Partner A
Easier: Do you often have team meetings at work? Why or why not?
Can you sum up your week's work in three sentences?
More challenging: How do you decide which information is most important when you report to your manager?
Jamesleads the live roundsSimmonds · live on simmonds.onlineA25 min · English
A quick status update in English: vocabulary, dialogue and typical phrases
Editorially responsible: James Simmondspublished 25 Oct 2026AI-generated text (learn more – how we use AI on these pages)
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Status updateA2 – Practise speaking English: a conversation about a quick status update (level A2)Customer serviceB1 – Practise speaking English: a conversation about customer service calls (level B1)NegotiatingB2 – Practise speaking English: a conversation about negotiating (level B2)Sorry, could you say that again?Give me a second to think.How do you say … in English?
Question of the day
What is Sarah waiting for before she can continue?
Show the answer – Open the answer to the question of the day
Correct answer: An answer from the technical support team
You can find the answer in the English introduction.
Listen to the introduction
Speed
Transcript
Sarah sits at her desk and prepares for the team meeting. She needs to give an update – Jump to the vocabulary entry for give an update on her current project. Things are mostly going well. Her team is on track – Jump to the vocabulary entry for on track with the new design. However, they are slightly behind schedule – Jump to the vocabulary entry for behind schedule with the testing phase. Sarah wants to finish the report – Jump to the vocabulary entry for finish the report by Friday. Right now, she just has to wait for an answer – Jump to the vocabulary entry for wait for an answer from the technical support team. She writes down her next steps – Jump to the vocabulary entry for next steps and joins the video call. She feels ready to speak to her manager.
Vocabulary
- give an update/ˌɡɪv ən ˈʌp.deɪt/
- Meaning: To tell someone the latest news about a situation.
- Example: I need to give an update on the sales figures.
- on track/ɒn ˈtræk/
- Meaning: Happening as planned and likely to be successful.
- Example: The project is on track for completion in May.
- behind schedule/bɪˌhaɪnd ˈʃed.juːl/
- Meaning: Doing work later than planned.
- Example: We are two weeks behind schedule.
- finish the report/ˌfɪn.ɪʃ ðə rɪˈpɔːt/
- Meaning: To complete a written document about a subject.
- Example: He must finish the report before he goes home.
- wait for an answer/ˌweɪt fər ən ˈɑːnsə/
- Meaning: To stay in a place or delay an action until someone replies.
- Example: We have to wait for an answer before we can start.
- next steps/ˌnekst ˈsteps/
- Meaning: The actions you plan to take after the current situation.
- Example: Let's discuss the next steps in our meeting.
Dialogue
- MarkHi Sarah. Can you give an update on the project?
- SarahYes, of course. The design team is on track.
- MarkThat is good news. What about the testing?
- SarahWe are a bit behind schedule there.
- MarkDo you need any help with that?
- SarahNo, thanks. I just have to wait for an answer from technical support.
- MarkOkay. What are your next steps?
- SarahI plan to finish the report by Friday.
Questions for your conversation
Partner B
Easier: Is it easy for you to speak in front of your colleagues? Why or why not?
What do you say when a task takes longer than planned?
More challenging: How might regular status updates improve the communication within a large team?
Partner A
Easier: Do you like working on a tight schedule? Why or why not?
How do you share your next steps with your team?
More challenging: What strategies do you use to get a project back on track when it falls behind schedule?
Useful phrases
- Here is a quick update on my project.
- Everything is going according to plan.
- We are currently on track.
- I am still waiting for an answer.
- We are a little behind schedule.
- I will finish the report tomorrow.
- These are my next steps.
Topic quiz
Five quick questions check vocabulary and listening comprehension.
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