Phrases - Agreeing With People

Phrases - Agreeing With People

I'm with you on that one.

This Phrase is used mainly in informal situations and shows quite strong agreement.

I couldn't agree more.

This Phrase can be used in both formal and informal situations and shows very strong agreement.

Yes, absolutely.

This Phrase shows very strong agreement.

I'd go along with that.

You've got a point there.

These Phrases show that the speaker agrees a bit less strongly and can be used both formally and informally.

Hear, hear !

We often hear phrase in the parliament in debates between politicians. In other contexts it sounds quite formal and old fashioned.

I think so too.

I couldn't have put it better myself.

This Phrase shows total agreement with what the speaker has said and is also complimentary about the way it was said.

Great minds think alike.

This Phrase is an old saying and compliments the speaker as well as agreeing.

You took the words right out of my mouth.

This Phrase is suggesting that you were thinking of saying the same thing just before the other speaker said it first.

Phrases for Expressing Habits

      Phrases for Expressing Habits

I spend a lot of time...

You'll always find me...

These phrases are followed by a gerund (-ing) Example: I spend a lot of time reading.

I (often) tend to...

This phrase is followed by the infinitives (- to + V1) Example: I Often tend to watch TV.

___ is a big part of my life.

This Phrase needs a noun or gerund in the blank space. Example: Dancing is a big part of my Life.

Or Books are a big part of my life.

I always make a point of...

Whenever I get the chance, I...

These phrases show that the speaker likes doing these things and tries to do them a lot.

I have a habit of..

This Phrase suggests that the speaker often does something but that it's not intentional. It may be a bad habit.

I can't (seem to) stop...

I'm always...

I can't help...

These Phrases are habits that the speaker thinks are bad but cannot stop.

Phrases for Refusing

     Phrases for Refusing

No way

Absolutely not

No Chance

These Phrases are expressing strong refusals.

Not if you paid me

This Phrase is also a strong refusal and suggests that money will not change the speaker's mind.

Get lost

This Phrase is very informal and quite rude.

No, full stop

This Phrase is used to say that the refusal is final and no more discussion will take place.

Not likely

I don't want to

These Phrases are not as final as phrase 6 but it is quite likely that the speaker will not change their mind

I'd rather not

No but thanks for asking

These Phrases are quite polite ways of refusing.

Phrases for Apologizing

Phrases for Apologizing

Sorry.

This Phrase is a general short apology. We use this when we bump into people on the street. At other times, it sounds too weak.

I'm (so / very / terribly) sorry.

In this phrase, we use 'so', 'very' and 'terribly' to make the meaning stronger. 'Terribly' is the strongest. If we use one of the words in brackets, it is stressed.

Ever so sorry.

This Phrase is quite formal but it's a stronger apology than just 'sorry'.

How stupid / careless / thoughtless of me.

We use this phrase to criticise ourselves and the mistake that we have just made.

Pardon (me)

That's my fault.

Sorry. It was all my fault.

We use these phrases to take all the responsibility for what happened. The latter Phrase is a little stronger.

Please excuse my (ignorance)

We use this phrase to apologise for our lack of knowledge or ability. We can replace the word in brackets with other nouns, e.g. carelessness, forgetfulness.

Please don't be mad at me.

This Phrase is asking the other person not to get angry. The tone is quite informal.

Please accept our (sincerest) apologies.

This Phrase is often used in formal letters. The word 'sincerest' makes the apology very strong and very formal.

English Phrases for Business Telephone Calls

    English Phrases for Business Telephone Calls

Taking a call

When you answer the phone at your job, you’ll want to always greet the caller professionally. Here are two formats you might use to do so.

Hello/Good morning/Good afternoon. [Company name], [your name] speaking, how may I help you?

For example, if your name is Arun and you work at a company called Maxcom India, you might say:

Good morning! Maxcom India, Arun speaking. How may I help you?

This quickly tells the caller who you are, and then lets them explain why they’re calling.

[Company name], [your name] speaking.

This second one is a shorter greeting: Maxcom India, Arun speaking.

You can also use “This is [your name]” as another way to say “[Your name] speaking.”

Making a call

Sometimes you are the one initiating (beginning) a phone call. You may have more time to prepare in this case. You can use one of the formats below for greeting people when you call them:

Hello, this is [your name] from [company name].

For example, if you are Arun and you work at ABC Travels, you might say:

“Hello, this is Arun from ABC Travels.

You may want to include your surname (last name) if you know the caller doesn’t know you very well.

Hi, it’s [your name] from [company name].

You may also say “Hi, it’s Arun Kumar from ABC Travels” to start a phone conversation.

