Lesson One

English for the hotel and restaurant industry A2+ continuation

Start: Monday 13^th April 2026

sarah.muhlenbock@folkuniversitetet.se

 Lesson one

• Practical information
• getting to know each other
• expectations for the course
• suggestions for self-study
• grammar and vocabulary focus for the course
• welcoming guests and making small talk

 

 Practical information

15-minute break around 10.15 (approx)

 

• Whiteboard
• Screenshots/photos
• Homework and self-study
• Certificate of attendance – Minimum 9 lessons (active participation)
• Book  (homework)
• Breakout Rooms: Small group discussions and role-plays, take turns!
• Microphone and camera 
• Raising your hand:

Click on “Reactions”  (Reagera) in the meeting toolbar at the bottom.

Select “Raise Hand/Räck upp handen” (hand icon).

A hand icon will appear next to your name in the participants list.

To lower your hand, click “Lower Hand” in the same place.

 

Getting to know each other

• Please introduce yourselves to each other.
• Which part of Sweden do you live in?   Why do you like it?
• What do you do in your free time?
• How did you learn English? What do you enjoy about learning English?
• Why did you decide to study this English course and what do you need to improve?
• If you have taken a course with me before, tell your group what you learned and how you have used your English.

 

 Can you correct these sentences?

I like to go to the gym in my free time.

I like to listen to the radio.

I learned to play the piano when I was a child.

I regret not learning how to play the guitar earlier.

He plays the drums, she plays the saxophone

I would like to learn to play the guitar and the flute.

I listen to music when I travel.

umgås =  I like to spend time (together) with my family and friends.

I sometimes socialise with my colleagues after work.

i naturen =    I love to be outdoors.  I go for a walk in the forest every day.

Swedish nature is beautiful/stunning/fantastic/clean.

It’s been a long time since I learned English at school.

I’ve been married since 2000.

We’ve been living together since 1998.

I studied English a long time ago.  (the past only)

I live in Sweden for 26 years  (= how long?)

I usually buy a single/daily/weekly/monthly/yearly/annual ticket for Stockholm public transport

I bought a one-way /  return ticket to Sundsvall

20th “twen-tee-yuth”

13^th 30^th June  the “thurteenth”   /   the “thur-tee-yuth”

14^th 40^th birthday  “fourteenth   “for-tee-yuth”

21^st wedding anniversary

31^st January

Queen Silvia speaks several languages fluently. She is multilingual.  (=almost mother tongue)

She speaks fluent Swedish after so many years living here.

Have you ever been to London?    (go to, went to, been to)

Skansen is an open-air museum  (outdoor museum)

 

• What are your ambitions for this course?
• Have you taken an online English course before? What worked well for you?
• What do you need help with – fluency, grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation etc
• What specific areas of grammar and vocabulary do you need to improve?
• How can the teacher help you?
• Do you have a website or app that you can recommend the group

 

We need to improve:

• pronunciation e eee  live leave  speak  pick peak
• more grammar – tenses, for/since, past simple and past continuous prepositions in, on, at, can/could ability, forms, may, might  (=modals)
• speaking practice “praktiss” both dialogues and freer speaking practice
• new words and everyday phrases
• phrasal verbs wake up, get up
• idioms He drinks like a fish,   (= he drinks a lot)
• connectors, as but because
• listening comprehension
• everything 😊

 

Sound quality is up and down, the connection comes and goes

 

https://www.usingenglish.com/quizzes/

BBC Learning English – 6 Minute English.

Cambridge Dictionary | English Dictionary, Translations & Thesaurus

 

Course aims

• polite, professional language for customer service
• jobs, responsibilities, and daily tasks at work
• Communicating clearly with guests and colleagues
• Taking food and drink orders, giving recommendations, and dealing with problems
• basic reception tasks such as bookings, check-in and check-out, and guest enquiries
• Giving information about rooms, hotel services, and local attractions
• Handling payments
• Talking about work schedules and working hours
• general grammar (tenses, prepositions, articles the/a/an etc
• Vocabulary for the hospitality industry
• pronunciation as needed

 

Welcoming a guest and small talk

• How was your journey?
• Did you travel far to get here?
• Is this your first time staying with us?
• Have you stayed here before?
• Are you visiting for business or leisure/pleasure? “lesshur”  – “leezhur”  (USA)
• Is there anything special you’d like to do while you’re here? you’d = you would like to    “yuud”
• Would you like any recommendations for restaurants or attractions? “attract-shuns”
• attraction = museums, concerts, amusement parks (Liseberg), parks
• Are you interested in trying some local food or experiences?

 

Dialogue 1

Receptionist: Welcome to Hotel Stockholm! How was your journey?
Guest: It was a long flight! I’m exhausted.
Receptionist: How many hours have you been travelling?
Guest: About eleven hours. Still, I’m happy to be here.
Receptionist: I’m glad to hear that! Is this your first time in Sweden?
Guest: Yes, it’s my first time in Stockholm.
Receptionist: That’s wonderful! Are you planning to do any sightseeing?  “Sight-see-ying“

Guest: Yes, but I’m not sure where to begin.
Receptionist: I’d be happy to recommend a few places.  “ey-ud”

 

Dialogue 2: Guest with children

 Receptionist: Welcome to Hotel Fantastic! Did you have a comfortable journey?
Guest: It was quite a long train journey, there were delays due to track maintenance.   “mayn-ta-nuns”
Receptionist: How many hours have you been travelling?
Guest: Around seven hours. Still, we’re happy to be here.
Receptionist: I’m glad to hear that! Is this your first visit to Stockholm?
Guest: Yes, it is.
Receptionist: That’s lovely! Are you looking for activities for the children?
Guest: Yes, something fun and not too tiring would be ideal. ”Ti-ya-ring”   “eye-dee-yull”
Receptionist: Of course. I can recommend some family-friendly places nearby.

Due to = because of

The train was delayed by 30 minutes. There was a 30-minute delay.

 

Dialogue 3

Receptionist: Welcome to Hotel Over the Moon! How was your journey today?
Guest: It was a bit tiring—my flight was slightly delayed.  ”Ti-ya-ring”

Receptionist: I’m sorry to hear that. How many hours have you been travelling?
Guest: About nine hours altogether, but it wasn’t a problem and I was able to sleep for a bit.  “aybull”
Receptionist: I’m glad to hear that! Are you here for business or leisure?   “bizniss”   “lesshur”
Guest: I’m here on business for three days.
Receptionist: Will you need any assistance with meetings or transport?
Guest: Yes, I may need help arranging a taxi tomorrow morning.
Receptionist: Certainly, I’ll be happy to arrange that for you.  “arraynj”

 

For tomorrow:

In pairs, practice the following scenario. One student is the hotel staff, and the other is the guest. Use welcoming questions naturally in conversation.

A guest arrives at the hotel for check-in. The receptionist should:
✅ Greet the guest warmly.
✅ Ask about their journey.
✅ Ask if they have been to the city before.
✅ Offer recommendations.
✅ Ask if they need anything to make their stay more comfortable.

Switch roles and practice again!