Inquiring about Holiday Hours
A customer asks an employee or checks a sign for special operating hours during a public holiday or seasonal event.
Dialogue
Listen and follow along with the conversation
Vocabulary
Essential words and phrases from the dialogue
open
Means a store or business is available for customers to enter and shop. Use it to ask if a place is operating, like 'Are you open today?'
closed
The opposite of open; means a business is not operating and customers cannot enter. Common in announcements like 'The store is closed on holidays.'
wondering
A polite way to say you are curious or thinking about something. Use it to soften questions, like 'I was wondering if you have this item?'
special hours
Refers to different operating times on certain days, like holidays. Useful for asking about changes, as in 'Do you have special hours on weekends?'
resume
Means to start again after a pause. In business, it means returning to normal operations, like 'Classes resume next week.'
regular schedule
The usual or standard timetable for opening and closing. Use it to confirm normal times, such as 'What is your regular schedule?'
happy holidays
A friendly greeting used during holiday seasons like Christmas. It's a polite way to end a conversation, similar to 'Merry Christmas.'
Key Sentences
Important phrases to remember and practice
Excuse me, I was wondering if you're open on Christmas Day?
This is a polite way to start a question about availability. 'I was wondering' makes it indirect and courteous. Use it when asking about store hours on specific days to sound natural and respectful.
No, we'll actually be closed on Christmas Day itself.
A clear negative response with 'actually' for emphasis and 'itself' to specify the exact day. Useful for service workers to explain closures; the contraction 'we'll' is common in spoken English.
How about Christmas Eve? Do you have special hours then?
This follows up on a previous answer by suggesting an alternative. 'How about' introduces a new option politely. Great for conversations where you need more details on different dates.
Yes, on Christmas Eve, we'll be open from 9 AM to 5 PM.
Provides specific time information using 'from...to' for ranges. 'We'll be open' is future tense for planned hours. Use this pattern to describe schedules clearly.
So, normal hours resume on December 26th?
A confirming question using 'so' to summarize and 'resume' for restarting normal operations. The rising intonation at the end makes it a yes/no question. Ideal for verifying details in inquiries.
That's right! We'll be back to our regular schedule on the 26th.
Agrees with the customer using 'That's right' for confirmation. 'Back to' means returning to normal. This is a helpful response in customer service to reassure and close the topic.
Anything else I can help you with?
A standard polite offer for more assistance. It's open-ended and uses 'can' for possibility. Use it at the end of interactions to show good service and invite further questions.
You're welcome! Happy holidays!
A courteous reply to thanks, with 'Happy holidays' as a seasonal farewell. 'You're welcome' is the common response to 'thank you.' Perfect for ending positive exchanges during festive times.