English for retail and customer service A1+ Course start 31st August

Thank you for taking this course!  I will leave everything in place on the blog.

The continuation course starts on Monday and you can register here if you haven’t done so already: Grundläggande engelska för retail och kundservice A2 Distans Live – Folkuniversitetet

Hope to see you on Monday!

Homework from Lesson 12

Here are the notes from this morning. Please practise the dialogues: Notes from Lesson 12 (24/9/26) | Sarah’s Blog

Check the pronunciation, meaning and use of OBEY | English meaning – Cambridge Dictionary

Lesson 11

Here are the notes from this morning: Notes from Lesson 11 (22/9/26) | Sarah’s Blog

Online grammar practice:  Used to, be used to, get used to – Test-English

Reading, listening and vocabulary – Listen to this and read the transcript at the same time: Doing the shopping at the supermarket | Learn English Vocabulary  In the lesson on Thursday you can describe the meanings of the words in bold, for example aisles, counters etc

Listening – choose a TED talk that interests you and talk about it in pairs on Thursday: TED: Ideas change everything

Lesson 10

Here are the notes from this morning: Notes from Lesson 10 (21/9) | Sarah’s Blog

Grammar practice – try these online exercises:

If you are interested you can watch this short video with Rowan Atkinson talking about some of his most iconic characters including Mr Bean and Blackadder: Rowan Atkinson Breaks Down His Most Iconic Characters  

Lesson 9

Here are the notes from this morning: Notes from Lesson 9 (16/9/26) | Sarah’s Blog

Speaking preparation: Think about the answers to these questions, and you can talk about them with a partner on Monday:

  1. When I’m stressed, I cope with it by __________.
  2. Recently, I managed to __________.
  3. I can get by with __________.
  4. I find it difficult to cope with __________.
  5. I managed to learn __________ even though it was difficult.
  6. I could get by without __________, but it would be difficult.

 

Grammar – We will look at the past perfect on Monday. If you wish, you can get a headstart here: Past perfect | LearnEnglish  If you have the book, there will be some units in there that you can look at and practise as well (I still don’t have the book!!).  Anyway, I will introduce it and practise it as usual.

 

Lesson 8 – Please read through the notes from today and practise the dialogues Notes from Lesson 8 (15/9/26) | Sarah’s Blog

If you are interested in reading about personnummer and other terms relevant to the Swedish Tax Authority, here is the English page: Personal identity numbers | Skatteverket

 

Would you like to continue studying after the course has finished?

You can choose from the following:

General basic English for work: Jobbengelska från grunden – English for Work A1+ Distans Live – Folkuniversitetet

The continuation course of this one Grundläggande engelska för retail och kundservice A2 Distans Live – Folkuniversitetet

Both courses use the same book: Essential Grammar in Use (with answers and interractive eBook) av Raymond Murphy, fjärde upplagan. (ISBN: 9781107480537).  This is mostly for self-study.  My book is still not delivered from Bokus, so I can’t recommend them anymore,

 

Homework from Lesson Seven

Review: Please read through today’s notes: Notes from Lesson 7 (14/9/26) | Sarah’s Blog

Vocabulary: This is a very good website to test your English A2 Vocabulary Lessons – Test-English

Listening practice “like” –  What are your roommates like? What are your roommates like? – A2 English Listening Test – Test-English

We didn’t do either of these today, so this is definitely on for tomorrow:

Listening and vocabulary – Choose an item of news that interests you from BBC Learning English – 6 Minute English

Reading and speaking – Visit the recruitment page for Tesco (a supermarket chain) and select a job you would like to apply for. Describe what the job involves, why you would like the job and why you would be good at it.  Is Tesco an employer you could work for? Talk about this in groups next lesson (Monday) Tesco Careers – Build a career at Tesco | Tesco Careers

 

Lesson Six

Review: Please read through today’s notes: Notes from Lesson 6 (9/9/26) | Sarah’s Blog

Vocabulary: use by, sell by, or best before?

  1. You should eat this chicken before the __________ date.
  2. The shop should not sell the milk after the __________ date.
  3. This packet of biscuits has a __________ date of 15 October. They may still be safe after this date, but they might not taste as good.
  4. Check the __________ date before you eat fresh fish.
  5. The supermarket must remove products after their __________ date.
  6. The chocolate has a __________ date of March 2027.
  7. You shouldn’t eat the salad after the __________ date.
  8. The shop’s __________ date tells the shop when it has to stop selling the product.
  9. A __________ date is mainly about the quality of food, not necessarily its safety.

Listening and vocabulary – Choose an item of news that interests you from BBC Learning English – 6 Minute English

Reading and speaking – Visit the recruitment page for Tesco (a supermarket chain) and select a job you would like to apply for. Describe what the job involves, why you would like the job and why you would be good at it.  Is Tesco an employer you could work for? Talk about this in groups next lesson (Monday) Tesco Careers – Build a career at Tesco | Tesco Careers

Vocabulary and speaking Please finish the vocabulary exercise we started at the end of the class and then read through the discussion questions for Monday (below).

