Your friend says, "I lost my phone." You want to be kind, but you only know "I'm sorry," and it feels too formal or too sad. Or you translate a phrase from your own language, and it sounds strange. Learners also jump straight to advice, which can sound like you are not listening. In this episode: • Reacting to bad news • Showing you care and offering help • Encouraging • Checking in and what to avoid • Scenes: a bad day and a broken-down car • Practice • Self-check questions with answers Key phrases from this episode: Oh no! — a quick, caring reaction (casual) That stinks. — that is bad luck (casual) That's rough. — that sounds hard (casual) What a pain. — how annoying (casual) Ugh, that's the worst. — I really feel for you (very casual) I'm sorry to hear that. — kind and careful (polite) Oh, man. — a sigh of sympathy (casual) That's too bad. — mild sympathy (neutral) I lost my phone. — Oh no! Did you check the car? My trip got canceled. — Aw, that stinks. You were so excited. I have a cold. — Ugh, that's the worst. Feel better! I got a flat tire. — What a pain. Are you okay? — a simple check Is there anything I can do? — a kind offer (polite) Do you need anything? — a practical offer (neutral) Want me to pick up the kids? — I can get them from school (casual) Let me know if you need a hand. — if you need help (casual) I can drop off some soup. — bring it to your home You've got this. — you can do it (casual) Hang in there. — keep going, it will get better (casual) It'll work out. — it will be okay in the end Don't be so hard on yourself. — don't blame yourself too much 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.