English Phrases for Phone Conversations: The telephone is a modern-day invention that has changed the way people communicate with each other. It is very integral to understand how to answer a telephone or how to talk via a telephone. It could be difficult for people whose native language is not English to conduct simple phone conversations in English.
This article thus details and explains a number of phrases used in a telephone conversation in English all over the world. On the list are present phrases to end a phone call and other telephone conversation exercises.
English Phrases
- How to make a Telephone call Conversation
- English phrases used in telephone conversations
- Examples of Telephone Conversation
How to Make a Telephone Call Conversation
When a phone rings and one has to pick it up and form a conversation, it is essential to make sure of the formal or informal tone, which one will use during the entire length of the Conversation.
If one is talking to a friend, one usually begins off with phrases that are informal in nature, like:
- Hi
- Hello
- Hey
- How’s it going?
However, in a formal environment and setting, the phrases to change to the formal form like:
- Good morning/afternoon (name) Dan speaking. How can I help you?
- Good day, this is Jake speaking.
- How may I be of assistance today?
Introducing Oneself
Once a call is picked up, and one is connected to the other person, it is essential to start off by introducing oneself, which can be done by phrases like
- My name is…… (can be used in a formal and informal setting)
- Allow me to introduce myself. (formal)
- It’s Jude speaking. (informal)
- This is Jake speaking. Who am I speaking to? (informal)
- Hello, This is Alliance Solutions. How may I be of assistance? (Formal)
Asking to Speak to a Specific Person
Suppose one requires speaking to a specific person over the phone, but the phone is answered by someone else. In that case, it is again very important to place the tone to be either formal or informal and use the phrases accordingly listed below:
- May I speak with Jose? (formal)
- Can you connect me to Jose? (formal)
- Am I speaking to Joe Jones? (formal)
- Is June there? (informal)
- Would Mr Hayden be available to take my call? (formal)
Connecting to Someone through the Phone
When someone calls a specific network an office network that is in place in a workplace, one might use phrases like the following:
- Please be on the line, and I will put you through. (formal)
- Please wait a moment, and I will connect you in a second (formal)
- Let me check if they are available (formal and informal)
- Yes, I’ll just get him. (informal)
Explaining Absence
If one receives a call and the caller wants to speak with someone who is not present, one might use phrases as follows:
- I’m afraid he is not available right now. (formal)
- He’s not in. (informal)
- Mr Martin cannot take calls at this moment, can I take a message? (formal)
- Mr Jacob is in a meeting, may I take a message? (formal)
- Joe is very ill right now and cannot come to the phone. May I tell him something on your behalf? (informal)
Taking a Message
If one receives a phone call for a person who is not present or isn’t available, generally, a message is given to the receiver to be conveyed to the person the caller called for. One can use phrases like this for this function:
- Would you like to leave him with a message? (formal)
- Would you want me to inform him that you have called? (informal)
- If you leave a message, I will make sure he receives your message. (formal)
Confirming Information
During phone calls, one’s connection can get shaky, or one might be unable to hear what the other person is saying; in that case, one has to ask for the information to be repeated. This can be done via the following phrases
- Can I dictate that information back to you for you to confirm? (formal and informal)
- Could you confirm that information, please? (formal)
- Might I ask you to repeat what you said, please? (formal)
- Repeat what you just said I could not hear you properly (informal)
Finishing the Call
In the course of the phone call, when a conversation is over, and all the possible information is exchanged, one must say goodbye and bid farewell to the caller. This can be achieved with the assistance of phrases such as:
- It has been a pleasure talking to you. (informal)
- It was my absolute pleasure to speak with you. (formal)
- Thank you for calling on this helpline. (formal)
- I have to go now. (Informal)
- I will Catch you later, good to talk to you(Informal)
English Phrases used in Telephone Conversations
Throughout the course of a telephone call, there are various English phrases used in different contexts for the aid of the caller and the person who has received the call.
The list below details a list of English phrases used during a telephone conversation and their meanings:
General Phrases
These are the most common phrases used in the course of a telephone call. They are used for different purposes in a wide range of situations.
- Would you mind holding for a moment, please?: This phrase used by the receiver asks the caller to be on hold for a little time, as he/she needs time to find the information the caller has asked for. This is used mostly in office receptions.
- Might I ask who is calling?: This phrase is used to understand and know the identity of the caller before forwarding the call to the intended receiver. It can be used both in formal and informal settings.
