Have you ever been in a situation at work in which you had to answer the phone or make a phone call in English and you didn’t know how to start? In this lesson, we will look at some examples of how to use polite language when taking and making a phone call.
To begin, when taking a call it is always a good idea to start with a greeting, then say your company name and then your name:
Hello/Good morning/Good afternoon. (Company name), (your name) speaking, how may I help you?
When making a call and you need to ask for somebody, always remember to use indirect questions and modal verbs:
Could I please speak to (person’s name)?
Another situation you might find yourself in when taking a call is taking a message, in this case this expression will help get you by:
I’m afraid he/she’s not available at the moment/not here today. Can I take a message?
Don´t be afraid to ask for clarification or for the other person to repeat information. Here are some useful expressions you should use:
I’m sorry, could you please repeat that?
Would you mind speaking up a bit? I can’t hear you very well.
If you need to make requests, use modal verbs like could and would to make indirect questions.
Could you send me an email with the detailed offer?
Would you mind sending me the report again, please?
Small talk
Small talk helps both you and the other person feel more comfortable especially when you don’t really know each other that well. You can also talk about topics like; the weather, entertainment, sports, work, and travel. For example:
It’s unusually hot today, isn’t it?
What are your plans for this summer?
Do you like football? Did you see the match last night?
It is really important to remember to try and avoid talking about politics or any other controversial topics when making small talk, this could lead to heated conversation and doesn’t make the best first impression!
Do you know any other must-have phrases for professional phone calls? Share it in the comments!
Must-Have Phrases for Professional Phone Calls
Grammar – Modal Verbs 
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Modal Verbs
- MODALS do not change tense in the past, present, and future. All modals can refer to the present and future; some can also refer to the past.
- Remember, the MODALS are: can/could, will/would, shall/should, and may/might.
- We use modals for polite requests in the present. Can/Will/Shall is more familiar; Could/Would/Should is more formal.
- “Hey friend! Can you help me cut some vegetables for this salad?”
- “Excuse me officer, could you give me direction to this hostel?”
- Compare “Will you gimme a quick call after work?” to “Would you please call me after work, Director Simmons?”
- We use PAST MODALS for reported speech:
- Sarah: “I will arrive early to the airport.” -> Me: “Sarah told me that she would arrive early to the airport.”
- Tom: “I can do computer programming.” -> Me: “Tom said that he could do computer programming.”
- Jeff and Andrew: “We may reserve a different site for the party.” -> Me:
- “Jeff and Andrew said that they might reserve a different site.”
- “When Eric was a teenager, he could run ten miles without stopping, and he can still run ten miles now!” (“could” as a past modal; “can” refers to the present.)
- We can also indicate the past tense of a MODAL by placing HAVE+VERB+ED after it:
- “I would have fixed the leak if you would have told me about it, but don’t worry, I’ll fix it today!” (“would have” refers to the past; “will” refers to the future)
- “We should have paid more attention in the last class, but I promise that we shall pay attention from now on!” (“should have” refers to the past; “shall” refers to the future.”
Go back to unit 2 to complete the 3 microlessons.
Good job!
Very good hints to use modal verbs. Thank you very much.
We are glad you find it useful Jeannette!
I’d like to know them before, I could use them almost all the time.
Great topic, it’s so important to me. However now we have less phone conversation and speak more via skipe and messengers these tips are still actually.
That is good te hear. We are happy that we can help.
Great idea to learn more with this Business English course.
I’m almost a good speaker in my workplace!!
Thanks, ABA English!!