B1 · Health Conditions and Follow-ups
Tracking Symptoms Before Revisiting a Persistent Cough
- CEFR level:
- B1
- Sentences:
- 12
- Duration:
- 1 min
- Speakers:
- Emma & Tom
"Tracking Symptoms Before Revisiting a Persistent Cough" is a B1-level English conversation about health conditions and follow-ups, 12 lines long (about 1 minute) between Emma & Tom. 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 1Emma 0:00
I've been coughing for two weeks, and it still isn't improving.
- Line 2Tom 0:04
Did you track when symptoms worsen, like nights or exercise?
- Line 3Emma 0:08
It gets worse after midnight and in cold air outside.
- Line 4Tom 0:12
That pattern can help doctor narrow likely causes faster.
- Line 5Emma 0:16
Last visit I described it vaguely, and medicine seemed mismatched.
- Line 6Tom 0:21
Then structured symptom notes may prevent another unclear diagnosis.
- Line 7Emma 0:25
I'll log cough frequency, phlegm color, temperature, and triggers.
- Line 8Tom 0:31
Bring sleep quality notes and any medication side effects too.
- Line 9Emma 0:35
I'll book follow-up tomorrow morning with this symptom diary.
- Line 10Tom 0:39
Good, and ask whether chest imaging is needed now.
- Line 11Emma 0:43
If breathing tightens tonight, I'll go to urgent care directly.
- Line 12Tom 0:47
Exactly. It's safer to raise it early than wait for bigger warning signs.
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.
- weeks /wiks/ noun plural
periods of seven days
- improving /ɪmˈpruvɪŋ/ verb form
making or becoming better
- worsen /ˈwɝsən/ verb
to become or make something worse
- pattern /ˈpætərn/ noun; verb
a repeated design, form, or way something happens
- narrow /ˈnɛroʊ/ adjective
not wide; limited in range
- likely /ˈlaɪkli/ adjective
probable or expected to happen
- described /dɪˈskraɪbd/ verb
past tense of describe; explained what something was like
- vaguely /ˈveɪɡli/ adverb
in an unclear or imprecise way
- prevent /prɪˈvɛnt/ verb
to stop something from happening
- exactly /ɪɡˈzæktli/ adverb
precisely; in every detail
- raise /reɪz/ verb, noun
to lift, increase, or bring up; a pay increase
- bigger /ˈbɪɡər/ adjective
larger in size or importance