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English for Everyday Life in the UK (A1→A2)

English for Russian speakers who live in the UK and know a little English. The course takes you from A1 to a confident A2 through everyday British situations: neighbours and forms, renting a flat, the supermarket and café, buses and trains, the GP, pharmacy, 111 and 999, the council and bins, the bank, your child's school, work and a job interview. Every unit gives you ready-to-use phrases, one piece of grammar (to be, articles, Present Simple and Continuous, Past Simple, will and going to, Present Perfect, modal verbs) and politeness — why a correct Russian-style sentence can sound rude in English and how to fix it. Explanations are in Russian; examples and dialogues are in British English.

Explanations are in your language: your assistant gives them.

  • Teaches: English
  • Material: Russian
  • Exam: Russian — taken on the site, not translated
How it works

Your assistant takes the course material from our server and leads the lesson in your language.

Your assistant explains in your language, but examples, samples and the names of what is being explained stay as the course has them: translating them would lose the subject.

The exam is taken on the site, without an assistant. Exam questions are not translated: this is decided for every course.

How to connect an assistant

Path through the course

· 28 units

the order is free · the steps below are the order the author suggests, not a conditionView: map · steps

final · in the browser, without the assistant

Exam

closed · enrol on the course

The path in words
  • Stage 1 · Hello, neighbour: meeting Margaret · to be (am/is/are), pronouns, my/your/his/her — ~1.5 h
  • Stage 2 · Forms and phone numbers: name, address, date · to be — questions, negatives; What / Where / How old — by the author’s design, after “Hello, neighbour: meeting Margaret · to be (am/is/are), pronouns, my/your/his/her”; ~1.5 h
  • Stage 2 · Pronunciation workshop: th, w/v, h, long and short vowels · word and sentence stress — by the author’s design, after “Hello, neighbour: meeting Margaret · to be (am/is/are), pronouns, my/your/his/her”; optional; ~1.5 h
  • Stage 3 · The flat: rooms, rent and the landlord · a / an / the, plurals, this / that / these / those — by the author’s design, after “Forms and phone numbers: name, address, date · to be — questions, negatives; What / Where / How old”; ~1.5 h
  • Stage 4 · Family photos: family and appearance · have got / has got, possessive 's — by the author’s design, after “The flat: rooms, rent and the landlord · a / an / the, plurals, this / that / these / those”; ~1.5 h
  • Stage 5 · My day: routine, time and shifts · Present Simple — affirmative, -s in the 3rd person — by the author’s design, after “Family photos: family and appearance · have got / has got, possessive 's”; ~1.5 h
  • Stage 6 · Small talk at work: weather, weekends, tea · Present Simple — questions and negatives, do / does, adverbs of frequency — by the author’s design, after “My day: routine, time and shifts · Present Simple — affirmative, -s in the 3rd person”; ~1.5 h
  • Stage 7 · Around town: Is there a bank near here? · there is / there are, some / any, prepositions of place — by the author’s design, after “Small talk at work: weather, weekends, tea · Present Simple — questions and negatives, do / does, adverbs of frequency”; ~1.5 h
  • Stage 7 · False friends and calques: words that look Russian but mean something else — by the author’s design, after “Small talk at work: weather, weekends, tea · Present Simple — questions and negatives, do / does, adverbs of frequency”; optional; ~1.5 h
  • Stage 8 · At the supermarket: prices, self-checkout · countable and uncountable, much / many / a lot of — by the author’s design, after “Around town: Is there a bank near here? · there is / there are, some / any, prepositions of place”; ~1.5 h
  • Stage 9 · Could I have…? Café and shop · polite requests: can / could / would, I'd like, Would you like…? — by the author’s design, after “At the supermarket: prices, self-checkout · countable and uncountable, much / many / a lot of”; ~1.5 h
  • Stage 10 · On the phone: I'm calling about the boiler · Present Continuous and Present Simple — by the author’s design, after “Could I have…? Café and shop · polite requests: can / could / would, I'd like, Would you like…?”; ~1.5 h
  • Stage 11 · Getting around: bus, train, tickets · prepositions of time in / on / at, How long does it take? — by the author’s design, after “On the phone: I'm calling about the boiler · Present Continuous and Present Simple”; ~1.5 h
