Make a complaint
I can say that something doesn't work or is wrong, and say it politely.
Declared core time. Two of the core blocks carry no figure at all, so the real lesson is longer than this sum.
Grammar
5 minAn English complaint does not start with blame; it starts with a description of the problem.
| There's something wrong with the heating. | the heating has a problem |
| The shower doesn't work. | it is broken |
| The room isn't clean. | nobody has cleaned it |
| My order hasn't arrived yet. | I am still waiting for it |
I'm afraid — the softener you start bad news with. Word for word it is about fear; what it means is "I'm sorry to say":
I'm afraid there's a problem with my room. I'm afraid this isn't what I ordered.
The sentence comes straight after I'm afraid, without of: ✗ I'm afraid of there is a problem.
Polite disagreement works the same way:
| direct — sounds rude | polite |
|---|---|
| You're wrong. | I'm afraid I don't agree. |
| No. | Actually, I think… |
| That's not true. | I see what you mean, but… |
What you ask for in the end:
| Could you fix it, please? | you ask them to make it work again |
| I'd like to speak to the manager. | you ask for the person in charge |
| Could I have a refund? | you ask for your money back |
Common learner errors
written for your languageDirectness and must
✗ Your hotel is bad
✗ You must fix it
✓ I'm afraid there's a problem with my room. Could you fix it, please?
In German, Polish or Russian "you must fix it" is a normal complaint. In English must sounds like an order, and a complaint without a softener sounds like an attack. This is the main mistake of the lesson.
not in the wrong place
✗ The shower not works
✗ The shower works not
✓ The shower doesn't work
Spanish and Italian say "not works" (no funciona, non funziona), German and Dutch "works not". English needs doesn't. For a problem just now, The lift isn't working.
of after I'm afraid
✗ I'm afraid of there is a problem
✓ I'm afraid there's a problem
Learners who know afraid of as fear add of here too, but a whole sentence follows I'm afraid directly.
actually for "now"
✗ Actually the heating doesn't work meaning "at the moment" → ✓ The heating isn't working at the moment. Spanish actualmente, French actuellement, Italian attualmente and German aktuell mean "now". actually means "in fact": it corrects or disagrees (Actually, I think…).
Pronunciation
3 minDispleasure without rudeness is carried by the fall-rise — a fall, then a rise at the end:
I'm afraid there's a problem ↘↗
A plain fall (↘) makes the same sentence cold and final. It is the same intonation as the polite request in lesson 17, and it is the main tool of English politeness: the words can be almost anything.
Text
3 minGood evening. I'm afraid there's a problem with my room.
I'm sorry. What's wrong?
The heating doesn't work and the shower isn't clean.
I do apologise. Could you wait ten minutes? I'll send somebody.
Thank you. And I'd like to change the room, actually.
Of course. I'll see what we have.
Exercises
8–10 min1. Gap fill.
- the heating
- The shower
- this isn't what I ordered
Show the answers
2. Make it more polite.
1) You're wrong. 2) Your hotel is bad. 3) Fix it now.
Show the answers
3. Matching.
- I'm afraid…
- Actually…
- Could you fix it?
- I'd like to speak to the manager.
Show the answers
4. Error correction.
- You must fix it. (a complaint in a hotel)
- I'm afraid of there is a problem.
Show the answers
Summary
Covered
- four ways to name a problem
- the softener I'm afraid
- polite disagreement
- asking to fix something
Next — lesson 26: reviews and relative clauses.
End of the core
The lesson counts as done once the exercises are done. Everything after this is optional.
optional
Vocabulary for your deck
13 words- wrong /rɒŋ/ not right; with a problem (What's wrong?)
- heating /ˈhiːtɪŋ/ the system that makes a house or a room warm
- shower /ˈʃaʊə/ a place where you wash, standing under water that falls from above
- fix /fɪks/ to make something that is broken work again
- replace /rɪˈpleɪs/ to put a new thing in the place of an old or broken one
- complain /kəmˈpleɪn/ to say that something is wrong or that you are not happy with it
- complaint /kəmˈpleɪnt/ what you say or write when you complain
- apologise /əˈpɒlədʒaɪz/ to say that you are sorry
- actually /ˈæktʃuəli/ in fact (not "now")
- plumber /ˈplʌmə/ a person whose job is to fix water pipes, showers and toilets
- dirty /ˈdɜːti/ not clean
- leak /liːk/ a hole or crack where water comes out
- I'm afraid /aɪm əˈfreɪd/ I'm sorry to say (before bad news)
Writing
Four sentences — a complaint to a hotel: what is wrong and what you want.
Example
I'm afraid there's a problem with my room. The heating doesn't work and the shower isn't clean. Could you fix it, please? I'd like to change the room.
Checklist
Practise this lesson in the other sections
Got a feature idea?
⚑ optional