Lesson 1

Sorry, Can I Just Say Something?

Simple language for jumping into a conversation — and adding your idea without cutting people off rudely.

Warm-up

Let's talk

1.Do you ever interrupt people when you're excited about something? Tell me about it.

2.Is it normal to interrupt people in Kazakh or Russian conversations?

3.Do you find it hard to jump into a conversation when several people are talking at once?

4.Who's someone you know who interrupts a lot? Does it bother you?

See it in action

Planning a group project

A:So I think the best way to finish the project is to divide the sections between all of us and combine them at the end.
B:Sorry to interrupt, but who's going to write the introduction?
A:Good question — I can do that.
B:Can I just say something? I think we should also add a summary slide.
A:Sure, that makes sense.
B:Can I add something here? Maybe we should include a short example too.
A:Can I jump in for a second? I think a real example would take too much time.
B:Just to add to that — maybe just one sentence, not a full example.
A:Sorry, can I ask a quick question? When is this due?
B:Friday.
A:Can I say one thing before we finish? We should check the word count too.
B:Excuse me, can I come in here? I think we're almost out of time, so let's decide now.

Key phrases

8 phrases to use

You just saw all 8 phrases in that conversation. Tap a card to see each one again, on its own.

Tap each card once to reveal the example.

Key words

Fill in the gap

These words go well with today's phrases. Use the word bank to complete each sentence.

interrupt continue quickly rude polite finish turn silence patient wait

Speaking practice

Interruption challenge

One of you tells a short story for 1–2 minutes — about anything you like, real or made up. While the story is being told, the other person must interrupt naturally at least three times, using a different phrase from today's list each time. The storyteller responds and keeps going.

The story can be about anything — a trip, a weekend, a plan, anything you want.
Use at least 3 different interrupting phrases, not the same one three times.
Switch roles and tell a new story.

One rule: after each interruption, the storyteller must respond to what was said before continuing — not just ignore it and keep talking.

Homework

Extensive listening

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engVid: Conversation Skills — Interrupting Politely in English

Watch the video once for general understanding. Then watch it again and write down any 3 phrases you hear that we haven't studied yet.