Italian · BeginnerHo un problema al lavoroSolve a Work Problem

Follow along

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00:00Intro
Hi Giulia! Today I am very happy to be here in the studio.
Hi Marco! I am happy too. But I see that you have a strange smile.
Oh yes! Yesterday at work I had a really special day.
Really? What happened in your office yesterday?
It is a funny story. But first let's greet our listeners!
Right! Welcome everyone to our Simple Italian channel.
Today we talk about work. We learn to solve problems at work.
Have you already had your espresso this morning?
Yes, I had a good coffee half an hour ago!
Good! Learning to ask for help at work is very useful.
Exactly! We learn six very useful phrases for everyday life.
And our main phrase today is: ho un problema!
A short but very important phrase when you are in the office.
If you say ho un problema, colleagues understand immediately.
Today we also discover a tradition of Italian work culture.
Do you know what Italians do when they have a difficulty?
We will tell it in a moment. First let's listen to my story from yesterday!
So, yesterday morning I arrived at the office at eight.
Very early! And what task did you have to complete?
I had to prepare an important presentation for my boss.
An important presentation? Were you a bit nervous?
A little bit yes! At nine the presentation was ready on the computer.
Good! So everything was all set?
Unfortunately no! Suddenly the screen turned off.
Oh no! The screen turned off before the meeting?
Yes! At that moment I said out loud: ho un problema!
I imagine the panic! You said ho un problema in front of everyone?
Exactly! I checked the cables under the table.
And were the cables all set?
The cables were fine, but the screen did not want to turn on.
What a terrible moment! And what did you do then?
At that moment my colleague Paolo walked nearby.
Paolo had his coffee cup in hand?
Yes, Paolo was holding a hot, steaming coffee.
And what did Paolo say, when you exclaimed ho un problema?
Paolo smiled and said: calm down Marco, no panic!
Fortunately Paolo was there near you!
Fortunately yes! Paolo helped me restart the system.
And was your presentation saved on the computer?
Yes, we saved the file in two minutes!
What a relief! When you said ho un problema, he understood right away.
Exactly! The phrase ho un problema always works really well.
And now let's talk about our interesting fact about Italian culture!
There is a wonderful habit in our offices in Italy.
What habit? Explain better to our listening friends.
When people say ho un problema at work, what do they do?
What do they do? Do they go immediately to talk to the boss?
No! They say with a smile: let's take a coffee break!
Ah, the famous coffee break at the bar near the office!
Exactly! I read that many problems are solved at the bar.
It's true! Talking over an espresso helps you relax.
A good coffee in Italy solves every moment of stress!
Having a coffee with colleagues creates great trust.
Absolutely yes! Coffee is the true secret of our work.
Now let's see the other five phrases of the day.
The second phrase is very useful: puoi aiutarmi?
Great phrase! Puoi aiutarmi means can you help me.
If the computer freezes, you say to your colleague: puoi aiutarmi?
Or if you need to move a heavy box in the office!
Exactly! You ask politely: excuse me, puoi aiutarmi?
It is a polite and very direct question.
The third phrase today is: come possiamo fare?
Come possiamo fare means how can we do this.
When there is a difficulty, we ask: come possiamo fare?
If the meeting changes time, you ask: come possiamo fare adesso?
This phrase shows that you want to collaborate with the team.
It is a great phrase for working as a team.
And the fourth phrase today is: ho bisogno di.
Ho bisogno di means I need in English.
You can say: ho bisogno di tempo, or ho bisogno di aiuto.
If you need a document, you say: ho bisogno del file.
It is used continuously during the workday!
Very practical! And the fifth phrase today?
The fifth very useful phrase is: non funziona!
Non funziona means it does not work.
The printer stops? You say: la stampante non funziona!
If the internet connection drops, you say: internet non funziona!
Simple and crystal clear for everyone in the office!
And the sixth phrase of our lesson today?
