This post include telephone conversation examples in English. Please follow the list for detailed expressions and examples;
TELEPHONE CONVERSATION – TELEPHONE LANGUAGE
Answering the phone:
- Good morning/Good afternoon/ Good evening/ Hello!
- England PC Services. ( This is ) Sarah speaking.
- Sarah speaking.
- How can/could/may I help you?
Asking for the caller’s name:
- Who’s calling, please?
- Could I take your name, please?
- Hello, caller. Could/May I have your name, please?
Introducing yourself:
- Hello! This is Kevin Jelf calling.
- Hello, this is Kevin Jelf from Friend Tecnology Firm.
- My name is Kevin Jelf from England PC Services.
Asking for someone or something:
- Could/May/Can I speak to Charles Steven, please?
- I’d like to speak to Charles Steven, please.
- Could you put me through to Charles Steven , please?
- Could I speak to someone who …
- I am just calling to say…
Asking the person who is being called for the phone call:
If the person who is about to receive the call is available, you can ask;
- Mr Steven? I’ve got a Mr Kevin Jelf on the line for you from Friend Tecnology Firm. Will you take the call?”
- And the person can reply your question like this;
The person’s answering for the phone call:
If the person who is about to receive the call is available, you can ask;
- Yes, please put him though. / I’m not available right now.
Connecting someone:
- One moment (Just a second or moment), please.
- I’ll see if he is in or if Mr Steven is available.
- Please hold on. I will get you through him.
- Could you hold the line, please?
- Please, hold the line.
- Certainly, Mr KevinJelf. I’ll just put you through.
- Of course, Mr Jelf. I’ll just see if he’s available.
- Mr Jelf? Thank you for holding. I’m just putting you through to Mr Steven.
- I’ll put you through.
- I’ll connect you.
- I’m connecting you now.
Explaining absence:
- I’m afraid Mr Steven isn’t in at the moment.
- I’m sorry, he’s in a meeting at the moment.
- I’m afraid he’s on another line at the moment.
- I’m sorry but Mr Steven is away on business until Thursday.
- I am sorry you have dialed a wrong number.
- He is not in office now.
Taking a message:
- I am sorry, Mr Steven is out/ busy at the moment.
- Can I ask who is calling?
- Can I take a message?
- Would you like to leave a message?
- Can I give him/her a message?
- I will let him know you called.
- Is there anyone else you would like to speak to?
- I’ll tell Mr Steven that you called.
- I’ll ask him to call you as soon as possible.
- If you’d like to give me your number, I’ll ask her to call you back.
- Could you call again after 2 hours?.
Leaving a message with someone:
- Yes, it is Kevin Jelf here. Could you ask him to call me when he is available.
- My number is…
- No, that is okay. I will call back later.
- Could you tell her that her friend Kevin called?
- No, that’s all, thank you.
- Thank you very much, you’ve been very helpful.
Problems/Making special request:
- I’m sorry, I don’t understand. Could you repeat that, please?
- I’m sorry, I can’t hear you very well.
- Could you speak up a little, please?
- I’m afraid you’ve got the wrong number.
- I’ve tried to get through several times but it’s always engaged.
- Could you spell that, please?
- Sorry, my English is not good. Could you speak a little slower?
- Could I ask you to spell your surname for me, please?
- I’m so sorry. The line is very bad this end.
- Could I ask you to repeat your name, please?
- Sorry, I didn’t quite catch that. Could you say your name again, please?
Confirming information:
- Let me repeat that just to make sure.
Finishing a conversation:
- Thanks for calling. Bye for now.
- I need to hang up now.
- I’ll talk to you soon. Bye.
- Thank you for calling, Mr Steven. Good bye.
- Thank you for calling Friend Tecnology Firm. Have a nice day!
Notes: (for formal language)
- A person who identifies himself/herself by phone can say: “My name is…”, “This is…” or “It’s…”, but never: “I’m…”.
- British English use speak with “to”, American English use speak with “with”.
- If the caller is a woman, we had better to use the Ms title (this is a neutral alternative for Miss and Mrs) instead of saying “It’s Mary Smith here“.
Also;
Listening to an answering machine:
- Hello! You have reach 111-6734. Please leave a message after the beep/tone.
Thank you.
Leaving a message on an answering machine:
- Hello! This is Kevin calling for Charles. Could you please return my call as soon as possible? My number is 571- 6325. Thank you.
This is goo
This is very instructive. It gives me insight into the usage of “speak to” or “speak with ” . The latter is a common usage here in Nigeria which emphasizes British English. I have better explanation to my students now. Thanks.
Bravo! Very Brief and concised, I love it.
Kudos to the team and big thanks.