Olivia: Joe! Can you stop that please! Can you please come here and sit down!
Magda: Hello there, Olivia. Who’s this?
Olivia: This is Joe – he’s my nephew.
Magda: Nephew?
Olivia: My sister’s son.
Magda: Oh! I see. He’s lovely! I love children...
Olivia: Yeah, they’re great until you have to look after them...
Magda: You’re looking after him?
Olivia: Yeah, just for today, fortunately. My sister can’t get a babysitter. But Joe comes to my shop quite often. He loves it there...unfortunately!
Magda: Why’s that ‘unfortunate’?
Olivia: Because he’s a pest, that’s why...
Magda: What’s a ‘pest’?
Olivia: Somebody or something which makes you angry...
Magda: No!! I don’t believe it! He’s so sweet! How old is he?
Olivia: Four, nearly five.
Fadi: Whoooaaaa! Slow down there, little man! Who’s this?
Olivia: Fadi, meet Joe.
Magda: He’s Olivia’s nephew. And a sweet little pest!
Fadi: Oh really! I didn’t know you were Aunt Olivia!
Olivia: Thank you very much Fadi. You make me feel old. Listen, have you had a chat with Harry yet?
Fadi: About work?
Olivia: Yeah.
Fadi: No, not yet, but I’m supposed to talk to him today. He said he’d be in here later.
Olivia: Listen, though, it’s not true what Harry was saying...
Fadi: About what?
Olivia: About me being upset if he can’t do the website for my shop...I don’t mind if he can’t do it! He wanted far too much money. I could never have afforded it. Now it’s ok, because he thinks he’s turning me down...I don’t have to offend him by saying ‘no’! A happy result all round!
Fadi: I see...so I don’t have to bail you out, after all?
Olivia: No!
Olivia: Joe, can you stop that please? Come over here!
Fadi: ...and here he is!
Harry: Alright mate! Alright Olivia, Magda...who’s this young man?
Olivia: My nephew, Joe.
Harry: Hello Joe!
Harry: He’s very...erm...what’s the word...energetic?
Olivia: I just call him “trouble”!
Harry: So, Fadi, you wanted to talk business?
Fadi: Yeah, finally...well, I’ve got the all clear from my uncle, so we’re on.
Harry: Great.
Fadi: But...
Harry: There’s always a “but”!
Fadi: You’re going to have to do us a favour and come down on the price, mate...
Harry: What price did I quote you?
Fadi: Two thousand five hundred.
Harry: Well, seeing as you’re a friend, I could come down to two thousand four hundred, but not less than that.
Fadi: We can offer two thousand. That’s our top limit. We don’t have a bigger budget than that.
Harry: Come on! You’re joking!
Fadi: Sorry mate. It’s two thousand, or nothing.
Harry: No way. Can’t be done. I’ve got to go now...got to go and see Johnny – he’s offered me a real job...bye all!
Fadi: Oh no, do you think he’s really upset now?
Olivia: I don’t think “upset” is the word....
Fadi: We can go a bit higher actually...I was just trying to be a tough negotiator.
Magda: A bit too tough, I think.
Olivia: You should never mix work and friendship, anyway.
Magda: And you probably shouldn’t have a business meeting in a café!
Fadi: Oh no. What a mess. I’d better go. Hang on..where’s my...where are my....I can’t find my mobile! Or my keys! Has anyone seen them?
Magda: Let’s look under the seats...they must be here somewhere...
Fadi: I can’t see anything.
Magda: No sign.
Olivia: How strange...hang on a minute, my nephew’s been terribly quiet for the last five minutes...what’s he up to...Joe!!!
Comments
hello...
I am very glad to speak in english with someone. Can you give me a messenger address or facebook address for speak in english and for improve english ?
Hello oscarenero,
It's great that you are so keen to practise your English! However, please remember the House Rules here on LearnEnglish. We ask members not to post or request personal information, including email addresses, Skype names, Facebook names and so on, because we have members who are under eighteen years of age.
Best wishes and good luck with your learning!
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello yinyinhtoon!
That's a big question, but you've come to the right place! To improve communication and writing, talk to other users in the comments section – this will help your vocabulary and grammar. For speaking, try our How to... video series for some conversational situations. Also, why not join a class or see if your friends want to practice English with you?
To improve vocabulary, make a note of new words that you think are useful – but try not to learn too many at once! You can use our MyWordBook app to help, or you can use a notebook. Keep the book with you, and look at it every day. Try to write or say sentences with the new words. You can do this with classmates, or even in the comments sections here.
Above all, try to do a little English every day – even 20 minutes will help!
Jeremy Bee
The LearnEnglish Team
I have a question for the Learning English team.
How can I speak English fluently with British accent? (Harry's voice maybe??) Do you have any advice for me?
Thanks.
Hello Anh Quân Chu!
Speaking fluently takes time! Here are two things that might help you.
To make yourself sound more British, you should try to find material that is from the UK. This means watching programs from the BBC, or using our listening materials - almost all of which have British accents. You could even take a class with a British teacher - the British Council has several centres in Vietnam. I shouldn't worry too much, though; sounding completely British usually means you have spent a long time in the UK, and in most cases isn't really necessary!
Good luck!
Jeremy Bee
The LearnEnglish Team
Actually, English learners in Vietnam, as well as the English teachers, don't require much about the accent, though; but I'd like to learn how to speak English with British accent if I have got a good chance. I do like speak in British accent rather than in America accent. You know, the accent sound more interesting and more funny in some way. I also like the method the British use English: you know, the way they talk, the sentences and the words they use, lots of different to American. :) I really got fascinating about it.
Anyway, thanks for your advices.
Have a good day, Jeremy Bee.
Ps: Recently, I have tried to speak English with my friends in British accent. At first, most of them can not understand what I say, but now it's okay.
From where I can do the exercises to correct my English grammars and English conversations..?
THANKS..
Hello.
What do you mean by Alright in different places?
It can be use as a greeting or conversation also?
Or just in sentence constructing?
Your British Council Student..
With Respect//
This is good story!!! Also very funny.Please listen and do exercises. It's my offer. Good luck!!!
A very interesting episode and I enjoy it very much!
Thanks a lot.
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