The sixth phrase is my favorite: tutto a posto!
Tutto a posto means everything is fine in English.
When the solution is found, you say happily: tutto a posto!
Hearing tutto a posto from colleagues gives great peace of mind.
It's true! It means that the difficulty is overcome.
Fantastic! And now let me ask a small debate between us.
Great! Which team do you belong to at work?
I belong to Squadra Giulia!
And what does Squadra Giulia do in the office?
I try to solve it alone, for two hours, before asking.
Really? On the other hand I belong to Squadra Marco!
And what do you do when you face a difficulty?
I immediately ask nearby colleagues for help!
Very smart! Now I will give you a number riddle.
I like numbers! Tell me the question.
In your opinion, how many workers ask for help immediately at work?
In my opinion the answer is forty percent.
Wrong! I read that only twenty percent ask immediately.
Only twenty percent? And the other workers?
The others wait too long and have a lot of stress!
Then we must teach everyone to ask for help without fear.
Now let's do our practical test with the six phrases!
I am ready! Ask me your questions about work situations.
Great! First situation: the printer stops and you need to print. What do you say?
In this situation I immediately say: la stampante non funziona!
Great! Second situation: you have a difficult project and look for support. What do you say?
I answer politely: excuse me Paolo, puoi aiutarmi?
Perfect! Third situation: you need more time for a delivery. How do you express yourself?
I use the fourth phrase and say: ho bisogno di tempo in più.
Fourth situation: you notice the main file disappeared from the computer! What do you exclaim?
I look at my colleagues and exclaim: guys, ho un problema enorme oggi!
Fifth situation: there was a system freeze, and you must find a solution together. What do you ask?
I ask the group with energy: colleagues, come possiamo fare adesso?
Sixth situation: the solution is found and the computer works great. What do you say to the boss?
With a big smile I explain: dear boss, now it is tutto a posto!
Seventh situation: if the coffee machine is broken, what do you say in the hallway?
I exclaim regretfully: the coffee machine does not work!
Great answer! And if your colleague fixes the coffee machine?
Then happily I say to everyone: now everything is fine!
Very good Marco! You answered all questions extremely well.
Thanks Giulia! It was really fun doing this test.
And now we have arrived at the assignment moment, for our listeners.
Exactly! A very easy task to do tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow, when you are at home in front of the mirror, do this exercise.
Look at yourself in the mirror and repeat three times the phrase: ho un problema, puoi aiutarmi?
Repeating out loud helps tremendously to speak with confidence.
And write in the comments! Are you of Squadra Marco, or Squadra Giulia?
Do you ask for help immediately or prefer to do it alone?
And remember the Italian rule of the coffee break, in moments of difficulty!
A good espresso coffee always helps to solve everything!
Thank you all, for listening to this episode of Simple Italian.
Have a nice day everyone and good work!
See you soon! Bye everyone!
Bye everyone!

Key phrases

6 to keep
ho un problemaho un problema
I have a problem
Scusa, ho un problema con la stampante.Sorry, I have a problem with the printer.
puoi aiutarmipuoi aiutarmi
Can you help me?
Puoi aiutarmi con questo foglio di calcolo?Can you help me with this spreadsheet?
come possiamo farecome possiamo fare
How can we do this?
Il cliente vuole una modifica: come possiamo fare?The client wants a change: what can we do?
ho bisogno diho bisogno di
I need
Ho bisogno di più tempo per finire il report.I need more time to finish the report.
non funzionanon funziona
It doesn't work
Il computer non funziona da stamattina.The computer hasn't been working since this morning.
tutto a postotutto a posto
Everything is fine
Ho sistemato il file: adesso è tutto a posto.I fixed the file: now everything's fine.

Tocca a te

Your turn
dillo ad alta voce
Today's small task

Exactly! A very easy task to do tomorrow morning.Exactly! A very easy task to do tomorrow morning.

cocoaHo un problema al lavoro
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