“Hello, how may I help you?” Naturally, you want to come across as professional when you’re talking on the phone at work with an English speaker. These 30 handy key sentences taken from actual situations can help.

Answering the phone

Two useful examples.

1. Hello/Good morning/Good afternoon. [Company name]. [Your name] speaking. How may I help you?

Example: Suppose your name is Liesbeth and you work at ElaN Languages. Then, the first thing you say when answering the phone is:

Good morning! ElaN Languages. Liesbeth speaking. How may I help you?

The caller knows who you are immediately and gets the opportunity to explain why he/she is calling.

2. [Company name]. [Your name] speaking.

This is a bit more concise: ElaN Languages. Liesbeth speaking.

Or even shorter: “This is [your name].” or “[Your name] speaking.”

Calling someone

Sometimes, you will be the one calling. You can greet the person you’re calling using one of the following expressions.

3. Hello, this is [your name] from [company name].

Example: Suppose your name is Sarah Vanderpoorten and you work at Unilever. Then you would say:

“Hello, this is Sarah from Unilever.”

You can also mention your last name too, if you know that whomever you’re calling doesn’t know you that well.

4. Hi, it’s [your name] from [company name].

To open a telephone conversation, you can say: Hi, it’s Sarah Vanderpoorten from Unilever.”

Asking to speak with someone

It is important to get the correct person on the phone. These are some useful options.

5. May I speak with [person’s name]?

This first sentence is a question and slightly more formal than the second option.

May I (please) speak with Mr Smith?

6. I’d like to speak with [person’s name], please.

Example: “I’d like to speak with Mr Smith, please.”

You can use this if you’re fairly certain that this person wants to speak with you.

Explain why you’re calling

It’s best to briefly explain why you’re calling at the start of the telephone conversation. This way, you can get right down to business with the person with whom you’re speaking.

7. I’m calling to ask about/discuss/clarify…

I’m calling to ask about your current printing promotion.

8. I just wanted to ask…

I just wanted to ask if you need any more articles for next month’s magazine.

9. Could you tell me…?

Could you tell me the address of Friday’s networking event?

Taking messages

Does the caller want to speak to someone who isn’t there? In this case, it’s best to take a message. This can be done as follows:

12. I’m sorry, she/he’s not here today. Can I take a message?
13. I’m afraid he/she’s not available at the moment. Can I take a message?

This way, the caller still doesn’t know exactly why the other person is unavailable. Should you want to disclose this information, you can say the following:

I’m afraid she’s in a meeting until 4 p.m. Can I take a message?

14. May I ask who’s calling, please?

Use this sentence to politely find out with whom you are speaking.

15. I’ll give him/her your message as soon as he/she gets back.

After you’ve written down the caller’s message, you can say the above sentence.

Leaving a message

Have you called someone who is unavailable? Then you can leave a message for them. Several useful sentences.

16. Could you please take a message? Please tell her/him that…

Could you please take a message? Please tell her that Marleen from accounting called about Mr Corleone’s expense reports.

17. I’d like to leave her/him a message. Please let her/him know that…

I’d like to leave him a message. Please let him know that tomorrow’s lunch meeting has been cancelled.

Inquiring about when someone will be available

If you’d rather not leave a message, you can ask when a good time would be to call back.

18. When is a good time to call?
19. When is she/he going to be back?

Requesting information

Be polite when requesting information from others. We recommend posing it as a questioning using the auxiliary verb ‘could’.

20. Could I ask what company you’re with?
21. Could you give me your mobile number, please?

Asking the person with whom you’re speaking to repeat something

Don’t worry if you didn’t understand something that the other person said. This happens to native speakers too! Simply ask the other person to repeat the information: “I’m sorry, could you please repeat that?”

If you need to write down names, ask the other person to spell them for you. You can use the following two sentences for this.

22. Could you spell that for me, please?
23. How do you spell that, please?

It never hurts to double-check important information:

24. Let me see if I got that right.

Let me see if I got that right. Your name is Michael Corleone, C-O-R-L-E-O-N-E, and your phone number is 555-222-1111, correct?

Asking someone to do something

If you’d like the person with whom you’re speaking to do something for you, it is best to be polite. ‘Could’ and ‘please’ are the magic words in English.

25. Could you send me an email with the detailed offer?
26. Would you mind sending me the report again, please?

Promising to do something

Remember that no definitive time follows the words like ‘when’ and ‘as soon as’ in English.

27. I’ll ask him to call you when he gets back.
28. I’ll send you the report as soon as possible.

Ending the telephone conversation

Don’t forget to thank the person with whom you’re speaking for his/her call or assistance. You can do this in several ways.

29. Thank you very much for your help.
30. Thanks for calling.

 

 

Language Trivia

The most mispronounced (and often misspelt) word in the English language is ‘pronunciation’.

Hello,

Your English language course has finished. Great, we hope that you are satisfied. But learning another language is all about keeping up the good work. Talk to English-speaking colleagues or watch English TV programmes. In short, try to use every opportunity to practise. Of course, we would be more happy to assist you as well.

Below you will find a list with audiovisual and reading exercises. Informative and fun at the same time. Also included: useful tips and interesting games.

Get busy! We guarantee that your English will keep on improving.

Have fun with it!
ElaN Languages

When trying to speak a new language, the first thing you need are the right words. We’ve put together a list of common words used in business situations.