 Shops on the British High Street A high street is the main shopping street in a town or city.

Common shops

  • 👗 Clothes shop – clothes, shoes, accessories
  • 👟 Shoe shop – footwear  -trainers, boots, shoes,
  • 💊 Pharmacy/chemist – medicines, toiletries, cosmetics
  • 💐 a flower shop, a florist’s – flowers and plants
  • 🥖 a bakery – bread, cakes, pastries
  • 🥩 a butcher’s – meat        I’ll get some sausages from the butcher’s.
  • 🐟 a fishmonger’s – sells fish and seafood
  • 💍 Jeweller – jewellery, watches
  • 📱 Mobile phone shop – phones, phone cases, accessories
  • 📚 a bookshop, a book store,  a newsagent’s, a stationer’s – books, magazines, stationery             a library = borrow books, read newspapers
  • 🎁 Gift shop – cards, gifts, souvenirs
  • 🧸 Toy shop – toys and games
  • 💄 Beauty shop – make-up, skincare, perfume
  • 🛋️ furniture shop – sofas, beds, tables, chairs     “furn-nee-tchur”
  • 🏠 Homeware shop – household items and decorations
  • 💻 Computer/electronics shop – computers, TVs, headphones
  • 🔑 _________ shop – keys and locks
  • 🧵 Tailor/dressmaker – clothing alterations and repairs
  • 🧺 _________ – cleaning clothes
  • 🖼️ Art/craft shop – art materials and craft supplies
  • 🐕 Pet shop – pet food, toys and accessories
  • 🛠️ _________ shop – tools, paint, screws and DIY products
  • 💰 _______ shop – second-hand clothes, books, furniture and other items

 

Local shopping and shopping online  (to discuss in class on Monday)

  • What shops are on your local high street?
  • What do you like about your local high street? What don’t you like about it?
  • Has your local high street changed in recent years?
  • Are there many independent shops in your area?  What do they sell? What services are available? eg dry cleaning
  • Do you think small local shops are important? Why?
  • What would make your local high street better?
  • Which shops do you prefer to visit in person rather than online? Why?
  • Do you think people will shop more or less in physical shops in the future?
  • What can high-street shops do to compete with large retail parks and online shopping?

 

 

Lesson Five

Review: Please read through today’s notes: Notes from Lesson 5 (8/9/26) | Sarah’s Blog

Grammar: Try this online practice – Comparative adjectives | LearnEnglish

Vocabulary: Match the section to the products:

 

Supermarket Section Products
1. Fruit and vegetables A. Milk, cheese, butter, yoghurt, eggs
2. Meat B. Shampoo, soap, toothpaste, deodorant
3. Fish C. Apples, bananas, potatoes, carrots
4. Dairy and eggs D. Kitchen equipment, storage boxes, bedding
5. Bakery E. Chicken, beef, pork, sausages
6. Tinned and packaged food F. Medicines, first-aid products, vitamins
7. Frozen food G. Dog food, cat food, pet litter
8. Snacks and confectionery H. Beans, soup, pasta, rice, cereal
9. Drinks I. Crisps, biscuits, chocolate, sweets
10. Alcohol J. Water, juice, fizzy drinks, tea, coffee
11. Cooking ingredients K. T-shirts, socks, underwear, children’s clothes
12. Household cleaning L. Frozen vegetables, pizza, chips, ice cream
13. Paper products M. Oil, flour, sugar, sauces, spices
14. Health and beauty N. Washing-up liquid, detergent, cleaning sprays
15. Baby products O. Toilet paper, kitchen roll, tissues
16. Pet products P. Nappies, baby food, baby wipes
17. Pharmacy/health Q. Salmon, tuna, prawns
18. Flowers and plants R. Flowers, plants, gardening items
19. Clothing S. Beer, wine, spirits
20. Homeware T. Bread, rolls, cakes, pastries

 

 

Shopping in a Supermarket

 

 

Lesson four

Review: Please read through today’s notes:  Notes from Lesson 4 (7/9/26) | Sarah’s Blog

Pronunciation Click on the words and practise pronouncing : colleague and college

Listening – Exercise on dates (US English) Listening Exercises A1 – Dates – English Practice Online You can check your answers after you have tried the exercise. There is also a transcript.

Speaking – we will do this in class tomorrow:

You are hosting a visitor (either privately or at work) from outside Sweden who wants to go shopping for clothes, Swedish food and drink and souvenirs

Recommend places where your visitor should go shopping and explain what they should buy and why.

