Shadowing Practice: How to Talk About Problems at Work in English - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Hello, everyone, and welcome back to another episode of Daily Business English Talk.
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I am Anna.
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And I am Jack.
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We are so happy to have you here with us today.
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If you are learning English for your job or if you want to feel more confident speaking at work, you are in the perfect place.
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That is so true, Jack.
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In this podcast, we share easy, practical tips to help you speak professional English naturally.
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Before we start, if you enjoy our episodes and find them helpful, please take a moment to subscribe.
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It really helps our channel grow, and you will never miss a new lesson.
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Exactly.
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Today, we are going to talk about a topic that everyone has to deal with at some point.
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No matter where you work or what your job is, you will experience this.
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We're talking about how to describe problems at work in English.
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Yes, workplace problems.
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They happen to all of us.
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But speaking about them in a foreign language can be very scary.
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You might worry about sounding unprofessional, or maybe you're afraid of making the problem sound worse than it actually is.
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That is a very common feeling, Jack.
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When we do not have the right words, we tend to use very direct, strong language.
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Or even worse, we say nothing at all because we are too afraid.
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Today, we want to help our listeners feel relaxed and ready.
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We will show you how to talk about these situations calmly, politely, and professionally.
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I love that.
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We want our listeners to feel guided and confident.
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So, Anna, let us start with a little warm -up.
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Have you had any funny or stressful problems at work recently?
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Oh, yes.
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Just last week, I was preparing for a very important presentation with our big clients.
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Five minutes before the meeting started, my computer decided to install a major update.
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The screen went completely black.
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I couldn't open my slides, and I couldn't join the online meeting call.
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I felt my heart beating so fast.
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Oh no, that sounds like a total nightmare.
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What did you do?
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Did you panic?
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Well, a few years ago, I definitely would have panicked.
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I probably would have sent a message saying, My computer is dead.
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I cannot do the meeting.
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But this time, I breathed in deeply.
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I used my phone to send a quick, professional message to my manager.
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I explained that I was having a minor technical issue and that I would be online in five minutes.
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That's a great way to handle it.
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You used the phrase minor technical issue.
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That sounds so much better than my computer is dead.
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Yes, exactly.
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It sounds professional and in control.
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My manager replied immediately and said, no problem, we'll wait for you.
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And everything turned out fine.
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What about you, Jack?
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Have you faced any challenges lately?
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Well, yesterday, I realized I had a bit of an oversight.
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I forgot to send an important spreadsheet to our department head.
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The deadline was at noon, and I realized my mistake at 1 o 'clock.
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I felt so bad.
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Oh, that's a tough situation.
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A missed deadline is always stressful.
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How did you talk to your manager about it?
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I didn't want to make excuses.
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I just went to her office and said, I'm so sorry.
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There was a slight oversight on my part, and I missed the noon deadline.
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I have the files ready now, and I'm sending them to you immediately.
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That was excellent, Jack.
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You owned up to the mistake, but you used very professional words.
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You said, a slight oversight on my part.
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That sounds polite and responsible.
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Thanks, Anna.
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She was actually very nice about it.
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She thanked me for telling her directly and told me not to worry too much.
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See?
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That's the power of using the right words.
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It changes how people react to you.
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Today, we're going to explore how to do this step by step.
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Don't worry if this feels new to you right now.
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By the end of this episode, you will have some really great tools to use.
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Yes, do not worry at all.
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We are here to guide you.
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Let us start by talking about how to soften bad news.
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Anna, why is it important to soften the way we talk about problems?
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In business English, we want to avoid sounding too negative or panicked.
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If we use strong words, it can make people feel stressed.
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So we use softeners.
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These are small words that make a problem sound smaller and easier to manage.
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Ah, softeners.
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Can you give us some examples of these words?
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Sure.
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Instead of saying there is a big problem, we can say there seems to be a slight issue.
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The word seems and the word slight are excellent softeners.
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They make the situation sound calm.
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That makes a lot of sense.
