Learning English with Podcast Conversation | Elementary | Episode 2. Call In Sick

00:11:08
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9FkyxSdu7A

Summary

TLDRIn this lesson, Marco and Amir discuss the topic of calling in sick, providing useful vocabulary and phrases for English learners. The dialogue features Julie calling her boss, Daniel, to inform him that she is feeling ill and requests a day off. Key phrases include 'I'm feeling quite ill today,' 'I'm coming down with the flu,' and 'I was hoping to take the day off.' The lesson emphasizes the importance of politeness in professional communication and highlights cultural differences in how people handle sick days. The hosts also share personal anecdotes and insights about the topic, making the lesson engaging and relatable.

Takeaways

  • 🤒 'I'm feeling quite ill today' means feeling sick.
  • 🦠 'I'm coming down with the flu' indicates starting to get sick.
  • 📞 'Calling in sick' is notifying your boss about your absence.
  • 🙏 'I was hoping to take the day off' is a polite request.
  • 💼 Politeness is important when communicating with your boss.
  • 🗣️ Sounding convincing can affect your boss's response.
  • 🌍 Cultural differences exist in how people report sickness.
  • 💊 Taking medicine can help alleviate symptoms.
  • 🛌 Rest is essential for recovery when feeling unwell.
  • 📅 It's common to feel the need to call in sick occasionally.

Timeline

  • 00:00:00 - 00:05:00

    The lesson focuses on the concept of calling in sick, which is a common situation where an employee informs their boss that they cannot come to work due to illness. The dialogue features a character named Julie who calls her boss, Daniel, to report that she is feeling ill and is hoping to take the day off to recover. The lesson highlights useful phrases such as 'I'm feeling quite ill today' and 'I'm coming down with the flu', which are essential for English learners to express their health status and request time off politely.

  • 00:05:00 - 00:11:08

    In the second part of the lesson, the hosts discuss their own experiences with illness and the cultural differences in how people handle calling in sick. They mention that in Egypt, it is common for someone else to call in sick on behalf of a person who is unwell, based on the belief that if someone can reach the phone, they should be able to go to work. The lesson concludes with a reminder for listeners to visit the English Pod website for more resources and lessons.

Mind Map

Video Q&A

  • What does 'calling in sick' mean?

    It means to call your boss to inform them that you cannot come to work due to illness.

  • How can I express that I am feeling unwell?

    You can say 'I'm feeling quite ill today' or 'I think I'm coming down with the flu.'

  • Is it polite to say 'I can't come today'?

    While it's direct, it's more polite to say 'I was hoping to take the day off.'

  • What are some symptoms mentioned in the lesson?

    Symptoms include headache, sore throat, runny nose, and feeling feverish.

  • What should I do if I feel sick?

    It's best to call in sick and inform your boss about your condition.

  • Why do people in Egypt have someone else call in sick for them?

    There's a belief that if you can reach the phone, you can also make it to work.

  • What is a polite way to ask for a day off?

    You can say 'I was hoping to take the day off to recover.'

  • What is the significance of sounding convincing when calling in sick?

    It helps ensure that your boss believes your reason for absence.

  • What should I do if I have similar symptoms as Julie?

    Consider taking medicine and resting to recover.

  • What is the main focus of this lesson?

    The lesson focuses on vocabulary and phrases for calling in sick.

