Initial Approach: Gentle Request
You notice persistent noise (e.g., loud music, stomping) from a neighbor and decide to politely knock on their door or leave a friendly note to ask them to keep the noise down.
Dialogue
Listen and follow along with the conversation
Vocabulary
Essential words and phrases from the dialogue
neighbor
A person who lives next to you or in the same building. In English-speaking cultures, neighbors often communicate politely about shared issues like noise to keep good relations.
downstairs
On a lower floor in a building. Use this to describe your location relative to someone else's apartment, like 'the apartment downstairs' when noise comes from above.
gently
In a soft, careful, or mild way, without being direct or rude. It's useful for starting a complaint politely to avoid conflict.
mention
To refer to something briefly or casually. In conversations, say 'I just wanted to mention' to bring up a problem without sounding accusatory.
stomping
Walking heavily with loud steps that make noise. Common in apartment complaints; describe sounds like 'stomping sounds' to explain the issue clearly.
relax
To rest and feel calm, especially after work. When complaining about noise, you can say it's hard to relax to show how it affects your daily life.
bothering
Causing annoyance or disturbance to someone. Use in apologies like 'I'm sorry it's bothering you' to show empathy in neighbor disputes.
carried away
To become so excited or involved that you forget about others or time. It's a common idiom for explaining why noise happens, like during parties.
mindful
Being careful and aware of your actions and their effects on others. Request someone to 'be more mindful' as a polite way to ask for quieter behavior.
disturbance
An interruption or annoyance, like noise that bothers people. Formal but useful in complaints; say 'sorry for the disturbance' to apologize sincerely.
Key Sentences
Important phrases to remember and practice
Hi, I'm Sarah, your neighbor from downstairs.
This is a polite introduction when approaching a neighbor. It uses 'your neighbor from downstairs' to specify location and build rapport. Useful for starting any neighborly conversation; practice simple self-introduction with location for clarity.
I just wanted to gently mention that...
A soft way to raise an issue without blame. 'Gently mention' softens the complaint, and the structure 'I just wanted to [verb]' expresses hesitation politely. Ideal for intermediate learners to handle sensitive topics like noise; note the adverb 'gently' for mild tone.
There's been some rather loud music or stomping sounds coming from upstairs.
Describes the problem factually. 'Rather loud' means quite loud, and 'coming from upstairs' specifies the source. This sentence pattern is useful for reporting issues objectively; it uses present perfect 'has been' for ongoing actions over time.
It's making it a bit hard to relax.
Explains the impact on you. 'Making it hard to [verb]' shows cause and effect simply. 'A bit' softens the complaint. Great for expressing how noise affects daily life; teaches gerund 'relaxing' after 'hard to'.
Oh, I'm so sorry! I had no idea it was bothering you.
A standard apology response. 'I'm so sorry' expresses regret strongly, and 'I had no idea' shows surprise. Use this when someone points out your mistake; past perfect 'had no idea' indicates prior unawareness.
We've been trying to keep things down, but sometimes we get carried away.
Explains efforts and excuses mildly. 'Keep things down' means lower volume; 'get carried away' is an idiom for losing control. Useful for responding to complaints; present continuous 'we've been trying' shows ongoing effort.
If you could just be a little more mindful during those hours, it would be a great help.
A conditional request for change. 'If you could [verb]' is polite for suggestions; 'a little more' means slightly increased. Perfect for neighbor solutions; teaches conditional 'would be' for hypothetical politeness.
Thanks for letting me know directly instead of letting it build up.
Shows appreciation for communication. 'Letting me know directly' means telling face-to-face; 'build up' means worsen over time. Use to encourage open dialogue; gerund 'letting' after preposition 'for'.
No problem! I appreciate your understanding.
A friendly close to the talk. 'No problem' means it's okay; 'I appreciate' expresses thanks. Common in positive resolutions; teaches verb 'appreciate' with gerund 'your understanding' for gratitude.
Again, really sorry for the disturbance. We'll be more mindful from now on.
Reiterates apology and promise. 'Again' emphasizes repetition; 'from now on' means starting immediately. Useful ending for complaints; future 'will be' for commitments, and 'mindful' reinforces awareness.