Keep, Cut Back, or Pause the Side Hustle?

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.

1. Emma 0:00

   My weekend design work now funds half my wedding savings, but I'm exhausted almost all the time.

   Line 1
2. Tom 0:07

   So the side business supports an important goal, yet it may be draining the rest of your life.

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3. Emma 0:12

   Exactly, and I like the extra security, while client referrals make quitting feel irresponsible.

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4. Tom 0:19

   But constant fatigue isn't a small inconvenience if it changes your mood and full-time work.

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5. Emma 0:24

   Last month I skipped exercise twice a week and snapped at colleagues more than once.

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6. Tom 0:30

   That means the cost is already measurable instead of being a vague feeling after busy days.

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7. Emma 0:36

   True, although stopping completely still scares me because one surprise bill could hit before the wedding.

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8. Tom 0:43

   Then don't frame it as keep or kill, and compare a cap, a pause, and a more selective filter.

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9. Emma 0:49

   A cap could mean two clients a month, while a three-month pause would show whether my energy really returns.

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10. Tom 0:57

    A selective filter may also help if you keep only higher-value jobs instead of every referral.

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11. Emma 1:03

    The pause appeals to me, but I worry three months might weaken the client pipeline too much.

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12. Tom 1:09

    Good clients often return when capacity limits are explained early, so the damage may be smaller than you think.

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13. Emma 1:16

    If I pause for three months and my health improves clearly, that becomes strong evidence to scale down.

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14. Tom 1:23

    And if nothing changes, the real issue may be broader overwork rather than the side business alone.

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15. Emma 1:29

    That makes sense, because I want the savings goal without turning into a resentful version of myself.

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16. Tom 1:36

    Then test the pause with numbers and energy notes, and let the result shape the final model.

    Line 16

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.

• funds /fʌndz/ noun

  money available for a particular purpose

• draining /ˈdreɪnɪŋ/ adjective

  causing great tiredness

• referrals /rɪˈfɝəlz/ noun

  recommendations or transfers to another person or service

• irresponsible /ˌɪrɪˈspɑnsəbəl/ adjective

  not showing proper care or responsibility

• snapped /snæpt/ verb/adjective

  broke suddenly, closed sharply, or took a quick photo

• scares /skɛrz/ verb

  frightens someone

• kill /kɪl/ verb

  to cause a person, animal, or plant to die

• three-month /ˈθri ˌmʌnθ/ adjective

  lasting three months

• higher-value /ˌhaɪərˈvælju/ adjective

  having greater worth or importance

• referral /rɪˈfɝəl/ noun

  the act of sending someone to another person or service

• appeals /əˈpilz/ noun

  urgent requests or attractive qualities

• capacity /kəˈpæsəti/ noun

  the maximum amount that something can contain or produce

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