Episode 12: Good news and bad news

Episode 12: Good news and bad news

In the final episode of this season, find out about Magda's new job and how Sarah deals with her intrusive landlord. Harry has some surprising news and Johnny has a big decision.

Do the Preparation task first. Then listen to the audio. Next go to each Task and do the activity. If you need help, you can read the Transcript at any time.

Preparation

Transcript

Audio script

  • Olivia: Hi Magda! How was your first day?
  • Magda: Fantastic!
  • Olivia: Really!? I’m amazed...
  • Sarah: Yeah, you were so worried about your new job...
  • Magda: Well, I had some good news...
  • Olivia: Yeah? What?
  • All: Hi Johnny!
  • Johnny: Hi! I’ve got some good news...
  • Sarah: Makes two of you then!
  • Johnny: At least I think it’s good news...I’m not really sure...
  • Olivia: Tell us!
  • Magda: Can’t I tell you my good news first?
  • Sarah: Wow, this is getting complicated...and I’m afraid I’ve only got some bad news...
  • Magda: Oh no...what a shame! What’s the problem?
  • Olivia: Yeah, go on, bad news first, then the good news will cheer us up!
  • Sarah: OK, well, I had a row with my landlord, finally! And I’m moving out...
  • Magda: Oh no!
  • Sarah: Oh yes! So, I need a new flat...
  • Olivia: Again!!!
  • Magda: Oh dear...
  • Olivia: What a shame. I hoped it was going to work out...
  • Sarah: Yeah, but I didn’t get on with the landlord.
  • Magda: Have you told Fadi yet?
  • Sarah: No...I’m worried what he might think. The landlord is his cousin, after all...
  • Olivia: Well, let’s just wait until he comes in. I was going to tell him you weren’t happy – now I’ll tell him you’re leaving!
  • Magda: Is it good news time yet?
  • Sarah: Yes! Go on! What’s your good news?
  • Magda: I’ve been offered a job!
  • Johnny: Me too!
  • Olivia: Hang on! Wait a minute! You’ve already got a job, haven’t you Magda?
  • Sarah: And you have too, Johnny, haven’t you? You talk about it all the time...
  • Magda/Johnny: But...
  • Magda: Go on...!
  • Johnny: No, you first, please...
  • Magda: I’ve been offered a permanent job, with the same company! I’ll be a proper architect!
  • Olivia: Wow! That’s fantastic!
  • Magda: But...
  • Olivia: There’s always a ‘but’...
  • Magda: I have to get a distinction in my master’s degree...
  • Sarah: Phew...that’s not easy...
  • Magda: No, but I’m doing well...
  • Olivia: Fingers crossed then...
  • Sarah: Let’s hope!
  • Johnny: That’s amazing – I’ve got the same news!
  • Olivia: What? You’re going to be an architect?
  • Johnny: No!
  • Sarah: You’re doing a master’s degree?
  • Johnny: No!
  • Magda: What then?
  • Johnny: A job...I’ve been offered a new job!
  • Olivia: Yes, you said...
  • Johnny: And there’s a ‘but’...
  • Olivia: I told you there was always a ‘but’...
  • Johnny: It’s not in London...
  • Olivia: You’d have to leave...
  • Johnny: Yeah...
  • Olivia: Well, where is it? New York?
  • Johnny: No...
  • Magda: Paris? Berlin? Where?
  • Johnny: It’s back in China.
  • Sarah: Oh...Beijing? Shanghai?
  • Johnny: No, it’s in Chongqing.
  • Olivia: Where?
  • Johnny: Chongqing!
  • Magda:: Where’s that?
  • Sarah: Southwest China. It’s a really interesting place...growing really quickly...
  • Johnny: Yeah, it’s a great opportunity...
  • Olivia: But?
  • Johnny: But I love it here so much. I’m not sure I want to go back to China yet – I’d miss all my friends...
  • Olivia: You’ll have to choose!
  • Sarah: It’s big decision time! Oh no...here comes Fadi....and Harry.
  • All: Hi Fadi! Hi Harry!
  • Fadi: How’s it going everyone?
  • Olivia: Don’t ask...
  • Magda: I’ve been offered a new job, a really good job – if I get a good degree!
  • Johnny: I’ve been offered a new job, a really good job – but I have to go back to China!
  • Harry: Wow! Busy day everyone’s having...I’ve got some news too...
  • Olivia: Oh no...
  • Harry: Oh yes – I’ve been sacked!
  • Magda: “Sacked”?
  • Harry: Yes – I’ve lost my job, been made redundant, unemployed, no longer working!
  • Magda: Oh no!
  • Harry: Don’t worry – I don’t care. I hated that job anyway. I’ll soon find another job. A man with my skills and abilities is always in demand!
  • Johnny: Somebody from my company sacked you? Why?
  • Harry: I told them I wasn’t going to work at the weekend – Saturdays and Sundays. If I worked on Saturday and Sunday, when could I play football!? So I said ‘no’, and they said ‘goodbye’...
  • Magda:: What will you do now?
  • Harry: I have absolutely no idea! The future is an open book...
  • Sarah: Very poetic!
  • Fadi: Well Sarah, at least you’re ok...with your new flat and everything...
  • Sarah: Oh...er...well...
  • Olivia: Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that...cousin
  • Fadi: You wanted to talk to me?
  • Olivia: (whispering) Yeah, well, you see, Sarah’s a bit embarrassed...
  • Fadi: (whispering) What’s up?
  • Olivia: She wants to leave the new flat...she doesn’t get on well with the landlord...
  • Fadi: My cousin.
  • Olivia: Yes, your cousin.
  • Fadi: I’m not surprised!
  • Olivia: Eh?
  • Fadi: I said I’m not surprised! My cousin’s horrible! I can’t stand him!
  • Olivia: (laughs) Oh that’s a relief...
  • Fadi: Sarah – I’m sorry if I got you involved with my cousin...I thought you were desperate for a place to live...I know my cousin’s horrible!
  • Sarah: Oh, never mind Fadi – thanks for trying to help anyway...Now I need a new place to live though...
  • Magda:: If I get this job, I’ll have more money – we could get a place together...
  • Sarah: That’d be great...
  • Johnny: If I take the job in China, I’ll have to leave my flat...
  • Sarah: And we could move in...
  • Olivia: What a lot of ‘if’s’...
  • Sarah: It’s exciting...
  • Magda:: But also worrying...
  • Johnny: And confusing...
  • Harry: And that’s not all...
  • Fadi: What?
  • Harry: I’ve just been speaking to the owner of the café...
  • Olivia: And?
  • Harry: They’re closing down – next week!
  • All: What!!?? Oh…that’s terrible…no....what are we all going to do??

