Do you feel like itās harder to speak a foreign language on the phone than face to face? Itās especially difficult to understand native English speakers on the phone, because sometimes they speak very fast and with a heavy accent.
On the phone, you canāt even use gestures and expressions to aid communication, but have to put every message into words as clearly and fluently and possible.
We gathered a long list of useful phrases to use on the phone.
Making a call
- Hi, this is [your name] from [company name].
- Iām calling to ask aboutā¦
- May I speak with David, please?
- Hi Sharon, this is [your name] returning your call.
Answering a call
- [Company name], [your name] speaking.
- Hi Paul, thanks for getting back to me.
Active listening
In English conversation, itās important to indicate actively that youāre listening and understand what is being said. You can do this by repeating simple expressions like āyesā, āI seeā and ārightā.
When you want to buy some time
When you want to check something during the call, you can buy some time with the following phrases:
- One moment, please.
- Just a minute, please.
- Letās seeā¦
- Let me thinkā¦
- Let me checkā¦
Taking a message
- Iām sorry, he is not available at the moment.
- Iām sorry, she is not in at the moment.
- Would you like to leave a message?
- Could I take your name and number, please?
When you canāt hear or donāt understand
- Would you mind speaking up a bit? I canāt hear you very well.
- Would you mind speaking a little slower? Iām having a little trouble understanding you.
- Could you please write that in an e-mail?
- Could you send me an email with the detailed offer?
- Could you spell that for me, please?
- Let me see if I got that right.
Ending the call
- Thank you for your time.
- Iāll get in touch in a couple of days.
- Talk to you soon.
- Have a good day.
