Phrases and vocabulary for presentations | Business English

"When I answered the phone in the office, the other person suddenly talked to me in English, and I was upset ..." "I have to make a phone call overseas in English, but the simulation in my head never lasts. It doesn't come together ... "

I think that there are many people who are not good at responding to English telephone calls.

One of the main reasons is that you can't rely on visual information. Since you cannot see the other person's facial expressions and gestures, you must understand the other person's English and respond immediately by relying only on the voice of the telephone.

In addition, there are some standard phrases and basic patterns for English phone calls, such as how to receive and make calls, and how to handle and handle calls when the person in charge is absent. Not being able to grasp them is also thought to be the reason why anxiety is not easily resolved.

I want to be able to handle difficult English calls without being nervous ... On the contrary, if I can overcome it, English conversation will be even more fun!

Therefore, this time, we will introduce the standard phrases and basic patterns that you should remember for those who want to seriously master English telephone correspondence.

<Table of Contents>

Phone phrases and patterns in English

1. Receive a call

2. to call

3. Answering machine

4. Cases that are difficult to handle

5. Practical example sentences for overseas business trips

[Telephone phrases and patterns in English 1] Receive a call

Answer the phone

Thank you for calling Big Mike Corporation. Hiroshi Suzuki speaking.

Thank you for calling. I'm Hiroshi Suzuki from Big Mike.

Hello, Intellectual Inc. This is Ryo Tanaka speaking. How can I help you?

Hello, this is Ryo Tanaka from Intellectual. What kind of business do you have?

Good morning. You have called the Sunset Hotel. May I help you?

good morning. This is the Sunset Hotel. Would you like to accept your request?

Listen to the other person's name

May I have your name, please?

Can you tell me your name?

May I ask who’s calling, please?

Which one is it?

Could you repeat your name?

Could you give me your name again?

Can I have your company name, please?

Could you give me your company name?

Excuse me, Mr. Smith, what company are you with?

Excuse me, but which company is Smith?

Check the person in charge

Who would you like to speak/talk to?

Who are you calling?

Who are you calling, please?

Who are you calling?

There are two Satohs here. Do you know which department he/she belongs to?

There are two Sato, but do you know the department you belong to?

Intervene with the person in charge

Hold on, please.

please wait a little bit.

Just a moment, please.

please wait a little bit.

Could you hold for a moment, please?

please wait a little bit.

I'll transfer you to the person in charge.

I will connect you to the person in charge.

Let me transfer you to the Human Resources Department.

I will connect you to the personnel department.

I'll put you through to the Sales Department.

We will connect you to the sales department.

This is he/she.

I am.

Mike, you have a phone call from Mr. Yoshida of Company X on line 2.

Mr. Mike and Mr. Yoshida of Company X are calling extension number 2.

Tell the person in charge that you are absent or unable to answer the phone

I’m afraid she is out right now.

Unfortunately, I'm out now.

I’m sorry, but she is away from her desk.

I'm sorry. I'm out of my seat right now.

I'm sorry. He is on another line.

I'm answering another phone right now.

I’m afraid he is in a meeting right now.

I'm in a meeting right now.

I'm afraid she is on a business trip.

I'm sorry, I'm on a business trip.

She should be back by 5 p.m.

I will be back by 5 o'clock.

I expect him back at 4 p.m.

I think I'll be back around 4 o'clock.

He will be back in an hour.

I will be back in an hour.

She has already left for home today.

I'm sorry for today.

What to do when the person in charge is absent or cannot answer the phone

Should I have him call you back?

Would you like me to call you back?

Would you like to hold?

Would you like to wait as it is?

Could you call again tomorrow?

Would you please call me again tomorrow?

I’ll ask her to call you as soon as she gets back.

I will tell you to call back as soon as the person in charge returns.

I’ll tell him you called.

I would like to inform you that you have called.

Would you like to leave a message?

Would you like to receive a message?

May I have your name again?

Could you give me your name again?

May I have your phone/contact number?

Can you give me a phone number?

May I have your e-mail address?

Can you tell me your email address?

Let me repeat your information.

I will repeat the information you received.

I’ll make sure he gets the message.

I will tell you.

To hang up the phone

Thank you for calling.

Thank you for calling me.

Is there anything I can help?

Do you have any other requirements?

Have a nice day.

Have a nice day.

[Telephone phrases and patterns 2 in English] Make a call

Give your name

Hello, this is Hiroshi Kobayashi of Grey Office.

Hello, this is Hiroshi Kobayashi from the Gray Office.

This is Akiko Itoh calling from Brainy Corp.

