B2 · Relationship Boundaries and Rebuilding Trust
What Trust Repair Would Require
- CEFR level:
- B2
- Sentences:
- 16
- Duration:
- 2 min
- Speakers:
- Tom & Emma
"What Trust Repair Would Require" is a B2-level English conversation about relationship boundaries and rebuilding trust, 16 lines long (about 2 minutes) 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 told one person about your layoff because I thought the news was already circulating, and now I feel awful.
- Line 2Emma 0:06
I appreciate the honesty, but the issue is that it was my news to share, not yours.
- Line 3Tom 0:12
I know, and I wrongly assumed that because you told a few people, the information was no longer private.
- Line 4Emma 0:18
That assumption skipped an important difference, because chosen support is not the same as open permission.
- Line 5Tom 0:25
You're right, so I'm asking whether there is any practical way to rebuild trust from here.
- Line 6Emma 0:30
That depends on behavior now rather than on how strong your apology sounds tonight.
- Line 7Tom 0:36
What behavior would matter most to you first?
- Line 8Emma 0:39
First, don't retell the story to explain your mistake, because that would spread it further again.
- Line 9Tom 0:45
That makes sense, and from now on I should ask before repeating anything personal even if it seems harmless.
- Line 10Emma 0:52
Yes, and if you're uncertain, the safer rule is silence until I answer.
- Line 11Tom 0:57
Should I apologize to the person I told and ask them not to mention it further?
- Line 12Emma 1:02
Yes, although you shouldn't expect full control once information has already moved beyond me.
- Line 13Tom 1:08
If I follow through and stay careful consistently, would that be enough to begin moving forward?
- Line 14Emma 1:14
It would be enough to start, but trust won't reset instantly just because one apology sounds sincere.
- Line 15Tom 1:21
I can accept that, because I caused the uncertainty and shouldn't demand quick comfort from you.
- Line 16Emma 1:26
That's the right place to begin, since repair means respecting the pace of the person affected.
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.
- layoff /ˈleɪˌɔf/ noun
the act of ending someone's employment, often for business reasons
- circulating /ˈsɜrkjəˌleɪtɪŋ/ verb
present participle of circulate; moving or spreading freely
- awful /ˈɑfl/ adjective
very bad or unpleasant
- wrongly /ˈrɔŋli/ adverb
in an incorrect, unfair, or mistaken way
- assumption /əˈsʌmpʃn/ noun
a thing that is accepted as true without proof
- permission /pɚˈmɪʃən/ noun
approval to do something
- retell /riˈtɛl/ verb
to tell again
- harmless /ˈhɑrmləs/ adjective
not likely to cause harm
- begin /bɪˈɡɪn/ verb
to start doing something or happening
- instantly /ˈɪnstəntli/ adverb
immediately
- sincere /sɪnˈsɪr/ adjective
honest and genuine
- respecting /rɪˈspɛktɪŋ/ verb
showing respect for