Phone Calls

In English
Your ul'mate guide for business and personal
phone calls in English.

With common expressions for daily use.

 In This Guide
Do you feel stressed or nervous when you have to use English
on the telephone? Do you wish you had all the right expressions
for simple, everyday phone conversa;ons?

In this guide you have common expressions and phrases that

na;ve English speakers really use for basic telephone calls. This
guide includes a variety of situa;ons with both formal and
informal expressions for the telephone.

How can this guide be most helpful?

Use this guide as a reference for the everyday phone

conversa;ons you have at work or in daily life - it will give you a
strong founda;on in common English expressions.

Of course, it is easy to know and understand these expressions

when you read them in this guide, but what happens in your next
phone call when you feel nervous again? Will you forget them?

The best way to avoid forgeFng is to use methods that will help
your brain to remember them more easily. You can:

• Read this guide & highlight the phrases that are most useful to
you. Prac;ce them and repeat them.

• Find the expressions you would like to use, write them down
with your informa;on (your name, company, number, etc.)

• Prac;ce saying these phrases out loud. Yes! This helps. It

makes you prac;ce the pronuncia;on and helps you become
more comfortable with the sounds. One reason we feel
nervous when we speak in another language is we feel funny
making these new sounds, saying these new words. Prac;ce
saying them out loud so they sound normal to you; this also
helps with memory!
 First Some Prac5cal Advice
It is true, speaking on the telephone in another language
can be difficult and stressful. Let's begin this guide with
ways to reduce the stress and fear of talking on the
telephone in English.

1. Take a breath. Yes, breathe. Calm yourself. And prepare

your mind for English. You will be more successful if you
are relaxed.

1.1. You can do this before you make a phone call in

English. Prepare what you want to say. An;cipate
what the other speaker will say. Make notes.

1.2. You can also do this when someone calls you. In this
guide I provide common phrases that will give you
an opportunity to pause for a few moments to calm
yourself and prepare to be in English before you
con;nue the telephone conversa;on.

2. Don’t be afraid to ask for clarifica;on or repe;;on. Na;ve

speakers do this too because it can be difficult for
everyone to speak on the phone. In this guide I provide
you with the real, everyday expressions we use to ask for
clarifica;on in English.

3. Speak slowly. And ask the other person to speak slowly. It

will help both of you.

4. Be polite. In this guide I have provided formal and

informal expressions. If you do not know the person on
the phone, it is always best to use formal expressions.
And politeness makes everyone happier!

5. Prac;ce dates, numbers and le`ers in English. When you

need to leave a message (or when you listen to a message
in English), it will be much easier if you are familiar with
how English speakers say dates, telephone numbers,
addresses, ;mes, etc. And prac;ce out loud!
 Answering the Phone

Formal Business Call

• Hello. This is [your name] speaking.

• Hello, thank you for calling [name of company]. This is

[your name] – how can I help you?

• Good morning/good afernoon, this is [your name] with

[name of company]. How can I help you?

• Hello, you’ve reached [name of company]. My name is

[your name]. How can I help you today?

Informal Business Call

• Hello. Thanks for calling [name of company].

• Hello, this is [your name].

Informal Call from Friends/Family

• Hey.

• Hey, how are you?

• Hi.
 Calling & Introducing Yourself

Formal Business

• Hello. This is [your name] from [company name].

• Hello. This is [your name]. I am calling about … (your

adver;sement, informa;on about your services, to make a
reserva;on, etc.)

• Hello. This is [your name] with [your company] - may I

speak with [name of person you are calling]?

Informal Business

• Hi. This is [your name] from [name of company].

• Hi. It’s [your name] from [name of your department]. For

example, “Hi, It’s Çim from Sales.”

Informal Friends/Family

• Hi – it’s me. (Use this when the other person will

recognize your voice. For example, your mother, your best
friend, your brother …)

• Hey. It’s [insert your name].

 Asking to Speak to Someone

Formal Business

• Is _____________ available? (Example: Is Fa;ma available? Is

Ms. Smith available?)

• May I speak with ________________? (Example: May I speak

with the doctor? May I speak with Ms. Strong?)

• I’d like to speak with _____________. (Example: I’d like to

speak with Mr. Adams.)

