Jonah keeps three lines on the wall of the work-English room: Let’s recap, What do you mean, and I see your point. They are not decoration. They are the brakes and the steering for a meeting that is about to run away in Hebrew.

Adults who book a seat at Talk Bench rarely lack vocabulary. They lack a way to slow the room without sounding rude. These three phrases do that work. We drill them out loud, then we drop them into a stand-up that someone actually has on Thursday.

Let’s recap

Use it when two people think they agreed and they did not. Say it, then name one decision in a short English sentence. If you cannot name it, the meeting is not finished. We practise that pause until it feels like a tool, not an apology.

What do you mean

Not “I don’t understand you.” The first version sounds like a challenge. The second sounds like homework. Jonah has you ask for the picture: “What do you mean by next week — Sunday or Thursday?” Specific is polite here.

I see your point

Then add the “and.” “I see your point, and I still need the file before noon.” Without the and, you have only agreed. With it, you can stay in the meeting as a colleague, not a translator.

We are a course school on HaHashmonaim 88, not a university and not a phrasebook app. If you want these lines in your mouth, book a work-English seat or read how the method loops.

More notes live on the desk notes index. The chalkboard in this photo is the same wall you will see if you sit the 09:00 hour.