Real Business English | Episode 001: Why Didn't You Tell Me Earlier?
Vocabulary
- give me a heads up provide an advance warning or notice before something happens. Example: "Give me a heads up if the meeting time changes."
- on track progressing according to plan or schedule. Example: "The project is on track for Friday's deadline."
- behind schedule not progressing as quickly as planned; delayed. Example: "We are behind schedule, so we need to work faster."
- walk me through explain something step by step. Example: "Could you walk me through the new software process?"
- delivery date the specific day a product or shipment is expected to arrive. Example: "The supplier confirmed the new delivery date is Tuesday."
Full Transcripttap the text to seek
Real Business English. Mini lesson. Why didn't you tell me earlier? Guys, have you ever had somebody tell you about a problem way too late? You're waiting for a shipment.
Everything's going great. And then, surprise, your supplier calls. Listen to this. Hey, David. I'm really sorry, but your shipment's been delayed. Delayed?
What's the new delivery date? Probably Tuesday. Tuesday? You told me Friday. Why didn't you give me a heads up? Oh, man. Guys, did you hear that? Give me a heads up.
A heads up is an advance warning. Tell me before something goes wrong, not after. For example, hey, just a heads up. Tomorrow's meeting might start late.
Very natural American English. Now, here's another expression. Imagine your manager asks, Hey, are we still on track for Friday? On track? What track?
Are we talking about a train? Ha, no. On track means everything is progressing according to plan. If your project is on track, great! If it's behind schedule, well, you might need to give somebody a heads up.
See how these expressions work together? Okay, here's one more. Imagine you're in a meeting. Somebody is explaining a complicated new process. Everybody else seems to understand, but you, you're thinking, wait a minute, I have no idea what this person is talking about.
What can you say? Could you walk me through that? Walk me through it. That means explain it step by step. It's polite, it's professional, and it's much better than pretending you understand.
Okay, guys, quick listening challenge. Listen to this. We're still on track for Friday, but give me a heads up if anything changes. What does Michael want?
Does he want somebody to call him every five minutes? No, he wants an update if something important changes. And that is the kind of English you need to understand at work. Guys, today we've practiced three useful expressions.
But this week's Real Business English lesson includes 10 expressions, realistic workplace conversations, and more listening challenges. Want the full lesson? Join our community. Go to school.
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