Conversations are very important, no matter what the language you use. The main idea behind learning a language is to be able to express oneself easily and efficiently to other people, and conversation is the way of it. The conversation becomes a little difficult when it is done over the phone as you can see the facial expressions of the person at the other end and vice versa, so it becomes very important to properly express what you want.
Using proper phrases are important as the wrong use of those can misguide the person on the other end. In this article, you will find formal and non-formal telephone etiquette phrases that you can use in your future English phone conversations.
Telephone Etiquette Phrases for English Phone Conversation
In spoken English telephone conversations there are two important things that matter the most, one of those are good listening skills and the other is good telephone conversation dialogues. Without the former skill, you won’t be able to understand what the other person is trying to convey and if you do not know some useful telephone phrases then there is a fair chance that the person over the phone might not understand your thoughts clearly.
Telephone conversation dialogues vary on whom you are talking with. If you are having an English conversation on the phone with friends then that will be much different from the business phone call phrases. While you can be informal and friendly with your friend, you can not use easy and informal words for your formal conversations.
So, let’s begin from learning some useful business phone call phrases that will help you express yourself better in business matters.
Important Phrases to be Used in Office Telephone Conversation in English
For business or formal conversation, you have to be extra careful so that you don’t sound rude to the other person. You should use words like “could, would, can, may” to show politeness.
When you are asking for something or have received help you should use words like please, thank you, thank you very much to express your gratitude.
For basic phone conversations in English with your colleague, you can also use words like okay, bye as long as your tone is polite and friendly.
Also Read : The Formula of Present Perfect Continuous Tense: Facts and Rules to Know
Business Phone Call Phrases for Greeting/ Introducing
Hello
Good morning/ good afternoon
This is Sanem speaking
Could I speak to Mr Ombre, please?
I would like to speak to ___
I’m trying to contact ___
This is Reen from [company name].
Hello. This is Reen. I am calling about… (your information, about your services, to make a reservation, advertisement etc.)
Good morning/ afternoon/ evening. XYZ Edutech. John Case speaking. How can I help you?
This is Jenn Samuel speaking.
Hello, Jenn Samuel speaking.
Thomson Insurance. How can I be of service today?
Phone Conversation in English for Asking
I’d like to talk with Mr Can. Is he available?
May I know where you are calling from?
Is that definitely the right name/ number?
May I ask who’s calling, please?
Can I ask whom I’m speaking to please?
Could you put me through to extension number 120, please?
Hello, caller. Could/ May I have your name, please?
Could I take your name, please?
Could I speak to someone who ___?
Who’s calling, please?
Can I have extension 540?
Is Ms Sanem available?
May I speak to Ms Deren?
Formal Phone Conversation Example for Putting on Hold or Connecting
One moment, please.
I’ll see if he is in or if Mr Ombre is available.
Please hold on. I will get you through him.
I’m connecting with you now.
Could you hold the line, please?
Please, hold the line.
Certainly, Mr Nihat. I’ll just put you through.
I’ll put you through
I’ll just transfer you now
Of course, Mr Nihat. I’ll just see if he’s available.
Mr Ronn? Thank you for holding. I’m just putting you through to Mrs Jenny.
Can you hold the line? Can you hold on a moment?
I’ll put you through.
Could you hold on a moment, please
Just a moment, please
Hold the line, please
I’ll just put you through
I’ll connect with you.
Sure, just a second, please.
Business English Telephone Conversation for Leaving/ Taking a Message
I am sorry, Mr Cenna is out/ busy at the moment.
Would you like me to connect you to her voicemail?
She is away at the moment. May I ask who is calling?
Can I take a message?
Would you like to leave a message?
If you leave a message, I will be sure to get it to him as soon as he is available.
Can I give him/ her a message?
I’m sorry. She isn’t available at the moment. Can I send a message to her?
I will let him know you called.
Simple Phone Conversation in English for Office Telephone Conversation
Can you just repeat the spelling of that, please?
Can I take your name and number, please?
Is there anyone else you would like to speak to?
Could you please ask Ms Aylin to call me back?
If you’d like to give me your number, I’ll ask Mr Jane to call you back.
Could you spell that for me, please?
I’ll tell Mr Steven that you called.
I’ll ask him to call you as soon as possible.
Can I leave a message, please?
Could you call again after 2 hours?
Also Read : What Are Homophones and Homographs And Why You Should Know Them
Some Useful Telephone Phrases for English Conversation on Phone with Friends
By now, you already know what terms you should use in your formal conversations. Now let’s see what are some telephone etiquette phrases that you can use in your English conversation on the phone with friends.
English Phone Conversation for Greeting a Friend
Hi!
Hey!