- How are you doing today?: This phrase is used to ask in a polite manner to know and understand how the caller is doing. It’s a gesture of goodwill and is used in both formal and informal situations.
- I am just calling to confirm….. : This phrase is used by callers mostly when they are double-checking a reservation they have made. This could be used to check reservations of a hotel, rental cars, restaurant tables etc. Used mostly informal situations
- There is a problem with the line: This phrase is used to make the receiver or the caller understand that there seems to be a connectivity issue and they are not clearly audible. It can be used in both formal and informal situations.
- Can you call back later, please?: This is a very common phrase used to make the caller understand that it is difficult to connect or talk at the moment and thereby requesting for a later time to call again.
Problems And Asking for Assistance
If one has encountered a problem and is calling someone for assistance and help with the issue. One might use the following phrases:
- I was wondering if you might be able to help me. : This is a phrase used most commonly by callers asking for assistance at a helpline number. It clearly expresses the need for help to the person. The phrase is used mostly informal situations.
- I am having a problem with my….and I need some help. : This phrase is used by people who are in immediate need of assistance for a specific issue. This phrase is used by callers mostly to address a customer care executive about a specific issue. It can be used in formal and informal situations.
- Would you be able to advise me on…… : This phrase is used mostly between friends when one friend might be calling the other for advice on an issue that is mostly personal. It is used mostly in informal situations.
- Is there someone who can help me with….. : This phrase is used by people who are in immediate need of assistance for a specific issue. This phrase is used by callers mostly to address a customer care executive about the issue at hand.
Answering Machines And Voicemail
It is not very uncommon that in trying to reach a person via call, one gets through to their voicemail. In this case, one needs to understand the pre-recorded prompts by the user and understand the information.
The following is a list of the phrases that one is likely to hear upon reaching a specific voicemail:
- You have reached the voicemail of Mr James; please leave a message. : This is a clear-cut prompt recorded by the user asking the caller to record a message for the user of the voicemail for them to listen to the information later.
- Once you have finished recording, you can hang up: This phrase asks the caller to cut the phone call as soon as he is finished recording whatever one has to say to the caller.
- Press 1 to leave a message or press 2 to be transferred to another department. : This phrase is used for answering machines in offices where the caller is instructed to press various buttons for various functions.
- Please leave the message after the tone: This is a clear cut phrase used by the user of the voicemail to make the caller understand that the message must be left i.e. recorded after there is a beep sound by the telephone.
Examples of Telephone Conversation
It is very essential to understand how a conversation on the telephone between two people in a formal or an informal setting works. Listed below is one example each of a formal conversation and an informal conversation
- The first example portrays a telephone conversation which is happening between a receptionist in a particular place of work and a person who has called the office to speak to the manager
Receptionist: “Good morning, Alliance tech industries, This is Linda speaking. How might I assist you ?”
Client: “A very good day to you Linda, I am calling to speak with the manager, Mr. Hayden.”
Receptionist: “I am afraid that Mr. Hayden has been in a meeting for the entirety of this morning, may I ask who is making this call?”
Client: “This is Mr. Jacob, I am one of his clients and have had dealings with him recently.”
Receptionist: “Thank you for the information Mr. Jacobs, would you be interested in leaving a message of any kind?”
Client: “No, thank you. But can you please tell him to return my call as early as possible for him”
Receptionist: “Of course sir, that will not be a problem at all. Was there anything other than this that I could assist you with, Mr Jacobs?”
Client: “No, Thank You. That will be all, thank you for providng me with the time to talk.”
Receptionist: “The pleasure is mine. Good day, Sir.”
- The next example is an informal conversation between two friends talking about meeting on the weekend.
Person 1: “Hey Jake!”
Person 2: “Hey, what’s up?”
Person 1: “Everything is great. I was just calling to ask if you wanted to meet up with me and a bunch of friends this coming weekend ?”
Person 2: “Yeah, I would love it. Where were you thinking about going?”
Person 1: “I thought we could go to the bookstore in Stratford we all love.”
Person 2: “OK, I will be meeting you there at 8 pm on Saturday.
Person 1: “I’ll see you on Saturday, then?”
Person 2: “Yes. Catch you later. Bye for now”
Person 1: “Goodbye.”
This concludes the various phrases of the English Language used in conversations over the telephone. It is very integral for first time learners to understand and know these phrases to have a deeper and complex understanding of the English Language as a whole.