Asking for beta at the gym: moves, foot placements and demonstrations
Ask about a completed move with How did you do this move?, request a demonstration with Can you show me how to do it?, and offer advice with Do you want beta?
#speaking
17 postsTalking with Colleagues About Health and Lunch: Keep an Everyday Conversation Going
Use I have a cold for the illness, and distinguish a sore throat from losing your voice. Start lunch talk with today's meal, then ask about habits; bringing food from home does not tell you who cooked it.
Questions at a new surf spot: waves, the paddle-out and currents
Ask separate questions about waves, water temperature, the paddle-out and currents; a language exchange does not establish whether conditions are suitable for you.
English when travel goes wrong: flight delays, the next flight and a lost bag
Use is delayed by for the length of a delay, When do you expect… for an estimated departure, and I think I left it on the plane to explain where your missing bag might be.
Talking While You Code in an Interview: Fourteen Sentences for Checking the Question, Explaining an Approach, Stating Complexity, and Testing Your Own Code
After hearing the question, say So you're looking for…? and ask Is the input array sorted? Start with The simplest solution is just…, then I think that would be quadratic. For two options: I could do this with…, or… When the code is written: Let me go through some examples to make sure this is correct. For asking for a hint when stuck, the sources give advice but no example sentence.
Handling Follow-up Questions in an Interview: Nine Sentences for Buying Time, Offering a Guess, and Admitting What You Have Not Used
When you need time: Let me think about that for a minute, or I'd like a few moments to collect my thoughts. When you can only guess: My guess is that… When you have not used something: I haven't worked with that library before, but I'd approach it by… After an answer you can ask Would you like more context? Google's interview prep page says plainly that asking for a few moments to collect your thoughts is okay.
What to Say in a System Design Interview: Twelve Sentences for Asking About Scale, Setting Scope, Stating Trade-offs, and Committing to a Decision
Open with How many users are there? and What is the expected read to write ratio? For a detail you are parking: I'm going to put a pin in that. For a cost: …but it will come at the cost of latency. After comparing, commit: I'm going to go with an event queue because I'd rather… After a section, ask Do you think that makes sense?
What Interview English Materials Teach and What They Leave Out: Thirteen Sentences for Openings, Three Parts of STAR, Questions to Ask, and Following Up
To open: I'm really excited to be speaking with you today. For responsibilities: I'm responsible for… For changing jobs: I'd like to apply my skills to a new challenge. In STAR, the Situation starts with In my current job, …, the Task with My job was to find a way of…, and the Result with Because of this, … If you missed the question: Sorry, can you repeat the question? For your own questions, ask about challenges, a typical day, and the next step in the process.
Does Shadowing Help You Speak? What a Review of 44 Studies Says, and Where Popular Claims Go Further
A 2025 review of 44 studies concludes that shadowing can improve the comprehensibility and fluency of your pronunciation. Most of those studies only tested controlled tasks such as reading aloud, and almost none compared shadowing with other techniques. Use it for rhythm, intonation, and smooth delivery. Building your own sentences and responding to people takes retelling, role play, and conversation.
Travel English Beyond Asking Directions: Sixteen Sentences for the Airport, Hotel, and Restaurant, Taken from Teaching Materials
At check-in: I have one bag to check in. Before a transfer: Do I have to pick up my bag in …? At the hotel: I have a reservation. For a room problem: I'm afraid there's a problem with…. To order: I'll have the…, and if it is sold out, Okay, I'll have the … then. For ingredients: Does it have any … in it? For the bill: Shall we split the bill? For directions: Could you tell me which way … is?
Workplace English Materials Don't Teach Stand-ups: Nineteen Sentences for Asking for Help, Checking Understanding, Disagreeing Politely, and Owning Mistakes
When you are stuck: Have you got a second to help me out? To ask for a second look: I think I need another pair of eyes on this. To check understanding: Can I just check that I've understood that right? When you are lost: I'm not sure I follow you. Before disagreeing: I see what you mean, but… When you got it wrong: That's on me. Before bad news: I need to give you a heads up. To chase progress: Have you had a chance to look at…?
English for a Climbing Trip: Asking About the Crag, Renting Gear, Finding a Partner, and Three Commands
Ask about sun with Does this wall get the sun…; drying time with How long does it take to dry…; rules with Do I need to register…; rentals with I'd like to rent…; length with long enough; partners with I'm looking for a climbing partner; routes with Can you recommend…. More rope is Slack!, less rope is Up rope!, and in a gym, asking the belayer to hold you and lower you from the top is Take!.
Talking About AI Agent Work in an English Interview: Positioning, Changing Requirements, Mistakes, and Design Principles
Positioning: I work on improving…, My work covers…. Changing requirements: changed five times in four months. Persuading with data: that convinced the team to…. A measured result: took 29 minutes. A mistake: I changed … but didn't update …, We only found out … after …. An honest gap: To be honest, we don't have … yet.
Talking About Your Experience in an English Interview: Ten Sentences for Introductions, Projects, Failures, and Questions
Expertise: I have experience in / as. Current job: I currently work for a company that…. Ownership: I was responsible for + -ing. Results: reduced … from A to B. Difficulty: The hardest part was + -ing. Reflection: I underestimated how…. Change: Since then, I've always…. For your own questions, ask how the team divides up the work and what the goals are for the first three months.
Chatting About a Job Hunt in English: Six Places My Sentences Got Stuck
My friend understood me, but the same six things kept going wrong: use Have you + past participle for 'so far' questions; apply to a company, apply for a job; interview + a person means you are the interviewer; other takes a plural noun while others stands alone; because takes a clause and because of takes a noun; adjectives need be, and sentences need a subject.
Reporting Progress, Saying You're Stuck, and Asking for Help: Ten Sentences for Work
Report finished work with the past simple plus a time; say I'm still waiting for when you are waiting; use by for a deadline; say I'm stuck on for a blocker; ask with Could you take a look at… when you have a moment; soften disagreement with I'm not sure about… and then suggest with Could we…; estimate with This will probably take….
How to Practice Workplace English Speaking: Shadowing, Scenario Drills, AI Apps, and Meeting Phrases
30 minutes a day for 12 weeks — combine shadowing, scenario practice, and AI apps to go from 'I understand but can't speak' to holding your own in meetings.