Hey, Jenny. What’s up?
How’s it going?
How’re you going?
How are things?
Hi, James. How are you?
Alright, yeah?
Hi mate!
What’s up!
How’re you doing?!
Suitable Phrases for English Phone Conversation
Hang on just a second.
Just chilling.
Hanging out.
Grab a bite.
I’m down for whatever.
Catch you at ten.
You seem
You seem a bit
Had a good day?
Looks like you’ve
Can’t believe this!
This weather sucks.
What a crappy day!
You’re joking!
How are the folks?
Really?!
Sooo, I guess I better run
You’ll never guess
Say ‘hi’ to your folks for me!
So do you fancy a drink?
You won’t believe this
No way!
You’re kidding!
Also Read : Daily Use of English Sentences in Conversations: Spoken English Sentences for Everyday
English Phone Conversation Informal Phrases
I’m not really sure what to say. What about you?
Could be better, but not to worry. And you?
Things are fine.
How about we go to the restaurant?
I’m sure I’ll manage fine.
What about.
I’m sure things’ll get better soon.
How are things at your end?
Yeah, you know how it is.
Not good.
Let’s go out tonight. What do you reckon?
How about going to the pub?
See you later!
Take care!
Well, better be off
Hey let’s catch up
Cool, see you there!
Let me get back to you
‘Bye!
Alright, later mate!
Sounds good
Great, see you then!
Sorry, gotta go. I’ve got a class
Well, guess I’d better go
Take it easy!
Catch you later!
Later bro
Tips to Get Better in English Phone Conversations
Prepare Thoroughly
You may not know it, but the things you do before a phone conversation can have a significant impact on how it goes. Preparation is an important component that may help you feel more at ease while on the phone. People can’t see whether you’re reading from a slip of paper with notes on it, which is an advantage of this mode of communication.
Take some time to make a list of the important points you wish to discuss. That way, you won’t overlook important details and will have the highest possibility of a successful ending. Also, have a pen and paper beside the phone. It’s best not to have to rely on recollection if you need to write everything down throughout the talk.
Make an If-Then Plan
Many people employ If-Then scenarios to help them change their poor behaviours into positive ones. Consider a circumstance that can cause you to wander from your goal. For example, perhaps talking to your supervisor makes you nervous, so you prefer to email her instead.
If you have a chance to communicate with your supervisor, you might be tempted to use email instead. “If I have to answer to my supervisor…” is the “If” section of this exercise.
You’re instinctively anticipating what you’ll do if potentially stressful events arise and preparing to cope with them by completing this module.
Visualization Exercise
Visualization is a popular strategy for making confident cold calls. Try to imagine yourself going through each portion of the discussion and conquering each one with ease before you ever pick up the phone.
Imagine being able to convey your discourse without any hiccups and being able to answer all of the other person’s inquiries without ever getting stumped.
That should make you feel less stressed. You’ll find it simpler to recall you’re more than capable of managing the call if you see things going smoothly.
Ask Questions
Adding significance to your interactions and making phone calls less unpleasant may be done by asking questions in regard to the other individual. It’s also a simple method to show you’re interested in what the other person has to say and what’s going on in his or her life.
After a few tries, you’ll probably find that keeping the conversation moving is easier than you imagined. If someone says they’ve had a busy month getting ready for a trip, for example, you might inquire about the location and why they picked it.
Take a Deep Breath
As previously said, what you do shortly before pressing your phone’s dialing pad may help the call go better than intended. Take a nice long breath in through your nose and out your mouth to begin. Consider the stress leaving your body as you breathe.
Then, whether it’s spending time with your best buddy or rubbing your adoring dog behind the ears, think of anything that always makes you happy. After a few seconds of seeing the scene in your head, phone the number. Before speaking with the other individual, those two factors should boost your state of mind, making you more calm and joyful.
Expect to Not Have All of the Answers
When the caller on the other side of the line asks a question and you don’t know the answer, a scenario will almost likely emerge. However, the person may ask you to agree to do something, but you must first confirm the details of already agreed plans with a coworker or partner.
It’s fine to say that you’ll have to get back to the individual with an answer in those situations.
Conclusion
Telephone etiquette phrases are very important when you want to make an impactful spoken English telephone conversation, be it a formal phone conversation or an English conversation on phone with friends.
Hopefully, this article will help you understand and learn some useful telephone phrases. You can use this telephone conversation dialogues in your basic phone conversation in English as this will help you in improving your English phone conversations.
So, which type of conversation do you use the most? Formal or informal? Comment in the below box and let us know how you would like to start a formal phone conversation.
Also Read : Use of Modal Verbs in English Grammar: Learning Modal Auxiliary and Their Functions
