25 Essential English Phrases - LSI

25 Essential English Phrases for conversation
Introductions
Sometimes breaking the ice in your second (or third!) language can be difficult. Maybe you
want to talk with people but you are nervous about how to start a conversation or how to
reply to common questions. Here are four essential phrases that we often use when meeting
a new person or starting a conversation with an acquaintance. These phrases will help you
sound more natural when you greet people.
1. Nice to meet you.

Usually we say “nice to meet you” after someone tells us their name. Or you can say “it was nice
meeting you” when the conversation is finished and you are leaving.
2. How’s it going?
This is a casual way of asking “how are you?” You can use it with friends, but don’t use it in formal
situations like a job interview. Here are some possible answers to his question: Great! Pretty good.
It’s okay. Not bad. Can’t complain!
3. What’s up?
This is also a casual greeting, but it is a little different from “how’s it going”. The speaker is asking
what is happening but in a very general way. You don’t have to explain what you are doing in detail.
Possible answers are: Not much. Just studying. I’m just waiting for my class.
4. What do you do?
This question means “what is your job?” Be careful: it does not mean “what are you doing?”
Keeping the conversation going

Do you ever start a conversation in English and find that it ends too quickly? If you want to keep chatting, it
can help to show interest in other people’s opinions. Here are three phrases that will help you keep the
conversation going so that you can practice your English and make new friends.
1. What do you think about…?
This is a general question that can be used in any situation. Most people like sharing their thoughts,
so asking this question can help you to continue a conversation.
2. How did you get into…?
To ‘be into’ or ‘get into’ means to be interested in something. If you have learned something about a
classmate or colleague, you can use this question to ask about their hobbies. For example, “How did
you get into playing chess?”
3. Check this out!
This is a common phrase that you can use to ask someone to look at something. For example, “check
out this view!” You can use this phrase to show your new friend something interesting or funny.
Ending the conversation

When it’s time to end the conversation, it’s best to do it in a natural and friendly way. Here are five phrases
that will help you wrap up a conversation and say goodbye gracefully.
1. That sounds good.
You can use this phrase to agree to a suggestion or an idea. For example, if someone suggests
watching a movie, going to a restaurant or taking a break, you can reply “that sounds good” if you
agree. Sometimes people just say “sounds good!”
2. That works for me.
This is another phrase that you can use to agree to a suggestion. This phrase is a little bit different
from “that sounds good” because “that works for me” is more useful for plans and arrangements.
For example, if someone suggests meeting at 3:00, you can say “that works for me”.
3. It was nice chatting with you.
You can use this phrase to say that you enjoyed talking to someone. This can be a good way to start
a friendship.
4. Have a good one.
This is a friendly and casual way of saying goodbye. It means “have a good day.”
5. I’m heading home.
Sometimes ‘heading’ means ‘going’. In this case, the sentence will usually include a place, like home
or work. For example, I’m heading to work now. Sometimes when we need to end a conversation, we
tell the other person that we need to go somewhere. For example, “It was nice chatting with you! I’m
going to head to the gym.”
Useful questions for clarifying

When you are learning a new language, you will sometimes need to ask clarifying questions to make sure
you understood. This includes asking people to repeat or to explain something.
1. Could you say that again, please?
This is a more natural way of saying ‘please repeat’.
2. What does __ mean?
If you don’t know the meaning of a word, you should ask “what does __ mean.” Be careful: it is not
correct to say “what means __?”
3. How do you spell that?
This can be a useful question if you need to write a word. It can also help you remember a name that
is unfamiliar to you.
Useful questions for polite interactions

When we ask a stranger or an acquaintance for help or for permission, there are different ways that we
can ask politely to show respect. These three phrases will help you sound polite when asking questions in
English.
1. Do you mind if I…?
You can use this expression to ask if an action would disturb someone. For example, “Do you mind if
I close the window?” Or “do you mind if I smoke here?”
2. I was wondering if…
This is an indirect way of asking a question. For example, instead of asking “Can I borrow your
notes?” you can say “I was wondering if I could borrow your notes.” When you use this phrase, you
have to use the next verb in the past tense: “I was wondering if you wanted to watch the game with
me.”
3. Could you give me a hand?
Give someone a hand means help someone, usually with something physical. If you need help, you
can ask “Could you give me a hand?” If you see someone who might need help, for example
someone is trying to move a heavy object, you can ask “Can I give you a hand with that?” When we
are asking for help, we usually use ‘could’ because it sounds more polite than ‘can’.
Polite language
Sometimes we just need a simple, polite phrase for the appropriate situation. Here are four easy phrases
that you can use to sound more natural in common social contexts.
1. Excuse me.
This phrase is useful in many situations. You can use it to apologize for something small, like
bumping into someone by accident. You can use it to get someone’s attention before asking a
question, like in a store. You can also use it to politely ask someone to move aside if you are trying to
walk, for example on a sidewalk.
2. I really appreciate it.
When you want to say more than just ‘thank you’, you can add this phrase. For example, “thanks so
much for helping me. I really appreciate it!”
3. That’s really nice of you!
This is another way to give someone an extra ‘thanks’. You can replace nice with other words, like
generous or kind.
4. I’m sorry to hear that.
This phrase is useful when someone gives you bad news or tells you about something unfortunate
that happened to him or her.
Useful replies
Here are three phrases that you can use when you don’t have the information that someone has asked for,
but you plan to reply at a later time.
1. I’ll let you know.
This means “I will tell you.” You can use this phrase when you don’t have an answer immediately, but
you plan to contact the person in the future to share some information. For example, “I will let you
know when I book the flight.”
2. I’ll get back to you soon.
To ‘get back to’ someone means to reply to someone who is waiting for information. We usually use this
expression for emails or phone calls rather than face-to-face conversations.
3. I will call you back.
Call back is a common phrasal verb. If you are talking on the phone with someone and you need to hang
up and call the person again later, you can say “I will call you back.”

25 Essential English Phrases - LSI

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

25 Essential English Phrases - LSI

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

25 Essential English Phrases - LSI

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

25 Essential English Phrases for conversation

1. Nice to meet you.

Keeping the conversation going

Ending the conversation

Useful questions for clarifying

Useful questions for polite interactions

You might also like

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.