20 Useful English Phone Phrases

This blog post is written by American English teacher Tannia from www.EnglishChallenges.com . Tannia has over a decade of experience working with English language learners from more than 25 countries around the world. Go to her website to get a free 3-day email course 'How to Speak Like a Native Speaker.'

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20 Useful Phone Phrases

The best thing you can do to feel more confident and answer the phone more naturally is memorize some frequently-used phone phrases.

Check out 20 of the most common phrases and expressions below, including some helpful tips!

Talking on the phone can feel intimidating, especially for English language learners.

But don't worry. Here are some tips to help you feel less nervous and be more comfortable when you make or answer phone calls:

SPEAKING TIPS

  • Speak slowly and clearly, especially when giving or asking for specific information.

  • Use a friendly tone. Remember that they can't see your facial expressions, so your tone is extra important.

  • If you don’t understand something, ask them politely to repeat it.

PHONE PHRASES

ANSWERING THE PHONE

  • Hi, [Name}. How are you? (casual)

  • Hey, [Name}. What's up? (casual)

  • Good morning/afternoon/evening. Thank you for calling [Company Name]. This is [Your Name] speaking. How may I help you? (formal)

ASKING ABOUT CALLER

  • May I ask who’s speaking? (formal)

  • Who's calling? (casual)

MAKING A CALL

  • Hello, this is [Your Name]. May I speak to [Name]? (formal)

  • Hi, is [Name] there? This is [Your Name]. (casual)

ASKING FOR REPETITION

  • Could you repeat that slowly, please?

  • Could you spell that for me?

  • Could you say that again slowly, please?

ASKING TO CALL BACK

  • Would you mind calling back later? 

  • I'm super busy today. Can I call you back tomorrow?

TAKING A MESSAGE

  • Would you like to leave a message?

  • I'm sorry, but [Name] isn't here at the moment. May I take a message? 

BETTER WORD CHOICE

  • Sure / Ok / Uh huh = Definitely / Absolutely / No problem 

  • I don’t know. = Great question. I’m not sure, but I can find out for you.

WRONG NUMBER

  • I'm sorry, but I think you have the wrong number.

ENDING A CALL

  • Thank you so much. Have a nice day. (formal)

  • Well, I have to go, but it was nice talking to you. (casual)

  • Talk to you later. Bye! (casual)

I hope you found this post useful.

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You can also get my free phrasal verb mini-course and my free speaking skills mini-course here.

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Good luck with your English!

Sarah x

English Language, VocabularySarah WaddingtonComment