Chapter 01 · At the table

How a polite request is built, piece by piece

You will see how a short request is put together, then say it aloud in small live group classes with qualified native-speaking teachers. Lessons run on flexible evening schedules, one situation at a time.

See the courses

Unsure where you stand? Start with a short level test first.

Fig. 1 — Each phrase leans on the one you learned before it

Phrase
Next situation
Key phrase

Syllabus

From the café table to the station

Courses

Sounds and greetings for travellers

Beginner4 weeks5 lessons

This course trains your ear for the sounds English speakers tend to miss. You hear short arrival scenes at natural speed, then repeat them slowly with a partner.

Open course
Ordering food and drink abroad

Beginner4 weeks5 lessons

This course explains how a polite request is built so you can order without rehearsing every word. Each lesson is a café or restaurant scene played out in role-play.

Open course
Getting around by train and bus

Elementary5 weeks5 lessons

This course covers tickets, platforms and directions using real station scenes. You learn to ask short questions and catch the one detail you need in the reply.

Open course
Handling problems on holiday

Intermediate6 weeks5 lessons

This course explains how to describe what went wrong using simple past forms. Scenes include lost luggage, a pharmacy visit and changing a booking.

Open course

Glossary

Words you will hear in class

See every term

Accent mark

noun

A small mark written above a letter that changes its sound or shows which syllable to stress. Leaving it out can change the meaning of a word.

See also:Liaison, Cognate
Cognate

noun/KOG-nayt/

A word that looks and means much the same in two languages, such as station and estación. Cognates give beginners a large head start on reading signs and menus.

See also:False friend
Conjugation

noun/kon-joo-GAY-shun/

The way a verb changes its ending to show who is doing the action and when. Travel phrases usually need only a handful of forms.

See also:Formal address, Register
False friend

noun

A word that looks like an English word but means something different. Many cause small, funny mix-ups at restaurants and shops.

See also:Cognate
Formal address

noun

The polite form of you used with strangers and staff, such as vous, usted, Lei or Sie. It also changes the verb ending that follows.

See also:Register, Conjugation
Gender

noun

A grammar label that sorts nouns into groups, usually masculine and feminine, and in German also neuter. It decides which word for the is used.

See also:Conjugation
Liaison

noun/lee-AY-zon/

In French, the linking of a normally silent final consonant to a following vowel sound. It is one reason spoken French sounds like a continuous stream.

See also:Accent mark
Register

noun

The level of politeness or formality in how you speak. The same request can be worded casually with friends or carefully with a hotel manager.

See also:Formal address
Role-play

noun

A practice exercise where learners act out a real situation, such as ordering lunch or buying a ticket. The teacher usually plays the local.

See also:Survival phrase
Survival phrase

noun

A short, fixed expression that gets a basic need met, such as asking for the bill or the toilet. Learners memorise these as whole units.

See also:Role-play, Register

Explainers

Short reads for before you fly

Explainers

Fig.

Habits

Why you freeze when the waiter arrives

Knowing grammar and producing it under pressure use different skills. This explainer looks at why the mind goes blank and how short spoken drills help.

6 min read
Fig.

Words

False friends that catch travellers out

Some words look English but mean something else entirely. This explainer walks through how false friends arise and the kinds of travel mix-ups they cause.

5 min read
Fig.

Culture

Choosing the polite you abroad

French, Spanish, Italian and German all have more than one word for you. This explainer shows how the formal form works and when travellers should use it.

6 min read
Fig.

Pronunciation

Why spoken French sounds like one word

Spoken French links words in ways the written page hides. This explainer covers silent letters and liaison, and how training your ear changes what you can catch.

7 min read
Fig.

Habits

Building a phrase pack before you fly

A phrase pack is a short list of the expressions your trip will need. This explainer shows how to choose them and rehearse them so they come out under pressure.

5 min read

Course outline

Get the course outline by email

The full lesson list for each course, plus details of our level test and conversation clubs.

How a polite request is built, piece by piece

From the café table to the station

Sounds and greetings for travellers

Ordering food and drink abroad

Getting around by train and bus

Handling problems on holiday

Words you will hear in class

Accent mark

Cognate

Conjugation

False friend

Formal address

Gender

Liaison

Register

Role-play

Survival phrase

Short reads for before you fly

Why you freeze when the waiter arrives

False friends that catch travellers out

Choosing the polite you abroad

Why spoken French sounds like one word

Building a phrase pack before you fly

Get the course outline by email

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