EFE learning modules / Repairs, Maintenance & Utilities

scenario 3 sarah is calling david a local handyman

Scenario Context

"Sarah is calling David, a local handyman, to report several urgent issues in her apartment, including a leaking faucet and electrical problems."

Speakers

Sarah

An intermediate English learner who is frustrated by several maintenance issues in her home.

David

A professional and calm repair technician who explains technical terms clearly.

The Dialogue

Tap highlighted words to view vocabulary cards below.

Sarah

Hi David, it's Sarah. I'm having some trouble with my apartment today.

David

Hi Sarah. I'm sorry to hear that. What exactly is happening?

Sarah

Well, first of all, the kitchen is leaking constantly.

David

Is it a fast drip or just a slow trickle?

Sarah

It is quite fast. It is wasting a lot of water and making a mess.

David

Okay, have you tried tightening the handle yet?

Sarah

I did try that, but it did not help at all.

David

It sounds like the internal washer might need to be replaced.

Sarah

That is not all. The electricity in the living room just went out completely.

David

Did you check the for that room?

Sarah

I am not sure where the is located.

David

Usually, it is in a small metal box in the hallway or the laundry room.

Sarah

Oh, I see the fuse box now. What should I look for inside?

David

Look for a switch that isn't lined up with the others.

Sarah

Yes, I see it. One of them is flipped the wrong way.

David

Try flipping it back to the 'on' position and see what happens.

Sarah

I did, but it immediately flipped back off again.

David

That sounds like a somewhere in the wiring.

Sarah

Is that dangerous? I'm a bit worried about a fire.

David

It can be. It means there is a in an appliance or the wires.

Sarah

Should I unplug everything in that room right now?

David

Yes, that's a good idea to the cause of the surge.

Sarah

I will do that. Also, my water heater is making a very weird noise.

David

What kind of noise is it? Is it a loud banging sound?

Sarah

Exactly! It sounds like something is hitting the inside of the tank.

David

That usually means there is buildup at the bottom of the heater.

Sarah

Does it need general or a full replacement?

David

I might just need to flush the tank for you to clear the debris.

Sarah

Can you come over this afternoon to look at everything?

David

I can be there at 3 PM. Does that work for your schedule?

Sarah

That would be great. I will be waiting for you.

David

Don't worry, Sarah. We will get your home back in order today.

Scene Vocabulary

Practice vocabulary words & meanings.

8 Terms

Faucet

/ፎሴት/

ቧንቧ

A device that controls the flow of water from a pipe.

ከቧንቧ የሚወጣውን የውሃ ፍሰት የሚቆጣጠር መሣሪያ።

Circuit breaker

/ሰርኪውት ብሬከር/

የኤሌክትሪክ መቆጣጠሪያ

A safety device that stops electricity flow if there is an overload.

ከመጠን በላይ የኤሌክትሪክ ፍሰት ሲኖር ኃይልን በራስ-ሰር የሚያቋርጥ የደህንነት መሣሪያ።

Malfunction

/ማልፋንክሽን/

ብልሽት

To fail to function normally or satisfactorily.

አንድ ነገር በትክክል ወይም በሚፈለገው ሁኔታ መሥራት ሲያቅተው።

Troubleshoot

/ትራብልሹት/

ችግርን መለየት

To analyze and solve serious problems for a machine or system.

ለአንድ መሣሪያ ወይም ሥርዓት ችግር መንስኤውን መመርመር እና መፍትሔ መፈለግ።

Maintenance

/ሜይንቴናንስ/

ጥገና

The process of keeping something in good condition.

አንድን ነገር በጥሩ ሁኔታ ላይ ለማቆየት የሚደረግ እንክብካቤ ወይም የሁልጊዜ ጥገና።

Sediment

/ሴዲመንት/

ዝቃጭ

Matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid.

በፈሳሽ ውስጥ ከታች የሚከማች ወይም የሚቀመጥ ጠጣር ነገር።

Short circuit

/ሾርት ሰርኪውት/

የኤሌክትሪክ ንክኪ

A faulty connection between two points in an electric circuit.

በኤሌክትሪክ መስመር ውስጥ በሁለት ነጥቦች መካከል የሚፈጠር የተሳሳተ ወይም አደገኛ ግንኙነት።

Utilities

/ዩቲሊቲስ/

መሠረታዊ አገልግሎቶች

Services such as gas, electricity, and water.

እንደ ኤሌክትሪክ፣ ውሃ እና ጋዝ ያሉ መሠረታዊ የቤት ውስጥ አገልግሎቶች።