Telephone conversations

Telephone conversationsWhat to say when you are communicating on the phone

Watch and Listen

English telephone conversations start in the same way by introducing yourself. Say Hello, this is (name) to let people know who you are.If you answer the phone and the caller doesnt give his name, you can say May I ask whos calling, please?.

More useful phrasesHello / Good morning / Good afternoon ...This is John Brown speakingCould I speak to ......... please?I'd like to speak to ..... .....I'm trying to contact ..........

Be PoliteWhen you want to speak to a specific person, ask to speak to him or her with a polite question starting with may or could. For example May I speak to Rachel Smith, please? sounds a lot better than I want to speak to Rachel Smith. Use polite questions when you are talking about the reason for your call, too. For example, if you are calling a hotel, you can say Could I talk to someone about booking a room, please?.

Holding and transferringWhen people ask you to hold during a call, they just mean wait. When they are ready to the connect you to the person you want to speak to, they will use the word transfer or put you through to talk about connecting your call to that person. For example Please hold Ok, Ill put you through to Rachel Smith.

More useful phrasesThank you for holding.The line's free now ... I'll put you through.I'll connect you now / I'm connecting you now.

When it is not possible to connectI'm afraid the line's engaged. Could you call back later?I'm afraid he's in a meeting at the moment.I'm sorry. He's out of the office today. /He isn't in at the moment.I'm afraid we don't have a Mr./Mrs./Ms/Miss. ... hereI'm sorry. There's nobody here by that name.Sorry. I think you've dialled the wrong number./I'm afraid you've got the wrong number.

Leaving a messageThere are two ways to leave a message when someone is not available to speak: you can record a voicemail message have someone write down a message.

Make sure to clearly state your name, the reason for your call and a number that you would like the person to call if you want them to call you back. Asking the speaker to slow down or repeat something

Leaving a messageEven native speakers have to ask people to repeat thing sometimes especially on the phone. If there is a bad line or the sound is not clear, its natural to ask the person on the other end to repeat what he or she has said. Dont be afraid to ask people to slow down by saying, Sorry, Im having a little trouble hearing. Could you slow down a little? Sorry, I didnt quite catch that. Could you repeat it, please?.

More useful phrasesCan I leave / take a message?Would you like to leave a message?Could you give him/her a message?Could you ask him/her to call me back?Could you tell him/her that I called?Could you give me your name please?Could you spell that please?What's your number please?