Daily Life – I’m in Debt

A: Hello, Im here to see Mr. Corleone.

B: Right this way, sir.

C: Charlie! What can I do for you?

B: Mr. Corlone, Im really sorry to trouble you, but I need your help.

C: Anything for you, Charlie! Your father was like a brother to me.

B: Well, sir, you see, this recession has hit me pretty hard; I lost my job and Im in a lot of debt.

C: I see..

B: Yeah, you know, I’ve got credit card bills, car payments, I’ve got to pay my mortgage; and on top of all that, I have to pay my sons college
tuition.

C: So youre asking for a loan.

B: Well, I just thought maybe you could help me out.

C: What? At a time like this? Im broke too, you know! Youre not the only one who has been hit by the recession! I lost half my money in the stock market crash! Go on! Get outta here!

Key Vocabulary

trouble: disturb or bother

recession: a period of time when the economy of a country is bad

hit me pretty hard: had a strong, negative affect on me

debt: the amount of money you owe to a person, bank, company, etc.

on top of all that: besides that, in addition to

broke: not have any money

Supplementary Vocabulary

borrow: take and use some money, and return the equal amount of money at a later time

pay back: return the money you borrowed

a loan: amount of money borrowed

take out a loan: borrow money

unemployed: having no job

downturn: a time when the economy is worse than usual