Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast, number 322, Picking Up a Rental Car.
This is English as a Second Language Podcast, episode 322.
I'm your host, Dr Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California.
Go to our website at eslpod.com and download a learning guide for this episode.
There you can find all of the vocabulary definitions, additional sample sentences and cultural notes and a complete transcript of this episode.
This episode is called Picking Up a Rental Car.
When you are traveling and you need a car, you can rent one.
You pick it up means you get it.
In this case, we're going to hear a conversation between Ralph and someone who works for the, and we'll hear all the common expressions and phrases you use when you are picking up a car.
Let's get started.
I have a reservation for a car.
It's for call.
Just one moment.
I have a reservation for Ralph for call, picking up today and returning on the 19th.
Yes, that's right.
I reserved an economy car.
We do have an economy car reserved for you, but for 3 more per day you can upgrade to a midsize car.
And for only $5 more per day, you can upgrade to a convertible.
Would you like to take advantage of either of these offers?
No, thanks.
I'll stick to the economy car.
That's fine.
If you'll just sign here and initial here, here and here, please.
Would you like to purchase insurance for the car?
No, thanks.
Okay, then just sign here to decline the insurance.
Be sure to return the car with a full gas tank or you'll be charged $3 per gallon.
Remember also that you are not allowed additional drivers unless they are over the age of 25.
Okay, I'll do that.
Here is your contract.
Your car is in parking space number W34.
Just show your paperwork to the employee at the gate as you exit the parking lot.
Do you need a local map?
Yes, I'd like one.
Thanks.
Here you are.
Have a good stay in our city.
Thanks.
I appreciate it.
Ralph begins the dialogue by saying, I have a reservation for a car.
A reservation is an arrangement to have or do something at a future date and time.
Usually it's something that you are either going to do, such as go to dinner.
You can have a dinner reservation or, in this case, something that you are going to get a reservation for a car.
They put your name down, and they are going to keep or hold a car for you.
The clerk says, What is the last name on the reservation?
Ralph says, It's for call.
The clerk says, Just one moment.
I have a reservation for Ralph for call, picking up today and returning on the 19th.
Returning here means the date you are going to bring the car back.
Ralph says, yes, that's right.
I reserved an economy car.
An economy car is sometimes called a compact car.
C-O-M-P-A-C-T car.
It's a small car, usually not very expensive.
It's cheaper to rent an economy car.
It's also cheaper because small cars use less gasoline.
The But for $3 more per day, you can upgrade to a mid-sized car.
What's happening here is that the clerk is trying to get Ralph to get a bigger car and pay more money.
This is very common in American rental car companies, what we would call rental car agencies.
You go to pick up your car.
You order a small car and they try to get you to rent a larger car so they can get more money.
In this case, the clerk says you can upgrade or choose a higher class of something, choose a better type of something.
That's to upgrade.
You can upgrade to a mid-sized car.
A mid-sized or average-sized car is one that is not too small, not too big, something in the middle, mid-sized.
The clerk continues, and for only $5 more per day, you can upgrade to a convertible car.
A convertible car is one where the top of the car, the roof, can be folded down or removed so you have the sun and the wind right on you.
These are very popular in warm places like Southern California where people have convertibles.
Not me, other people. convertible cars are usually more expensive.
The clerk says, Would you like to take advantage of either of these offers?
Would you like to take advantage of means?
Would you like to get the benefit from one of these offers?
An offer.
Here is a promotion, a special deal, something that the company offers to do or sell you for a cheaper price, usually for a limited time.
Sometimes you'll hear commercials that say limited time offer, meaning you have to buy it before a certain date or otherwise you will not get the discount.
Ralph says what I always say, no thanks.
I'll stick to the economy car.
To stick to something is a very common phrase, phrasal verb meaning to remain with something, not to change your plans, to continue to do what you had originally planned to do.
So you plan on going to a movie and your wife or husband says, oh, let's go shopping instead.
And you say, no, I want to stick to our plan.
We're going to a movie.
So Ralph is going to stick to the economy car.
He's going to continue with his plan to rent the smaller, cheaper car.
The clerk says, that's fine.
Okay.
If you'll just sign here and then initial here, here, and here, please.
