Ask for Information

January 15, 2026 teacherjulietaLeave a comment

In this lesson, you will practice real-life English that you can use when you need help, directions, details, or clarification. These skills are very useful for travel, work, school, and everyday conversations.

🎯 What will you learn?

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

Ask for information politely and clearly
Use correct question forms
Understand and respond to common information questions
Feel more confident speaking in real-life situations

🗣️ Useful Phrases: Asking for Information and Advice

Use these phrases in phone calls, emails, or face-to-face conversations. Try to sound polite and calm.

✅ Asking for Information

Situation	Useful Phrases
Starting a conversation	Hello, I’m calling to find out about _______. Excuse me, can I ask you something?
Asking for general information	Can you give me some information about the _____? I wonder if you could give me some information about the _______.
Asking for specific details	Can/Could you tell me when the course starts? Can/Could you tell me how much it costs?
Showing interest	I’d like to find out about _________. I’m interested in ___________.
Asking about availability or offers	Do you offer discounts for students? Is there an evening class available?
Very polite requests	Would you mind telling me when the course starts?

💬 Responding to a Request for Information

Purpose	Useful Phrases
Greeting the caller	Hello, this is … How can I help?
Offering help	Can I help you? What can I do for you?
Checking information	Let me see. Let me check that for you.
Ending the conversation	Is there anything else I can do for you?

🔁 Repeating Back to Confirm Understanding

Purpose	Useful Phrases
Confirming details	OK, thanks. The course starts on Monday. Got that.
Checking understanding	So, the fee is $200, right?

🙏 Thanking

Situation	Useful Phrases
Saying thank you	Thanks very much for your help. Thank you for the information.

Let’s Practice!

Practice 1

Practice 2

Practice 3

Practice 4

Speaking Practice

Spin the wheel.
Read the situation.
Ask for information. Use the useful phrases box to prepare your dialogue.

✍️ Writing Practice

Try answering these questions:

How would you ask for the price of a jacket?
How would you ask where the nearest bus stop is?
How would you politely ask about opening hours?

Write your answers and practice saying them out loud.

Make and Respond to Requests

January 9, 2026January 9, 2026 teacherjulietaLeave a comment

In this lesson, you will learn how to ask people to do things politely and how to answer requests in a friendly way. This language is very useful in daily life, at work, and with friends.

🎯 What will you learn?

By the end of this lesson, you can:

Ask for help politely 🙏
Say yes or no in a polite way
Choose the right phrase for the situation
Sound more natural in English

How to Make Polite Requests

In English, we usually make requests using questions, not commands.

✅ Useful Request Phrases

Polite request	Example
Could you…?	Could you help me with this?
Would you mind + -ing…?	Would you mind opening the window?
Do you think you could…?	Do you think you could help me later?
Would it be possible to…?	Would it be possible to send this email?
Just one more thing…	Just one more thing, if it’s not too much trouble?

💡 Tip: These phrases sound friendly and polite 👍

How to Respond to Requests

You can accept, refuse, or delay a request.

👍 Positive Responses (Yes)

Phrase	When to use it
Yes, sure.	Informal / friendly
Of course, happy to.	Very polite
No problem.	Casual situations

🤔 Neutral Responses (Maybe)

Phrase	Meaning
It depends what it is.	You need more information
Possibly. When do you need it?	You are not sure yet

🙅 Polite Refusals (No)

Phrase	Why it’s polite
I’m really sorry, but I’m too busy right now.	Apology + reason
I’m afraid I can’t do that.	Soft and respectful

💡 Tip: Always add sorry or I’m afraid to sound polite.

Be Careful! ⚠️

❌ Too direct:

Help me.
Do this for me.

✅ Better:

Could you help me?
Would you mind doing this for me?

Let’s Practice!

Practice 1

Practice 2

Practice 3

Speaking

Make Complaints

November 26, 2025 teacherjulietaLeave a comment

We all have moments when something goes wrong. For example, a cold meal at a restaurant, a noisy hotel room, a delayed delivery. In English, it’s important to complain politely, not angrily. Here you will find useful expressions, examples, and a short practice activity.

