How to Talk on the Phone in English Like a Pro – Real Conversations | English Podcast ✅

Have you ever answered the phone in

English and suddenly your mind goes

completely blank? You know the words you

studied English. But the moment you

hear, "Hello, this is Mark speaking."

Your heart races, your hands sweat, and

you think, "Why is this so hard?" Here's

the secret. Phone English is different.

No face, no body language, just your

voice. And today, I'll show you how to

sound calm, clear, and confident on the

phone in English, even if you're

nervous. Welcome to the Focus English

podcast.

All right, Henry, imagine this. We are

at home. You're sitting on the sofa. You

have a cup of coffee.

>> Yes. Coffee first. Always coffee.

>> Exactly. And suddenly your phone rings.

It's an important call from a company.

>> Oh no. Important calls are scary.

>> You look at your phone. You take a deep

breath and you answer. Go. Uh, hello.

Yes. Hello. Hello.

>> The other person speaks. Hello. This is

Sarah from Bright Solutions. May I speak

to Henry, please?

>> Yes, I am Henry speaking, I think.

>> Great. The call continues. I'm calling

about your application.

>> My Apple application? Sorry. Sorry. The

line is bad.

>> Pause. Freeze.

Perfect. This is exactly what happens to

learners. Let's break this down slowly.

Henry, phone English feels hard because

you cannot see the person. So, today

we'll focus on six key phone words you

really need.

>> Only six? My brain says thank you. Yes,

just six. Here they are. Call, speaking,

hold, transfer, line, voicemail.

>> Okay, I already feel smarter.

>> Let's start with the most important one.

Call. I'm calling about. This is very

common.

>> So, I don't say I phone you.

>> Good question. In English, we say call,

not phone you. For example, I'm calling

about your order. I'm calling to ask a

question.

>> Calling about calling to. Okay.

>> Next word, speaking. When someone asks,

"May I speak to Henry?" you say, "This

is Henry speaking." Not I am Henry

talking.

>> Exactly. That sounds strange. This is

Henry speaking. Very professional. Very

natural.

>> I like it. I sound important.

>> You do. Now the word hold. Sometimes the

other person says, "Please hold."

>> Hold. Like hold the phone in my hand.

>> Not exactly. Hold means wait. So you can

say please hold for a moment or can you

hold please?

>> Ah wait that's easy.

>> Next is transfer. This is very common in

companies.

>> I hate transfer.

>> Everyone hates transfer. Transfer means

to move the call to another person. For

example, I will transfer you to my

manager.

>> So, I don't move, the call moves.

>> Exactly. You stay calm, the call

travels.

>> Magic phone.

>> Next word, line. You already used this

one, Henry. Very well.

>> Yes, I said the line is bad.

>> Perfect. We say the line is bad. The

line is busy. The line is breaking up.

>> Breaking up like relationship.

>> Similar feeling. Yes. It means the sound

is not clear.

>> Okay. Sad phone relationship.

>> Last word. Voicemail. If someone doesn't

answer, you hear a message

>> and I panic.

>> Instead, you say, "Hello, this is Henry.

I'm calling about the meeting. Please

call me back.

>> Short, simple, no poem.

>> Exactly. Phones love simple English.

Now, let's practice together. Listeners,

speak out loud if you can. Henry, are

you ready?

>> Ready, I think. Good morning, Bright

Solutions. How can I help you?

>> Repeat after me. Good morning. I'm

calling about.

>> Good morning. I'm calling about.

>> Excellent. Again, everyone.

>> Good morning. I'm calling about.

>> Now this one. May I speak to?

>> May I speak to?

>> Perfect. Next phrase. Can you please

hold?

>> Can you please hold?

>> Very nice. Next. I'll transfer you.

>> I'll transfer you.

>> Last one. Very important. The line is

bad.

>> The line is bad.

>> Beautiful. Calm, clear, professional.

>> I sound like I work in an office now.

>> Now, let's make it harder. Something

goes wrong. Of course it does.

>> Hello. Hello. I can't hear you.

>> I hear me. Hello.

>> Pause. Here are emergency phone phrases.

Simple. Powerful.

>> My favorite kind.

>> Say, "Sorry, the line is bad."

>> Sorry, the line is bad.

>> Next. Can you repeat that please?

>> Can you repeat that please?

>> Next. Let me call you back.

>> Let me call you back.

>> Perfect. Now the call drops.

>> No,

>> it's okay. You call again.

>> Hello, this is Henry speaking. Sorry, we

were disconnected.

>> That was excellent. truly. Let's review.

Today you learned six powerful phone

words. Call, speaking, hold, transfer,

line, voicemail.

>> And I did not cry.

>> You stayed calm. Remember, phone English

is not fast English. It's clear English.

Short sentences, slow voice, deep

breath.

>> Exactly. And confidence grows with

practice.

>> Okay. Question of the day. What phone

call is the hardest for you in English?

Work, doctor, customer service?

>> Tell us in the comments. We read them

all. And if this episode helped you,

>> subscribe to Focus English the podcast

and practice a little every day.

>> Thank you for listening.

>> See you next time. And remember, you

don't need perfect English.