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Subtitles
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  • 00:00:00
    [Music]
  • 00:00:02
    hello English Learners and welcome to
  • 00:00:04
    English pod my name is Marco I'm Amir
  • 00:00:07
    Amir and I are here today with another
  • 00:00:09
    interesting and useful lesson for you
  • 00:00:11
    English Learners Amir why don't you
  • 00:00:14
    explain a little bit of what this lesson
  • 00:00:16
    is about today it's about calling in
  • 00:00:18
    sick Oh okay that's useful yes
  • 00:00:21
    definitely it happens to everyone once
  • 00:00:23
    in a while you don't feel so well um or
  • 00:00:26
    you feel well but you don't want to go
  • 00:00:27
    to work right so you call in sick so
  • 00:00:31
    okay Okay let's listen to this dialogue
  • 00:00:34
    and I want everyone to keep their ears
  • 00:00:37
    open and see if the boss believes this
  • 00:00:41
    person let's
  • 00:00:42
    [Music]
  • 00:00:46
    listen hello Daniel speaking how am I
  • 00:00:48
    help you hi Daniel Julie
  • 00:00:52
    here oh hi Julie how are you actually
  • 00:00:56
    I'm feeling quite ill today oh I'm sorry
  • 00:00:59
    to hear hear that what's wrong I think
  • 00:01:02
    I'm coming down with the flu I have a
  • 00:01:04
    headache uh a sore throat a runny nose
  • 00:01:08
    and I'm feeling slightly feverish I see
  • 00:01:11
    so you're calling in sick yes I was
  • 00:01:14
    hoping to take the day off uh to recover
  • 00:01:17
    okay then try and get some
  • 00:01:24
    rest Marco do you think he believed her
  • 00:01:27
    no I don't think he believed her he
  • 00:01:28
    didn't sound really convinced yes and
  • 00:01:31
    Julie didn't sound really sick huh
  • 00:01:33
    exactly well we have some really good
  • 00:01:36
    vocabulary here amiro why don't you uh
  • 00:01:38
    begin with the first one the first
  • 00:01:40
    phrase I've chosen for you is a very
  • 00:01:42
    very useful one I'm feeling quite ill
  • 00:01:45
    today I'm feeling quite ill today I'm
  • 00:01:48
    feeling quite ill today all right what
  • 00:01:51
    does this mean exactly it means that
  • 00:01:54
    she's feeling sick Oh okay that's clear
  • 00:01:57
    so she is sick she's feeling sick
  • 00:02:00
    okay let's look at another really useful
  • 00:02:02
    phrase and this one is I'm coming down
  • 00:02:06
    with the flu I'm coming down with the
  • 00:02:09
    flu I'm coming down with the flu I'm
  • 00:02:13
    coming down with the flu all right and
  • 00:02:16
    this phrase means that I am starting to
  • 00:02:19
    get the flu or I am getting the flu okay
  • 00:02:23
    the next phrase I have for you is
  • 00:02:25
    calling in sick calling in sick calling
  • 00:02:30
    in sick calling in sick it means calling
  • 00:02:34
    your boss to tell him that you can't
  • 00:02:36
    come to work today I personally love
  • 00:02:40
    this phrase because it saves so much
  • 00:02:42
    time and
  • 00:02:43
    explanations okay perfect so if I say
  • 00:02:45
    this then everyone will know that I am
  • 00:02:47
    not coming to work today yes definitely
  • 00:02:50
    Perfect all right and the last phrase
  • 00:02:53
    that we're going to take a look at today
  • 00:02:55
    is I was hoping to take the day off I
  • 00:02:59
    was hoping to take the day off I was
  • 00:03:02
    hoping to take the day off I was hoping
  • 00:03:06
    to take the day off right and she says
  • 00:03:09
    this to ask for permission because she
  • 00:03:12
    does not want to go to work okay now
  • 00:03:15
    couldn't she just say like I can't come
  • 00:03:18
    today right she could say I can't come
  • 00:03:21
    today but that would be a little bit M
  • 00:03:24
    impolite okay so when she says I was
  • 00:03:28
    hoping to take the day off it's a polite
  • 00:03:30
    way of asking it's a polite way exactly
  • 00:03:34
    because she is talking to her boss very
  • 00:03:36
    good so let's listen to the dialogue one
  • 00:03:39
    more time the dialogue is a little
  • 00:03:41
    different this time listen carefully and
  • 00:03:44
    see if you think the boss believes her
  • 00:03:46
    this
  • 00:03:47
    [Music]
  • 00:03:53
    time hello Daniel speaking how am I help
  • 00:03:55
    you hi Daniel Julie
  • 00:03:58
    here oh hi Julie how are you actually
  • 00:04:02
    I'm feeling quite ill today oh I'm sorry
  • 00:04:05
    to hear that what's wrong I think I'm
  • 00:04:08
    coming down with the flu I have a
  • 00:04:10
    headache uh a sore throat a runny nose
  • 00:04:14
    and I'm feeling slightly feverish I see
  • 00:04:17
    so you calling in sick yes I was hoping
  • 00:04:19
    to take the day off uh to recover okay
  • 00:04:22
    then try and get some
  • 00:04:24
    [Music]
  • 00:04:28
    rest okay guys we're back and I do think
  • 00:04:32
    he believed her this time yeah I think
  • 00:04:35
    he was understanding when he said um
  • 00:04:39
    okay then try and get some rest yeah and
  • 00:04:41
    and Julie sounded pretty sick yes yes
  • 00:04:43
    she did yeah it was it was
  • 00:04:46
    convincing well you know what I almost
  • 00:04:48
    called in sick last week really yeah I
  • 00:04:51
