It's your sister's birthday. You have a table at a nice restaurant. Time to order good food, keep her safe, and check the bill — all in simple, polite English.
It is Saturday evening. It is your sister's birthday, and you want a nice dinner for her. You booked a table at a small Italian restaurant. A table for two, at eight o'clock.
There is one important thing: your sister has a nut allergy. Nuts can make her very ill. So before you order, you must ask the waiter to check the food. This is easy to do — you just ask, politely and clearly.
The waiter is friendly and happy to help. At the end, there is one small problem: the bill is not correct. But that is fine. You can ask, politely, and the waiter will fix it.
You are having dinner for your sister's birthday. Warm and polite. You want good food, safe food for her, and a correct bill.
Kind and helpful. Happy to check the food with the kitchen, happy to help you choose — and happy to fix a mistake, if you ask nicely.
Here are the phrases for this conversation. Read each one and say it out loud once. Choose the ones you like. Keep this page open when you practise.
Draw a card. Say what you would say, out loud. Then look at one answer.
Try a few more rounds with the toolkit covered. When it feels easy, you are ready.
Read it out loud, one person each, then change. Find the phrases from your toolkit. Listen for the polite words.
1. Why does the diner tell the waiter about the nut allergy? And when — before or after ordering?
2. The diner can't choose between two dishes. What does the diner do?
3. There is a mistake on the bill. What is the mistake, and how does the diner say it — angrily or gently?
No script this time. You have a real talk with a real person. You have a goal.
Say each sentence out loud. Use your own words in the gaps.
Pick a situation. Your partner plays the other person.
🏆 Order a good meal and pay the right bill.
Start the scene. After a minute, draw a card. What it says just happened.
Now you are the other person. Your partner takes your old part.
Draw another twist if you like.
Tick what you did, in either seat.
Do it again. Draw a twist before you start. Try to do it faster this time.
Eating out is not new. Two thousand years ago, in the Roman city of Pompeii, there were many small food shops on the streets. They were called thermopolia. They had hot food in big clay pots — a bit like fast food today.
Many people in Pompeii had no kitchen at home. So they ate on the street, bought from someone who cooked for money. In one old shop, we can still see what was on the menu: duck, pig, fish, and more.
So when you book a table, ask the waiter, and pay the bill, you are doing something very old. The people of Pompeii did the same — and yes, they also argued, politely, about the bill!