Lesson 7 of 7 · 15 min · Concept content, does not go stale
Everyday exercises
By the end of this lesson you will be able to:
- Apply the good-request formula to seven real tasks from home and work
- Remove personal data from documents before pasting them
- Check the result before using or sending it
Seven tasks, one a day
On Monday a tax office letter arrives that you do not quite understand. On Wednesday you want to spend the weekend on Faial without much money. On Saturday you open the fridge and have no idea what to make for dinner. Small things like these are where AI helps most, and how you learn to use it.
This lesson is a practice sheet, with no new theory: seven real tasks you meet in any home or small business. Each task takes about 15 minutes (the time at the top is per task, not for all seven). Do one a day, or just the ones you need.
Each task has a request to copy, the expected result and what to do if it fails. Replace [square brackets] with your own details, minus personal data (lesson 5).
Tip
If the answer comes out in the wrong language or style, say: "In plain British English, please." Too long? "Shorter."
1. The tax office letter in plain language
Explain this letter from the tax authority (Autoridade Tributária) in plain English: 1) what they are telling me, 2) whether I have to do anything and by when, 3) what to ask the tax office. Text: [paste here, without name, tax number, address and payment references]
Exercise
How I know it worked a short explanation in three parts. Check deadlines and amounts on the letter or the tax office's online portal: the AI may misread a number.
If it didn't work
Letter on paper? Photograph just the text and send the image: many assistants can read photos. First, cover your name, tax number, address, payment references and any barcodes and QR codes: they may carry your details inside them, even if you cannot read them. Or type the main paragraph yourself.
2. A weekend on another island, on a budget
I want to spend a weekend on [Faial], leaving [São Jorge] on Friday afternoon and coming back Sunday. We are [2 adults] and have [€300] for everything, not counting the trip. Make a simple plan: type of accommodation, what to visit, where to eat cheaply and what to pack. At the end, tell me what I have to confirm before booking.
Exercise
How I know it worked a plan for each day and a list of what to confirm. Always check boat times and prices on the ferry and accommodation websites (lesson 3).
If it didn't work
Over budget? Reply: "Redo the plan to fit [€300] and show the sums." Restaurants you do not know? Check they exist before you go.
3. A recipe from what is in the fridge
In my fridge: [4 eggs, half a cabbage, a piece of chouriço (smoked sausage), potatoes, cheese]. I have no oven. Suggest 2 simple recipes for dinner for 3 people, with numbered steps and preparation time. Use only what I have, plus salt, olive oil and garlic.
Exercise
How I know it worked two recipes from what you have, with numbered steps and a rough time.
If it didn't work
Extra ingredients you do not have? "Use only what I listed." Allergies at home? Say which in the request and check the ingredients yourself.
4. A formal complaint email
I bought [a washing machine] from an online shop on [date] and it arrived [with a broken door]. I have called twice with no result. Write a formal but polite complaint email with: what happened, what I have already done, what I am asking for ([replacement or refund]) and a reasonable deadline for a reply. Maximum 12 lines. Leave the order number and my name in square brackets, for me to fill in.
Exercise
How I know it worked a clear email in four parts, with blanks for your details.
If it didn't work
Too aggressive or too soft? "Firmer" or "less aggressive". Quoted laws or articles? Remove them, or check them first. If the shop does not reply, Portugal has the Livro de Reclamações Electrónico (online complaints book) at livroreclamacoes.pt; elsewhere, its equivalent.
5. The electricity bill explained
Here is the text of my electricity bill, without personal data. Explain each part to me in plain language: contracted power, energy used, charges and taxes. Also tell me what is worth asking the supplier. Text: [paste here, without name, address, tax number, customer and installation codes]
Exercise
How I know it worked each line of the bill explained in simple words, including what a kWh is.
If it didn't work
Table not understood? Paste one line at a time. Sums different from the bill? Trust the bill and ask the supplier: AI often gets sums wrong.
6. Translating and adapting for a foreign guest
I run a holiday let (alojamento local) in [Calheta] and a guest who writes in [German] asked how to get from the airport and what time they can check in. Write the reply in friendly, natural [German], not a word-for-word translation. Information: [check-in from 3 pm; there are taxis at the airport; I send the key instructions on the day]. Underneath, put the English version, so I can check it.
Exercise
How I know it worked a short, friendly message in the guest's language, and the English version to check.
If it didn't work
English version adds something you did not say (a taxi price, a time)? Delete it and reply: "Do not add information I did not give."
7. Preparing for a job interview
I have an interview for [administrative assistant at a junta de freguesia (parish council)]. My experience: [short summary, without people's names]. Ask me 5 likely questions, one at a time. After each answer of mine, tell me what went well and what I can improve. Start with the first.
Exercise
How I know it worked a practice conversation, one question at a time, with feedback on each answer.
If it didn't work
All five questions at once? "One at a time, wait for my answer." To practise speaking, use the app's microphone (lesson 2).
Watch out
In every task, the last step is yours: read it, check names, numbers and dates, and only then send, book or pay.
What you take from this level
- AI guesses the next word: it writes well, but it does not "know".
- Asking well means giving the situation, the goal, the audience, the format and an example. Ask for questions first and fine-tune in the same conversation.
- It forgets long conversations and makes things up with confidence: always check names, numbers, dates, laws and quotations.
- There are several similar tools: try two and keep the one that suits you.
- Never paste personal data, health data, passwords, customer data or confidential documents.
- Scams: urgency, secrecy and a request for money or codes mean stop and confirm through another channel.
Tip
Repeat these tasks in a month: you will notice you already write better requests without thinking.
What comes next
In Level 2 (Intermediate): more advanced requests, documents and spreadsheets, researching with sources without being fooled, images and slides, and the first steps to automating tasks.
Videos
Shows how to create Gems in Gemini to automate repetitive tasks (analysing meetings, documents in Canvas and web pages); just the first 9 minutes.
Kevin Stratvert walks through everyday tasks in ChatGPT: writing an email, summarising files, researching, and creating plans and projects.
Test what you learned
Corrections to this lesson (1)
- : After an external review: the lesson now starts with a concrete example and says it is a practice sheet, with about 15 minutes per task; the advice on photographing letters now says to cover barcodes and QR codes too; the glossary no longer calls a text with labels "anonymised" (it is pseudonymised); the closing paragraph no longer says Level 2 is in preparation (it is now published); the quiz options were reordered.