I'm Akiko Ito from Brainy.

Have the person in charge take over

Is Mr. Dan Potter there?

Do you have Dan Potter?

May I talk/speak to Mr. Clark?

Is Clark here?

May I speak to Mr. Klopp at extension 255?

Can I ask Mr. Klopp for extension number 255?

I’m returning a call from Ms. Rider.

It seems that the rider called me earlier, so I called back.

Could you transfer me to the sales department?

Would you please send this call to the sales department?

I'd like to speak to someone in charge of logistics.

I would like someone in charge of logistics.

Is there anyone who knows about this?

Does anyone know about this?

Determine the appointment time

I’d like to see you some time next week, if you are available.

I would like to see you next week if you have time.

When would be convenient for you?

When is it convenient for you?

I can arrange my schedule around yours.

I will meet your schedule.

That would be fine for me.

That's fine.

I’m sorry, but I’m not available on that day.

That day is not convenient.

How about Friday at 3:00? How about 3:00 on Friday?

Okay. I’ll see you at 11:00 on Wednesday.

See you on Wednesday at 11:00.

Decide where to make an appointment

Where would you like to meet?

Where would you like to meet?

I’ll visit you there.

I'll be there.

Do you think you could come to our office?

Can you come here?

Communicate appointment requirements

I would like to introduce you to our new technology.

We would like to introduce you to our new technology.

I would like to discuss the next filed trial with you.

I would like to talk about the next field test.

When the person in charge is absent

Can I leave a message?

Can you give me a message?

May I ask you to take a message?

Can you give me a message?

Could you tell him I called?

Can you tell me that you have a call?

About what time is he expected back?

What time will you be back?

Could you tell him to call me back when he returns?

Can you tell me that I would like you to call me back when I return?

I’ll give him a call at a later date.

I will call you again at a later date.

May I have his mobile number?

Can you tell me your cell phone number?

Then please tell her that I’ll send her an e-mail.

Please let us know that we will contact you by email.

May I speak to someone else in charge of this matter?

Would you please connect to another person who knows about this matter?

Change appointment

I’m afraid I have to reschedule our Thursday appointment.

I'd like to change my Thursday appointment.

Would it be possible to change the time?

May I change the time?

I’m sorry but I’m unable to visit you on Friday at 3 o’clock.

I'm sorry, but I couldn't go because it was inconvenient at 3 o'clock on Friday.

Can we reschedule for next week?

Would you please change it next week?

Call a mobile phone

Hello. Is this Mr. Jack Jones’ cell/mobile phone?

Hello. Did you like Jack Jones' mobile phone?

I just called your office and was told you are out.

I just called your office and heard that you are out.

Could I talk to you for a moment?

Is it all right now?

To hang up the phone

It was nice talking to you.

I'm glad I was able to talk.

Thank you for taking the time to speak with me.

Thank you for your time to talk.

I’m looking forward to seeing you then.

I'm looking forward to seeing you.

Talk to you later.

Let's talk again.

Okay, thank you for your time. Goodbye.

Thank you for your time. Please excuse me.

[Telephone phrases and patterns in English 3] Answering machine

Inject a response message into your answering machine

Hello, you have reached Red Sphere.

Yes, it's Redsphere.

We are unable to answer the phone at the moment.

I can't answer the phone right now.

Please leave a message and I’ll return your call as soon as possible. Thank you.

If you leave a message, we will call you back as soon as possible.

Thank you for calling IT Care Cargo.

Thank you for calling. IT Care Cargo.

We are currently unavailable to take your call.

I can't answer the phone right now.

Our business hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Friday.

Business hours are Monday to Friday, 9 am to 6 pm.

If you know the extension number of the person you are trying to leave a message for, you may dial it now.

If you know the extension number of the person you want to leave a message with, press it now.

Hello, you’ve reached Yoko Yamamoto of Office Supplies Limited.

Yes, this is Yoko Yamamoto from Office Surprise.

I am away on a business trip until Tuesday next week.

I'm on a business trip until next Tuesday.

Please leave your name, number and a message after the tone.

Please tell us your name, phone number and your requirements after the dial tone.

I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

We will get back to you as soon as possible.

Thanks for your call.

Thank you for calling me.

Leave a message on your answering machine

Hello, this is Takuo Takahashi of Red Corp.

Hello, this is Takuo Takahashi from Red.

I am calling regarding Mr. Grey’s next visit to Japan.

I called you about Mr. Gray's next visit to Japan.

Please call me when it’s convenient for you.

Please call us at your convenience.