Two things about this expression.
First, notice the clerk says, if you will, if you will just sign here.
It's sort of a polite way of saying, please sign here.
In a rental car agreement, a contract, you have to sign several places.
Sometimes you don't need to give your whole signature, and they'll ask you to initial.
To initial means to put your first letter of your first name and the first letter of your middle and last name next to something that you are agreeing to.
The clerk says then, would you like to purchase insurance for the car?
Insurance is when you pay a small amount to an insurance company in case you have an accident.
The insurance company will pay for the damage.
In the United States, it's very important to have insurance.
In fact, you are required to have insurance.
If you are coming from another country, you will have to buy insurance from the rental car agency.
This is usually somewhat expensive, sometimes as expensive as the car itself, the rental price of the car itself.
If you live in the United States and you have insurance on your own car, usually you do not have to buy the insurance.
There are some credit card companies also that will insure your car if you have a problem if you use their credit card.
Ralph here has insurance, and so he says no thanks.
The clerk says, okay, then just sign here to decline the insurance.
To decline to do something means to decide not to do something, to say no to something.
She declined my invitation to go to dinner.
She told me no.
Happens all the time.
Well, used to happen all the time before I became happily married.
The clerk says be sure to return the car with a full gas tank or a full tank of gas, or you'll be charged 3 per gallon.
Most rental car companies in the US will give you the car full of gas and then you can bring it back.
But when you bring it back you must put gas in it so that it has a full tank of gas.
If you don't, they will charge you extra money to put the gas in.
So right before you go to the rental car agency, near the airport, for example, you have to stop and gas up or put gas into your car, into your car's gas tank, the place that holds the gas in the car.
The clerk says An additional driver is someone who is going to drive the car besides you, in addition to you.
Also in most US states.
Most US rental car agencies say you have to be 25 years old to rent a car.
So a high school student, for example, cannot rent a car.
Ralph says, okay, I'll do that.
The clerk then says, here is your contract.
Here is your agreement.
Your car is in parking space number W34.
Just show your paperwork to the employee at the gate as you exit the parking lot.
In most airports, for example, the rental car companies are right at the airport.
So you go into a garage and you find your car.
You then drive your car to the exit, and at the exit there will be a guard who will ask to see your paperwork.
Your paperwork is your documents.
These are the papers that show that you have rented and paid for the car.
Finally, the clerk says, Do you need a local map?
Local here means... of the area where you are, not far away.
A local newspaper is a newspaper for that area.
The Los Angeles Times is our local newspaper.
Ralph says, yes, I'd like one, thanks.
The clerk says, here you are.
When you give something to someone, you often say, here you are, or here you go.
Have a good stay in our city.
Ralph thanks the clerk and says, I appreciate it.
Now let's listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.
I have a reservation for a car.
What is the last name on the reservation?
It's for call.
Just one moment.
I have a reservation for Ralph for a call, picking up today and returning on the 19th.
Yes, that's right.
I reserved an economy car.
We do have an economy car reserved for you, but for 3 more per day you can upgrade to a midsize car.
And for only $5 more per day, you can upgrade to a convertible.
Would you like to take advantage of either of these offers?
No, thanks.
I'll stick to the economy car.
That's fine.
If you would just sign here, an initial here, here, and here, please.
Would you like to purchase insurance for the car?
No, thanks.
Okay, then just sign here to decline the insurance.
Be sure to return the car with a full gas tank, or you'll be charged $3 per gallon.
Remember also that you are not allowed additional drivers unless they're over the age of 25.
Okay, I'll do that.
Here's your contract.
Your car is in parking space number W34.
Just show your paperwork to the employee at the gate as you exit the parking lot.
Do you need a local map?
Yes, I'd like one, thanks.
Here you are.
Have a good stay in our city.
Thanks.
I appreciate it.
The script for this podcast was written by Dr. Lucy Say.
From Los Angeles, California, I'm Jeff McQuillan.
Thanks for listening.
Come back and listen to us next time on ESL Podcast.
English as a Second Language podcast is written and produced by Dr Lucy Say, hosted by Dr Jeff McQuillan.
This podcast is copyright 2007.