Informal Business

• Is _______ free? (Example: Is Çim free?)

• Can I talk to ______? (Example: Can I talk to Joan?)

• Are you free to talk right now? (when speaking directly to

the person you called)

• Is this a good ;me to talk? (when speaking directly to the

person you called)

Informal Friends/Family

• Hey - can I talk to ____________ .

• Hey - I wanna talk to __________. (wanna = want to)

 PuGng Someone on Hold

Formal Business

• Could I put you on hold for a moment please?*

• Would you mind holding for just a moment?*

• If it is ok with you, I am going to put you on hold for a

moment. I will see if she is available.

*NOTE: These two expressions can also be used when you

are not ready to speak in English on the phone. You can ask
to put the person on hold and use this moment to calm and
prepare yourself to speak English. Then con;nue the phone
call.

Informal Business

• Just a moment please. I’m going to put you on hold.

• Could you hold on for a just a moment?

Informal Friends/Family

• Hold on a sec. (Note: “Sec” is short for “second” and is

another way to say “Hold on a moment.”)

• Just a sec.
 Clarifying / Asking for Repe''on

Formal Business

• I’m sorry – I didn’t catch that. Could you please repeat

yourself? (didn’t catch = didn’t understand everything)

• I’m sorry – do you mean to say … [repeat the informa;on

you understand]?

• Just to clarify, you said … (Example: Just to clarify, you said

you were calling from RTR Industries?)

• Would you mind spelling that for me?

• Would you mind speaking a li`le more slowly?

Informal Business

• Slow down a bit please – I didn’t catch everything you

said.

• Can you spell/repeat/clarify that?

Informal Friends/Family

• Whad’ya say? (Whad’ya = What did you)

• Huh? (This is a sound ofen made that says, “what?”)

 Taking a Message

Formal Business

• I’m sorry. She/he isn’t available at the moment. Can I take

a message for her/him?

• If you leave a message, I will be sure to get it to her/him as

soon as she/he is available.

• She/he is away at the moment. May I ask who is calling?

• Would you like me to connect you to her/his voicemail?

Informal Business

• I’ll let him/her know that you called.

• Who’s calling please?

• Would you like to leave a message?

Informal Friends/Family

• Can I take a message for her/him?

• Wanna leave a message? (wanna = want to)

 Confirming Informa'on

Formal Business

• Great. I am going to repeat the number back to you to

make sure it’s correct. Your telephone number is [repeat
number], Your address is [repeat address], Your name is
spelled [repeat and spell name], etc.

• Okay. Let me confirm the informa;on you provided. You

said [insert repeated informa;on].

• I’m sorry - did you say your name was [insert name], did
you say the street name was [insert street name], etc.

Informal Business

• Okay, great. I’ve got it all down. (got it all down =

everything is wri`en down]

• Perfect. I’ll make sure she/he gets the message.

Informal Friends/Family

• Got it. Thanks. (got it = I’ve noted it, I have the

informa;on)

• I’ll tell her/him.

 Leaving a Message

Formal Business

• Yes. Thank you. Please tell her/him [your name] called. Ask
her/him to call me back at [your number].

• Could you have her/him return my call by tomorrow?

• Please tell her/him I’ll be available on Thursday at 9:00.

• Yes, please put me through to her/his voicemail. Thank

you.

Informal Business

• No thank you. I’ll call back later. (Use when you don’t want
to leave a message)

• Yeah, tell her/him [your name] called.

• Yeah, this is [your name] with [your company] at [your

phone number].

Informal Friends/Family

• Sure. Tell him/her ...

• No thanks. I'll try again. (When you don’t want to leave a

message)
 Ending Calls Part 1

Formal Business

• Thank you for calling. I will make sure to give him the
message.

• Thank you for calling and have a wonderful day.

• We appreciate your call. Have a good day.

Informal Business

• Thanks for calling – I have another phone call/a mee;ng/a

client wai;ng for me so I will need to let you go. (let you
go = to hang up)

• Thanks for calling and have a great day.

• I have a mee;ng soon so I have to run but thanks for

calling. (have to run = end the phone call) (Americans
would also say: “I have a mee;ng soon so I go`a run.
“Go`a” is short for “got to” or “have to.“)

Informal Friends/Family

• I need to let you go but thanks for the call. Talk to you
later.

