with your English Toolbox.
See you next time.