English Telephone Conversations! The following lesson provides common phrases used on the phone in daily conversation with useful examples and ESL infographic.
English Telephone Conversations
Vocabulary: Phones
- Telephone/ phone
E.g. The telephone rang and interrupted my train of thought.
- Cordless telephone
(A cordless telephone or portable telephone is a telephone in which the handset is portable and communicates with the body of the phone by radio, instead of being attached by a cord.)
- Cell phone/ mobile
E.g. I talked to her on my cell phone.
- Phone box
E.g. When the car broke down, I walked to the nearest phone box to call the garage.
- Payphone
E.g. There’s a public payphone in reception.
- Top-up card
E.g. He’ll be able to buy all the penny chews and mobile phone top-up cards he wants.
- Landline
E.g. Landline phones are an open channel.
- Phone book
E.g. I picked up the phone book and glanced through it.
Vocabulary: Making a telephone call
- To call
E.g. I’ll call a taxi for you.
- To phone
E.g. He phoned to invite me out for dinner.
- To make a phone call
E.g. I’ll just make a phone call while you finish the dishes.
- To ring
E.g. I’ll ring you up later.
- To dial the number
E.g. You grab the phone and dial the number to your office.
- To dial a wrong number
E.g. Today, though, I got a wrong number call, and I said (nicely) “I’m sorry, you have the wrong number
- To pick up the phone
E.g. I went to pick up the phone/receiver, but it had stopped ringing.
- To hang up
E.g. It’s no use. Let’s hang up and try for a better line.
- To call back
E.g. I’ll call back at a more convenient time.
- To answer
E.g. I went downstairs to answer the phone.
- To send a text message
E.g. If the software detects unusual activity on an account, it will send a text message to the mobile phone.
- To text
E.g. Text me when you’re on your way.
Useful Vocabulary
– Line
– Engaged/busy
– Out of order
– Reverse-charge call
– Long distance call
– Local call
– National call
– International call
– Dialing code
– Number
– Wrong number
– Speed dial
– Enquiries
– Message
– Operator
– Answering machine
Phrases On the Phone
– David speaking!
– Excuse me, who’s speaking (Calling)?
– Could you put me through to Jane?
– Could I speak (I’d like to speak) to Jane?
– I can’t get through to Janes office.
– Where can I reach her?
– Sorry! I’ve got the wrong number.
– Can I leave a message?
– Can you hold the line?
– Hold the line/ Hold on.
– We were/ got cut off.
– I can’t get a signal here.
– My number is one four two nine six five…
English Telephone Conversations
Formal
- Good Morning
- This is … speaking
- Could I speak to…please?
- I’m trying to contact…
- I’m calling on behalf of…
- …speaking, how may I help you?
- May I ask who’s calling, please?
- Could I speak to someone who…?
- I would like to make a reservation, please
- Could you hold on a moment, please
- I’m sorry, he’s out of the office today
- I’m afraid my English isn’t very strong, could you speak slowly, please?
- Can I leave a message, please?
- Thank you for calling
Informal
- Hi, it’s…here
- Is…there?
- I’m in the post office at the moment, and I just needed…
- Hello, John’s phone
- Who is it?
- Just a minute
- Okay, wait a moment, please!
- …is out at the moment
- Sorry, I didn’t catch that
- I can’t hear you very well
- I’ll ask him to ring you when…gets back
- I’ll let…know that you rang
- Bye
- Talk soon
- Speak to you again soon
English Telephone Conversations | Image
- Plural of Process in the English Grammar - October 3, 2023
- Best Kahoot Names: Get Creative with These Fun Ideas! - October 2, 2023
- List of Homophones for English Learners - September 30, 2023
Dag
Monday 9th of April 2018
Everythings you post are interesting. Please send me a conversation book software.
hussein. abdulkadir
Friday 22nd of December 2017
I want tofollow your page