Answering the phone (informal)

 Hello. Matt here. (caller unknown)

 Hi, Jody. How are you?
 Hey, Justin. What's up?

Answering the phone (formal)

 Hello? Serena speaking. (caller unknown)

 John Sayles speaking. Who's calling, please? (caller unknown)
 Doctor Martin's office. May I know who's calling, please? (caller unknown)
 Thank you for calling Jeans Plus. Jody speaking.
 Hello Maria. Nice to hear from you.
 Hello Dr Jones. How can I help you?
 City Library. Kim speaking. What can I do for you, Robert?

Introducing yourself

 Hey George. It's Lisa calling. (informal)

 Hello, this is Julie Madison calling.
 Hi. It's Angelina from the dentist's office here. (informal)
 Hello Sayoko. This is Alan calling from Big Boyz Autobody.

Asking to speak with someone

 Hi. Is Nina there? (informal)

 Can you put Michael on? (informal)
 Can I talk to Josef? Tell him Marilyn's calling. (informal)
 May I speak to Mr. Green in the accounting department, please?
 Good morning. Is Dr Martin available, please?

Connecting someone

 Just a sec. I'll get him. (informal)

 Hang on a moment. I'll see if she's in. (informal)
 One moment please. I'll see if he's available.
 Hold the line please. I'll put you through in a moment.
 Please hold while I put you through to the manager's office.
 All of our staff are busy at this time. Please hold for the next available person.

Making a request

 Could you please repeat that?

  Would you mind spelling that for me?
 Could you speak up a little, please?
 Can you speak a little slower, please. My English isn't very good, I'm afraid.
 Could you let me know when she'll be in the office, please?
 Would you mind calling back in an hour? I'm in a meeting just now.
 Can you call again? I think we have a bad connection.
 Please hold for just a minute. I have another call.
 Please don't call this number again.

Taking a message

 Can I take a message?

 Would you like to leave a message?
 Sammy's not in. I can tell him you called if you like. (informal)
 No, that's okay. I'll call him later. (informal)
 I'm sorry, but Lisa's not here at the moment. Can I take a message?
 I'm afraid he's stepped out. Would you like to leave a message?
 She's busy right now. Would you like her to return your call?
 He's in a meeting at the moment. Can he call you back when he's free?
 Fine. I'll let him know you called.
 I'll make sure she gets your message.

Leaving a message

 Can I leave a message?

 Would you mind giving her a message?
 Would it be possible to leave a message?
 Could you tell her Jonathon called?
 Could you ask him to call Paul when he gets in?
 I don't think he has my number. Do you have a pen handy?
 Thanks. It's James Brown and my number is 222 3456.

Confirming a message

 Let me repeat that just to make sure. It's James Brown at 222 3456?
 Was that 555 Charles Street, Apartment 66?
 I'll make sure he gets the message.
 It's Johnny, right? And you won't be at the club until midnight. (informal)
 Okay, got it. I'll let him know. (informal)

Answering machine and voicemail phrases

  Hey, Brad here. What's up? Let me know after the tone, OK? (informal)
 Hi, this is Liz. I'm sorry I can't take your call right now, but if you leave a message
after the tone I'll get back to you as soon as I can.
 You've reached 222 6789. Please leave a message after the tone. Thank you.
 Thank you for calling Dr. Mindin's office. Our hours are 9am to 5pm, Monday to
Friday. Please call back during these hours or leave a message after the tone. If this
is an emergency, please call the hospital at 333 7896.
 You have reached Steve James, your guide to Computer Technology. Unfortunately, I
can't take your call right now, but if you leave me a message and include your name
and telephone number, I'll get back to you as soon as I can. You can also contact me
via email at computech@XYZ.com. Thank you for calling.

Leaving an answering machine or voicemail message

 Hey Mikako. It's Yuka. Call me, OK? (informal)

 Hello, this is Ricardo calling. Could you please return my call as soon as possible. My
number is 334 5689. Thank you.
 Hi Anderson. This is Marina from the doctor's office calling. I just wanted to let you
know that you're due for a check-up this month. Please call us to make an
appointment at your earliest convenience.

Ending a conversation

 Well, I guess I'd better get going. Talk again soon, OK? (informal)
 Thanks for calling. Bye for now.
 I have to let you go now.
 I have another call coming through. I'd better run.
 I'm afraid that's my other line.
 I'll talk to you again soon. Bye Jules.

Introduction / Making Contact

If answering a business call, start by introducing yourself or if the caller fails to identify
themselves, then you could ask them to state who they are by using the following phrases:

Formal

‘Hello’
‘Good Morning’
‘Good Afternoon’
‘This is ___ speaking’
‘Could I speak to ___ please?’
‘I would like to speak to ___’
 ‘I’m trying to contact ___’

Informal

‘Hello’
‘Hi, it’s ___ here’
‘I am trying to get in touch with ___’
‘Is ___ there please?’

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Giving more information

This would probably be used in a business context mainly, but could sometimes be helpful in an
informal conversation too. It is good to specify where you are calling from, if you feel it may be
helpful to the person you are calling.

Formal
 ‘I am calling from ___
I’m calling on behalf of ___’

Informal

‘I’m in the post office at the moment, and I just needed ___’

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Taking / Receiving a Call

You may need to use these if you are answering someone else’s phone, because they are unable
to answer it themselves, or if you are answering an office phone.