1. When do we make complaints?

Here are common situations:

At a restaurant (the food is cold / wrong order)
In a hotel (room is dirty / too noisy)
In a store (item is broken / size is wrong)
With services (internet doesn’t work / package arrives late)

Complaints are usually made to solve a problem, not to argue.
So the language needs to be polite, clear, and calm.

Useful Phrases for Complaining

Function	Useful Phrases
Complaining	• I’m sorry, but there’s been a mistake with … • I’m afraid that there’s a problem with … • There seems to be a problem with … • Can I see your …, please? • I’d like to make a complaint.
Giving reasons for complaints	• The problem is … • The … doesn’t work. • The … is broken. • I’ve been waiting for …
Responding and offering solutions	• I’m very sorry about that. • Unfortunately, we can’t … • We’ll give you …
Asking for action	• I’d like to cancel the order / get a refund / speak to the manager, please. • I’d like you to (change it for a new one). • Please could you (bring the bill)?

Situation	Complaining	Giving Reason	Asking for Action
Cold food at a restaurant	I’m afraid that there’s a problem with my meal.	The food is cold.	Please could you heat it up?
Wrong order	I’m sorry, but there’s been a mistake with my order.	The problem is I ordered chicken, not fish.	I’d like you to change it for a new one.
Broken product (store)	There seems to be a problem with this.	The item is broken.	I’d like to get a refund, please.
Hotel room issues	I’d like to make a complaint.	The shower doesn’t work.	I’d like you to send someone to fix it.
Long waiting time	I’m afraid that there’s a problem with the service.	I’ve been waiting for 30 minutes.	Can I speak to the manager, please?
Incorrect bill	I’m sorry, but there’s been a mistake with the bill.	The problem is the price is wrong.	Please could you correct it?

Let’s Practice!

Practice 1

Speaking

Practice 1

Practice 2

Say, Tell, Speak & Talk

November 23, 2025 teacherjulietaLeave a comment

Easy guide for Reported Speech

These three verbs can be confusing, but the rules are actually simple.

1. SAY

**Use say + words / sentence**

We use say when we only report the words.

She said she was tired.
He said he didn’t understand.

❌ We cannot use say + a person.
(Not: She said me…)

✔️ Use say to + person

She said to me that she was tired.

2. TELL

**Use tell + a person**

We use tell when we say who we are talking to.

She told me she was tired.
They told us they were not ready.
My friend told her the news.

✔️ Always: tell + someone + something

3. SPEAK

**Use speak to talk about languages or formal communication**

We don’t usually use speak to report exact words.

She speaks French.
He spoke to the class yesterday.

🌟 Not for reported speech:
❌ She spoke she was tired. (incorrect)

4. TALK

**Use talk for general conversations**

We use talk when two or more people have a conversation.

We talked about our weekend.
She talked to her teacher after class.
They talked about the exam.

➡️ talk to / talk with / talk about
All are common in everyday English.

❌ Not usually used to report exact words:
She talked she was tired. (incorrect)

5. Quick Summary

Verb	Use	Example
say	the message (no person)	She said she was late.
say to	person + message	She said to me that she was late.
tell	always needs a person	She told me she was late.
speak	languages / formal talk	She speaks French.
talk	general conversation	They talked about the test.

Let’s practice!

Practice 1

Practice 2

Speaking

Practice 1

Make Excuses

November 18, 2025 teacherjulietaLeave a comment

In everyday life, we sometimes arrive late, forget to do something, or make a small mistake. When this happens, we need to give a clear and polite excuse.
Making excuses helps people understand what happened and why.

This lesson will help you learn useful English expressions to explain situations politely and naturally. 😊

What Does “Make an Excuse” Mean?

To make an excuse means to give a reason for something you didn’t do or for something that went wrong.

Sometimes excuses are real.
Sometimes they are not.
But in English, we often use excuses to explain situations politely.