    wasn't feeling very well and um so I
  • 00:04:54
    almost didn't come to work oh that would
  • 00:04:56
    have been really bad for me I would have
  • 00:04:58
    been stuck here with was out you Marco
  • 00:05:00
    yeah you would have had to do the
  • 00:05:01
    podcast all by yourself oh no um you
  • 00:05:04
    know actually I had the same symptoms as
  • 00:05:08
    Julie I also had a headache and I had a
  • 00:05:11
    sore throat and also the worst thing and
  • 00:05:14
    the thing that I hate the most is I had
  • 00:05:17
    a runny nose oh no that's really bad
  • 00:05:20
    because then you have to like blow your
  • 00:05:21
    nose all the time and then it gets red
  • 00:05:23
    and it hurts right exactly yeah luckily
  • 00:05:27
    I didn't have a fever though thank God
  • 00:05:30
    so did you take some medicine and and
  • 00:05:32
    and it just killed everything yeah um I
  • 00:05:35
    had a friend and he had some uh pills
  • 00:05:38
    for the flu and he just gave me a couple
  • 00:05:40
    and I felt better in about 2 days oh
  • 00:05:43
    great well so guys let me tell you about
  • 00:05:46
    a very funny thing that really happens
  • 00:05:48
    in real life in Egypt oh What story do
  • 00:05:51
    you have for us today well it's actually
  • 00:05:54
    not a story it's a fact I mean people in
  • 00:05:57
    Egypt when they're sick they never call
  • 00:05:59
    in sck themselves they'll have someone
  • 00:06:01
    do that for them oh that's why why do
  • 00:06:04
    why do they do this well there's this
  • 00:06:06
    weird speculation about you know if you
  • 00:06:09
    can make it to the phone you can make it
  • 00:06:11
    to the
  • 00:06:13
    office I agree I agree if I were a boss
  • 00:06:16
    I would do the same thing yeah all right
  • 00:06:19
    listeners we're out of time today but be
  • 00:06:22
    sure to visit our website at englishpod
  • 00:06:25
    do.com where you can see other lessons
  • 00:06:28
    and also you can leave your questions
  • 00:06:31
    and comments at our community Forum we
  • 00:06:34
    hope you enjoyed our lesson and tomorrow
  • 00:06:37
    we will be back with another fantastic
  • 00:06:39
    lesson for you but for now it's bye
  • 00:06:44
    [Music]
  • 00:06:50
    bye the English pod audio
  • 00:06:53
    review listen to the meaning then say
  • 00:06:56
    the vocabulary
  • 00:06:57
    word polite off to
  • 00:07:01
    help how may I help
  • 00:07:05
    you very
  • 00:07:08
    sick quite
  • 00:07:11
    ill getting
  • 00:07:15
    acquiring coming
  • 00:07:18
    down report that you will not go to work
  • 00:07:21
    because you are
  • 00:07:23
    sick calling in
  • 00:07:26
    sick to kindly expect
  • 00:07:31
    was
  • 00:07:32
    hoping aign
  • 00:07:36
    indication
  • 00:07:38
    symptom
  • 00:07:41
    allow
  • 00:07:45
    permission
  • 00:07:48
    impolite day off because you're
  • 00:07:52
    sick sick
  • 00:07:56
    day make it into work
  • 00:07:59
    let's try that
  • 00:08:02
    faster day off because you're
  • 00:08:05
    sick sick
  • 00:08:08
    day make it into
  • 00:08:11
    work
  • 00:08:14
    impolite assign
  • 00:08:17
    indication
  • 00:08:18
    symptom
  • 00:08:21
    allow
  • 00:08:23
    permission polite offer to
  • 00:08:26
    help how may I help you
  • 00:08:30
    to kindly
  • 00:08:32
    expect was
  • 00:08:34
    hoping getting
  • 00:08:37
    acquiring coming
  • 00:08:40
    down very
  • 00:08:43
    sick quite
  • 00:08:45
    ill report that you will not go to work
  • 00:08:48
    because you are
  • 00:08:50
    sick calling in
  • 00:08:52
    sick now say the word and hear it in a
  • 00:08:58
    sentence
  • 00:09:00
    sir you look lost may I help
  • 00:09:05
    you may I help you find
  • 00:09:11
    something I was wondering may I help you
  • 00:09:14
    prepare your
  • 00:09:15
    report quite
  • 00:09:20
    ill I'm feeling quite ill today I don't
  • 00:09:23
    think I can go to work quite
  • 00:09:28
    ill
  • 00:09:30
    Andy can't get out of bed today he must
  • 00:09:32
    be quite
  • 00:09:33
    ill quite
  • 00:09:38
    ill the lesson was cancelled because our
  • 00:09:41
    teacher is quite
  • 00:09:43
    ill coming
  • 00:09:48
    down you have a runny nose are you
  • 00:09:50
    coming down with the
  • 00:09:52
    flu coming
  • 00:09:57
    down I can feel feel that I'm coming
  • 00:09:59
    down with the
  • 00:10:01
    flu coming
  • 00:10:06
    down my throat hurts I hope I'm not
  • 00:10:09
    coming down with the
  • 00:10:14
    flu our meeting was postponed because my
  • 00:10:17
    client called in
  • 00:10:22
    sick if he calls in sick one more time
  • 00:10:25
    we'll fire
  • 00:10:28
    him
  • 00:10:30
    I almost called in sick
  • 00:10:32
    today was
  • 00:10:37
    hoping we were hoping to meet with you
  • 00:10:39
    after
  • 00:10:40
    lunch was
  • 00:10:45
    hoping I was hoping to borrow your car
  • 00:10:47
    this
  • 00:10:49
    weekend was
  • 00:10:53
    hoping they were hoping to find you at
  • 00:10:55
    the bus
  • 00:10:58
    station
Tags
  • calling in sick
  • vocabulary
  • polite language
  • illness
  • work
  • dialogue
  • symptoms
  • English learning
  • professional communication
  • cultural differences