Think about these questions before listening. Share your ideas with a partner.
Think about starting a new job or a new school. How do you feel on the first day?
What is one important thing to do on the first day at a new job?
Think about your first day at your last job or school. What did you do?
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Marco's First Day
Listen to the dialogue. Notice how the vocabulary and grammar from the lesson are used.
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Answer these questions in your own words based on the audio recording.
01Who did the speaker meet on the first day?
Sample answerThe speaker met the new team.
02What did the manager, Sarah, show the speaker?
Sample answerShe showed the speaker around the office.
03What did Marco do when he had a problem with the printer?
Sample answerHe asked a colleague for help.
04How did the speaker feel about the first day?
Sample answerThe speaker felt happy and thought it was a good day.
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Key vocabulary
Vocabulary
These expressions will help you talk about starting a new job.
Examples
Show someone around — to guide a person through a new place, like an office
On your first day, a colleague often shows you around so you know where everything is.
Get to know — to learn more about someone or something
You can get to know your colleagues by talking to them during a coffee break.
A team meeting — a planned event where you and your colleagues talk about work
Use this phrase to talk about group discussions. For example: 'I had my first team meeting on Tuesday.'
Ask for help — to say that you need assistance with something
It's normal to ask for help when you start a new job. You can say, 'Excuse me, can you help me?'
Settle in — to start to feel comfortable and happy in a new place
This phrasal verb is great for talking about the first few weeks. For example: 'It took me a week to settle in.'
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Complete the sentences with words from the box. One word is extra.
Word bank
01My manager me around the office on my first day.
02I all of my new colleagues this morning. It was nice to see them.
03We had a team at 10 AM to talk about the new project.
04My computer was not working, but another person on my team me.
05After a week, I finally in and felt comfortable at my new desk.
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Grammar: Past simple
Grammar
We use the past simple to talk about actions that started and finished in the past. It is very useful for describing events like your first day at a new job, as you heard in the audio recording.
Examples
I started my new job yesterday.
For most verbs, we add '-ed' to make the past simple form.
I met my new manager in the morning.
Some common verbs are irregular. For example, the past of 'meet' is 'met'.
I didn't know where the printer was.
For negative sentences, we use 'didn't' + the base form of the verb (know).
Key points
For regular verbs, add '-ed' to the end (e.g., start -> started).
Many important verbs are irregular (e.g., go -> went, have -> had).
For questions and negatives, use 'did/didn't' + the base verb (e.g., 'Did you like it?', not 'Did you liked it?').
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Find the mistake
Read the sentences about starting a new job. Can you find the error in each one?
Each sentence contains one error. Find and correct it.
01Yesterday, I start my new job at the company.
Corrected version
Yesterday, I start started my new job at the company.
02My new colleagues was very friendly and helpful.
Corrected version
My new colleagues was were very friendly and helpful.
03The manager introduced me for the rest of the team.
Corrected version
The manager introduced me for to the rest of the team.
04I did not knew where the kitchen was.
Corrected version
I did not knew know where the kitchen was.
05My new maneger helped me a lot on my first day.
Corrected version
My new maneger manager helped me a lot on my first day.
06Where you did work before you came here?
Corrected version
Where you did you work before you came here?
07We had our first team meeting in morning.
Corrected version
We had our first team meeting in the morning.
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Vocabulary for a new job
Learn some useful words for starting a new job.
Match the words with their definitions.
Drag or click to match
Definitions
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My first week at work
Read the passage below, then answer the comprehension questions.
Last week was my first week at my new job. On Monday, my manager showed me around the office and introduced me to everyone on the team. I was a little nervous, so I did not talk much at the first team meeting. On Tuesday, I needed to use a new computer program, so I asked for help from my colleague, David. He was very kind and explained everything clearly. By Friday, I started to feel more comfortable. I got to know my colleagues a little better during our lunch break. I think I will settle in here nicely.
01Who showed the writer around the office on the first day?
Sample answerThe writer's manager showed them around the office.
02Why did the writer ask David for help?
Sample answerBecause they needed to use a new computer program.
03How did the writer's feelings change during the week?
Sample answerThey were nervous at the beginning of the week but felt more comfortable by Friday.
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Discuss these questions with a partner. Try to use vocabulary from the lesson.
In your country, what is a common way to welcome a new person to the team?
Is it better to ask for help a lot on your first day, or to try to do everything yourself? Why?
Imagine a friend is starting a new job next week. What is one good piece of advice to help them settle in?