Examples:

“I made an excuse for being late.”
“She always makes excuses for not finishing her homework.”

Making excuses is useful in daily life, at school, at work, and with friends.

Here’s a table of useful phrases to help you get started:

Useful Phrases Table

Making Excuses	Apologising	Accepting / Rejecting Excuses
Well, you see…	I’m really sorry… 😔	OK / Never mind. I understand. 😊
I meant to, but…	It was very stupid of me. 😣	These things happen. 🤷
I had to…	I won’t do it again, I promise! 🤞	That’s no excuse. ❌

You can combine these sentence starters with a reason.

For example if you are late you can make the following excuses:

Starter Phrase	Reason (Complete the sentence)

Well, you see…

…the traffic was terrible. 🚗💨

I meant to, but…

…I overslept. 😴

I had to…

…help my sister before leaving. 👧

I had to…

…go back home to get something. 🏠

Conversation 1 — Being Late

A: You’re late again!
B: Well, you see… the bus was really slow today.
A: You should leave earlier.
B: I know. I meant to, but I couldn’t find my keys.

Conversation 2 — Forgetting Something

A: Did you bring the book I lent you?
B: I meant to, but I left it on my desk at home.
A: You always forget things!
B: I know… I’ll bring it tomorrow.

Let’s Practice

Practice 1

Practice 2

Speaking

Practice 1

Practice 2

Ask for and Give Opinions

October 30, 2025 teacherjulietaLeave a comment

What Does “Give an Opinion” Mean? 💬🤔

To give an opinion means to say what you think or feel about something.
We often give opinions about movies, books, music, food, or experiences in daily life.

When you ask for an opinion, you want to know what someone else thinks.

For example:

“What did you think of the movie?” (You ask for an opinion.)
“I really enjoyed it. It was amazing!” (You give your opinion.)

Giving and asking for opinions helps you share ideas, agree or disagree politely, and have real conversations in English! 😊

How to Ask for and Give Opinions 🗣️💭

Here are useful and natural expressions to help you ask for and share your thoughts politely.

Situation	Phrases to Use	Example
Asking for opinions	– What did you think of it? – Did you like/enjoy it? – How was it? – Was it good?	“How was the restaurant?” 🍽️
Giving a positive opinion	– I really enjoyed it. – It was amazing! – Best film/book I’ve seen in ages. – I thought he/she was really good.	“I really enjoyed it. The food was delicious!” 😋
Giving a negative opinion	– I thought it was awful / terrible. – It’s not my kind of thing. – I found it a bit boring. – I was a bit disappointed.	“It’s not my kind of thing. I don’t like horror movies.” 😬
Giving a neutral opinion	– It was OK, I guess. – It’s good, but not her best.	“It was OK, but a bit long.” 😐

Example Conversations 🗨️🎭

Conversation 1: Talking about a Movie 🎬
A: What did you think of the new Spider-Man movie?
B: I really enjoyed it! The action scenes were great.

Conversation 2: Talking about a Book 📚
A: Did you enjoy the book?
B: It was OK, I guess. A little boring in the middle.

Conversation 3: Talking about a Concert 🎵
A: How was the concert last night?
B: To be honest, I was a bit disappointed. The sound wasn’t very good.

Let’s practice

Practice 1

Practice 2

Speaking

Make Plans to Meet

October 29, 2025October 30, 2025 teacherjulietaLeave a comment

How to Invite Someone

When you want to make a plan with a friend, you can use these friendly expressions 👇

💡 Useful Phrase	💬 Meaning	🧠 Example
Would you like to come?	A polite way to invite	Would you like to come to my party? 🎉
Do you want to meet up (this Friday)?	A friendly invitation	Do you want to meet up after class? ☕
Do you want to join us?	Include someone in a plan	We’re having dinner tonight. Do you want to join us? 🍽️

🗣 Tip:
“Would you like to…?” is more polite than “Do you want to…?”