Asking for somebody

It’s important to know exactly who you want to talk to and you can use one of the options below.

May I speak to [person’s name]?

This first phrase is a question, and slightly more polite than the next option. Here’s an example:

May I (please) speak to Mr. Dinesh?

I’d like to speak to [person’s name], please.

For example, “I’d like to speak to Mr. Dinesh, please.”

You may use this one when you’re quite sure the person is available to talk to you.

Giving reasons for calling

At the beginning of the phone conversation it’s best to clarify why you are calling. This helps both speakers talk about what’s relevant.

I’m calling to ask about/discuss/clarify…

I’m calling to ask about your current printing promotion.

I just wanted to ask…

I just wanted to ask if you need any more articles for next month’s magazine.

Phone Call Phrases II

Phone Call Phrases II

Making arrangements

If you have to make arrangements, it’s important to be polite as you negotiate. Here are some phrases you might use:

Shall we say January 20?

How about the following week?

Would the week of January 18 work for you?

Asking for suggestions

When you have to decide on times and places to do things, you can invite the other person to make suggestions. It can be seen as a sign of politeness.

What would you suggest?

Do you have a time/place in mind?

Making requests

When you ask people to do things for you, it’s again essential to be polite. You can use the magic words “could” and “please” as seen below:

Could you send me an email with the detailed offer?

Do you mind sending me the report again, please?

Promising action

When you promise action, you may want to add when something is going to happen. Remember that in English we don’t use the future tense after time expressions like “when” and “as soon as.”

I’ll ask him to call you as soon as he gets back.

Notice that after “as soon as” we use “he gets back,” present tense.

I’ll send you the report as soon as possible.

Saying you cannot help

There are situations when you can’t help the other person, and it may be hard to say so. Just be firm and polite:

I’m afraid I can’t give you that information.

Sorry, but I’m not allowed to give details about that.

Ending the call

Remember to thank the other person for calling or for helping you. You can do that in any of the following ways:

Thank you very much for your help.

Thanks for calling.

Thank you for your time.

Phone Call Phrases

Phone Call Phrases

Whenever you want to be friendly with someone, you can make small talk. You can ask them about their day, or you may be more specific if you remember details from your past conversations.

Hi, [first name], how are you?

This one is more general and you can use it when you don’t remember anything specific to ask about.

How are you getting on with…?

This second phrase is more specific and should be used if you remember certain details. This will make the other person feel good about talking to you and may even improve your relationship. For example, if you remember that a company will move to a new office building, you might ask:

Taking messages

If you answer a phone call and the caller wants to speak to someone who is unavailable, you should take a message. You can do that in any of the following ways:

I’m sorry, she/he’s not here today. Can I take a message?

I’m afraid he/she’s not available at the moment. Can I take a message?

This response doesn’t tell the caller why “he/she” is unavailable. However if you know why, and it’s okay to share that information, you might say something like this:

I’m afraid she’s in a meeting until 4 p.m. Can I take a message?

Could I ask who’s calling, please?

You can use this phrase to politely find out who is calling.

I’ll give him/her your message as soon as he/she gets back.

After you’ve written down the caller’s message, you can say this phrase.

Leaving messages

On the other hand, when you make a phone call and the person you want to talk to is not there, you should leave a message for them. Here’s what you could say:

Could you please take a message? Please tell her/him that…

Could you please take a message? Please tell her that Cindy from accounting called about Mr. Shapiro’s expense reports.

I’d like to leave her/him a message. Please let her/him know that…

I’d like to leave him a message. Please let him know that tomorrow’s lunch meeting is cancelled.

Asking when somebody will be available

If you don’t want to leave a message, you can ask when would be a good time to call again:

When is a good time to call?

When is she/he going to be back?

Asking for information

When you ask people to give you information, it’s important to be polite. Using the modal verb “could” and a question is helpful in this case.

Could I ask what company you’re with?

Could you give me your mobile number, please?

Asking the other person to repeat information

Don’t worry if you can’t always understand people on the phone. It happens to native speakers all time! Just ask the person to repeat the information for you: “I’m sorry, could you please repeat that?”

If you have to write down names, it’s best to ask people to spell words out for you. You can use either of the following two phrases:

Could you spell that for me, please?

How do you spell that, please?

It’s always safe to repeat important information just to double check:

Let me see if I got that right.

Let me see if I got that right. Your name is Sam, S-A-M, and your phone number is 555-222-1111, correct?

Sometimes the connection is bad and it’s okay to ask the other person to speak more loudly:

Would you mind speaking up a bit? I can’t hear you very well.

Whenever you don’t understand something, it’s best to ask. The information may be important, so just ask them to repeat it for you:

I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your first name.