EFE learning modules / Repairs, Maintenance & Utilities

scenario 1 mark a homeowner is seeking advice fro

Scenario Context

"Mark, a homeowner, is seeking advice from his experienced neighbor, Sarah, about various utility issues and repair needs in his new apartment."

Speakers

Mark

A beginner-level English learner who recently moved into a new apartment and is facing maintenance challenges.

Sarah

A knowledgeable neighbor who is familiar with home repairs and dealing with technicians.

The Dialogue

Tap highlighted words to view vocabulary cards below.

Mark

Hi Sarah, do you have a minute? I'm having some trouble with my apartment utilities.

Sarah

Sure, Mark. What's going on? Is it something serious?

Mark

Well, there is a persistent leak under the kitchen sink and the lights in the hallway are flickering.

Sarah

That sounds like a real hassle. Have you checked the for the lights yet?

Mark

The ? I am not entirely sure what that is or where to find it.

Sarah

It is the electrical panel that controls the power flow. If a switch is flipped, it might be the cause.

Mark

I will check that immediately. But what about the leak? It is dripping quite fast now.

Sarah

You should definitely shut off the main water valve first to prevent any potential flooding.

Mark

Where is the main water valve usually located in these buildings?

Sarah

Usually, it is located under the sink or near the water meter in the basement.

Mark

Okay, I found a handle. I turned it clockwise to close it. The water stopped!

Sarah

Good job. Now, take a look at the pipe. Is it a burst pipe or just a loose connection?

Mark

It looks like the metal is old and . There is a small hole in the pipe itself.

Sarah

Ah, corrosion is very common in older plumbing. You will likely need a professional plumber for that.

Mark

Can I fix it temporarily with some heavy-duty tape?

Sarah

You could use waterproof tape, but please remember it is just a measure.

Mark

What about the flickering lights? I checked the panel and nothing seems to be tripped.

Sarah

If the breaker is fine, it might be a wiring issue or a loose bulb socket.

Mark

I already tried changing the bulb, but the flickering continues.

Sarah

Then it is definitely an internal electrical issue. You really shouldn't that part; it's dangerous.

Mark

I agree. Electricity scares me. I will call a professional electrician.

Sarah

That is a wise choice. Do you know any reliable in this area?

Mark

Not yet. I was going to search online, but I'm worried about the costs.

Sarah

I have a contact for a great handyman who is very efficient with utilities.

Mark

That would be perfect! Does he handle both plumbing and electrical work?

Sarah

Yes, his name is Mr. Abebe. He is very skilled and his service rates are quite reasonable.

Mark

Should I ask him for a formal before he starts the actual work?

Sarah

Absolutely. Always ask for a written to avoid any surprises when the bill arrives.

Mark

Thanks for the advice. Managing home is much more stressful than I thought.

Sarah

It can be, but staying with small repairs prevents bigger problems later.

Mark

I have definitely learned my lesson today. I will be more observant of these issues.

Sarah

That's the spirit! Let me know if you need help explaining the issues to the .

Mark

I will. Thank you so much for your help and patience, Sarah!

Sarah

You're very welcome, Mark. Good luck with the repairs!

Scene Vocabulary

Practice vocabulary words & meanings.

10 Terms

Circuit breaker

/ሲርኪት ብሬከር/

የመብራት ማከፋፈያ

An automatic device for stopping the flow of current in an electric circuit as a safety measure.

ለደህንነት ሲባል በኤሌክትሪክ መስመር ውስጥ ያለውን የጅረት ፍሰት በራስ-ሰር የሚያቆም መሣሪያ።

Corroded

/ኮሮድድ/

የዛገ / የተበላ

Destroyed or damaged slowly by chemical action, such as rust.

እንደ ዝገት ባሉ ኬሚካላዊ ድርጊቶች ቀስ በቀስ የወደመ ወይም የተጎዳ።

Sealant

/ሲላንት/

ማሸጊያ / ማጣበቂያ

A substance used to make something airtight or watertight.

አንድን ነገር አየር ወይም ውሃ እንዳያስገባ ለማድረግ የሚያገለግል ንጥረ ነገር።

Stopgap

/ስቶፕ ጋፕ/

ጊዜያዊ መፍትሄ

A temporary way of dealing with a problem or satisfying a need.

ችግርን ለመፍታት ወይም ፍላጎትን ለማሟላት የሚያገለግል ጊዜያዊ መንገድ።

Faulty

/ፎልቲ/

ብልሽት ያለበት

Working badly or unreliably because of an imperfection.

ባልተሟላ ሁኔታ ምክንያት በመጥፎ ወይም በማይታመን ሁኔታ የሚሰራ።

DIY

/ዲ አይ ዋይ/

በራስ መስራት

The activity of decorating or repairing things yourself rather than employing a professional.

ባለሙያ ከመቅጠር ይልቅ ነገሮችን እራስዎ የማስጌጥ ወይም የመጠገን ተግባር።

Technician

/ቴክኒሺያን/

ቴክኒሻን / ባለሙያ

A person skilled in the technique of a particular art or craft.

በአንድ የተወሰነ ጥበብ ወይም የእጅ ሙያ ችሎታ ያለው ሰው።

Estimate

/ኤስቲሜት/

ግምት

A written statement indicating the likely cost of a job.

የአንድ ሥራ ሊሆን የሚችለውን ወጪ የሚያሳይ የጽሑፍ መግለጫ።

Maintenance

/ሜይንቴናንስ/

ጥገና / ክብካቤ

The process of maintaining or preserving someone or something.

አንድን ሰው ወይም ነገር የመንከባከብ ወይም የመጠበቅ ሂደት።

Proactive

/ፕሮአክቲቭ/

ቅድመ ጥንቃቄ የሚያደርግ

Creating or controlling a situation by causing something to happen rather than responding to it after it has happened.

ሁኔታው ከተከሰተ በኋላ ምላሽ ከመስጠት ይልቅ የሆነ ነገር እንዲከሰት በማድረግ ሁኔታውን መቆጣጠር።