Offering Help to Someone Else
You witness someone else spilling coffee. You want to offer practical help, such as getting napkins or alerting staff, without being intrusive.
Dialogue
Listen and follow along with the conversation
Vocabulary
Essential words and phrases from the dialogue
spilled
Past tense of 'spill', meaning to accidentally pour liquid out of a container, like coffee on the floor or clothes. Use it to describe accidents: 'I spilled my drink.'
soaked
Covered or filled with liquid, often completely wet. In this context, it describes clothes or items after spilling: 'My shirt is soaked with water.' It's useful for everyday accidents.
slipped
Past tense of 'slip', meaning to slide or lose control accidentally. Common in accidents: 'The cup slipped from my hand.' Helps explain why something fell.
mess
A dirty or disordered situation, often from an accident. Use it to express frustration: 'What a mess!' It's casual and common in informal English.
grab
To quickly take or get something. Informal and practical: 'Grab some napkins' means to fetch them fast. Good for offering quick help in daily life.
alert
To warn or inform someone about a problem. Here, 'alert the staff' means to tell workers about the spill. Useful in public places like cafes.
bother
To cause trouble or inconvenience. 'No bother' means it's not a problem at all. Polite way to reassure someone when helping: 'It's no bother to help you.'
fetch
To go and bring back something. Similar to 'get', but implies going to retrieve: 'I'll fetch the napkins.' Kind and helpful in offering assistance.
stay put
An idiom meaning to remain in place, don't move. Casual advice: 'Stay put and I'll help.' Useful for keeping someone safe during cleanup.
kind
Nice or helpful in a gentle way. 'That's really kind of you' expresses gratitude for someone's help. Common in polite responses to favors.
Key Sentences
Important phrases to remember and practice
Oh, no! Are you okay? Looks like you've spilled your coffee!
This is a concerned reaction to an accident. 'Oh, no!' shows surprise and worry. 'Are you okay?' checks for injury first. Useful for starting a helpful conversation; the present perfect 'you've spilled' describes a recent action.
Don't worry about it. Happens to the best of us.
Reassures someone after a mistake. 'Don't worry about it' means no need to feel bad. 'Happens to the best of us' is an idiom saying accidents happen to everyone, even good people. Great for comforting friends casually.
Do you need a hand with anything? I could grab some napkins, or maybe alert the staff if you want?
Offers help politely. 'Need a hand' is an idiom for assistance. The conditional 'I could' suggests options without pressure. Useful pattern for volunteering help in situations like spills; shows specific actions.
That would be so helpful, thank you!
Accepts an offer gratefully. 'That would be' is conditional for future help. Adds 'so' for emphasis on helpfulness. Essential for polite responses when someone assists you; builds positive interactions.
No bother at all. They're usually by the counter, right next to the sugar station.
Downplays the effort of helping. 'No bother at all' reassures it's easy. Gives directions with 'by' and 'next to' for location. Practical for guiding someone in a cafe; uses simple prepositions for everyday navigation.
You stay put and deal with the immediate spill. I'll be quick.
Instructs someone to stay still while offering to act. 'Stay put' is an idiom for not moving. 'Immediate' means right now. 'I'll be quick' promises speed. Useful for managing accidents safely; imperative form for directions.
Okay, thank you so much! That's really kind of you.
Shows appreciation. 'Thank you so much' emphasizes gratitude. 'That's really kind of you' compliments the helper. Perfect ending phrase for accepting favors; 'so much' and 'really' intensify politeness in English.