When you need this

Keeping a home in shape is a mix of chores you do yourself and problems you report to someone else. With roommates or family, you split the cleaning. When something breaks in a rented apartment, you contact the landlord or the building super, and the way you describe the problem decides how fast it gets fixed.

Describe what you see and when it started: "The sink's been draining slowly since Monday." Avoid guessing the cause unless you know it. And for anything urgent, like water on the floor or no heat in winter, say so clearly at the start.

Phrases

the regular jobs that keep a home clean

clean the floor with a machine that sucks up dirt

clean a hard floor with water

water is coming out where it shouldn't

something is blocking the pipe

a machine or device no longer works

the bulb doesn't work anymore

the owner / the building's repair and maintenance person

asking for a repair visit

make something broken work again

it needs attention right away

get rid of things you don't need

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.