Formal

‘Hello, this is ___ speaking’

‘___ speaking, how may I help you?’
Informal

‘Hello, John’s phone’

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Asking for more information / Making a request

If you need to ask for a specific person, then phrase your request as a polite question, if you
only have an extension number and no name, you can say so. If you’re calling for a specific
reason, just explain briefly what it is.

Formal

‘May I ask who’s calling please?’

‘Can I ask whom I’m speaking to please?’
‘Where are you calling from?’
‘Is that definitely the right name/number?’
 ‘Could I speak to someone who ___?’
‘I would like to make a reservation please’
‘Could you put me through to extension number ___ please?’

Informal

‘Who’s calling please?’

‘Who’s speaking?’
‘Who is it?’
Whom am I speaking to?

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Asking the caller to wait / Transferring a call

If you are transferring a caller to someone else, you should let them know that you are doing so,
just so they know what is happening, as the silent tone could be mistaken for a disconnected
line! If you are the one being transferred, you will often hear the person use the following
phrases:

Formal

‘Could you hold on a moment please’

‘Just a moment please’
‘Hold the line please’
‘I’ll just put you through’
‘I’ll just transfer you now’

Informal

‘Hold on a minute’
‘Just a minute’
‘Okay, wait a moment please’

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Giving Negative Information

If you are the one answering a call, you might not be able to help the caller. You can use some
of the following phrases in these circumstances:

Formal

‘I’m afraid the line is busy at the moment’

‘That line is engaged at the moment, could you call back later please?’
‘I’m afraid ___’s busy at the moment, can I take a message?’
‘I’m sorry, he’s out of the office today’
‘You may have dialled the wrong number’
‘I’m afraid there’s no one here by that name’

Informal

‘Sorry, ___’s not here’

‘___ is out at the moment’

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Telephone Problems

If you don’t understand everything the other person is saying, be honest. Tell the other person
immediately, otherwise you might miss some important information! Most people will appreciate
your honesty, and will be happy to oblige.

Formal

‘I’m afraid I can’t hear you very well’

‘Would you mind speaking up a bit please?’
I’m afraid my English isn’t very good, could you speak slowly please?’
‘Could you repeat that please?’

Informal

‘Sorry, I didn’t catch that’

‘Say that again please?’
‘I can’t hear you very well’
 ‘Sorry, this line is quite bad’

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Leaving / Taking a Message

If the person you’re calling is not available, be prepared to leave a message. This could be
a voicemail, (which is a digital voice recording system), or an answering machine (this
records messages onto a tape). If you’re leaving a message with another person, they’ll either
ask if you want to leave a message, or you could request to leave a message with them. Be sure
to leave your number, if you want the other person to call you back!

Formal

‘Can I take your name and number please?’

‘Can I leave a message please?’
‘Could you please ask ___ to call me back?’
‘Could you spell that for me please?’
‘Can I just check the spelling of that please?’
Informal

‘I’ll ask him to ring you when ___ gets back’

‘Could you tell ___ that I called please?’
‘I’ll let ___ know that you rang’

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Saying Goodbye

The easiest part of the conversation! Simply be polite, and speak with a friendly manner.

Formal
 ‘Thank you for calling’
‘Have a good day’
‘Goodbye’

Informal

‘Bye!’
‘Talk soon’
‘Speak to you again soon’

Remember your manners!

Informal Call:
A: Hello.

B: Hey is Sasha there?

A: Uh, yeah. Who’s this?

B: It’s Pip.

A: Hang on just a second (wait a minute), Pip… Sasha, phone’s for you.
C: Who is it?

A: It’s Pip.

C: Hey, what’s up (slang way to say “What are you doing?”)

B: Nothing. Just chillin‘ (relaxing) at home. How bout you?
C: Just hanging out.

B: You wanna grab a bite (go out for food)?

C: Sure, what were you thinking?

B: Let’s just go out and find something. I’m down for whatever (I’ll eat anything).
C: Sounds good… I’m starving (really hungry).
B: Meet ya down there in ten (minutes)?
C: Cool see ya then .

B: Later.
Formal Call:
A: Good afternoon, this is Rachel. How may I help you?

B: Hello. Is Mr. Savinov available?

A: May I ask who’s calling?

B: My name is Mr. Wilson. I’m calling in regards to our meeting this week.

A: Would you mind holding for a minute, Mr. Wilson?

B: Not at all.

A: Thanks so much.

C: Hello.

A: Mr. Savinov, you have a phone call from a Mr. Wilson about a meeting this week.

C: Great. Put him through (transfer the call to me). Hello, Mr. Wilson. What can I do for you?
B: Hi, Mr. Savinov. I was just calling to confirm the details of our meeting. What’s a good time for you?

A: Well I’m pretty swamped (very busy) tomorrow. How about 10 o’clock on Friday?
B: I may not be able to make it at ten. Would 10:30 be OK?

A: Sure that works for me. I’ll pencil you in (put you on my schedule) for 10:30 on Friday.
B: Great. I’m looking forward to it. See you soon.

A: Sure… thanks for calling. Take care (have a nice day).