Many learners study English from textbooks and emails, so they speak like a letter: "I would like to purchase a coffee" or "I require assistance with my bags." Others learn from friends and then text their boss "hey, wanna meet?" Both are register mistakes. Register means how formal or casual your words are for a person and a place. Often learners translate one polite form from their own language and use it with everyone. In this episode: • Word pairs: formal and everyday • Question pairs • Email vs speech • One message, three listeners • Soft words for hard things • Practice • Self-check questions with answers Key phrases from this episode: Would you like some coffee? — polite offer (polite). Want some coffee? — the same offer at home (casual). let go — lost a job, fired (polite). "He was let go last month." between jobs — without a job right now (polite). "My cousin is between jobs." Season 2 · Real American English: the complete spoken course for learners worldwide — accent, everyday grammar, prepositions, articles, phrasal verbs, idioms, slang 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.