EFE learning modules / Repairs, Maintenance & Utilities

scenario 2 a homeowner named sarah discusses multip

Scenario Context

"A homeowner named Sarah discusses multiple household issues with Marcus, a professional repair technician."

Speakers
S

Sarah

A homeowner who is concerned about electrical and plumbing issues in her apartment.

M

Marcus

An experienced maintenance technician who specializes in utilities and general repairs.

The Dialogue

Tap highlighted words to view vocabulary cards below.

Sarah
Hi Marcus, thank you for coming on such short notice. I have several issues that need attention.
Marcus
No problem at all, Sarah. I'm here to help. What seems to be the most urgent problem?
Sarah
The lights in the kitchen and living room keep flickering constantly.
Marcus
That sounds like it could be a problem with the or perhaps a loose wire.
Sarah
I tried to reset the breaker earlier, but the flickering didn't stop.
Marcus
I will inspect the electrical panel to see if any of the fuses are blown.
Sarah
The electricity seems to even more when I turn on the microwave.
Marcus
That usually indicates an circuit. We might need to redistribute the load.
Sarah
Is that a dangerous situation?
Marcus
It can be if left ignored, but we will it right now to ensure safety.
Sarah
That is a relief. Now, about the plumbing; there is a persistent under the kitchen sink.
Marcus
Let me take a look. Oh, I see water pooling near the pipe joint.
Sarah
Yes, and the drain also seems to be ; the water goes down very slowly.
Marcus
The pipes might have a buildup of debris. I will have to clear the blockage.
Sarah
Will you need to replace any parts or just perform basic ?
Marcus
I might need to replace a washer or a if they are worn out.
Sarah
I noticed the water pressure in the bathroom is also very low.
Marcus
That could be related to the main line or just a dirty faucet aerator.
Sarah
I feel like this apartment needs a total sometimes.
Marcus
Most of these are just standard wear and tear issues that happen over time.
Sarah
I appreciate your honesty. How long do you think the repairs will take?
Marcus
I should be able to finish the electrical work in thirty minutes.
Sarah
And the plumbing?
Marcus
The plumbing might take another hour, depending on how deep the clog is.
Sarah
Do I need to turn off the main water while you work?
Marcus
Yes, I will handle that. Safety first for both electricity and water.
Sarah
Thank you. I have cleared the space under the sink for you.
Marcus
Perfect. I'll start by testing the voltage at the outlets.
Sarah
Great. I'll stay out of your way then.
Marcus
Don't worry. I'll give you an update as soon as I identify the root cause.
Sarah
I really hope we don't have to tear into the walls.
Marcus
I doubt it. These seem like external component failures.

Scene Vocabulary

Practice vocabulary words & meanings.

Circuit breaker

/ሰርኪዩት ብሬከር/

የኤሌክትሪክ ፍሰት መቆጣጠሪያ

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

ለደህንነት ሲባል በአንድ የኤሌክትሪክ መስመር ውስጥ ያለውን የኤሌክትሪክ ፍሰት በራሱ የሚያቆም መሣሪያ።

Fluctuate

/ፍላክቹኤት/

መዋዠቅ

To rise and fall irregularly in number or amount.

በቁጥር ወይም በመጠን መደበኛ ባልሆነ ሁኔታ መጨመርና መቀነስ።

Leakage

/ሊኬጅ/

መፍሰስ

An accidental admission or escape of liquid or gas through a hole or crack.

በቀዳዳ ወይም በስንጥቅ ውስጥ ፈሳሽ ወይም ጋዝ በአጋጣሚ መውጣት።

Troubleshoot

/ትራብልሹት/

ችግር መፈለግ

Analyze and solve serious problems for a company or other organization, or trace and correct faults in a mechanical or electronic system.

የአንድን መሣሪያ ወይም ሥርዓት ብልሽት መፈለግና ማስተካከል።

Maintenance

/ሜይንቴናንስ/

ጥገና

The process of maintaining or preserving someone or something, or the state of being maintained.

አንድን ነገር በጥሩ ሁኔታ እንዲቆይ የማድረግ ወይም የመንከባከብ ሂደት።

Clogged

/ክሎግድ/

የተደፈነ

Blocked with an accumulation of thick, wet matter.

በቆሻሻ ወይም በሌላ ነገር የተዘጋ ወይም የተደፈነ።

Utility

/ዩቲሊቲ/

የሕዝብ አገልግሎት

An organization supplying the community with electricity, gas, water, or sewerage.

እንደ መብራት፣ ጋዝ፣ እና ውሃ ያሉ መሠረታዊ አገልግሎቶችን ለሕዝብ የሚያቀርብ ድርጅት።

Valve

/ቫልቭ/

የፈሳሽ መቆጣጠሪያ

A device for controlling the passage of fluid or air through a pipe.

በቧንቧ ውስጥ የሚፈስን ፈሳሽ ወይም አየር ለመቆጣጠር የሚያገለግል መሣሪያ።

Overloaded

/ኦቨርሎድድ/

ከአቅም በላይ የሆነ

Loaded with too great a burden or cargo; in electricity, having too much current.

ከሚገባው በላይ ጭነት የበዛበት፤ በኤሌክትሪክ ረገድ ከተፈቀደው በላይ ኃይል የያዘ።

Renovation

/ሬኖቬሽን/

ዕድሳት

The action of renovating a building or an object.

አንድን ሕንፃ ወይም ዕቃ በማደስ ወደ ቀድሞ ሁኔታው የመመለስ ተግባር።