  • Stage 12 · How was your weekend? · Past Simple — was / were and regular verbs (-ed) — by the author’s design, after “Getting around: bus, train, tickets · prepositions of time in / on / at, How long does it take?”; ~1.5 h
  • Stage 13 · At the doctor's: GP, pharmacy, 111 and 999 · Past Simple — irregular verbs, questions, negatives — by the author’s design, after “How was your weekend? · Past Simple — was / were and regular verbs (-ed)”; ~1.8 h
  • Stage 13 · Phrasal verbs: 30 everyday verbs · verb + particle, where to put it — by the author’s design, after “How was your weekend? · Past Simple — was / were and regular verbs (-ed)”; optional; ~1.5 h
  • Stage 14 · Signs and letters: notices, delivery cards, texts · Imperatives and object pronouns — by the author’s design, after “At the doctor's: GP, pharmacy, 111 and 999 · Past Simple — irregular verbs, questions, negatives”; ~1.5 h
  • Stage 15 · Plans and promises: plans, offers, calling back · be going to vs will, Shall I…? — by the author’s design, after “Signs and letters: notices, delivery cards, texts · Imperatives and object pronouns”; ~1.5 h
  • Stage 16 · Arrangements and the council: dates, council tax, bins · Present Continuous for arrangements — by the author’s design, after “Plans and promises: plans, offers, calling back · be going to vs will, Shall I…?”; ~1.5 h
  • Stage 17 · Clothes and returns: sizes, trying on, refunds · Comparatives and superlatives — by the author’s design, after “Arrangements and the council: dates, council tax, bins · Present Continuous for arrangements”; ~1.5 h
  • Stage 18 · At the bank: "I've lost my card" · Present Perfect — experience and result — by the author’s design, after “Clothes and returns: sizes, trying on, refunds · Comparatives and superlatives”; ~1.5 h
  • Stage 19 · Rules at work: safety at the warehouse · must, have to, should, mustn't, don't have to — by the author’s design, after “At the bank: "I've lost my card" · Present Perfect — experience and result”; ~1.5 h
  • Stage 19 · Tenses cheat sheet: all the course tenses on one page · how to choose the right one — by the author’s design, after “At the bank: "I've lost my card" · Present Perfect — experience and result”; optional; ~1.5 h
  • Stage 20 · The job interview: an office job for Marina · questions of all types, How long have you…? — by the author’s design, after “Rules at work: safety at the warehouse · must, have to, should, mustn't, don't have to”; ~1.5 h
  • Stage 21 · Max's school: an email to the teacher and parents' evening · and, but, so, because; will and going to in writing — by the author’s design, after “The job interview: an office job for Marina · questions of all types, How long have you…?”; ~1.5 h
  • Stage 22 · Difficult calls and emergencies: 999, 111 and 101 · asking again and checking — by the author’s design, after “Max's school: an email to the teacher and parents' evening · and, but, so, because; will and going to in writing”; ~1.5 h
  • Stage 23 · Real British English: how people really talk · weak forms, contractions, gonna and wanna — by the author’s design, after “Difficult calls and emergencies: 999, 111 and 101 · asking again and checking”; ~1.5 h
  • Stage 24 · Marina's week: the final rehearsal · all the tenses of the course — by the author’s design, after “Real British English: how people really talk · weak forms, contractions, gonna and wanna”; ~2 h

Programme · 28 units

1Hello, neighbour: meeting Margaret · to be (am/is/are), pronouns, my/your/his/her

Introduce yourself and your family to a neighbour: I'm Marina. This is my son, Max. My husband is at work.

~1.5 h
2Forms and phone numbers: name, address, date · to be — questions, negatives; What / Where / How old

Answer the questions on a form: first name, surname, address, postcode, phone number, date of birth

~1.5 h
3The flat: rooms, rent and the landlord · a / an / the, plurals, this / that / these / those

Name the rooms, furniture and things in a flat and tell the landlord what has broken: I'm afraid the boiler isn't working.

~1.5 h
4Family photos: family and appearance · have got / has got, possessive 's

Talk about your family and show photos: I've got a son. This is my husband's brother.

~1.5 h
5My day: routine, time and shifts · Present Simple — affirmative, -s in the 3rd person

Describe your usual day and another person's day in the Present Simple

~1.5 h
6Small talk at work: weather, weekends, tea · Present Simple — questions and negatives, do / does, adverbs of frequency

Answer How are you? and You alright? the way people do in Britain: Not bad, thanks. You?