• Great talking with you. Bye.

 Ending Calls Part 2

Formal Business

• I appreciate your ;me. Thank you and have a great day.

• I look forward to following up with you about [a request or

ac;on item]. I will contact you again soon.

• Thank you so much for your ;me.

• Thank you so much for [insert purpose of call].

Informal Business

• Thanks a lot - that really helps. Have a good day,.

Goodbye.

• Thanks, [insert name of person you called]. Have a great

day. Bye/Goodbye.

• Thank you. Talk with you soon. Bye/Goodbye.

Informal Friends/Family

• Talk to you soon. Bye.

• Great talking with you. Bye.

• Go`a run but I’ll talk with you soon. Bye.

 Recording a Voicemail

Record Your Voicemail in English

Do you need to record your office voicemail in English for

your clients and customers?

Here are sample messages to use for your English voicemail:

Business Phone Number

Hello. You have reached [insert name] with [name of

company]. I am unavailable at the moment but please leave
a message and I will contact you as soon as I can. Please be
sure to include your name, your contact number and the
reason you are calling. Thank you and have a great day.

Going on Vaca5on or Out of the Office

Hello. This is [insert name]. I am out of the office [today] or

from [date] to [date]. Please be sure to leave a message or
contact my colleague for urgent ma`ers. You can reach
[insert colleague’s name] at [insert number]. Thank you.

Personal Phone Number

Hi this is [insert name]. I’m sorry I’m not available but leave a
message. I’ll call you back as soon as I can. Thank you.
 Leaving a Voicemail

Leave Your Voicemail in English

Do you feel really nervous about leaving a voicemail in

English? Here are some sample messages to help you:

Formal

Hello [insert name]. This is [insert your name] with [insert

your company]. I’m sorry I couldn’t reach you. I am calling
about [insert reason].** When you get the chance, could you
call me back at [insert number]. Thank you.

Example Reasons:

• I’m calling about …

• I’m following-up about …

• - your order [insert order reference number]

• - the problem you are having with [insert problem]

• - the mee;ng next week

• - the conversa;on we had (on Tuesday / about …)

Informal

Hey [insert name]. It’s [insert your name]. Gimme a call back
when you get a moment. (gimme = give me)
Saying Numbers & Dates

Numbers in English

Telephone Numbers:

Example: 1-432-543-6543

• When 3 numbers are together we say each number

separately (four-three-two) or we combine the last two
numbers (four thirty-two)

• When 4 numbers are together we split the numbers and

say: “sixty-five, forty-three”

Address Numbers

With three numbers in the address we would say:

• 432 Main Street: “Four thirty-two Main Street”

With four numbers in the address we would say:

• 4321 Main Street: “Forty-three, twenty-one Main Street”

With the zip code, we always say each number:

• 10098: “One-zero-zero-nine-eight”

*Prac;ce saying these numbers so you can be prepared to

use them and to make it easier to understand when you
hear them.
Spelling Words
A common frustra;on on the
phone is having to spell words:
your last name, your first name,
your email address, etc.

The NATO Phone;c Alphabet is

commonly used to help spell
words with the English alphabet.

For example:

Anne: A - as in alpha, N - as in
November, N - as in November
and E - as in elephant.

Here is that alphabet with the

associated word and
pronuncia;on.

Prac;ce using this for your

name, email address, street
address, company name, etc.
 Thank You!
I hope you found this guide useful to you.

If so, I’d love to know how.

You can share your success story with me at

hello@speakconfidentenglish.
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worldwide.

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Disclaimer
Please note that this publica;on is based on the author’s
personal experience and knowledge afer 15 years of English
language teaching. Although the author and publisher have made
every reasonable a`empt to achieve complete accuracy of the
content in this Guide, they assume no responsibility for errors or
omissions. Also, you should use this informa;on as you see fit,
and at your own risk. Your par;cular situa;on may not be exactly
suited to the examples illustrated here; in fact, it’s likely that they
won’t be the same, and you should adjust your use of the
informa;on and recommenda;ons accordingly. This guide makes
no promises about one’s English language progress should one
u;lize any of the recommenda;ons made in this Guide.

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