This invention concerns a method and system for monitoring an automated dialog system for the automatic recognition of language understanding errors based on a user's input communications. The method illustratively determines whether a probability of understanding the user's input communication exceeds a first threshold. If the first threshold is exceeded, further dialog is conducted with the user. Otherwise, the user may be directed to a human for assistance. The method also illustratively determines whether the probability also exceeds a second threshold, the second threshold being higher than the first. If so, then further dialog is conducted with the user using the current dialog strategy. However, if the probability falls between a first threshold and a second threshold, the dialog strategy may be adapted in order to improve the chances of conducting a successful dialog with the user. Conducting further automated dialog with the user in an attempt to identify a particular task that the user wants the system to perform is carried out only upon a determination that there is at least a predetermined probability that further automated dialog will enable the system to identify the particular task.