My phone number is 012-3456-7890.

My phone number is 012-3456-7890.

I look forward to speaking with you. Thank you.

I am looking forward to talking with you. See you again.

Hi, Jared. This is Takashi Katoh.

This is Mr. Jared and Takashi Kato.

I am so happy to hear from you about an appointment.

I am very happy to receive an appointment request.

You can give me a call back at 012-3456-7890.

Please call us at 012-3456-7890.

But I want to let you know that yes, we are confirmed for an appointment on January 23rd and I’m really looking forward to it.

However, I would like to tell you earlier that, as you requested, let's schedule the appointment on January 23rd. I am looking forward to that day.

Take care. And again, if you need me for any reason, please call 012-3456-7890. Goodbye.

please take care of yourself. Again, if you need me for any reason, please call us at 012-3456-7890. Please excuse me.

[Telephone phrases and patterns 4 in English] Cases that are difficult to handle

If it is hard to hear

I’m sorry, but I can’t hear you very well. Could you repeat that?

I'm afraid, but the phone seems to be far away. Can you please again?

Could you speak more slowly, please?

Can you talk a little more slowly?

Could you speak a little louder, please?

Could you speak a little louder?

The reception is not very good.

The radio wave does not seem to be very good.

I’m having trouble hearing you.

I can't hear it well.

If the phone hangs up in the middle

I’m sorry, we got cut off.

I'm sorry, the phone has hung up.

I’m afraid I hung up the phone by mistake.

I'm sorry, but I accidentally hung up the phone.

To hang up a prolonged call

Well, okay … I’m afraid I have to get going now.

Excuse me, but I'm sorry.

I’m sorry, but I have to leave the office in 5 minutes.

I'm sorry, but I have to leave the office in 5 minutes.

Well, I’d better let you go now.

You shouldn't hold back for too long.

I have to get back to work.

I have to get back to work.

If you receive a wrong call

I’m afraid you’ve reached the wrong number.

It seems that the number is wrong.

There is no one named Satoshi Yamada here.

There is no one named Satoshi Yamada here.

Excuse me, what number are you calling?

Excuse me, but what number are you calling?

If you make a wrong call

I’m sorry. I have the wrong number.

I'm sorry. I made a mistake.

If you make a mistake in the extension call

I picked up the wrong extension.

I took the extension by mistake.

If the person in charge has retired

I’m afraid Mr. Sasaki has already left the company.

Sasaki has retired.

I’m sorry, but Ms. Yamaguchi no longer works here.

I'm sorry, Yamaguchi has retired.

If you need to check the spelling of your name or company name

Could you spell out your name, please?

Can you tell me the spelling of your name?

Yes, my name is Hiroshi Takata. It’s H as in Hotel, I as in India, R as in Romeo, O as in Oscar, S as in Sierra, H as in Hotel, I as in India, T as in Tango, A as in Alpha, K as in Kilo, A as in Alpha, T as in Tango, A as in Alpha.

Yes, my name is Hiroshi Takada and the spelling is Hotel H, India I, Romeo R, Oscar O, Sierra S, Hotel H, India I, Tango T, Alpha A, Kilo. K, Alpha A, Tango T, Alpha A.

About the phonetic code, The phonetic code is a rule used to prevent misspellings on the phone, and is also called the phonetic alphabet or spelling alphabet in English. If you print this out and have it with you, you won't have to worry about sudden English calls, but even if you don't have it, you can use the words you can think of to convey the alphabet. When checking spelling, it seems that only "as" or "for" is used instead of "as in" above.

• A: Alpha

• B: Well done

• C: Charlie

• D: Delta

• I have done

• F: Foxtrot

• G: Golf

• H: Hotel

• I: India

• J: Juliet

• K: Kilo

• L: Five

• M: Mike

• N: November

• O: Oscar

• Q: Pope

• Q: Quebec

• A: Romeo

• S: Saw

• T: Tango

• U: Uniform

• In: Victor

• W: Whiskey

• X: X-ray

• Y: yankee

• Z: Zulu

When holding or transferring

Could you hold on a second, please? I’ve got another call coming in.

Can you wait for a while? I'm getting another call.

Let me transfer you to Mr. Ichikawa in the HR Department. Hold for just a minute, please.

We will connect to Ichikawa of the Human Resources Department. please wait a little bit.

If you are not confident in understanding what you have discussed

I will send you an e-mail to confirm what we have talked about.

I'd like to confirm what I just talked about, so I'll send you an email later.

When connecting to someone who can speak English (last resort!)

Hold the line, please. I will get someone who speaks English.

