What to Save First

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. Tom 0:00

   The rail strike canceled our route, and now the hotel, museum tickets, and return plan are all wobbling.

   Line 1
2. Emma 0:06

   Which piece has the hardest deadline, the hotel refund window or the next transport alternative?

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3. Tom 0:13

   The hotel deadline is harder, because we have only four hours to cancel without losing most of the payment.

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4. Emma 0:19

   Then that becomes the anchor, since you should solve the largest irreversible cost before anything else.

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5. Tom 0:26

   I was tempted to keep the room and hope buses reopen, but that feels more like gambling than planning.

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6. Emma 0:32

   It is gambling, especially if the strike lasts longer and the remaining options sell out while you wait.

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7. Tom 0:38

   The museum tickets matter less financially, although I'd hate losing them if the whole day gets rebuilt.

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8. Emma 0:44

   Can you reschedule them or at least create a timestamped request before the office closes?

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9. Tom 0:50

   Their site suggests transport disruption cases can be changed, but the phone line is too busy to reach.

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10. Emma 0:56

    Then email now, because a written request creates a record even before you get a real answer.

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11. Tom 1:03

    What about switching destinations entirely instead of forcing the original plan back into shape?

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12. Emma 1:08

    That may be smartest if another city is reachable and you can salvage most bookings with limited penalties.

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13. Tom 1:15

    If we pivot quickly, the trip survives even though it stops looking like the trip we imagined.

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14. Emma 1:21

    Exactly, because a backup trip is not a failure when it protects time, money, and mood better.

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15. Tom 1:28

    I'll cancel the hotel first, message the museum second, and only then search reachable alternatives.

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16. Emma 1:34

    That order makes sense, because in disruptions, sequence matters almost as much as creativity.

    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.

• rail /reɪl/ noun, verb

  a bar or track; to complain angrily

• strike /straɪk/ verb

  to hit or to stop work as a protest

• wobbling /ˈwɑbəlɪŋ/ verb gerund

  moving unsteadily from side to side

• largest /ˈlɑrdʒəst/ adjective

  biggest in size, amount, or degree

• irreversible /ˌɪrɪˈvɜrsəbəl/ adjective

  not able to be changed back

• tempted /ˈtɛmptɪd/ adjective/verb

  feeling a desire to do something, often something unwise

• sell /sɛl/ verb

  to give something for money

• rebuilt /ˌriˈbɪlt/ verb; adjective

  built again

• destinations /ˌdɛstəˈneɪʃənz/ noun

  plural of destination; places being traveled to

• smartest /ˈsmɑrtəst/ superlative adjective

  most intelligent or cleverly designed

• salvage /ˈsælvɪdʒ/ verb

  to save something from loss or damage

• pivot /ˈpɪvət/ verb

  to turn or change direction or strategy

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