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1. 0:00
   Bella (tutor) Welcome to MicroEnglish. In this B2 lesson, two
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   Bella (tutor) friends have arranged coffee, but they're waiting in different
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   Bella (tutor) cafes. Both think they've followed the plan. We'll
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   Bella (tutor) work out what each person understood, find the confusing message,
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   Bella (tutor) and practise a friendly way to explain and repair the misunderstanding.
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   Bella (tutor) Alice texts George: Let's meet at the cafe
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   Bella (tutor) near the entrance. She means the park entrance.
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   Bella (tutor) George assumes she means the station entrance. When they call
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   Bella (tutor) each other, Alice says, I think we've got our wires crossed.
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    Bella (tutor) They've understood the same plan differently.
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    Bella (tutor) Notice what went wrong. Neither friend deliberately changed
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    Bella (tutor) the plan, and they aren't arguing about which cafe is better.
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    Bella (tutor) The message left out an important detail: which
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    Bella (tutor) entrance? Getting your wires crossed means a misunderstanding
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    Bella (tutor) has left people with different ideas about the situation.
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    Bella (tutor) To reconstruct a misunderstanding, ask three things.
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    Bella (tutor) What was actually said? What did each person think it meant?
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    Bella (tutor) What detail would make the plan clear now? This
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    Bella (tutor) approach helps you use the expression for a specific communication
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    Bella (tutor) problem, rather than for any mistake.
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    Bella (tutor) Say the whole expression: I think we've got our wires crossed.
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    Bella (tutor) Give wires and crossed clear stress. I
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    Bella (tutor) think makes the suggestion less direct, while our presents
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    Bella (tutor) it as a shared problem. You can then explain your version:
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    Bella (tutor) I thought you meant the station.
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    Bella (tutor) The pattern is get, a possessive, wires,
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    Bella (tutor) crossed. Match the possessive to the subject: I
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    Bella (tutor) got my wires crossed; we got our wires crossed. Change
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    Bella (tutor) get for the time you need. We've got our wires crossed
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    Bella (tutor) points to a misunderstanding that matters now.
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    Bella (tutor) The idiom identifies the problem, but it doesn't solve it
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    Bella (tutor) by itself. Alice adds: I meant the park entrance.
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    Bella (tutor) Shall I send you the location? George confirms the cafe's
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    Bella (tutor) name, then joins her beside the park. Their repair makes
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    Bella (tutor) the missing detail explicit and checks agreement.
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    Bella (tutor) This conversational expression suits friends and everyday
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    Bella (tutor) workplace discussions. You've got your wires crossed can
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    Bella (tutor) sound like blame, especially with a sharp tone. Perhaps
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    Bella (tutor) we've got our wires crossed often sounds more cooperative.
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    Bella (tutor) In a formal report, there was a misunderstanding is a clearer
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    Bella (tutor) neutral choice.
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    Bella (tutor) A common learner error is using singular wire. Keep
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    Bella (tutor) wires plural in this expression, and include the possessive.
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    Bella (tutor) Also, we crossed our wires isn't the usual wording for this
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    Bella (tutor) meaning. Learn get our wires crossed as a unit
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    Bella (tutor) so it comes naturally in conversation.
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    Bella (tutor) Compare misunderstanding with disagreement. If I
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    Bella (tutor) understand your plan but dislike it, we disagree. If
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    Bella (tutor) I believe you said morning when you meant evening, we've got
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    Bella (tutor) our wires crossed. Simply forgetting an agreed time
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    Bella (tutor) doesn't necessarily fit: look for different understandings,
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    Bella (tutor) not just a bad result.
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    Bella (tutor) Now listen to four conversations, two British and two American.
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    Bella (tutor) Focus on the detail that reveals the misunderstanding. Choose
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    Bella (tutor) an answer before checking the explanation. On the replay,
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    Bella (tutor) follow the words and compare each person's understanding. Pause
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    Bella (tutor) the video if you need more thinking time.
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    Bella (tutor) George and Alice check some printing. What detail
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    Bella (tutor) went wrong?
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    George The twenty handouts are ready.
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    George Twenty? I meant twenty for each table.
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    Alice Ah, we got our wires crossed. I'll print the
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    George rest.
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    Bella (tutor) George understood twenty altogether; Alice meant
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    Bella (tutor) twenty per table. The quantity, rather than the design,
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    Bella (tutor) caused the confusion.
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    George The twenty handouts are ready.
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    George Twenty? I meant twenty for each table.
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    Alice Ah, we got our wires crossed. I'll print the
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    George rest.
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    Bella (tutor) Roger and Jessica discuss an errand. What had Jessica
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    Bella (tutor) expected?
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    Jessica Did you pick up my package?
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    Jessica No, I offered to drive you to the store.
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    Roger I got my wires crossed. I thought you were picking it
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    Jessica up.
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    Bella (tutor) Jessica thought his offer included collecting the package.
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    Bella (tutor) Roger only meant that he could provide a ride.
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    Jessica Did you pick up my package?
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    Jessica No, I offered to drive you to the store.
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    Roger I got my wires crossed. I thought you were picking it
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    Jessica up.
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    Bella (tutor) Alice arrives at a hall. Listen for why she came.
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    Alice Where should I sit to watch the show?
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    Alice We've got our wires crossed. Tonight's the rehearsal.
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    George Oh, I thought you said the performance was tonight.
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    Bella (tutor) Alice asks about watching the show. George's reply
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    Bella (tutor) reveals that tonight is only a rehearsal, so they understood
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    Bella (tutor) the event differently.
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    Alice Where should I sit to watch the show?
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    Alice We've got our wires crossed. Tonight's the rehearsal.
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    George Oh, I thought you said the performance was tonight.
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    Bella (tutor) Two colleagues discuss a file. Why did Roger choose that
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    Bella (tutor) version?
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    Jessica This is last month's file. I need the latest one.
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    Jessica We got our wires crossed. I thought you wanted
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    Roger to compare versions.
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    Roger No, this one's for tomorrow's presentation.
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    Bella (tutor) Roger says he thought Jessica wanted to compare versions.
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     Bella (tutor) That explains his choice; there's no clue that the latest file
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     Bella (tutor) was missing.
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     Jessica This is last month's file. I need the latest one.
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     Jessica We got our wires crossed. I thought you wanted
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     Roger to compare versions.
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     Roger No, this one's for tomorrow's presentation.
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     Bella (tutor) Your turn. Say: We got our wires crossed.
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     Bella (tutor) I thought you meant Saturday. Then replace Saturday with a
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     Bella (tutor) place or time from your own life. Add one question
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     Bella (tutor) that would help repair the misunderstanding.
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     Bella (tutor) Must both people be wrong? No. The phrase
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     Bella (tutor) describes the mismatch without deciding responsibility. You
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     Bella (tutor) can take responsibility with I got my wires crossed. Remember
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     Bella (tutor) that disagreement is different: people can understand each
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     Bella (tutor) other perfectly and still want different things.
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     Bella (tutor) Keep wires plural, even when speaking about yourself.
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     Bella (tutor) At work, consider your audience and tone. The expression
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     Bella (tutor) can describe confusion across a whole team, too. If
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     Bella (tutor) several people understood a deadline differently, you might
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     Bella (tutor) say: We got our wires crossed about the deadline.
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     Bella (tutor) Visit this lesson on MicroEnglish dot com for interactive
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     Bella (tutor) dictation. Type what you hear and check your answers. You
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     Bella (tutor) can also practise with the AI tutor. The first dictation is
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     Bella (tutor) free; further practice and tutor access depend on membership
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     Bella (tutor) and available credits.
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     Bella (tutor) In the comments, describe a small misunderstanding,
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     Bella (tutor) real or imagined. Explain what each person understood,
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     Bella (tutor) use get your wires crossed, and tell us how you clarified
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     Bella (tutor) it. Ask any questions you still have. Thanks
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     Bella (tutor) for joining me, and see you next time.