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So instead of saying, we have a problem, we can say, there seems to be a slight issue.
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Let me practice that.
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There seems to be a slight issue.
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How was my pronunciation, Anna?
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That was perfect, Jack.
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Very natural.
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Another great softener is the word minor.
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For example, instead of saying, we have a broken system, you can say, we're experiencing a minor technical difficulty.
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Oh, I like that.
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We are experiencing a minor technical difficulty.
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It sounds like something you hear at an airport or in a big office.
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It makes me feel like the team is already fixing it.
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Yes, it sounds very professional.
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Another useful word is challenge.
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In business English culture, we often prefer the word challenge over the word problem.
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A problem sounds like a dead end, but a challenge is something we can overcome
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that is a really nice way to think about it
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so instead of we have a problem with this project we
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can say we are facing a challenge with this project exactly
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Jack you are facing a challenge it sounds proactive it shows
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you are ready to work on it let us think about another common situation what about
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when we are late with our work this happens to everyone maybe you have too much work
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or you were waiting for someone else how do we say
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that we are late without sounding lazy That is a very important question.
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If you say, I'm late, it can sound a bit irresponsible.
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Instead, we can use phrases that explain the situation gently.
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For example, you can say, I'm running a bit behind schedule.
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I'm running a bit behind schedule.
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That sounds really professional.
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It shows that you respect the schedule, but you just need a little more time.
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Yes.
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Another good phrase is, we are experiencing a delay.
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This is very helpful when the delay is not your fault.
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For example, maybe you're waiting for a supplier to send you materials.
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You can say we are experiencing a slight delay due to shipping.
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Oh, that's perfect.
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It explains the reason clearly.
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Let me try using that in a sentence.
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We are experiencing a slight delay, but we should have the report ready by tomorrow morning.
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How does that sound?
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That sounds excellent, Jack.
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It's polite, clear, and you also gave a time when it will be finished.
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That's actually the next step we should talk about.
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In business, when you share a problem, you should always try to offer a solution, or at least a next step.
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Yes, the golden rule.
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My old boss used to say, don't just bring me problems, bring me solutions.
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At first, I thought that was mean, but now I understand why it's so important.
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It is extremely important.
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It shows that you're thinking ahead and that you're responsible.
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Even if you don't have the perfect solution, you can share what you're doing to fix it.
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How can we phrase that?
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What are some good words to start sharing a solution?
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You can use phrases like, to resolve this, I suggest, or what we can do is, you can also say, I'm currently working on a fix.
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Let us try to connect the problem and the solution together.
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This will help our listeners see how it works in real life.
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Let's imagine this situation.
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You're working on a website and there's a bug.
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The login page is not working.
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How would you say this to your team?
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I would say we're experiencing a minor issue with the login page.
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To resolve this, I suggest we ask the IT department to restart the server.
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That's wonderful.
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It's so clear.
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You stated the problem using a softener, and then you immediately offered a suggestion to fix it.
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Now, let us try another one, Jack.
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Imagine you were working on a budget, but you do not have all the numbers from the sales team.
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You cannot finish the budget on time.
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How would you explain this to your manager?
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Let me try.
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I would say, there seems to be a slight delay with the budget because we're waiting on the sales numbers.
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What I can do is send them a reminder email right now to speed things up.
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That was fantastic, Jack.
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You explained why there is a delay, and you showed that you were taking action to solve it.
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Your manager would be very happy to hear that.
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Thanks, Anna.
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It really is about choosing the right words.
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Let's share some more practical examples.
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Here's how this usually sounds in real life.
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We can do some short dialogue so our listeners can hear these phrases in action.
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That is a great idea.
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Let's do a simple office situation.
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Imagine we are colleagues, and I need to tell you that I cannot attend our meeting because of an urgent client call.
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Listen to how we talk.
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Hi, Anna.
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Are we still meeting at 2 o 'clock to discuss the marketing plan?
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Hi, Jack.
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I'm so sorry, but I'm running a bit behind schedule today.
