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Curso básico · A1–A2
Nivel A1.1 — IdentidadNivel A1.2 — Rutinas y entornoNivel A2.1 — Contando el mundoNivel A2.2 — Comparando y proyectandoIntermedio · B1–B2
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Describing failures and incidents, explaining causes and consequences, proposing alternatives, and communicating urgency.
Why this matters This module covers describing failures and incidents; explaining causes, consequences, and proposing alternatives; and requesting corrective action and communicating urgency.
01
The goals of this lesson.
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Now that you can help customers, let's focus on a related skill: identifying, explaining, and solving problems at work.
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Explaining what went wrong clearly and precisely.
Examples
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Explaining why something happened and proposing a different approach.
Examples
05
Requesting a fix and communicating that something is urgent.
Examples
06
Read the text and answer the questions. You can try as many times as you want.
"The system crashed this morning," Laura reported. "This happened because of a software update," the IT team explained. "As a result, several orders were delayed."
"We need this fixed as soon as possible," Laura said. "Please take corrective action immediately — this is urgent." The team worked quickly and fixed the issue within an hour.
1. What happened this morning?
2. Why did it happen?
3. What was the consequence?
4. What did Laura ask for?
5. How long did it take to fix?
💪 You can now handle real problems calmly and clearly! Review this lesson, or continue to the next module.
07
A second reading, a bit longer. Read it and answer the questions below.
"The delay was caused by a shortage of materials," the supplier explained. "We could try a different supplier instead," suggested Diego. "An alternative would be to outsource this part of the process."
"This can't wait until next week — we need a permanent solution, not a temporary one," the manager insisted. The team agreed to contact a new supplier by the end of the day.
1. What caused the delay?
2. What did Diego suggest?
3. What alternative did Diego propose?
4. What did the manager say about the timeline?
5. What did the team agree to do?
08
Tap a term on the left, then tap its matching definition on the right. Ungraded — repeat as many times as you like.
Term
Definition
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Usa las pistas para completar cada palabra en inglés. Sin calificar — repite las veces que quieras.
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The essentials of this lesson, summarized.
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Key terms to remember.
an unplanned event, often a problem
Collocations: report an incident, minor incident, incident response
when something stops working or doesn't succeed
Collocations: system failure, equipment failure, failure to deliver
the reason something happened
Collocations: root cause, identify the cause, main cause
a result of an action or event
Collocations: serious consequence, as a consequence, face the consequences
another possible option or choice
Collocations: viable alternative, consider an alternative, alternative solution
steps taken to fix a problem
Collocations: implement corrective action, corrective action plan, immediate corrective action
needing immediate attention
Collocations: urgent matter, treat as urgent, urgent request
a situation where there is not enough of something
Collocations: supply shortage, staff shortage, face a shortage
a fault or imperfection in a product
Collocations: manufacturing defect, minor defect, defect rate
to have an outside company do a task
Collocations: outsource to, outsourced work, decide to outsource
lasting for only a limited time
Collocations: temporary fix, temporary solution, temporary measure
something treated as more urgent or important
Collocations: top priority, treat as a priority, competing priorities
12
Everyday expressions used to report problems and request a fix.
13
Tap the words in the correct order to form the sentence. Ungraded — repeat as many times as you like.
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Tap the correct verb form to complete each sentence. The other options are conjugations from other tenses — on purpose, so you learn to tell them apart.
The delay was by a shortage of materials
We could this task instead
Let's an alternative solution
We need this as soon as possible
This situation immediate action
15
Listen to the full dialogue with the speaker buttons first, then fill in the missing words from this lesson's real conversation. Ungraded — repeat as many times as you like.
This is — we need it right away.
What was the , and is there an ?
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You need at least 80% to unlock the next lesson. You can retake it as many times as you want — your best score is saved.
1. What does this mean: "The system crashed this morning."?
2. Choose the equivalent of: "This happened because of a software update."
3. What does this mean: "As a result, the order was delayed."?
4. What does this mean: "We could try a different supplier instead."?
5. Which option matches: "We need this fixed as soon as possible."?
6. "Please take corrective action immediately." — which one is correct?
7. Choose the equivalent of: "We noticed a defect in the product."
8. Select the correct match for: "This can't wait until next week."
9. "An alternative would be to outsource this task." — which one is correct?
10. Which option matches: "The shipment arrived damaged."?
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You can now describe problems and propose solutions professionally. Next module: negotiation and persuasion.
18
Practice this lesson's vocabulary with a word search and flashcards. Ungraded — play as many times as you like.
Tap the first and last letter of a hidden word to find it. Los términos de varias palabras van sin espacios en el tablero (ej. "give up" aparece como GIVEUP).
Elige la respuesta correcta. Si aciertas, la tarjeta queda lista por hoy; si fallas, vuelve a aparecer pronto para reforzarla. Tu progreso se guarda en este dispositivo.