Elige tu respuesta en cada pregunta y luego abre la respuesta para comprobarla.

1. Pregunta 1

   Which situation describes crossed wires?

   A A customer and a repair shop assistant have different dates in mind for picking up a bag. B A customer refuses to pay a repair fee because the work was done poorly. C A customer asks for a discount and the assistant offers ten percent off.
   Comprobar respuesta Conversar con el tutor
2. Pregunta 2

   Which sentence uses the correct possessive form when you admit your own misunderstanding?

   A I got our wires crossed when reading the repair ticket. B I got my wires crossed when reading the repair ticket. C I got me wires crossed when reading the repair ticket.
   Comprobar respuesta Conversar con el tutor
3. Pregunta 3

   Why is 'I think we got our wires crossed' better than 'You got your wires crossed' at work?

   A It changes the grammar into the passive voice. B It sounds formal enough for an official court document. C It shares responsibility gently instead of directly blaming your colleague.
   Comprobar respuesta Conversar con el tutor
4. Pregunta 4

   How is the ending of the word 'crossed' pronounced in this phrase?

   A It is pronounced as a separate syllable sounding like 'id'. B It ends with the consonant sounds /st/, with -ed pronounced as /t/. C The final /d/ sound is silent in all spoken accents.
   Comprobar respuesta Conversar con el tutor
5. Pregunta 5

   What caused the confusion between the customer and the shop clerk?

   A The customer forgot to pay for the original repair work. B The customer expected home delivery while the clerk expected shop collection. C The courier delivered the leather bag to the wrong street address.
   Comprobar respuesta Conversar con el tutor
6. Pregunta 6

   Which sentence correctly shows American English present perfect for this idiom?

   A We have got our wires cross about the tracking number. B We had get our wires crossed about the tracking number. C We have gotten our wires crossed about the tracking number.
   Comprobar respuesta Conversar con el tutor