Lesson Eight
What’s the date today? It’s Monday “the” 27th “of” April
Last Monday was the first lesson (= number 1)
Last Tuesday was the second lesson (= number 2)
Last Wednesday was the third lesson (=number 3)
Monday was the fourth lesson (lesson 4)
Tuesday the fifth lesson (lesson 5)
Wednesday was the sixth lesson (=number 6)
Thursday was the seventh lesson (=number 7)
Today is the eighth lesson (=number 8)
Tomorrow will be the ninth lesson (=number 9)
Aims for today
- Talking about the weekend
- Choosing menu items
- Dealing with problems and complaints
- Vocabulary: convenient or comfortable?
- Requests for remainder of the course
- How did you spend your weekend?
- Did you have a busy or relaxing weekend?
- What was the best part of your weekend?
- Did you try anything new over the weekend?
- What did you eat or cook at the weekend?
- What are your typical weekend activities?
- Do you like to plan your free time, or make spontayneous decisions?
The flowers are blooming / coming into bloom
The trees are coming into blossom
The trees are blossoming now. The trees blossom in spring.
I made the most of the warm weather. (passade på, take advantage of the situation)
We made the most of the extra hours of daylight and went hiking
The summers are boiling hot in my country
I prefer the changing of the seasons.
-3 -6 = It’s freezing cold today
It was so windy I nearly got blown off my bike.
There was a strong gust of wind and I nearly got blown off my bike.
I get very dry skin in the Swedish winter and need to use moisturiser.
to use body lotion
Sweden has dry air – England has higher levels of humidity
grapes
This is a vineyard (“vinn-yard”) – where grapes grow
There are some good wineries in Californa (company)
In breakout rooms, choose three courses – a starter. a main and a dessert and a drink and order them from your server
https://www.beefeaterpattaya.com/our-menu/
Do you want to order now? more polite to say “Would you like to order like?”
I’d like a glass of bubbly. What do you have? What can I choose from? What do you suggest? What do you recommend?
I’d like a glass of sparkling wine please
I’d like a glass of sparkling water please
What? ! (What did you say?)
Pardon me (after a burp)
Could you repeat that? I didn’t quite hear you / I didn’t quite catch that.
Sorry, I didn’t quite catch that. Can you say that again?
classic side dishes or traditional accompaniments (tillbehör)
cloudberry / cloudberries – look like orange blackberries, rather bitter
vaNIL-la
rainbow trout (regnbåge)
säga upp mig = I handed in my notice (= I informed my employer I intended to leave)
a temporary member of staff
to eat celery “sellery”
a monthly salary “saallary”
to dip celery sticks
I’m up to my eyes in work / I’m snowed under with work at the moment = I’m really really really busy
I have a really long to-do list
Bring in employment vocabulary and phrases
salary, wages, conditions, types of employment etc
Interview questions/phrases in English (dialogues)
Emergencies – eg fire alarm, first aid (första hjälpen), accidents at work
Customer complaints
A guest is unhappy with their food, service, or overall experience.
Mistakes with the order
The guest gets the wrong food or drink
Long wait
The food takes a long time.
Shortage of ingredients/No ingredients
Running out of key menu items, leading to unavailable dishes.
Staff shortages
Not enough servers, cooks, or kitchen staff.
Payment issues (= problems)
Problems with cash, card machines, or customers disputing bills.
Table mix-ups
food goes to the wrong table
Kitchen delays slow food preparation
Cleanliness problems “klenn-li-ness”
dirty tables, restrooms, or overall hygiene (=general experience) It’s hygienic to wash your hands before preparing food. It’s unhygienic to not wash your hands
Difficult customers guests who are rude, too demanding, or refuse to follow restaurant policies.
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In breakout rooms: What are your suggestions for dealing with these problems? What could you say and do? Have you ever experienced any of these situations yourself? What happened?
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We can offer a dessert free of charge. We can offer a complimentary dessert.
I don’t like it here. Let’s go another place. Let’s go to another place/restaurant. Let’s go somewhere else.
There wasn’t enough “unuff” money in my bank account, so my card was declined. duh-klined (= rejected) My application was rejected.
The payment didn’t go through.
salmon “sammun”
lamb racks
shortage “shortidge” marriage marridge carriage Carridge
apologise = to say sorry
It’s not fun to have to wait while your friends are eating. (fun or funny?)
What should we discuss more? What else should we discuss?
I don’t like mashed potato, so they changed/exchanged it for boiled potatoes. (= a direct swap)
ersättning
My husband is going to ask the shop to exchange the jeans for a smaller size. (A for B)
- Customer complains about food, service or overall experience
Solutions – you can:
- Apologise and listen carefully
- Offer a solution (replace, refund, or discount)
Useful phrases:
- “I’m very sorry about that.”
- “Thank you for telling us.”
- “Let me fix this for you right away.”
- Mistakes with the order
Solutions – you can:
- Check the order and correct it quickly
- Offer the correct dish as soon as possible
Useful phrases:
- “I’m sorry, that’s our mistake.”
- “I’ll bring the correct order immediately.”
- Long wait
Solutions – you can:
- Inform guests about the delay
- Offer drinks or small compensation
Useful phrases:
- “Thank you for your patience.”
- “Your food will be ready shortly.”
- “We apologise for the delay.”
- Shortage of ingredients / no ingredients
Solutions – you can:
- Inform the guest early
- Suggest an alternative dish “aal-TER-nat-ive”
Useful phrases:
- “I’m sorry, we’ve run out of that item.” There’s nothing left. We’re running out of salmon, chili peppars (nearly gone) We’ve run out of time, we’re running out of petrol/gasoline
- I’m running out of battery. The parents are running out of patience.
- “May I recommend something similar?”
- Staff shortages
Solutions – you can:
- Prioritise tasks and service
- Inform guests if service is slower
Useful phrases:
- “We are a bit short-staffed today.”
- “Thank you for your understanding.”
- Payment issues
Solutions – you can:
- Stay calm and check the bill
- Offer another payment method (= a way to pay) You can pay in cash
Useful phrases:
- “Let me check that for you.”
- “Would you like to try another card?”
- “I’ll fix this right away.” “Iyull”
- Table mix-ups
Solutions – you can:
- Apologise and move the food quickly
- Double-check table numbers
Useful phrayses:
- “I’m sorry, this was meant for another table.” “ment”
- “I’ll bring your correct order now.”
- Kitchen delays / slow food preparation
Solutions – you can:
- Speed up simple dishes if possible
Useful phrases:
- “The kitchen is a bit busy at the moment.”
- “Your order is on its way.”