Sometimes the honest answer is not yes or no, but not yet. These eight phrases buy you a day without making anyone think you are avoiding them.
1. A job you cannot promise yet
Fiona: Can you take the job in October?
Bruno: Let me get back to you — I need to look at the other bookings.
Fiona: When do you think?
Bruno: Thursday at the latest.
Fiona: Thursday is fine.
2. Effort, not a promise
Aziz: Could the report be ready by Wednesday, not Friday?
Dana: I'll see what I can do. No promises.
Aziz: Understood. Even a draft would help.
Dana: A draft I can do by Wednesday.
Aziz: That's all I need.
3. Taking the pressure off
Rosa: Sorry, I still haven't read your notes.
Ken: No rush. I don't need them until next week.
Rosa: I'll do it tonight.
Ken: Do it when you're fresh. Tired reading is wasted reading.
Rosa: Tomorrow morning, then.
4. Nobody is waiting
Neve: I'm nearly finished. Two more boxes.
Gus: Take your time. The van's not going anywhere.
Neve: I keep finding more books.
Gus: There are always more books.
Neve: Five minutes. I promise.
5. A slow screen
Yusuf: Do you have the booking under Okafor?
Rin: Bear with me — the system is slow this morning.
Yusuf: No problem.
Rin: Here it is. Friday at four.
Yusuf: That's the one.
6. The answer is written down somewhere
Sofia: Is the hall free on the eighteenth?
Jasper: I'll need to check the diary. Give me an hour.
Sofia: An hour is fine.
Jasper: If it's taken, the twenty-fifth is free for certain.
Sofia: Both dates suit us.
7. Promising an answer either way
Malik: Are you coming to the workshop or not?
Petra: I'll let you know either way by Friday.
Malik: Friday is the cut-off for numbers.
Petra: Then Friday you'll have an answer.
Malik: That's all I'm asking.
8. Stopping a rumour
Tariq: I heard the office is moving.
Wren: Nothing's decided yet. They're looking at three buildings.
Tariq: Three? Where?
Wren: All in town. That's all anyone knows.
Tariq: I'll stop asking, then.
Words to know
| Let me get back to you | Buys time on a question you cannot answer now, with a promise to answer later. Let me get back to you — I need to look at the other bookings. |
| I'll see what I can do | Promises effort, not a result. Honest, and still helpful. I'll see what I can do. No promises. |
| No rush | Tells someone a delay is genuinely fine, so they can stop apologizing. No rush. I don't need them until next week. |
| Take your time | Removes the pressure from someone working in front of you. Take your time. The van's not going anywhere. |
| Bear with me | Asks for a few seconds of patience while you do something. Bear with me — the system is slow this morning. |
| I'll need to check | Says the answer exists, but it is not in your head right now. I'll need to check the diary. Give me an hour. |
| I'll let you know either way | Promises an answer whether it is yes or no, so nobody is left waiting. I'll let you know either way by Friday. |
| Nothing's decided yet | Shuts down a rumour without pretending you know nothing at all. Nothing's decided yet. They're looking at three buildings. |
Quick practice
Complete each line with an expression from this lesson.
1. You cannot answer about October until you check your other work.
“________ — I need to look at the other bookings.”
2. You will try to move a deadline but you cannot promise it.
“________. No promises.”
3. Someone apologizes for not reading your notes yet.
“________. I don't need them until next week.”
4. A friend is packing and feels hurried.
“________. The van's not going anywhere.”
5. A slow computer is making the caller wait.
“________ — the system is slow this morning.”
6. You will answer by Friday whether it is yes or no.
“________ by Friday.”
Show the answers
1. Let me get back to you 2. I'll see what I can do 3. No rush 4. Take your time 5. Bear with me 6. I'll let you know either way
Common mistakes
Not: Wait.
Say: Bear with me.
Wait is what you shout at a child near a road. Bear with me asks for the same pause and treats the other person as an equal.
Not: Ask me tomorrow.
Say: Let me get back to you.
The first pushes the work onto them. The second keeps the job on your side of the table, which is the whole point of the phrase.
Not: I don't know.
Say: I'll see what I can do.
I don't know ends the conversation. English expects a phrase that shows effort, even when the answer may still turn out to be no.
Your turn
Say each one out loud, then invent the sentence that comes after it. These phrases are almost never used alone.
- Someone asks you to take on work next month. Buy yourself two days, and name the day you will answer.
- A colleague asks for something earlier than agreed. Promise effort without promising the date.
- Someone apologizes for being slow. Tell them it is fine, and say why.
- You are on the phone and need ten seconds to find something. Ask for the pause.
- Someone asks you about a rumour at work. Close it down honestly in two sentences.
Quick review
Not yet is a real answer, but only if you attach something to it. Let me get back to you needs a day. I'll see what I can do needs No promises. I'll let you know either way needs a deadline. A time phrase with nothing after it is how you turn a delay into a broken promise.