Learn how to ask for a day off
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Becky: Asking For Time Off Work in English. Becky Here. |
| John: Hi, I'm John. |
| Becky: In this lesson, you’ll learn how to ask for a day off. The following conversation takes place over the phone. |
| John: It's between Catherine Smith and Linda. |
| Becky: The speakers are boss and employee; therefore, they will speak formal English. Okay, let's listen to the conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| Linda: Mrs. Smith, sorry to call so early... |
| Catherine Smith: Hello, Linda. What happened? |
| Linda: I don't feel very good today and I'd rather stay home. |
| Catherine Smith: Sure, don't worry. Are you going to see a doctor? |
| Linda: If it gets worse, I will. |
| Catherine Smith: Okay. Please call back this afternoon and tell me how you are doing. |
| Linda: I will. |
| Becky: Listen to the conversation one time slowly. |
| Linda: Mrs. Smith, sorry to call so early... |
| Catherine Smith: Hello, Linda. What happened? |
| Linda: I don't feel very good today and I'd rather stay home. |
| Catherine Smith: Sure, don't worry. Are you going to see a doctor? |
| Linda: If it gets worse, I will. |
| Catherine Smith: Okay. Please call back this afternoon and tell me how you are doing. |
| Linda: I will. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Becky: How does time-off work in the U.S.? |
| John: For employees of private companies, there is no minimum amount of paid leave that employers have to give. However, more than 70% of companies give employees paid leave. The average amount of time off is 10 days a year. |
| Becky: What about federal employees? |
| John: Federal employees get at least two weeks. |
| Becky: Are there other special types of leave, like maternity leave? |
| John: Maternity leave in the US is short compared to most countries, as it’s only 12 weeks and unpaid. |
| Becky: What about sick leave? |
| John: Currently, employers are not required to give employees paid sick leave for short-term illnesses, but unpaid sick leave is guaranteed for serious illnesses. |
| Becky: Okay, now onto the vocab. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Becky: Let’s take a look at the vocabulary from this lesson. The first word is... |
| John: Early. [natural native speed] |
| Becky: The first part of a period of time. |
| John: Early. [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| John: Early. [natural native speed] |
| Becky: Next we have... |
| John: To feel. [natural native speed] |
| Becky: To experience an emotion. |
| John: To feel. [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| John: To feel. [natural native speed] |
| Becky: Next we have... |
| John: Rather. [natural native speed] |
| Becky: Used to indicate preference. |
| John: Rather. [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| John: Rather. [natural native speed] |
| Becky: Next we have... |
| John: To stay. [natural native speed] |
| Becky: To remain, to not leave. |
| John: To stay. [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| John: To stay. [natural native speed] |
| Becky: Next we have... |
| John: To call back. [natural native speed] |
| Becky: To make a phone call to someone you have already called. |
| John: To call back. [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| John: To call back. [natural native speed] |
| Becky: And lastly... |
| John: Worse. [natural native speed] |
| Becky: Comparative form of "bad." |
| John: Worse. [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| John: Worse. [natural native speed] |
| KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES |
| Becky: Let's have a closer look at the usage of some of the words and phrases from this lesson. The first phrase is... |
| John: What happened? |
| Becky: The first word, "what," is a question word used to gather more information. "Happened" is the past tense of "happen," which means an event or something that took place. |
| John: You can use this phrase to ask for details about a past incident, in both formal and informal situations. Here is an example, “The kitchen is such a mess; what happened?” |
| Becky: If the event you're asking about is already the topic, you can just ask, "what happened?" |
| Becky: Okay, what's the next word? |
| John: Feel. |
| Becky: This means "to experience an emotion." |
| John: This is a verb that can be used to speak about our health. |
| Becky: It is typically used with adjectives such as "good," "bad," and "fine." It can be used in both formal and informal situations. Can you give us an example using this word? |
| John: Sure. For example, you can say, “I don't feel very well today.” |
| Becky: Okay, now onto the lesson focus. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Becky: In this lesson, you'll learn how to ask for a day off. As there is no minimum requirement for the number of paid leave days a company must give, taking a day off can differ from company to company. |
| John: Some companies will be fine with employees taking days off, but with other companies it may be more difficult. |
| Becky: In any case, you should speak directly to your manager if you need to take a day off. |
| John: Some companies may require a form to be submitted to HR, while others require you to speak to your manager. |
| Becky: There are two main things you should tell them—the date and a reason. Let’s review the date. |
| John: In the US, dates are written and spoken in a month/day/year format. For example, “May 27th, 2017.” If you don’t need to specify the year, you can just say, “July 4th” or “October 11th.” |
| Becky: Also remember to use ordinal numbers when talking about dates. You can find a complete list in the lesson notes, if you need to review them. Let’s now see how to state the reason for taking a day off. |
| John: When providing the reason, most people will start by saying, “I have” or “I need,” especially for medical or childcare reasons. For example, “I have a doctor’s appointment,” or “I need to go to a parent meeting at my child’s school.” |
| Becky: If you are asking for vacations or recreational days, you should only use “I want.” |
| John: For example, “I want to go on vacation.” |
| Becky: Sometimes, you need to ask for a day off on short notice. If you’re calling on the day that you need to take off, you should call your manager as early as possible. |
| John: In this case, it’s better to be more direct and use phrases such as “I need” or “I can’t.” For example, “I can’t come in today, because I don’t have any childcare.” |
| Becky: Let’s see how you would ask for a day off if you’re feeling sick. |
| John: When talking about an illness, the key phrase is “I have,” followed by the name of the illness. |
| Becky: For example, “I have a headache,” or “I have the flu.” |
| John: In the case of an illness, you have to keep your supervisor updated; however, it is not mandatory to do the same with your co-workers, unless you want to. |
Outro |
| Becky: Okay, that’s all for this lesson. Thank you for listening, everyone, and we’ll see you next time! Bye! |
| John: See you! |
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