  1. Where would you take the visitor to buy Swedish clothes?
  2. Which Swedish clothing brands or styles would you recommend?
  3. Where could they buy authentic Swedish food?
  4. Which Swedish foods and drinks would make good gifts?
  5. What souvenirs would you recommend?
  6. Would you recommend traditional souvenirs or modern Swedish design?
  7. Which items would be easiest to take home in a suitcase or just handluggage?
  8. If the visitor only had 500 SEK, what would you recommend they buy?
  9. If they wanted to buy a special gift for a friend or family member, what would you choose?
  10. What would your ideal one-day Stockholm shopping itinerary look like?

 

Lesson 3 All links are in brown

Please read through today’s notes: Notes from Lesson 3 (2/9/26) | Sarah’s Blog

Online practice – Shopping English: Useful Vocabulary and Sentences for Everyday Use – English with Amelia

Reading and speaking – Visit the recruitment page for Tesco (a supermarket chain) and select a job you would like to apply for. Describe what the job involves, why you would like the job and why you would be good at it.  Is Tesco an employer you could work for? Talk about this in groups next lesson (Monday) Tesco Careers – Build a career at Tesco | Tesco Careers

Practise trickier pronunciation using the CAmbridge online dictionary, for example: SIMULTANEOUSLY | English meaning – Cambridge Dictionary

Optional writing – Write a description of the job that you do or did in the past. You can email it to me if you wish.

Speaking – Prepare this speaking task for Monday and we can discuss it in the lesson:

You are hosting a visitor (either privately or at work) from outside Sweden who wants to go shopping for clothes, Swedish food and drink and souvenirs

Recommend places where your visitor should go shopping and explain what they should buy and why.

  1. Where would you take the visitor to buy Swedish clothes?
  2. Which Swedish clothing brands or styles would you recommend?
  3. Where could they buy authentic Swedish food?
  4. Which Swedish foods and drinks would make good gifts?
  5. What souvenirs would you recommend?
  6. Would you recommend traditional souvenirs or modern Swedish design?
  7. Which items would be easiest to take home in a suitcase or just handluggage?
  8. If the visitor only had 500 SEK, what would you recommend they buy?
  9. If they wanted to buy a special gift for a friend or family member, what would you choose?
  10. What would your ideal one-day Stockholm shopping itinerary look like?

 

Lesson 2

Please read through today’s notes: Notes from Lesson 2 (1/9/26) | Sarah’s Blog

Online grammar practice: As or Like Quiz – 14 Online Quiz Questions – UsingEnglish.com

Online vocabulary practice: Shops and shopping – A1 English Vocabulary – Test-English

 

Lesson 1  

Please read through today’s notes. You can find them here: Notes from Lesson 1 (31/8) | Sarah’s Blog

Take a look at these websites and see if they are useful for you.  Tell the group about your favourite one tomorrow.

Grammar practice (self-study) – we used the present continuous form today to describe what was happening in the photos.  If you need more practice with this tense, you can visit:

 

 

 

Information before Lesson 1

Welcome to the course! My name is Sarah and I will be the teacher for the English for the Retail and Customer service A1+ course starting on Monday 31st August.

We start at 09.00, with a 15-minute break at around 10.25.  After each lesson, I will paste in the lesson notes and any self-study tasks.

Please note that this is an elementary course and if you are a higher level this may not be suitable for you.

Installing Zoom                                                                                                                                                Please install Zoom on your device and make sure you can log in and access our course. Before the lessons, check that your connection and equipment is working as it should,  and please switch on your camera and microphone so that I know you are there!

This will be a large class so we will use breakout rooms.  Click here for instructions: How to use breakout rooms in Zoom

Here are the details you need to enter the Zoom classroom on Monday. I advise checking you can log in before the first lesson.

Link (but I recommend that you install the Zoom app)
https://folkuniversitetet-se.zoom.us/launch/jc/66607798559

Mötes-ID: 666 0779 8559
Lösenkod: 231051

 

A few rules

Please note that you must be able to actively participate in the lesson with your camera and microphone switched on when you are in breakout rooms (grupprum)

If you cannot participate because you are travelling for example, you are welcome to listen in to the main lesson,  but you cannot join the breakout rooms (grupprum) as it is confusing for the other students.  In this case you will be marked as absent.

Thank you for  your understanding!

 

Study material:

I recommend that you buy the book: Essential Grammar in Use with Answers – Murphy Raymond – Häftad (9781107480551) | Adlibris for self-study between lessons and I will recommend useful units.

Lesson times: 09.00 – 11.15  

Dates:

  • Mon 31 Aug
  • Tue 1 Sep
  • Wed 2 Sep
  • Mon 7 Sep
  • Tue 8 Sep
  • Wed 9 Sep
  • Mon 14 Sep
  • Tue 15 Sep
  • Wed 16 Sep
  • Mon 21 Sep
  • Tue 22 Sep
  • Thu 24 Sep  (different day!)