Please wait as it is. It will be replaced by someone who can speak English.

I will transfer you to someone who speaks English.

I will connect you to someone who can speak English.

[Telephone phrases and patterns in English 5] Practical example sentences for overseas business trips

Let's learn the basic phrases and patterns used in the context of practice by looking at the following two example sentences that assume the situation of an actual overseas business trip!

Call the hotel to make a reservation

You will be on a business trip to Vancouver, Canada next month and will call the Maple Hotel to book a room from July 23rd. On a business trip for a group of four, two smokers and all want a single room with a single bed. Call the hotel to make a reservation.

Translation results

Thank you for calling! This is the Maple Hotel. What is your requirement?

You： I would like to book rooms please.

Please reserve a room.

Receptionist ： Sure. Which date will you arrive at the hotel?

Understood. When will you arrive at the hotel?

You： My check-in will be on the July twenty-third.

Check-in will be on July 23rd.

Receptionist ： Alright. I need to know how many people will be in your group.

Understood. Please tell us how many groups you are in.

You： We will be traveling as a group of 4 people.

I will ask in a group of four people.

Receptionist ： How many rooms would you like to reserve, and which type of bed do you prefer?

How many rooms would you like to reserve? What kind of bed would you like?

You： I want to book 4 rooms with 1 single bed.

I would like 4 single bed rooms.

Receptionist ： Right. Would you like to book smoking or non-smoking rooms?

Understood. How about smoking and quitting smoking?

You： I would like 2 smoking and 2 non-smoking rooms.

Can I ask for 2 smoking rooms and 2 non-smoking rooms?

Front desk clerk: No problem. Is that all for you?

It's okay. Is that all you need?

You: Yes, that's right.

Yes, it is.

Receptionist ： Perfect! Your reservation is completed. Thank you for your call!

Understood! The reservation has been completed. Thank you for calling me!

Call the restaurant to make a reservation

Your boss is planning to entertain customers in the United States on a business trip. You are asked to make a reservation at a local Italian restaurant for lunch tomorrow. Call the restaurant to reserve a seat. I will make a reservation for two people at 12:30 in the name of my boss Saito. Customers are allergic to nuts, so you need to make sure you tell the restaurant about it. Also, your boss wants to talk about important business, so ask for a quiet seat.

Restaurant clerk: Thank you for calling Mario's Restaurant. How can I help you?

Thank you for calling. This is Mario restaurant. I would like to ask you what you need.

You： I would like to book a table for lunch tomorrow.

Please reserve one seat at lunch tomorrow.

Restaurant clerk: Of course! For what time would you like to have the table reserved?

Understood! What time do you want to reserve your seat?

You： I’d like to have the table reserved for 12:30.

I'd like to reserve a seat from 12:30.

Restaurant clerk: We have a table available for 12:30. For how many people is the reservation?

Some seats are available from 12:30. How many people are you booking?

You: I need the table for two. I'd like to have a seat for two people.

Restaurant clerk: Perfect! What's the name for the booking?

There is! Can you tell me the name of your reservation?

You： The name for the booking is Mr. Saito.

Please make a reservation in the name of Saito.

Restaurant clerk: Okay. Do you have any special requirements regarding the food or the table?

Understood. Do you have any special requests regarding meals or seats?

You： I want you to know one of them has a nut allergy.

I want you to know that one person is allergic to nuts.

Restaurant clerk: I understand. Nothing containing nuts will be served. What other requirements do you have?

I understand. Nothing containing nuts will be served. Do you have any other requests?

You： I would like to reserve a quiet table.

I would like to reserve a quiet seat.

Restaurant clerk: Sure, we will prepare a quiet table for Mr. Saito. Do you have any other requirements?

Understood. We will prepare a quiet seat for Mr. Saito. Do you have any other requests?

You: Nothing else. That's all.

There is no other. that's all.

Restaurant clerk: Then your reservation is complete. Thank you for calling and have a nice day!

The reservation is now complete. Thank you for calling me. Have a nice day!

If you want to master English phone support, TerraTalk

We have introduced standard phrases and basic patterns that are useful for English phone calls, but how was it?

If you can learn some basic phrases and patterns and somehow predict in what context they will actually be used, you will be able to respond to sudden English calls without hassle. But if you want to improve your listening and speaking skills, that's not enough.

The feeling of experiencing listening and speaking lessons in TerraTalk is very similar to the feeling of making a phone call in English. Also, when you are taking lessons on your smartphone, it looks like you are calling in English from the people around you!

If you want to start an English conversation lesson while you're busy, try TerraTalk.