TELEPHONING
I want to make arrangements with my friend for a meeting.
I think best to telephone to him.
But I have mislaid his telephone number and I cannot find it.
I look up his number in the telephone directory. It is D-1-10-00 [di: wΛn ten ou ou], extension 203 [tu: ou θri:]
I go into a telephone booth.
I put a 15 kopeck piece into the slot of the telephone.
I take up the receiver and hear a buzz (buzzing).
I dial D-l-10-00.
Very soon I hear frequent buzzing. It means the line is engaged.
I put down the receiver (hang off) and wait a couple of minutes.
I try again. This time I hear a prolonged buzzing. It means the line is free.
I hear a voice: «Exchange here, number, please!» I say: «Extension 203, please».
A click follows. I hear my friend's mother saying: «Hello, who is calling?»
I say: «Simonov is here. Can I speak to Вогуа?»
I hear his mother calling out: «Вогуа, you are wanted on the phone», and to me she says: «Hold on, he'll be here in a minute».
I thank her and soon my friend answers the telephone. We make arrangements for a meeting in the evening.
CONVERSATION
- Hello, who is calling?
- It's Volodya speaking (Volodya is here), hello!
- How ate you, Volodya? I've not seen you for ages. Where have you been all this time?
- I'm fine, thanks, Borya, I telephoned to you several times but I could not get you on the phone. Whenever I rang you up there was frequent buzzing and nobody answered the telephone.
- Oh, I remember now. Our telephone was out of order for a couple of days.
- I thought your number was changed and looked it up in the telephone directory.
- No, it was not changed.
- Is your father in? My father asked me to give him a message.
- Unfortunately he is out. Leave the message with me3. I'll be sure to give4 it to him as soon as he returns.
- Very good, thank you. Please tell your father he needn't come to the office to-day. The meeting is off. Be sure to remember it.
- Certainly I will. Volodya, wouldn't you come round to see me to-day?
- Pardon?
- I say, wouldn't you come over to see me to-day?
- No, I'm sorry. I cannot. I have a very busy day today. I have a hundred and one things to attend to. Let us make arrangements to meet on some other day.
- What about Sunday?
- Sunday suits me perfectly.
- It's a go then. I'll be expecting you on Sunday.
- I'll drop in about noon.
- Very good. Thanks for calling.
- Good-bye.
- Good-bye (so long, cheerio).
WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS
NOTES