How to Respond to Invitations

When someone invites you, you can accept or refuse politely:

💡 Response	💬 Use it when…	🧠 Example
I’d love to! ❤️	You’re happy to join	“Do you want to come?” → “I’d love to!”
Yes, that sounds great/fun! 😄	You agree with the plan	“Let’s go to the park.” → “That sounds great!”
I don’t think I can, sorry. 🙁	You can’t join (polite)	“Sorry, I don’t think I can.”
I’m sorry I can’t, I’m busy. 📅	You already have plans	“I’m sorry I can’t. I’m working that day.”

Organising When and Where to Meet

Once you both agree, you need to arrange the details, time and place!

💡 Phrase	💬 Meaning	🧠 Example
Where / What time shall we meet?	Ask for details	“Where shall we meet?” / “What time shall we meet?”
Shall we meet (at ten / at the park)?	Suggest a place or time	“Shall we meet at the café at 5?”
Let’s meet (in front of / at…)	Confirm a plan	“Let’s meet in front of the cinema at 7.” 🎬

🗣 Tip:
We often use present continuous to talk about these future plans:

I’m meeting my friends at 7.
We’re having dinner on Friday.

Responding to Suggestions

When your friend suggests something, you can agree or hesitate politely:

💡 Phrase	💬 Meaning	🧠 Example
That’s a good idea! 👍	You like the suggestion	“Let’s go for pizza.” → “That’s a good idea!”
I’m not sure about that. 🤔	You’re not completely happy with the plan	“How about the zoo?” → “I’m not sure about that.”

🗣️ Conversation Example

A: What are you doing this Saturday?
B: Not much. Why?
A: Would you like to come to the food festival?
B: I’d love to!
A: Great! Shall we meet in front of the station at 12?
B: Sounds good! See you there!

Quick Summary

🧠 Function	💬 Phrases	💡 Example
Inviting people	Would you like to…? / Do you want to meet up?	Would you like to come this Friday?
Accepting	I’d love to! / That sounds great!	Yes, that sounds fun!
Refusing politely	I’m sorry, I can’t. / I’m busy.	I don’t think I can, sorry.
Arranging	Shall we meet at…? / Let’s meet at…?	Let’s meet at 6.
Responding to suggestions	That’s a good idea! / I’m not sure about that.	That’s a good idea!

Let’s Practice

Practice 1

Practice 2

Practice 3

Speaking

Practice 1

Flip a card.
Student A ->Complete the question/ sentence.
Student B -> Answer the question/ keep up with the conversation

Past Participle

October 19, 2025October 20, 2025 teacherjulieta4 Comments

A past participle is a verb form we use with have or has to make the Present Perfect tense.

Examples:

I have visited Spain.
She has seen that movie.

🧠 The past participle tells us that something happened before now, but we don’t say exactly when.

The three main verb forms

In English, every verb has three main forms:

Base Form	Past Simple (Verb II)	Past Participle (Verb III)
go	went	gone
eat	ate	eaten
watch	watched	watched

We use:

Base form → for now (I go to school every day.)
Past simple → for yesterday (I went to school yesterday.)
Past participle → with have/has (I have gone to school.)

Regular verbs

For regular verbs, the past participle ends in -ed (just like the past simple).

Base	Past	Past Participle
work	worked	worked
play	played	played
visit	visited	visited

Examples:

I have visited my grandparents.
We have played soccer many times.

Irregular verbs

Some verbs don’t follow the “-ed” rule.
These are called irregular verbs. You must learn them.

Base	Past	Past Participle
go	went	gone
see	saw	seen
do	did	done
eat	ate	eaten
have	had	had

Examples:

I have gone to Italy.
She has seen that movie before.
He has done his homework.

Why is it important?

You need the past participle to make the Present Perfect tense, which is used to talk about life experiences:

Have you ever been to Canada?
I have never tried sushi.
We have visited many cities.

📘 Common Irregular Verbs

This is a basic list of the most common irregular verbs in English.
It’s a great place to start, but remember, there are many more irregular verbs that you’ll learn as you continue studying.

