About the audio
All the audio on this page comes from the American English voice of your device (text-to-speech). There are no audio files, so every word, line and sentence can play, even the sentences you write.
- Listen as many times as you want. Play one line, the full dialogue, or one word from the vocabulary.
- Hear your own answers. In Personalize, the page reads your sentences, so you hear your own customer English before your next call or email.
- Build long sentences. In My Script, Listen slowly and the backchaining steps help with long lines and numbers.
- Answer by voice. In Trainer Pro, a customer or a supplier says something to you. Tap Click & Say and say your answer. The page understands numbers, dates and codes in different forms.
- One voice for each character. Women have female voices and men have male voices, and every character in a dialogue sounds different. If your device has fewer voices than characters, two characters share a voice with a different pitch.
- See what is playing. The button that is playing turns coral with moving bars, and the line is highlighted. Tap it again to stop.
- Change the speed. Use Slow (at the top of the page) to follow the marks, and Normal for shadowing. The dialogues also show ‿ linking: where the end of one word connects to the next (check~it out, next~time, did~you).
- Numbers and spelling. Phone numbers are read digit by digit, and 0 is said oh: 713-555-0142 is seven one three, five five five, oh one four two. Names, emails and codes are read letter by letter: GL-4471 is G L four four seven one. Say them slowly, in small groups.
- Check your pronunciation. Say it uses your microphone to compare your sentence with the script.
Works best in Chrome, Edge or Safari. The voice can be different on each device. No sound? Check the volume and the silent mode of your phone. For Say it, allow the microphone.
Key Vocabulary
Start here. Learn and practice the key words and expressions of this topic before the dialogues.
Tip: on your phone, turn it sideways for Space Quiz.
Vocabulary warm-up
Play before the dialogues. Every game uses all the vocabulary and expressions of this topic and picks new words each time.
Drag across the letters to select a word.
My Script: Answering the Phone
Your key lines for every call. Build each sentence from the end, one piece at a time, then say the full line.
Let's talk
Answer with your teacher. Use the vocabulary and grammar from this topic.
False friends · Falsos amigos
Parecen palabras en español, pero significan otra cosa.
| English | Parece… | Significa… |
|---|---|---|
| attend | atender (una llamada) | asistir a (para contestar: answer o take the call) |
| assist | asistir | ayudar (assist a customer = ayudar a un cliente) |
| actually | actualmente | en realidad (currently = actualmente) |
| reunion | reunión | reencuentro (una junta = a meeting) |
Cultural note · Nota cultural
Americans answer fast and friendly: company name + your name + How can I help you? Asking someone to repeat is normal and polite (Could you say that again?). It is not a sign of weak English.
With an upset customer, apologize once, ask for the key facts and give a specific time for the callback (by 3:30), never just later. En EE. UU. un tiempo claro vale más que una disculpa larga.