• Amount: a number; a sum.

The amount of investors has experienced an exponential growth.

• Bank account : an arrangement with a bank in which the customer puts in and removes money and the bank keeps a record of it.

Yesterday, I found 20 euro in my pocket and put it into my bank account right away.

• Funds (plural): money ready to spend.

Does this company have enough funds for the new equipment?

• Growth: the amount by which something grows;

The amount of investors has experienced an exponential growth.

• To invest (in): to put money into a firm or business usually by buying shares in it, in order to make a profit.

We decided to invest in the company, because they offer an interesting range of products.

• Invoice: a list giving details of price and quality.

The books won’t be delivered until we pay the invoice.

• Paycheck: the amount of money a person earns.

His job is dangerous, but it comes with a big paycheck.

• Price: the amount of money for which a thing is or can be bought or sold.

This item isn’t too expensive. It’s just the right price.

• Profit: money which is gained in business from selling something for more than one paid for it.

We made a great profit by buying the car for 20.000 euro and selling it for 25.000.

• Purchase: something one has bought.

That car was a great purchase!

• Purchase offer: A detailed, written document that makes an offer to purchase goods or services.

In order to make the invoice, we need to receive the client’s purchase offer.

• To reimburse: to pay back money to someone who has spent it for you or lost it because of you.

You will have to reimburse me for the damage to my computer.

• Withdrawal (of money): removal of money from an account.

It seems somebody made a withdrawal: there is no money left in the account!

More tips

• Practise with ScribblPro!
• Playtime

Reading is something you probably do quite a lot in your mother tongue, be it fiction, news websites or even emails. So why don’t you try it in English? To get you started, we’ve selected a classic short story by Edgar Allen Poe. Don’t hesitate to have a look at the list of words if you have trouble understanding certain sentences.

 

 

More tips

• 5 Reading Tips to improve your English

 

All work and no play… These three language games will make you forget you’re working on your English.

Sushi Spell: Chop up as many words as possible, and become a true word sushi master.

Wordshake: Speed is the key in this vocabulary game.

Pic your wits: Guess what’s in the picture. But make sure to use the right word!

 

 

Language Trivia

Sentences that use every letter in the English language are called pangrams. For example, ‘The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog’.

You are probably familiar with our self-study platform ScribblPro.

It contains hundreds of short useful exercises to improve your English grammar and vocabulary skills. Using traditional exercises, but also audiovisual material.

What makes it so convenient is that you get your results instantly. You know immediately how much you have improved.

 

LOG IN AND GET BUSY!

 

 

Language Trivia

The most commonly used adjective in the English language is ‘good’ and the most common noun is ‘time’.

We would also recommend using English Central’s learning platform.

You can choose between thousands of amazing videos, based on your level and interests. All of them contain text transcriptions and word definitions. Very useful and super fun to practice your spoken English!

HAVE A LOOK

More tips

• 5 must-watch series for English learners
• Rich and poor

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What do you do to wind down after a long day at work? If you’re like us, you plop yourself down on the couch with some snacks and watch a few episodes of your favourite TV series. But did you know that watching television in English (with subtitles) will actually help you improve your language skills?

Here are our top picks for business-related viewing pleasure. Pass the remote!

 

House of Cards

Politics boring? Think again! This Washington DC-based series, starring Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright as a cold power couple, will keep you on the edge of your seat while teaching you everything you need to know about the American government.

The Office

Selling paper sounds boring? Well, in the award-winning British fake documentary series The Office, it really is. But David Brent and his co-workers make the best of it by building walls out of office supplies, joining quiz teams and making up songs. A must-watch for any anglophile.

Parks and Recreation

If you’ve ever worked – or still work – in local administration, you’ll recognise some of the situations in Parks and Rec. This warm-hearted comedy is more about the charming characters than it is about what they actually do – but you might pick up some useful one-liners along the way.

The IT crowd

IT workers may or may not recognise themselves or their colleagues in this outrageous comedy. All we know is, it sure is hilarious. Beginners may have some difficulty understanding the accents, but once you’ve overcome that hurdle, you’ll be hooked!

Mad Men

You might have heard people saying Mad Men is one of the best TV series ever. And they might just be right… This series, which combines personal drama with a look into the advertising world of the sixties, will make you hug your computer, and scan the internet for retro furniture.

(Other recommendations include Ally McBeal, Are you being served?, The Newsroom, The Hour, The West Wing, Party Down, Ugly Betty, Murphy Brown)

 

 

More tips

• English Central: a fun place to practice your spoken English
• Rich and poor

 

Listen to five different people talking about their jobs and do the exercises to improve your listening skills.

LISTEN AND LEARN

 

 

More tips

• Sing along… with your favourite song
• Common expressions during business meetings

Pick up an Agatha Christie book, scan the BBC website or read an English newspaper every now and then…

Reading English texts on a regular basis will allow you to make quick progress. And you will notice that the following 5 tips will even improve this process!

1. Read at a level slightly lower than what you understand. You should not have to look up a lot of words. I’s okay to look up a few words, though.
2. Make reading a ritual. Choose a time and place to read every day or week
3. Relate what you read to your own life. How does the reading apply to you?
4. Visualise what you are reading.
5. Listen and read. Find podcasts or videos that have transcripts and read along silently.

Language Trivia

One of the more common English words with five consecutive vowels is ‘Queueing’ and it means to wait in line.