👉 Focus on a few verbs each week and use them in real sentences.
The more you read, listen, and speak, the easier it will be to remember new ones naturally.

Keep this table as your starter guide, and you’ll build your verb knowledge step by step.

# Base Form
(Verb I) Past Simple
(Verb II) Past Participle
(Verb III) Example Sentence
1 be was / were been I’ve been to Italy.
2 become became become He’s become more confident.
3 begin began begun The class has just begun.
4 break broke broken I’ve broken my glasses.
5 buy bought bought She’s bought new shoes.
6 choose chose chosen Have you chosen a movie?
7 come came come They’ve come home.
8 do did done He’s done his homework.
9 drink drank drunk She’s drunk all the juice.
10 drive drove driven He’s driven to work today.
11 eat ate eaten Have you eaten yet?
12 feel felt felt I’ve felt tired all day.
13 find found found I’ve found my keys.
14 forget forgot forgotten I’ve forgotten your name!
15 get got got I’ve got a new job.
16 give gave given They’ve given me a gift.
17 go went gone We’ve gone to the park.
18 have had had She’s had breakfast already.
19 know knew known Have you known her long?
20 leave left left She’s left her bag at home.
21 make made made He’s made a cake.
22 meet met met We’ve met before.
23 read read /rɛd/ read /rɛd/ I’ve read that book.
24 say said said She’s said sorry.
25 see saw seen I’ve seen that movie.
26 take took taken We’ve taken lots of photos.
27 tell told told He’s told me the story.
28 think thought thought I’ve thought about it.
29 wear wore worn I’ve worn this jacket before.
30 write wrote written He’s written three emails.

#	Base Form (Verb I)	Past Simple (Verb II)	Past Participle (Verb III)	Example Sentence
1	be	was / were	been	I’ve been to Italy.
2	become	became	become	He’s become more confident.
3	begin	began	begun	The class has just begun.
4	break	broke	broken	I’ve broken my glasses.
5	buy	bought	bought	She’s bought new shoes.
6	choose	chose	chosen	Have you chosen a movie?
7	come	came	come	They’ve come home.
8	do	did	done	He’s done his homework.
9	drink	drank	drunk	She’s drunk all the juice.
10	drive	drove	driven	He’s driven to work today.
11	eat	ate	eaten	Have you eaten yet?
12	feel	felt	felt	I’ve felt tired all day.
13	find	found	found	I’ve found my keys.
14	forget	forgot	forgotten	I’ve forgotten your name!
15	get	got	got	I’ve got a new job.
16	give	gave	given	They’ve given me a gift.
17	go	went	gone	We’ve gone to the park.
18	have	had	had	She’s had breakfast already.
19	know	knew	known	Have you known her long?
20	leave	left	left	She’s left her bag at home.
21	make	made	made	He’s made a cake.
22	meet	met	met	We’ve met before.
23	read	read /rɛd/	read /rɛd/	I’ve read that book.
24	say	said	said	She’s said sorry.
25	see	saw	seen	I’ve seen that movie.
26	take	took	taken	We’ve taken lots of photos.
27	tell	told	told	He’s told me the story.
28	think	thought	thought	I’ve thought about it.
29	wear	wore	worn	I’ve worn this jacket before.
30	write	wrote	written	He’s written three emails.

Let’s practice

Practice 1

Practice 2

Speaking

Choose a card and say the base form – simple past – past participle.

Example:

go – went- gone

If you don’t remember, you can check the table of irregular verbs

🎲 Let’s Reflect and Play!

October 15, 2025December 23, 2025 teacherjulietaLeave a comment

You did it!

The test is done! 🎉

Now it’s time to relax and think about your learning.

In this game, you will answer questions, share your ideas, and talk about your experience in class.

Move around the board, read each question, and take turns speaking with your classmates.

Have fun, listen, and speak in English! 💬✨

Irregular verbs

October 10, 2025 teacherjulieta1 Comment

🧩 What Are Irregular Verbs?

