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Welcome to English as a second language podcast number 146. Suggestions at work.

You’re listening to English as a second language podcast number 146. I’m your host Dr. Jeff McQuillan coming to you from the Center for educational development in beautiful Los Angeles, California. In this podcast we’re going to talk about giving your ideas or your suggestions in a business environment. Let’s get started.

Our company has been growing very quickly and I was put in charge of reorganizing our office space to accommodate several new employees. I asked my coworker Petra for her advice. I was thinking of dividing up two of the larger offices into four smaller offices.

What do you think about that? Well, it seems to me that doing that would only solve part of the problem. Have you considered converting the conference room into offices? I’m not sure that will work. We don’t have another meeting space, if we do that. What are your thoughts on turning the coffee room into one large office with cubicles? In my opinion, that’s not going to be a very popular solution. The way I see it, there are no easy solutions and that may be the best one. Do you have any other suggestions? No, none that would really work. In my opinion, the only solution is to divide up the executive offices. But I know, I know, that’s not going to happen. My suggestion is to ask a few more of the old employees. Maybe they’ll think of something. I think you’re right, it’s not going to be an easy decision and I can use all the help I can get.

In this podcast we hear a dialogue between two people at work talking about making some changes to their office and giving their opinions or suggestions. The dialogue begins with Fernando telling us that the company is growing very quickly and he was put in charge of reorganizing the office space. To be put in charge (charge) means that you are the person who is responsible. Someone says you must do this, you are the leader.

Well, he’s reorganizing their office in order to accommodate several new employees. To accommodate (accommodate), to accommodate means to make room for. So if you have an office with four people and then you get two new people, now you have six people. You have to make a space for them, make room for them and we would say you need to accommodate them. That word, that’s a verb as a noun, accommodations can mean places where you stay, it usually if you’re visiting somewhere, accommodations means your hotel. But here, as a verb it means to make room for.

Well, Fernando is making room for some new employees and he asks one of his coworkers, Petra for her advice. And he says that he’s thinking of dividing the two larger offices into four smaller offices. What do you think about that? He asks. That’s a common question. What do you think about going to the store? What do you think about painting the walls purple? Those would be ways of asking politely a question, asking someone for their opinion.

Well, Petra says it seems to me that doing that would only solve part of the problem. It seems (seems), it seems to me that is a polite way of saying here’s what I think, here is my opinion. But it isn’t saying, it’s, it’s less direct. It’s more polite. It seems to me, that’s the same as in my opinion, it seems to me that doing that would only solve part of the problem, meaning if you divide the offices into four smaller offices, it doesn’t solve or resolve the problem.

Petra says have you considered converting the conference room? Have you considered is a way of saying, have you thought about. And again, it’s usually used when you are making a suggestion. Have you considered breaking up with your boyfriend because he is an idiot? That would be a nice way of saying, have you thought about that? That’s a suggestion.

Fernando says I’m not sure that will work. I’m not sure, of course I’m not positive is another way of saying that. I’m not sure it will work. I don’t know if it will work. He then asks Petra what are your thoughts on turning the coffee room into a large office with cubicles. What are your thoughts on is another way of asking someone’s opinion, asking for their suggestions, their ideas. What are your thoughts, what do you think about. Notice that after the expression, what are your thoughts on, the verb is in the ING form. So we say what are your thoughts on turning, not to turn.

What are your thoughts on turning the coffee room, and the coffee room is of course sometimes called the break room (break), the break room. That’s the place where employees at a company can get some coffee and maybe relax during their time off in the day. 15 minutes or 20 minutes, they take a break.

Well, Fernando’s idea is to turn the coffee room into a office with cubicles. And a cubicle (cubicle) is a, it’s like a little office inside a bigger office. And usually a cubicle has temporary walls but the walls don’t go up to the top of the room to the ceiling. They do not go up that high so you can stand up and look over the wall to the person in the next little office or the next cubicle. And sometimes in big offices, people will not have their own private office with a door. They’ll just have a space that is a cubicle.

Well, Petra says, in my opinion, that’s not going to be a very popular solution. In my opinion is of course the same as it seems to me. It’s a little more direct, but it’s still polite. In my opinion, this is not going to be a popular solution. People aren’t going to like it.

Fernando then says the way I see it, there are no easy solutions. The way I see it is again another way of saying this is my opinion but like in my opinion it’s a little more direct. It’s still polite but a little more direct to the person. Fernando then says do you have any other suggestions, which is the same as what are your other ideas?

Petra says she does not have any other ideas, that the only solution in her opinion, is to divide up the executive offices. To divide up means of course to take something that’s big and make it into several smaller pieces. So she’s suggesting dividing up the executive offices and executive (executive), those are the most important people, the president, vice president, the people at the top, the bosses are the executives.

Fernando says that he’s going to talk to some of the other employees because he can use all the help he can get. He says I can use all the help I can get, meaning we use that expression when we we are telling someone that we really need other people to help us. And that I will not be able to do this by myself. Now let’s listen to the dialogue this time, add a native rate of speech.

Our company has been growing very quickly and I was put in charge of reorganizing our office space to accommodate several new employees. I asked my coworker Petra for her advice. I was thinking of dividing up two of the larger offices into four smaller offices.

What do you think about that? Well, it seems to me that doing that would only solve part of the problem. Have you considered converting the conference room into offices? I’m not sure that will work. We don’t have another meeting space, if we do that. What are your thoughts on turning the coffee room into one large office with cubicles? In my opinion, that’s not going to be a very popular solution. The way I see it, there are no easy solutions and that may be the best one. Do you have any other suggestions? No, none that would really work. In my opinion, the only solution is to divide up the executive offices. But I know, I know, that’s not going to happen. My suggestion is to ask a few more of the old employees. Maybe they’ll think of something. I think you’re right, it’s not going to be an easy decision and I can use all the help I can get.

Today’s podcast script was written by our own Dr. Lucy Say, we think her for her work. From Los Angeles, I’m Jeff McQuillan, thanks for listening. We’ll see you next time on ESL podcast. English as a second language podcast is written and produced by Dr. Lucy Say posted by Dr. Jeff Quillen.