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I have an urgent client call that is taking longer than expected.
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Would it be possible to reschedule our meeting to 3 o 'clock?
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No problem at all, Anna.
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Client calls are important.
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3 o 'clock works fine for me.
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See you then.
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Thank you so much, Jack.
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I appreciate your flexibility.
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That was so smooth.
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It was simple, polite, and we solved the scheduling conflict in just a few seconds.
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Yes, and notice how I proposed a new time immediately.
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I didn't just say, I can't make it.
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I offered a solution by asking to move it to 3 o 'clock.
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This makes it very easy for the other person to agree.
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Let's do another situation.
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This time, let's imagine a technical problem during an online video call.
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This is a very common issue nowadays.
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Let's say you can't hear me or see my screen.
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How do we handle that?
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Let us try it.
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I'll start.
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Jack, I'm trying to share my screen, but I think there's a connection issue.
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Can you see my presentation?
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Actually, Anna, it seems to be taking a moment to load.
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I can see your video, but your screen sharing is blank.
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Ah, I see.
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We seem to be having a minor technical glitch.
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Let me try stopping the share and starting it again.
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Sometimes that does the trick.
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Take your time.
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Oh, yes, now it's working perfectly.
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I can see your slides clearly now.
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Perfect.
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Thank you for letting me know, Jack.
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Let's proceed.
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That was a very realistic situation.
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We used the words connection issue and minor technical glitch.
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Those are perfect words to use during online meetings.
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They really are.
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And notice how we kept our voices calm.
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When technology doesn't work, it is easy to feel stressed.
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But keeping a calm voice and using clear phrases makes everyone feel relaxed.
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Before we move on, let me ask you, Anna.
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What if we make a mistake that affects a customer?
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That can be very scary.
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How do we talk to a customer about a problem?
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That is a very important situation.
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When talking to clients or customers, we must be extra polite, professional, and honest.
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We should avoid blaming anyone else.
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We should take responsibility as a company and offer a solution quickly.
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Right.
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No one likes to hear excuses.
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So what phrases can we use with clients?
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You can start by saying, please accept our apologies for the inconvenience.
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This is a very professional way to say sorry then you
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can explain what you are doing to correct the situation oh please accept our apologies for the inconvenience
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that is a beautiful phrase it sounds very respectful let us try a quick dialogue where I am a customer
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and you are helping me with a shipping delay let us do it hello I'm calling
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because I ordered some office chairs last week they were supposed to arrive yesterday
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but I have not received them yet hello thank you for calling let me check that for you.
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Ah, yes, I see your order.
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Please accept our apologies for the inconvenience.
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There was a slight shipping delay at our warehouse.
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Oh, I see.
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When can I expect them to arrive then?
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We have resolved the issue, and your order is now on its way.
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To make up for the delay, we have upgraded your delivery to express shipping.
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You should receive them tomorrow by noon.
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Well, thank you.
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I appreciate you fixing this so quickly.
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You are very welcome.
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Thank you for your patience and have a wonderful day.
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Wow, Anna.
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If I were that customer, I would feel very valued and happy.
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You apologized politely, explained the situation without too much detail, and offered a wonderful solution.
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Thank you, Jack.
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That is the goal.
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When you handle a problem well, you can actually build a stronger relationship with your client.
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They see that they can trust you to fix things when they go wrong.
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That is a great point.
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Problems are not always bad.
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There are also opportunities to show how professional you are.
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Now, let us take some time to review the key words and phrases we use today.
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This will help our listeners remember them and feel confident using them in their own conversations.
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Great idea.
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Let us go through them one by one.
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The first one is a slight issue or a minor issue.
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We use this to describe a problem without making it sound too big or scary.
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Anna, can you give us a quick example? Of course.
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You can say, there is a slight issue with the printer today, but we're looking into it.
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Perfect.
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The second phrase is, a minor technical difficulty or a technical glitch.
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This is perfect for computer or internet problems.