 

Task 1

Task 2

Task 3

Task 4

Task 5

Language level

Average: 3.8 (9 votes)
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Submitted by maramcorre on Wed, 08/11/2023 - 08:45

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I have a question, "Magda: Well, I had some good news. "
why it's not I have?

Hello maramcorre,

What Magda means is that she received some good news. She's referring to the moment she received the job offer rather than to the present moment.

She could also say 'I've got some good news' and in fact, as I think you suspect, this is more commonly what we say.

Best wishes,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team

Submitted by dhiyaa on Mon, 18/09/2023 - 19:31

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I think they all had bad news someone didn't have falt and someone his work in the cafe but the manager closed his shop

Submitted by najlaali773 on Wed, 18/01/2023 - 20:57

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Thanks for this episode ❤️

Submitted by PhuongHoang on Fri, 03/04/2020 - 16:24

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Hi LearnEnglish team. I don't understand why Olivia said " I wanted to talk to you about that cousin " and what Fadi replied instead of saying " I want to ..." Thanks a lot for helping me!

Hi PhuongHoang,

When there is something we want to discuss with another person, it's quite common to start with 'I wanted to talk to you about...', as Olivia does here.

Fadi repeats it back to show surprise. If you listen carefully, you can hear that he stresses the word you, because he's surprised that Olivia wants to speak to him about his cousin and not Sarah.

 

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

It's not the past simple tense, right ? Thanks for helping me ?

Hello PhuongHoang,

I wanted to... is past simple, yes. And it is used in the way I described in my earlier comment.

 

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Submitted by User_User on Mon, 23/03/2020 - 18:57

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Hello In this episode Olivia was worried what Fadi might think that she had a row with his cousin. If I paid money to move in and took a day off to be there I simply wouldn't care what my 'friend' might think. I would be pretty angry with Fadi that he suggested me this flat and so I wouldn't be polite to him. Sarah said about Chongqing: "It's a really interesting place ... growing really quickly ..." If I said that in German it would mean: A rural area with no opportunity to have fun. Bye

Submitted by jmajo on Thu, 25/07/2019 - 14:08

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Thanks for the Episode, it was very useful.