Week 5 · Session 3
Asking for things
Ordering is a script. Learn the script.
~35 minWarm up
3 minutes
An American says the date is 4/7. That is:
Ordering is a script, so learn the script
5 minutes
Ordering food or asking for something at a counter follows an almost fixed sequence. Once you know the shape, you only have to catch which slot you are in.
- They greet you and ask what you want.
- You ask for it.
- They ask a follow-up — size, type, here or to go.
- They say the price.
- They tell you where to wait, or say you are all set.
Step 3 is where most learners lose it, because the follow-up question is fast and unexpected. Common ones: “For here or to go?” · “What size?” · “Anything else?” · “Do you want that heated up?”
Watch: how to ask for things politely
10 minutes
She goes through the phrases you actually use when asking for something, and how polite each one sounds. Politeness in English lives in the phrasing, not in a special word — this is why direct translation often sounds rude by accident.
Your ordering phrases
6 minutes
| Say | How it sounds |
|---|---|
| Can I get a… | casual, very commonfine almost anywhere |
| I'd like a… | polite, neutralsafe everywhere |
| Could I have… | a little more formal |
| I'll take the… | confident, deciding |
| Just a…, please | short and easygood when you are nervous |
Say your order with a rising pitch on each item if you have more than one, and let the pitch fall on the last one. That is how an American signals “I am not finished yet” and then “now I am finished.” It stops the person interrupting you halfway.
Record your voice note
3 minutes
“Order a meal for three people out loud, as if you were at the counter. Use rising pitch on each item and falling pitch on the last one.”
Save it as “Week 5 — Voice Note 2”.
Couldn't-Catch List
ongoing
Note any counter or shop phrase you missed this week, and what you did about it.