B1 · Misunderstandings and Apologies
Repairing Trust After Interrupting a Colleague
- CEFR level:
- B1
- Sentences:
- 12
- Duration:
- 1 min
- Speakers:
- Tom & Emma
"Repairing Trust After Interrupting a Colleague" is a B1-level English conversation about misunderstandings and apologies, 12 lines long (about 1 minute) between Tom & Emma. Read the full script below with the translation next to each line, then try speaking one of the roles out loud.
Dialogue script
Each entry shows the English sentence first, with the translation on the line below it. To practise speaking, cover the translation and repeat after the audio.
- Line 1Tom 0:00
I interrupted Mei twice in the meeting, and she went silent.
- Line 2Emma 0:03
Did you notice in the moment, or only after the meeting ended?
- Line 3Tom 0:08
Only later. I was rushing because our timeline looked risky.
- Line 4Emma 0:12
Urgency explains it, but people still need speaking space.
- Line 5Tom 0:16
She might think I don't value her analysis anymore.
- Line 6Emma 0:20
Then clarify intent first, then invite her view publicly.
- Line 7Tom 0:24
I'll message her now and apologize for cutting in.
- Line 8Emma 0:27
Also ask if she can open tomorrow's stand-up with her summary.
- Line 9Tom 0:32
Good idea. I'll give her five uninterrupted minutes.
- Line 10Emma 0:36
Great, and tell the team you'll moderate turns more carefully.
- Line 11Tom 0:40
If discussion gets heated, I'll queue hands before comments.
- Line 12Emma 0:43
That should rebuild trust and improve meeting quality too.
Native audio, line-by-line recording and pronunciation scoring for this dialogue are in the EngTalk app.
Key vocabulary
Content words from this dialogue, ranked by the CEFR level at which they appear across the whole 500-dialogue library. Function words and proper nouns are excluded.
- interrupted /ˌɪntəˈrʌptɪd/ verb
stopped someone or something briefly
- went /wɛnt/ verb past tense
past tense of go
- urgency /ˈɝdʒənsi/ noun
the need to act quickly
- value /ˈvælju/ noun
worth, importance, or usefulness
- anymore /ˌɛniˈmɔr/ adverb
to any further extent; any longer (used in negative or question contexts)
- apologize /əˈpɑlədʒaɪz/ verb
to express regret for something done wrong
- cutting /ˈkʌtɪŋ/ verb
present participle of cut; dividing or reducing
- moderate /ˈmɑdərət/ (adjective); /ˈmɑdəˌreɪt/ (verb) adjective; verb
not extreme; to guide or control
- turns /tɝnz/ noun
chances to act in order; changes in direction
- comments /ˈkɑmɛnts/ noun
plural of comment; remarks or opinions
- rebuild /ˌriˈbɪld/ verb
to build again
- trust /trʌst/ noun
belief that someone or something is reliable