B1-36 / CEFR B1 / EPISODE 36

Stuck in Traffic

Explaining a delay and finding another plan

SceneTina and Frank are stuck in traffic on their way to dinner. Frank checks the arrival time on his phone from the passenger seat.

Tina and Frank talking in a car in traffic. — Select the illustration to view it at full size in a new tab.

Narrator

Tina and Frank are stuck in traffic on their way to dinner. Frank checks the arrival time on his phone from the passenger seat.

ティナとフランクは夕食に向かう途中、渋滞にはまっている。助手席のフランクがスマホで到着予定時刻を確認する。

Tina01

If we'd taken the train, we'd be there by now.

電車にしてたら、今ごろ着いてたわ。

Frank02

The app says we'll be forty minutes late.

アプリだと、40分遅れるみたいだね。

Tina03

I thought rush hour would be over. Sorry.

もうラッシュは終わってると思ったの。ごめん。

Frank04

I'll call the restaurant.

店に電話するよ。

Tina05

Could you ask them to hold our table?

席を取っておいてもらえるか聞いてくれる？

Frank06

Hello. We'll be forty minutes late for our reservation. Could you hold our table? ...Sorry, did you say ten minutes? ...I see. Thank you.

もしもし。予約の時間に40分ほど遅れそうです。席を取っておいていただけますか？……すみません、10分とおっしゃいました？……そうですか。ありがとうございます。

Tina07

Any luck?

どうだった？

Frank08

They could only hold it for ten more minutes, so I canceled.

あと10分しか待てないそうだから、キャンセルしたよ。

Tina09

We'll find somewhere else. But I'm hungry now.

別の店を探そう。でも、今もうおなかがすいてるの。

Frank10

Any snacks in the glove compartment?

グローブボックスに何かおやつはある？

Tina11

Take a look. There might be something.

見てみて。何かあるかも。

Frank12

Half a granola bar and one mint.

グラノーラバー半分と、ミントが一つ。

Tina13

Dinner and dessert. We'll have to share both.

夕食とデザートね。どっちも半分こだけど。

WORDS & CONTEXT

Words & context

“Could you ask them to hold our table?”

Hold can mean to keep a seat or reservation available. Hold our table asks the restaurant to retain it while the guests are delayed. The restaurant may limit how long it can do so, as it does here.

“Sorry, did you say ten minutes?”

Did you say …? checks what you heard by repeating it. It is useful for confirming numbers and times on the phone.

“Any luck?”

Any luck? shortens Did you have any luck? and informally asks whether an attempted task succeeded.

“Any snacks in the glove compartment?”

A glove compartment is the storage space in front of the passenger seat in a car, historically used for driving gloves. It is also called a glove box.

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