Things break in every home. In Britain you need to explain the problem clearly on the phone, often to a landlord or a letting agent. Learners often translate directly and say "The water is not hot coming" or "The light is dead". In this episode: • What's broken? • Who do you call? • Reporting it • Polite but firm • Diy and having a go • Practice • Self-check questions with answers Key phrases from this episode: the boiler (BOY-luh) — the machine that heats water and radiators The boiler's broken — it isn't working There's no hot water — the taps only give cold water The heating's not working — the radiators are cold The shower's packed up — the shower has stopped working (casual) The tap's dripping — water keeps falling from the tap, drop by drop The sink's blocked — the water won't go down The washing machine's leaking — water is coming out where it shouldn't The light's gone — the bulb has stopped working (casual) The fuse has blown (BLOHN) — the electricity has cut out It's playing up — it works sometimes, but not properly (casual) the landlord (LAND-lawd) — the person who owns the home you rent the letting agent — the company that manages a rented home for the landlord a plumber (PLUM-uh) — fixes water pipes, taps and boilers; the B is silent an electrician (ih-lek-TRISH-un) — fixes lights, sockets and wiring a tradesperson (TRAYDZ-pur-sun, with no R sound) — a plumber, electrician or builder ring the landlord — phone the landlord (casual, neutral) report it — tell the person in charge officially I'm ringing to report a problem — a clear way to start a call (neutral) Real British English: the complete spoken course for learners worldwide — modern British accent, everyday grammar, phrasal verbs, idioms, slang, he/she/it for things, and real conversations at home. Listen, repeat out loud, then take the 52-question quiz. Audio voiced with AI from an original script by Dr. Rashmi R Nair.