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Lessons · Lesson 8 of 11

Idioms in real conversations

Sound natural · Intermediate · 8 min

Mission: A customer is unsure and in a hurry. You use a few natural expressions to sound confident and friendly.

Idioms learned from a list are quickly forgotten. Idioms used in a real situation, explained in your own words and said again, stay. That's how Muddassir learned them with Zayaan.

  1. Hear
  2. Speak first
  3. Notice
  4. Fix one thing
  5. Speak again
  6. Recall
1

Hear a little

Read or listen. Don't study it. Just follow the conversation.

Muddassir

Good morning! How can I help?

Zayaan

(as the customer) I'm not sure which paper would work best, and I need the order quite urgently.

Muddassir

No problem. Let me break the options down for you: matt, gloss or textured card.

Zayaan

Gloss sounds good. How soon can you start?

Muddassir

Let's get the ball rolling today. I'll keep you in the loop every step of the way.

Zayaan

Perfect. So we're on the same page?

Muddassir

Yes. At the end of the day, I want you to be happy before production starts.

Zayaan

(as the teacher) Lovely! Five idioms, and none of them sounded memorised.

2

Speak first

A customer asks how you'll handle their urgent order. Explain your plan for 45 seconds.

Use simple English. Don't try to use idioms yet. Say it out loud, or type it if you can't speak right now.

3

Notice the gap

What did you want to say but couldn't? These are the phrases and patterns that fill that gap.

  • get the ball rollingstart something. “Let's get the ball rolling today.”
  • keep you in the loopkeep you informed. “I'll keep you in the loop.”
  • on the same pageagree and understand the same thing.
  • break something downexplain it in smaller, simpler parts.
  • at the end of the daywhen everything is considered; what matters most.
  • go the extra milemake more effort than expected.
4

Fix one thing

Try each one. If you miss, you'll get a hint first, so you can fix it yourself.

1. Your customer says: “Please tell me about any delays.” What's the natural reply?

2. Talia asks Zayaan to explain a hard Urdu poem simply. Zayaan says: “Let me ___ it ___ for you.”

3. Which sentence uses an idiom naturally?

5

Speak again, faster

Explain your plan for the urgent order again, and use two or three of the idioms. Faster this time.

Coach yourself, the way Zayaan does after you finish:

6

Recall tomorrow

Save these phrases. They'll come back in Recall practice tomorrow, in 3 days and in a week.

  • Let's get the ball rolling.
  • I'll keep you in the loop.
  • Just to make sure we're on the same page…

Muddassir and Zayaan are real; this dialogue is a practice scenario inspired by their lessons. Read their story.