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For example, we are experiencing a minor technical difficulty with our online system.
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Yes, and it sounds so much better than, the system is broken.
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Our third phrase is a slight oversight.
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This is a polite way to talk about a mistake, especially a small mistake, like forgetting to send an email or file.
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Jack, how would you use that?
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You could say, there was a slight oversight in the report, but I've corrected it now.
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Exactly.
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It shows you made a mistake, but you have already fixed it.
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Our fourth phrase is running behind schedule.
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This is a polite way to say you're late.
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For example, I'm sorry, I'm running a bit behind schedule today.
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That is so much more professional than just saying I'm late.
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The fifth phrase is experiencing a delay.
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This is very useful when you want to explain why something is not ready.
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For example, we are experiencing a short delay with the final design.
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It sounds very clear and objective.
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The sixth phrase is to resolve this, I suggest this is a great way to introduce your solution.
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For example, to resolve this, I suggest we schedule a quick call.
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Yes, it immediately moves the conversation to a positive action.
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The seventh phrase is, please accept our apologies for the inconvenience.
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As we discussed, this is the perfect formal way to apologize to clients or customers.
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And our eighth phrase is, Keep you in the loop.
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This means to keep someone informed about what is happening.
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For example, I'll check on the delivery and keep you in the loop.
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Oh, I love that phrase, keep you in the loop.
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It's very common in modern business settings.
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It shows that you will continue to communicate.
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It really does.
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All of these phrases are so useful.
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I hope our listeners are writing them down or repeating them aloud.
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Remember, you don't have to memorize all of them today.
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Just choose two or three that you really like and try to use them this week.
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That is wonderful advice, Jack.
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Start small.
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Practice makes progress.
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Now, it is time for our question of the day.
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This is a simple question we ask in every episode to help you practice your writing and thinking skills in English.
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Yes, answering our question is a fantastic way to active your
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English today's question is what is a common problem you face at work
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and how would you explain it to your team using one of today's phrases
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that is a great question Jack to help our listeners let us give them two quick example answers
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that they can copy
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or adapt sure here is one example answer at my job our internet is sometimes very slow
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if this happens during a meeting I can say I am experiencing a minor technical difficulty with my connection.
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That is a perfect answer.
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Here's another one.
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I often have too many projects, so sometimes I miss deadlines.
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Next time, I will write, I am running a bit behind schedule with the report, but I will send it by Friday.
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Those are excellent examples.
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Listeners, please share your answers in the comments section
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or write them down in your notebook we would love to read your answers
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and support your learning yes please do we enjoy reading your comments
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so much before we finish let us do a very brief
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recap of what we learned today today we learned how to talk about workplace problems calmly
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and professionally we talked about softening bad news using words like slight
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and minor we also learned how to explain delays and tech issues
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and most importantly how to always offer a solution and we learned some wonderful phrases to apologize to clients politely.
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Remember, everyone makes mistakes and every job has problems.
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The important thing is how you communicate about them.
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Absolutely.
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With these phrases, you will look professional, responsible, and confident, even when things go wrong.
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Thank you so much for listening to today's episode.
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We hope you found it helpful and that you feel more confident about speaking English at work.
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Yes, thank you all.
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Don't forget to practice, repeat the phrases, and return for our next episode.
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Have a great day at work, and see you next time.
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Goodbye, everyone.
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Have a wonderful week.
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Vocabulario y notas de pronunciación para esta lección
Este vídeo tiene 337 frases y 3182 palabras para practicar shadowing. La parte hablada dura 17:44. El hablante habla a un ritmo natural de unas 179 palabras por minuto, cercano a una conversación cotidiana. El 84 % de las palabras está entre las 3.000 más comunes del inglés; conviene repasar el resto antes de empezar.
