“I've booked a desk in the quiet zone for tomorrow morning.”
B1 · Intermediate9 minPhrases
When you need this
Offices come in a few shapes now. Some people still have a private office with a door. Many sit in an open plan, with long rows of desks and no walls at all. More and more companies use hot desks, where nobody has a fixed seat and you book a desk for the day, like a table at a restaurant. Each setup has its own words and its own manners.
In an open plan, the phrases are about sharing: booking a room, finding a quiet corner, clearing your desk before you go home. With a private office, the door does the talking. An open door means "come in", a closed one means "knock or email". If you're not sure how a new office works, ask. "How does desk booking work here?" is a question every new person asks, and nobody minds answering it.
Phrases
a room with a door for one person
a big office space with no walls between desks
a desk with no owner; anyone can book it for a day
reserve a desk for a day
an area where people don't talk or take calls
a small closed room for one person's calls
take all your things away when you leave
a small cupboard with a lock for your things
you're happy for people to come and talk
asks if a desk or chair is free
a room reserved for meetings
Say it out loud
Tap a sentence to hear it. Say it after the voice.
Practice · 3 min
Say the line that fits. Situation on the left, one natural line on the right.
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Say it today
Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.