Telephone English Phrases

I. Social Function
Telephoning is having a phone call. Telephoning holds an important role in the job world
especially as the media to communicate, particularly a communication of long
distance. In addition, telephoning makes the task easier. However, a professional must
be able to deal with it professionally so that in this unit the students will learn how to make
a phone call well. First let’s learn some essential telephone vocabulary, and then you will
some usefull expressions and examples of telephone conversations.

There are different types of phones:

 cell phones or mobile phones
(a cell phone with more advanced capabilities is called a smartphone)

(Source : https://www.espressoenglish.net/telephone-english-phrases/)

 pay phones or public phones

(Source : https://www.espressoenglish.net/telephone-english-phrases/)
 the regular telephone you have in your house is called a landline – to differentiate it
from a cell phone.

(Source : https://www.espressoenglish.net/telephone-english-phrases/)

 This type of phone is called a cordless phone because it is not connected by a cord.

(Source : https://www.espressoenglish.net/telephone-english-phrases/)

When someone calls you, the phone makes a sound – we say the phone
is ringing. If you’re available, you pick up the telephone or answer the telephone, in
order to talk to the person.
If there’s nobody to answer the phone, then the caller will have to leave a message
on an answering machine or voicemail. Later, you can call back or return the call.
When you want to make a phone call, you start by dialing the number. Let’s imagine that
you call your friend, but she’s already on the phone with someone else. You’ll hear
a busy signal – a beeping sound that tells you the other person is currently using the
phone.
Sometimes, when you call a company, they put you on hold. This is when you wait
for your call to be answered – usually while listening to music.
Finally, when you’re finished with the conversation, you hang up.
Now you know the basic telephone vocabulary (Look at the bold words in the text above).
In the next part of the lesson, you’re going to learn some useful English phrases for
talking on the phone.

II. Useful telephone vocabulary and phrases in English

Here are some common phrases and sentences you can use when speaking on the
telephone. The informal phrases are mostly for family and friends. The formal phrases
are for business and official calls and for calls to important people.

1. Making Calls
Making contact  Hello / Good morning / Good afternoon ...
 This is John Brown speaking
 Could I speak to ......... please?
 I'd like to speak to ..... .....
 I'm trying to contact ..........
Introduce  I'm calling from Tokyo / Paris / New York / Sydney ...
yourself/ Giving  I'm calling on behalf of Mr. X ...
more  Hey George. It's Lisa calling. (informal)
information
 Hello, this is Julie Madison calling.

 Hi. It's Angelina from the dentist's office here. (informal)

 Hello Satria. This is Alan calling from University of

Bengkulu.
Asking to speak
 Hi. Is Nina there? (informal)
with someone
 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?
Making a request  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?
 Could you speak up a little, please?
Leaving a  Can I leave / take a message?
message
 Could you give him/her a message?
 Could you ask him/her to call me back?
  Could you tell him/her that I called?
 Could you make sure he/she gets my message please?
 Yes, tell her that I call. This is Rita.
Ending a
 I think that’s all. I will wait for your further
conversation information.
 Thank you. I’ll call you again.

2. Receiving Calls
Taking a call
 Hello? Nanda speaking.
 Mutia Hanin speaking. Who's calling, please?
 Doctor Martin's office. May I know who's calling, please?
 Thank you for calling Jeans Plus. Jody speaking.
 Hello Dr Jones. How can I help you?
 City Library. Kim speaking. What can I do for you, Sam?
Asking for a  Who's calling please?
name  Who's speaking?
or information  Where are you calling from?
 Are you sure you have the right number / name?
Asking the caller  Hold the line please.
to wait  Could you hold on please?
 Just a moment please.
Connecting to  Thank you for holding.
someone  The line's free now ... I'll put you through.
 I'll connect you now / I'm connecting you now.
Giving negative  I'm afraid the line's engaged. Could you call back later?
information  I'm afraid she's in a meeting at the moment.
 I'm sorry. He's out of the office today.
 He/she isn't in at the moment.
 I'm afraid we don't have a Mr./Mrs./Ms/Miss. ... here
 I'm sorry.There's nobody here by that name.
 Sorry. I think you've dialled the wrong number.
 I'm afraid you've got the wrong number.
Telephone  The line is very bad ... Could you speak up please?
problems
 Could you repeat that please?
 I'm afraid I can't hear you.
  Sorry. I didn't catch that. Could you say that again
please?
Making a request  Could you please repeat that?

 Would you mind spelling that for me?

 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  Would you like to leave a message?
a message
 Could you give me your name please?
 Could you spell that please?
 What's your number please?
 Where/where can he/she reach you?
 I'm sorry, but Lisa's not here at the moment. Can I take 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.
Ending a
 Thanks for calling. Bye for now.
conversation
 I have to let you go now.

 I have another call coming through.Thank you

for calling.

 I'm afraid that's my other line.

 I'll talk to you again soon. Bye Jules.

Example :
Dialog 1
Someone to see Mr. Lubis, the general manager
Caller : Hello, May I speak to Mr. Lubis?
Secretary : Who’s calling please?
Caller : Andy Wibowo, is he in, please?
Secretary : He isn’t in the office, Sir. Would you like to leave a message?
Caller : No, thanks
Secretary : Would you call back later?
Caller : Yes, I will.
Dialog 2

Operator : Hello, Frank and Brothers, How can I help you?

Peter : This is Peter Jackson. Can I have extension 3421?

Operator : Certainly, hold on a minute, I'll put you through...

Frank : Bob Peterson's office, Frank speaking.

Peter : This is Peter Jackson calling, is Bob in?

Frank : I'm afraid he's out at the moment. Can I take a message?

Peter : Yes, Could you ask him to call me at . I need to talk to him about the
Nuovo line, it's urgent.

Frank : Could you repeat the number please.

Peter : Yes, that's , and this is Peter Jackson.

Frank : Thank you Mr Jackson, I'll make sure Bob gets this as soon as possible.

Peter : Thanks, bye.

Frank : Bye.

Dialog 3
Claire : Hello, finance department.
Female : Hello, can I speak to Adrian Norman, please?
Claire : I’m afraid he’s in a meeting at the moment. Can I help?
Female : No I need to talk to Mr. Norman, I think. What time will he be out of the
meeting?
 Claire : In about an hour. Can you call back later?
Female : Okay, I’ll do that.
Claire : Or can I take a message?
Female : Actually, would you mind? Could you tell him that Melisa Putri called and
that I’m in the office all day if he could call me back.
Claire : Can I take your number, please?
Female : Yes, it’s 5556872.
Claire : 5556872. Okay, I’ll make sure he gets the message.
Female : Thanks very much for your help, bye!
Claire : Goodbye!

III. Tata Bahasa

- Ucapan, tekanan kata & intonasi yang jelas dan tepat ketika mempresentasikan
secara lisan.