English for work
Telephoning phrases: how to clarify on a call in English
Phrases to stay in control of a phone call: check you heard right, confirm by paraphrasing, and follow up in writing.
Book a trial classPhrases for every stage
Checking you heard right
- Sorry, could you say that again?
- I didn't quite catch that.
- Could you repeat the last part?
Confirming by paraphrasing
- So, if I understood correctly, you need this by Friday.
- Let me just check I've got this right.
- Just to confirm, you're saying the budget changed.
Dealing with a bad line
- You're breaking up a little.
- I'm losing you, can you hear me?
- Let me call you back, the line's not great.
Asking for details in writing
- Could you send that over in an email, just so I have it in writing?
- Would you mind putting that in an email after the call?
- I'll follow up in writing so we both have it.
Closing a call
- Just to recap, we agreed on Friday.
- I'll follow up with an email summarizing this.
- Thanks for your time, talk soon.
Unsure to clear
| Unsure | Clear |
|---|---|
| Um, okay, I think I got it. | So just to confirm, we're moving the deadline to Friday. |
| Sorry, what? | Sorry, could you say that again? |
| Yeah, yeah, sure. | Let me repeat that back to make sure I've got it right. |
Watch out if you speak Spanish
- A direct how? (como un como? literal) sounds abrupt in English. Use sorry, could you say that again? instead.
- Asking someone to repeat is not a sign you don't understand English, it's standard practice on business calls, even between native speakers.
- Paraphrasing back what you heard is a normal confirmation step, not a sign of confusion.
- A bad phone connection happens to everyone. Naming it directly (you're breaking up) is more useful than pretending you understood.
Practice
Open cloze
Write one word in each gap to complete the phrase.
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Questions
- Is it rude to ask someone to repeat themselves?
- No, it's completely normal, even native speakers do it constantly on calls. Could you say that again? is a standard, polite phrase.
- How do I make sure I understood something important on a call?
- Paraphrase it back: so if I understood correctly, you need... It confirms you both agree before you hang up.
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