Hi, Tim here with another 925 English lesson.
Today we’re going to learn how to explain a problem in English.
Much of your work probably involves solving problems.
And sometimes we can’t do it alone.
But cooperating with someone to solve a problem means explaining it clearly.
Before you explain the problem however, you’ll need to ask for help.
Two really useful words in this situation are “would” and “could.”
These words help you make polite requests.
For example, you might say “could you help me?” or “would you help me with this?”
And we can add to these expressions to get longer, even more polite expressions.
Let’s practice some ways of asking for help using “would” and “could.”
Listen to each example, then repeat it for yourself.
Ready?
Let’s get started.
Do you think you could give us a hand with this?
Would you mind showing me how to do this?
Could you help me with this?
I would appreciate a bit of help.
As you heard, we can build a polite sentence around “would” and “could, using questions
like “do you think you could” and “would you mind.”
This is much more polite than giving people direct orders, like “help me, please!”
Now, if someone agrees to help you, what do you say next?
Do you start describing the problem in great detail?
Or do you think it would be better to say generally what the problem is?
Well, at the start, it’s good to be more general.
You can give a short overview of the problem to give the person a general idea of what
it’s about.
Let’s try some examples of giving a general statement about a problem.
Remember to repeat the examples after you hear them.
It looks like there’s a safety issue at the factory.
We’ve got some problems with the website.
I can’t seem to get the copier to work.
 The security system isn’t working properly.
Did you hear another word that has the same meaning as “problem?”
The word is “issue,” as in “there’s a safety issue.”
Or you could have a “technical issue,” or a “security issue,” or a “staffing
issue.”
Also notice that a lot of problems are about whether something “works.”
That just means whether it functions properly.
Now, it’s not usually enough just to know that there’s a problem.
If we hope to solve it, we usually need to know what happened to cause the problem or
make you think there was a problem.
In this case, you need to tell a little story.
And you should use the past tense to describe what happened.
For example, you might say “I turned the computer on, but the screen was blank.”
Or you might say “X happened, when I did Y.”
And at this point, you should be specific and detailed about what happened.
Let’s try some practice with describing what happened using this approach.
Once again, repeat the examples after you hear them.
The problem started when we made changes to the homepage.
So I tried to save the document to the shared folder.
The machine made a strange noise when I turned it on.
I opened the program, but I couldn’t log in.
Of course, explaining a problem clearly might mean making several sentences like this to
describe the situation.
And with a clear understanding of the situation, hopefully the other person will be able to
help you solve it.
Okay, so we’ve practiced lots of useful examples for talking about problems.
But how do these expressions sound in a conversation?
Let’s listen to a short dialog between Kristi and John.
John is trying to describe a problem with his website to Kristi.
Let’s listen.
Kristi: So what seems to be the problem?
John: It looks like there’s an issue with the website.
Kristi: Oh no, what’s going on?
John: Well, it started when I updated the homepage.
Simple enough, right?
When Kristi asks about the problem, John says there’s an “issue” with the website.
And when Kristi asks for more detail, he explains that it started when he updated the homepage.
Now it’s your turn to practice.
We’ll repeat the dialog, but this time we’re going to beep out the second speaker’s words.
You will have to say those parts yourself.
Remember to say it looks like there’s an issue with the website, then say it started
when you updated the homepage.
Kristi: So what seems to be the problem?
John: It looks like there’s an issue with the website.
Kristi: Oh no, what’s going on?
John: Well, it started when I updated the homepage.
All right, that’s all for this lesson!
We’ve learned some great ways to ask for help, make general statements about a problem,
and describe what happened.
We’ll be back soon with some more useful English expressions.
Until then, so long and happy learning!