Everyday situations
What do you say…
in this situation?
Useful phrases for every everyday scene: at a restaurant, at the airport, at the doctor's, in a job interview. The vocabulary, the key phrases and the formal / informal and UK / US variants.
Learn English through situations, not word lists
Knowing that the restaurant bill is the bill (UK) or the check (US) is not much use if you don't know how to ask for it, what to answer when the waiter asks if everything was OK, or how to leave a tip without feeling awkward.
Each page brings together the vocabulary of the situation, the key phrases you hear and say, the variants for each register, and the cultural traps (in a British pub, you order at the bar, not at the table; in an American restaurant, people expect a tip).
Asking for directions
Stopping someone, asking where something is, understanding the answer: the phrases you need in a street you don't know.
At the airport
Checking in, dropping off your bags, going through security and immigration, boarding: the phrases you need to get through the airport without stress.
At the hotel
Booking, checking in, asking for a service, reporting a problem, paying: the phrases you need for a stress-free stay.
Taking the train
Buying a ticket, finding your platform, understanding announcements, changing trains: the phrases you need to travel on British trains without missing your connection.
Taking a taxi
Stopping a taxi, giving an address, asking the price, paying, tipping: the phrases you need for a smooth ride.
At the restaurant
Booking a table, ordering, asking for the bill: the phrases you need for the whole meal.
At the café
Ordering your coffee the Starbucks way, asking to take it away, asking for another kind of milk, paying: the phrases you need when the queue is long.
At the supermarket
Asking for a product, finding an aisle, paying at the checkout, dealing with plastic bags: the phrases you need for the supermarket and the market.
Food allergies
Telling the waiter, checking the ingredients, getting help in an emergency: the phrases that keep you safe at a restaurant, on a plane or at the chemist's.
Buying clothes
Asking for a size, trying things on, asking for another colour, paying, returning: the phrases you need in a clothes shop.
Paying and getting change
Paying by card, cash or contactless, getting your change, saying no to a tip: the phrases you need at the till.
Returning a product
Asking for a refund, exchanging an item, reporting a fault: the phrases you need to return something to a shop.
Introducing yourself
Your name, your age, where you are from, your school, your hobbies: a 30-second structure that works in class and in an interview.
On the phone
Answering, finding out who is calling, transferring, leaving a message, ending the call: the basic phrases you need so you don't panic.
Small talk
Talking about the weather, the weekend, travel and sport: the phrases you need in the lift, in a queue or at a coffee break.
Inviting someone
Suggesting a coffee or a dinner, accepting, saying no politely: the phrases you need to make plans with people.
Making an appointment
Booking a doctor, a hairdresser or a work meeting, changing it or cancelling it: the phrases you need to find a time without confusion.
A job interview
Introducing yourself, telling your story, showing your strengths, asking the right questions: the phrases you need to do well in a job interview.
Writing a formal email
Writing the subject, the greeting, the opening, the request, the ending and the sign-off: the structure that works everywhere, from Dear Mr. to Hi Tom.
Giving a presentation
Starting, organising your ideas, giving examples, ending, answering questions: the plan that works in class and in meetings.
In the classroom
Asking the teacher to repeat, asking for an explanation or the spelling of a word, asking to go to the toilet: the phrases you need in an English lesson.
At the doctor's
Making an appointment, describing your symptoms, understanding the prescription: the phrases you need to make yourself clear at the doctor's.
At the pharmacy
Asking for medicine without a prescription, understanding the instructions, mentioning an allergy: the phrases you need to get the right medicine.
In an emergency
Calling emergency services, describing an accident, reporting a theft, asking for help: the phrases you need when things go wrong.
Describing pain
Saying where it hurts, what kind of pain it is, how bad it is and for how long: the phrases you need for a visit to the doctor.
Keep exploring
To see how sentences work, go to grammar and conjugation; to grow your vocabulary, go to vocabulary by topic.
Updated on 12 November 2026 by the Big Challenge teaching team. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999. Our teaching approach →
The Big Challenge · Source: www.thebigchallenge.com/bl/academy/learn-english/situations
© The Big Challenge. Copying allowed for classroom use. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999.