Most English verbs are regular — you just add –ed to make the past tense.

Regular: play → played | work → worked

But some verbs don’t follow this rule.

Irregular: go → went | eat → ate | have → had

⚙️ Form and Structure

Sentence Type	Structure	Example
Affirmative	Subject + irregular verb (past form)	I went to the park yesterday.
Negative	Subject + didn’t + base verb	I didn’t go to the park.
Question	Did + subject + base verb	Did you go to the park?

🧠 Tip:
After did or didn’t, always use the base form (not the past).

❌ Did you went? → ✅ Did you go?

💡 Common Irregular Verbs

Base Form	Past Simple	Example Sentence
be	was / were	I was tired yesterday.
have	had	We had a great time.
go	went	She went to the cinema.
do	did	They did their homework.
see	saw	I saw a good movie.
eat	ate	He ate pizza for lunch.
make	made	She made a cake.
get	got	I got home late.
buy	bought	We bought new shoes.
come	came	My friend came to visit.
take	took	He took the bus to work.
say	said	She said hello.
find	found	They found a wallet.
give	gave	He gave me a gift.
know	knew	I knew the answer.

🧠 Notice: Irregular verbs don’t have one pattern — some change the vowel, some change completely, and some stay the same (like cut → cut).

⏰ Time Expressions for the Past Simple

We often use these words with past actions:

📅 yesterday
🕒 last night / last week / last year
📆 two days ago / a month ago
📖 in 2010 / when I was a child

Examples:

I went to Spain last summer.
We had dinner two hours ago.

🚫 Common Mistakes

❌ Wrong	✅ Correct	Why?
I didn’t went.	I didn’t go.	After didn’t, use the base verb.
Did you saw it?	Did you see it?	After did, use the base verb.
He goed to school.	He went to school.	Go is irregular.
I was happy yesterday?	Were you happy yesterday?	Use was/were to make questions.

Let’s Practice

Practice 1

🎯 What will you learn?

🗣️ Useful Phrases: Asking for Information and Advice

✅ Asking for Information

💬 Responding to a Request for Information

🔁 Repeating Back to Confirm Understanding

🙏 Thanking

Let’s Practice!

Practice 1

Practice 2

Practice 3

Practice 4

Speaking Practice

✍️ Writing Practice

🎯 What will you learn?

How to Make Polite Requests

✅ Useful Request Phrases

How to Respond to Requests

👍 Positive Responses (Yes)

🤔 Neutral Responses (Maybe)

🙅 Polite Refusals (No)

Be Careful! ⚠️

Let’s Practice!

Speaking

1. When do we make complaints?

Useful Phrases for Complaining

Let’s Practice!

Speaking

1. SAY

Use say + words / sentence

2. TELL

Use tell + a person

3. SPEAK

Use speak to talk about languages or formal communication

4. TALK

Use talk for general conversations

5. Quick Summary

Let’s practice!

Speaking

What Does “Make an Excuse” Mean?

Useful Phrases Table

Conversation 1 — Being Late

Conversation 2 — Forgetting Something

Let’s Practice

Speaking

What Does “Give an Opinion” Mean? 💬🤔

How to Ask for and Give Opinions 🗣️💭

Example Conversations 🗨️🎭

Let’s practice

Speaking

How to Invite Someone

How to Respond to Invitations

Organising When and Where to Meet

Responding to Suggestions

🗣️ Conversation Example

Quick Summary

Let’s Practice

Speaking

The three main verb forms

Regular verbs

Irregular verbs

Why is it important?

📘 Common Irregular Verbs

Let’s practice

Speaking

🧩 What Are Irregular Verbs?

⚙️ Form and Structure

💡 Common Irregular Verbs

⏰ Time Expressions for the Past Simple

🚫 Common Mistakes

Let’s Practice

Card game

**Use say + words / sentence**

**Use tell + a person**

**Use speak to talk about languages or formal communication**

**Use talk for general conversations**