Lesson 14 · Self-training

Complaining Politely

Watch BBC Real Easy English: complaining. Neil and Georgie talk about when something is wrong, how they feel about making a complaint, and how to complain in a polite way. Listen for gist and useful phrases, answer the questionnaire, then press Check answers.

Mode Self-paced
Time ~20–30 minutes
Video 1 × ~5 minutes
After watching Quiz · Check answers · Tasks
All lessons Main menu Facilitator notes Back to Lesson 13
How to use this lesson

Goals and flow

  1. Goal 1: Follow Neil and Georgie’s conversation about complaining: feeling embarrassed, finding courage, and getting a fair result.
  2. Goal 2: Use the vocabulary from the recap: complain / complaint, discount, entitled to, and reviews—plus polite complaint tips.

Flow: warm-up → watch (gist) → watch again (detail + phrases) → quiz → Check answers → tasks → reflection.

Before you watch

Warm-up (say aloud or think—not scored)

  1. Do you like complaining, or do you avoid it? Why?
  2. Have you ever complained about a delivery, a hotel, or a restaurant? What happened?
  3. What is a polite way to say something is wrong without sounding rude?
Video · Gist then detail

Complaining — Real Easy English

BBC Learning English ~5 minutes Neil and Georgie · complaining politely

First listen: What are they talking about? Why do they find complaining difficult?
Second listen: Neil’s accommodation reviews; Georgie’s late food delivery; tips for polite complaints; the restaurant story; vocabulary: complain, complaint, discount, entitled to, reviews.

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Open on YouTube

Optional watch notes

Jot 3 keywords (e.g. complain, discount, reviews, polite, embarrassed). Do not write everything down.

Questionnaire

Answer after watching—then check your answers

Complete every question first. Answers and tips appear only after you press Check answers at the bottom.

1. (Gist) This episode is mainly about…

2. (Detail) What happened with Neil’s accommodation reviews?

3. (Detail) What did Neil do about the accommodation?

4. (Detail) Why did Neil hate the process?

5. (Detail) Georgie’s food delivery problem was…

6. (Detail) Their tip for a “nice way” to complain is mainly…

7. (Detail) The restaurant story is about…

8. (Detail) From Georgie’s waitress experience, which is true?

9. (Language) Which is correct?

10. (Language) If you are entitled to something, it means…

11. Gap: Georgie asked for a on the next order (not the full price).

12. (Open) How do you feel about complaining? Are you more like Georgie and Neil, or do you complain easily?

13. (Open) Describe one time you complained (or would complain). What was wrong, and what did you ask for?

Tasks

After the quiz

Task 1 · Useful phrases

Write your own examples with: complain / make a complaint, I’m entitled to…, Could I get a discount…?, and a polite opener like I’m sorry to bother you, but… or I’m a bit worried because…

Task 2 · Voice note (60–90 seconds)

Record a short summary like the episode: why complaining feels hard, Neil’s accommodation email, Georgie’s delivery call, and one tip for being polite.

Task 3 · Writing (SSC / vendor style)

Write a short polite email (5–7 sentences) about a late invoice payment confirmation or a dirty / broken hotel room. Be polite, not personal, and say clearly what you want (assurance, discount, or a fix).

Reflection

Close the session

  1. Which tip will you use next time: be polite, don’t be personal, or know what you want?
  2. Write one phrase from the video you will try this week.
Spanish support

Light glossary

  • complain (v) → quejarse
  • complaint (n) / make a complaint → queja / presentar una queja
  • discount → descuento
  • entitled to → tener derecho a
  • reviews → reseñas / opiniones (de clientes)
  • assure me → asegurarme / darme garantías
  • embarrassed → avergonzado/a; me da vergüenza
  • find the courage → encontrar el valor / atreverse
  • customer service → servicio al cliente
  • polite / respectful → educado/a / respetuoso/a
  • rude → grosero/a; maleducado/a
  • I’m worried because… → Estoy preocupado/a porque…

Lesson 14: BBC Real Easy English — complaining · video → Check answers quiz → tasks.