Vocabulario clave de este vídeo
15 palabras del vídeo que vale la pena aprender, con su pronunciación y significado:
| Palabra | Pronunciación | Significado |
|---|---|---|
| phrase sustantivo | /ˈfɹeɪ̯z/ | frase |
| slight adjetivo | /slaɪt/ | insignificante, leve |
| delay sustantivo | /dɪˈleɪ̯/ | retraso, demora |
| listener sustantivo | /ˈlɪs(ə)nɚ/ | oyente, escucha |
| polite adjetivo | /pəˈlaɪt/ | cortés, educado |
| clock sustantivo | /klɑk/ | cuentakilómetros |
| difficulty sustantivo | /ˈdɪfɪkəlti/ | dificultad |
| resolve verbo | /ɹɪˈzɑlv/ | resolver, solventar |
| oversight sustantivo | /ˈəʊvəˌsaɪt/ | inadvertencia, descuido |
| deadline sustantivo | /ˈdɛdˌlaɪn/ | plazo, expiración/caducidad de/del plazo |
| apology sustantivo | /əˈpɑ.lə.d͡ʒi/ | disculpa |
| inconvenience sustantivo | /ɪnkənˈvinjəns/ | inconveniencia |
| helpful adjetivo | /ˈhɛlp.fl̩/ | servicial, adyuvante |
| scary adjetivo | /ˈskɛə.ɹi/ | temible, espantoso |
| loop sustantivo | /luːp/ | lazo, lazada |
Phrasal verbs que vas a escuchar
| Palabra | Significado |
|---|---|
| go through verbo | atravesar |
| turn out verbo | resultar |
Pronunciación a tener en cuenta
El hablante usa 42 contracciones y formas reducidas, como I'm, you're, we're. Dilas en su forma corta, tal como las oyes.
- Los sonidos de “th”: smooth /smuːð/, sixth /sɪksθ/, breathe /bɹiːð/, seventh /ˈsɛvənθ/, eighth /eɪtθ/
- Los sonidos de “sh” y “zh”: presentation /ˌpɹɛzn̩ˈteɪʃn̩/, suggestion /səˈd͡ʒɛst.ʃən/, patience /ˈpeɪ̯.ʃəns/, pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, spreadsheet /ˈspɹɛd.ʃit/
- Palabras largas — cuida el acento: difficulty /ˈdɪfɪkəlti/, apology /əˈpɑ.lə.d͡ʒi/, inconvenience /ɪnkənˈvinjəns/, apologize /əˈpɑləˌd͡ʒaɪz/, communicate /kəˈmjuːnɪkeɪt/
Cómo practicar con este vídeo
- Escucha el vídeo entero una vez sin hablar y anota las palabras que no conoces.
- Empieza a velocidad 0,75×, haz shadowing frase por frase y vuelve a la velocidad normal cuando te resulte fácil.
- Grábate y compara con el original, prestando atención a palabras como phrase, slight, delay.
Gramática en este vídeo
Las estructuras que más usa el hablante, con las palabras exactas del vídeo:
| Estructura | En el vídeo |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + participio pasado — una acción pasada que sigue importando ahora | Have you had · Have you faced · have not received |
| Voz pasiva be + participio pasado — importa lo que ocurre, no quién lo hace | will be finished · is broken |
¿Qué es la Técnica de Shadowing?
Shadowing es una técnica de aprendizaje de idiomas respaldada por la ciencia, desarrollada originalmente para la formación de intérpretes profesionales y popularizada por el políglota Dr. Alexander Arguelles. El método es simple pero poderoso: escuchas audio en inglés nativo y lo repites en voz alta de inmediato, como una sombra que sigue al hablante con solo 1-2 segundos de retraso. A diferencia de la escucha pasiva o los ejercicios de gramática, el shadowing obliga a tu cerebro y músculos de la boca a procesar y reproducir simultáneamente patrones de habla reales. Las investigaciones muestran que mejora significativamente la precisión de la pronunciación, la entonación, el ritmo, el habla conectada, la comprensión auditiva y la fluidez al hablar, convirtiéndola en una de las metodologías más efectivas para la preparación del IELTS Speaking y la comunicación en inglés en el mundo real.