Valerie: So, it sounds like the last few weeks have been pretty stressful.

Mira: Oh yes. Absolutely.

Valerie: Did you have anyone to help you?

Mira: Yes, there was Vanessa, of course, who did manage to wake up early and get to work on time. And then, Angela. She’s an event planner.

Valerie: Oh, how did you find her?

Mira: She’s a friend of a friend. And, she was kind enough to offer me a discount on her services, which was very generous. But let me tell you, we had a lot of work to do, getting everything ready for the grand opening. It was tricky to prepare for the event, because the weather has been so unpredictable, and we really didn’t know how many people to expect. So we had to make plans, and back up plans, and consider, well, everything that could go wrong on the day.

Angela: Mira, hello!

Mira: Hello, Angela. How are you doing?

Angela: I’m fine, thanks. And you?

Mira: I’m fine too, thank you. So… I’m calling about the grand opening party.

Angela: Okay.

Mira: I have some concerns. I think we will have everything ready to go by then, but I’m not sure. There’s a lot to do, as always.

Angela: Uh huh.

Mira: Also, as we discussed, the party will mostly be held on the garden patio.

Angela: Right.

Mira: But, the weather has been so unpredictable lately!

Angela: Hmmm, true.

Mira: It’s sunny one minute, then raining the next. And it can get so windy! Out of nowhere!

Angela: Hmm. Yeah, I've noticed. The weather has been really wild these past few days. 

Mira: And we do not really know how many people to expect. It just seems very difficult to plan an outdoor event under these circumstances. And that’s assuming we can get everything ready in time for the party. Vanessa managed to set up the espresso machine, but we still have to finalize some orders, and lately there have been all sorts of problems with the supply chain.

Conor: Hello! And welcome back to Talking on the Job, Season 2. I’m your host and English language mentor Conor, back again to help you navigate the world of business and work, in English. The title of today’s episode is Planning Ahead. And that’s because Mira and Angela are trying to plan the grand opening of Café Damascus. But it sounds like Mira is concerned about all sorts of things that could go wrong on the day. And, in English, there are a few words and phrases that come in handy when talking about things we think could go wrong. 

Conor: They are: "that's assuming", "in the event that", and "suppose". Now, you might have noticed that Mira already used one of these. Do you remember which one? She said:

Mira: And that's assuming that we can get everything ready for the party. 

Conor: By using "that's assuming" with the present tense clause "we can get everything ready" Mira expressed concern about something that could go wrong in the future, and that she's thinking about the potential consequences. But, dear listener, I have two more for you! So, let’s go back to the phone call between Mira and Angela. Pay close attention to how they use "in the event that" and "suppose".

Angela: Mira, I understand your concerns, but it’s going to be fine. I can rent some tents to have on hand in the event that it rains. I know a supplier who has great rates.

Mira: Okay. Yes, okay. That sounds good.

Angela: Right. Great.

Mira: But suppose more people come than we’re expecting. Do you have a strategy for that?

Angela: Yes, I do. Hmm, we’ll have extra food and drink on hand, and some extra chairs available. And we’ll be able to accommodate about 100 people.

Mira: Okay. But what if 150 people show up. And it rains! Then what?

Angela: Well, then more people will get the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful interior of your new café! Don’t worry, Mira, everything will be fine. I’ve got this.

Mira: Okay, yes. Of course you do. I just, I really want - I need everything to go well.

Angela: It will, Mira! It will.

Mira: Okay, okay. I trust you. Thank you, Angela. I’ll talk to you soon?

Angela: Yes, I’ll be in touch.

Mira: Alright. Goodbye! And thank you again. 

Angela: Bye!

Conor: Did you notice? In the second part of their conversation, Mira and Angela used "in the event that" and "suppose" to talk about other things  they think could go wrong in the future. Let’s look at them more closely, one at a time.

Conor: Angela used "in the event that" with the present tense clause "it rains", because Mira is worried that it could rain during her party. So, Angela is planning ahead, in order to be prepared. Let’s listen again.

Angela: Mira, I understand your concerns, but it’s going to be fine. I can rent some tents to have on hand in the event that it rains. I know a supplier who has great rates.

Conor: Then, Mira used "suppose" with the present tense clause "more people come", because she’s afraid that there could be too many people at her party. She said:

Mira: But suppose more people come than we’re expecting. Do you have a strategy for that?

Conor: Luckily, Angela is an excellent event planner,  so she was able to reassure Mira that they’ll be fully prepared if anything goes wrong at the grand opening party. 

Speaking of the grand opening party, let’s go back now to the event at Café Damascus, and back to Valerie’s interview with Mira.

Valerie: Okay well, it’s a beautiful day! So I guess you were lucky.

Mira: Yes, I agree. I’m so pleased with how it has turned out.

Valerie: Yeah! So, besides this event, what was your main focus during those last few weeks before opening your café?

Mira: Well, as I was saying earlier, I had to get the coffee ready, plus I had to work with Muza, my accountant, to make sure everything was good with the finances, and finalise the coffee orders with Leanna. 

Valerie: Oh wow, okay. That sounds like a lot.

Mira: Yes, it was! And, while I was doing all of that, Vanessa was working with Angela to get ready for this grand opening party.

Valerie: Uh-huh, and… How did that go?

Mira: Well, it was alright. But they did have some… communication problems.

Valerie: I see.

Mira: Yeah, actually it was pretty chaotic. But we managed to work it all out in the end, as you can tell. Because I had so much to do, I really had to rely on Vanessa, who doesn’t have much experience with setting up events. She and Angela just couldn’t communicate very easily, and I’m not sure why, because they are both very capable people.

Conor: So, dear listener, anytime you want to talk about something you think could go wrong, follow Mira and Angela’s example, and try using "that's assuming", "in the event that" and "suppose". They’ll come in handy when you’re trying to plan ahead for an event, a presentation, or any situation where you think something bad or unfortunate could happen. And in fact, you can use them even when you don't  think something bad will happen but rather to talk about anything that could  happen in the future. 

If you want to review what you’ve heard today, take a look at the transcript from today’s episode. Maybe even listen again while reading along! The link is in the episode description. You’ll also find a summary of our language highlights, and some key vocabulary there too!

Conor: And remember, you can let me know what you think of the podcast by sending an email to podcasting@babbel.com. Just be sure to write Talking on the Job in the subject line. Now, I don’t know about you, but a fresh cup of coffee is starting to sound pretty good to me right now. Also, I’m curious about what Mira meant by “communication problems”. And didn’t she say things were “chaotic”? Sounds interesting! We’ll find out all about it in the next episode.
 
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 To to talk about things that could go wrong:

 in case + present tense clause
 Example: I can rent some tents to have on hand in case it rains.

suppose + present tense clause
Example: But suppose more people come than we’re expecting.

imagine if + present tense clause
Example: But imagine if 150 people show up!


Key Vocabulary

- to have (something) on hand: to have something available
- as always: used to talk about something that is typical
- I’ve got this: I have everything under control