On a bad line or in a slow message thread, you cannot see a face — so English leans on a handful of fixed phrases that say what is happening without blaming anybody.
1. The first line of every call
Nils: Can you hear me?
Oona: Now I can. You were muted.
Nils: I'm always muted.
Oona: Start the meeting unmuted and mute yourself after.
Nils: That's backwards, and it would work.
2. A signal that keeps dropping
Rafa: So the delivery is on the ninth, and the...
Suki: You're breaking up. Say the date again.
Rafa: The ninth. Nine.
Suki: Nine. Got it.
Rafa: I'll text it as well.
3. Not a good moment
Tia: Is this a bad moment?
Uri: I'm on the motorway. Let me call you back in ten.
Tia: Ten's fine.
Uri: Is it something quick?
Tia: It can wait an hour.
4. Promising a file
Wes: Have you got the floor plan?
Xena: On my laptop. I'll send it over.
Wes: PDF, if you can.
Xena: PDF and the measurements.
Wes: Perfect. Then I can order.
5. A late reply in a chat
Yuki: Just seen this — sorry, I was on site all day.
Zane: No problem. Did you read the last one?
Yuki: The one about Tuesday? Yes.
Zane: Then you know it moved to Thursday.
Yuki: Thursday. Noted.
6. A late reply by email
Abel: Sorry for the late reply. Your email went to spam.
Bess: Mine does that to half the office.
Abel: I've moved you to safe senders.
Bess: Good. Did you see the question at the bottom?
Abel: I did. Yes to both.
7. A silence on the line
Cira: And that's the last of it. Are you still there?
Dov: Still here. I was writing it down.
Cira: Did you get the postcode?
Dov: Everything but the postcode.
Cira: It's on the letter. Bottom right.
8. Ending a call in four words
Eve: My taxi's outside.
Finn: Go. Talk later.
Eve: Talk later. Message me about Sunday.
Finn: I will. Safe trip.
Eve: Thanks. Bye.
Words to know
| Can you hear me? | The first line of half the calls in the world. It is about the line, not you. Can you hear me? |
| You're breaking up | Tells someone the signal is failing, not that they are speaking unclearly. You're breaking up. Say the date again. |
| Let me call you back | Ends a call politely when you cannot talk right now. Let me call you back in ten. |
| I'll send it over | Promises to send a file or a link, usually straight away. On my laptop. I'll send it over. |
| Just seen this | Opens a late reply in a chat, before any apology. Just seen this — sorry, I was on site all day. |
| Sorry for the late reply | The email version of the same thing, one step more formal. Sorry for the late reply. Your email went to spam. |
| Are you still there? | Checks a silent line without accusing anyone of leaving. Are you still there? |
| Talk later | The everyday phone goodbye — shorter and warmer than goodbye. Go. Talk later. |
Quick practice
Complete each line with an expression from this lesson.
1. You are not sure the other person can hear you.
“________”
2. The signal keeps cutting out in the middle of sentences.
“________. Say the date again.”
3. You are driving and cannot talk now.
“________ in ten.”
4. You have the floor plan on your laptop.
“On my laptop. ________.”
5. You are replying to a message sent this morning.
“________ — sorry, I was on site all day.”
6. The line has gone quiet for several seconds.
“________”
Show the answers
1. Can you hear me? 2. You're breaking up 3. Let me call you back 4. I'll send it over 5. Just seen this 6. Are you still there?
Common mistakes
Not: Speak louder!
Say: You're breaking up.
Speak louder blames the person. Breaking up blames the signal, and on a bad line the signal is nearly always the guilty one.
Not: Why no answer?
Say: Are you still there?
The first sounds like an accusation down a silent line. The second assumes the technology failed rather than the person.
Not: Sorry, I was busy.
Say: Sorry for the late reply.
Explaining that you were busy tells the other person they were low on your list. The set phrase apologizes without ranking anybody.
Your turn
Say these into a real phone if you can. Phone English is faster and flatter than face-to-face English, and that takes practice.
- Open a call when you are not sure the other person can hear you, and fix the problem.
- The line is bad. Ask for one important detail to be repeated.
- You cannot talk now. End the call politely and say when you will ring back.
- Reply to a message from six hours ago, and explain in half a sentence.
- End a friendly call in three short turns, with something arranged for later.
Quick review
Phone and chat phrases all protect somebody. You're breaking up protects the speaker. Are you still there? protects the silence. Just seen this and Sorry for the late reply protect you. Learn which one belongs to a call and which belongs to a message, because swapping them sounds odd immediately.