~1.5 h
7Around town: Is there a bank near here? · there is / there are, some / any, prepositions of place

Ask whether the place you need is nearby: Is there a…? / Are there any…?

~1.5 h
8At the supermarket: prices, self-checkout · countable and uncountable, much / many / a lot of

Distinguish countable and uncountable nouns and count uncountable things in packs: a loaf of bread, a bottle of milk

~1.5 h
9Could I have…? Café and shop · polite requests: can / could / would, I'd like, Would you like…?

Order in a café and ask for something with a polite form: Can I have…? / Could I have…? / I'd like…

~1.5 h
10On the phone: I'm calling about the boiler · Present Continuous and Present Simple

Make a business call: introduce yourself, ask for the right person, explain why you are calling (I'm calling about…)

~1.5 h
11Getting around: bus, train, tickets · prepositions of time in / on / at, How long does it take?

Use the prepositions of time at / on / in and not put a preposition before next, last, this, every, tomorrow

~1.5 h
12How was your weekend? · Past Simple — was / were and regular verbs (-ed)

Answer How was your weekend? with an assessment, one or two details and a question back

~1.5 h
13At the doctor's: GP, pharmacy, 111 and 999 · Past Simple — irregular verbs, questions, negatives

Make an appointment with a GP by phone and describe symptoms in short phrases: what hurts and when it started

~1.8 h
14Signs and letters: notices, delivery cards, texts · Imperatives and object pronouns

Understand common British signs (No entry, Keep left, Wet floor, Push/Pull, Mind the step, Staff only, Out of order) and tell a prohibition from a warning and an instruction

~1.5 h
15Plans and promises: plans, offers, calling back · be going to vs will, Shall I…?

Talk about plans decided in advance with am / is / are going to + verb; ask about plans: What are you going to do…?

~1.5 h
16Arrangements and the council: dates, council tax, bins · Present Continuous for arrangements

Arrange a meeting and talk about arrangements with the Present Continuous and a time word: I'm meeting Mr Hughes on Friday

~1.5 h
17Clothes and returns: sizes, trying on, refunds · Comparatives and superlatives

Compare things with the comparative and than: cheaper, bigger, more expensive, better, worse

~1.5 h
18At the bank: "I've lost my card" · Present Perfect — experience and result

Report a result that matters now with the Present Perfect: I've lost my card, I've forgotten my PIN

~1.5 h
19Rules at work: safety at the warehouse · must, have to, should, mustn't, don't have to

Understand rules at work by ear: a safety briefing, breaks, clocking in, protective equipment

~1.5 h
20The job interview: an office job for Marina · questions of all types, How long have you…?

Answer common interview questions: Tell me about yourself, Why do you want this job?, What are your strengths?

~1.5 h
21Max's school: an email to the teacher and parents' evening · and, but, so, because; will and going to in writing

Tell the school that a child is absent on the same day — by phone or in a short email to the teacher

~1.5 h
22Difficult calls and emergencies: 999, 111 and 101 · asking again and checking

Ask again on the phone politely and precisely: Sorry, I didn't catch that; Sorry, what time?; Did you say X or Y?; So that's…, right?

~1.5 h
23Real British English: how people really talk · weak forms, contractions, gonna and wanna

Recognise contractions and weak forms by ear: I'm, don't, I'll, she's; to [тэ], of [эв], can [кн], and [эн]

~1.5 h
24Marina's week: the final rehearsal · all the tenses of the course

Choose the tense by two questions — when it is and how it is connected with "now": Present Simple, Present Continuous, Past Simple, Present Perfect, will, going to

~2 h
25Pronunciation workshop: th, w/v, h, long and short vowels · word and sentence stress

Produce the sounds th, w and h by the position of the tongue and lips, not by a "similar" Russian sound.

~1.5 h
26False friends and calques: words that look Russian but mean something else

Distinguish 25 common false friends: magazine — shop, accurate — tidy, sympathetic — nice, family — surname and others.

~1.5 h
27Phrasal verbs: 30 everyday verbs · verb + particle, where to put it

Understand and use 30 common phrasal verbs in everyday situations: home, errands, the shop, transport, conversation.

~1.5 h
28Tenses cheat sheet: all the course tenses on one page · how to choose the right one

Distinguish the seven forms of the course by meaning: Present Simple, Present Continuous (now and for arrangements), Past Simple, will, going to, Present Perfect.

~1.5 h