Speak English Over The Phone!

Summary

This video teaches how to have a conversation over the phone in English, focusing on essential phone-related vocabulary and common phrases. It covers various phone functions like dialing, answering calls, asking for someone, identifying yourself, and handling common issues like bad connections or wrong numbers. Practical examples are provided to demonstrate how to use these phrases in different scenarios, making the lesson both engaging and applicable. By the end, viewers will have a solid foundation to handle phone conversations in both informal and business contexts with confidence.

Takeaways

• 😀 Learn essential phone conversation vocabulary, such as 'dial,' 'pick up,' 'hang up,' and 'put you through.'
• 😀 Understand the different ways to say 'call someone' using synonyms like 'phone,' 'ring,' or 'give someone a ring.'
• 😀 To answer the phone casually, simply say 'Hello,' but for a business context, use 'This is [Your Name].'
• 😀 When asking to speak with someone, you can say 'Could I speak with [Name]?' or 'Could I speak to [Name]?'
• 😀 To introduce yourself over the phone, use 'This is [Your Name]' or say 'Speaking' if asked for your name.
• 😀 Learn to politely ask for someone’s name with 'Who's this?' (American) or 'Who's that?' (British), or more formally 'Who's calling please?'
• 😀 If someone is unavailable, say 'I'm afraid [Name] is not in at the moment,' and offer to take or leave a message.
• 😀 When asking someone to wait, use phrases like 'Hold on,' 'Just a moment,' or in business settings, 'May I put you on hold?'
• 😀 To handle wrong numbers, say 'Sorry, I think I've got the wrong number,' or 'Sorry, you've got the wrong number.'
• 😀 When experiencing a poor connection, say 'You're breaking up' or 'Sorry, I couldn't catch that, could you repeat, please?'
• 😀 In case of a disconnection, apologize with 'Sorry, I got cut off' and call back to continue the conversation.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of this video?

The main purpose of the video is to teach viewers how to have a phone conversation in English, covering relevant vocabulary, common phrases, and different phone conversation scenarios.

What does the verb 'dial' mean?

'Dial' refers to the act of entering a phone number in order to make a call. For example, you dial a number to call someone.

What is the difference between 'dialing' and 'phoning' someone?

'Dialing' refers to entering a phone number, while 'phoning' (or 'calling' or 'ringing') refers to the act of contacting someone via the phone.

What do you say when you answer the phone in a business setting?

In a business setting, you should state your full name when answering the phone. For example, 'Hello, this is [Your Name].'

What should you say if you want to ask for someone else on the phone?

You can say 'Could I speak with [Name]?' or 'Could I speak to [Name]?' Both phrases are commonly used to ask for someone else on the phone.

How do you introduce yourself on the phone?

When introducing yourself on the phone, instead of saying 'I'm [Name]', you should say 'This is [Name]'. For informal contexts, you can say 'This is he' or 'This is she'.

What should you say if you are calling someone and they ask who you are?

If someone asks who you are, you can respond by saying 'This is [Your Name]' or simply 'Speaking'.

How do you politely ask for someone's name on the phone?

You can ask for someone's name by saying 'Who's this?' or 'Who's that?', with 'Who's calling please?' being a more formal and polite version.

What should you say if the person you're calling is not available?

If the person you're calling is not available, you can say 'I'm afraid he's/she's not in at the moment' or offer to leave a message or call back later.

What can you say if the phone call connection is poor?

If the connection is poor and the call keeps disconnecting, you can say 'You're breaking up' or 'Sorry, I couldn't catch that. You're breaking up.' You can also say 'Sorry, I got cut off' if the call disconnects unexpectedly.