11 phrases · You are on the phone.

English on the phone

A phone call removes every clue you rely on in person — no face, no gestures, often a bad line — so English on a call needs more explicit structure than English across a table. That means saying who you are and why you are calling in the first two sentences, and having a ready way to ask someone to repeat or slow down without apologising for yourself.

What to say

Each one is the pattern, then the exact sentence to say here, then what it means in Hindi.

Starting and ending

My name is {NAME}
A1
“Hello, my name is Arjun. I am calling about the job advertisement.”
Give your name.
मेरा नाम ___ है।
say it as: My name is / Priya · anywhere
It was nice talking to you
A2
“It was nice talking to you. I will send the details by email.”
Close a conversation properly instead of letting it trail off.
आपसे बात करके अच्छा लगा।
say it as: It was nice / talking to you · polite — strangers, seniors, customers

Asking for something

Can I {VERB}?
A1
“Can I take a message?”
Ask permission to do something.
क्या मैं ___ कर सकता/सकती हूँ?
say it as: Can I / ask you something · anywhere
Could you please {VERB}?
A1
“Could you please hold for a moment?”
Ask somebody to do something, politely.
क्या आप कृपया ___ करेंगे?
say it as: Could you please / repeat that · polite — strangers, seniors, customers
I was wondering if {CLAUSE}
B1
“I was wondering if you could check the status of my order.”
Make a request that the other person can refuse comfortably.
मैं सोच रहा/रही था/थी कि क्या ___।
say it as: I was wondering if / you could help me · polite — strangers, seniors, customers

Saying what you want

I'd like to {VERB}
A2
“I'd like to check the status of my order.”
Say what you want — politely. The grown-up version of "I want to".
मैं ___ करना चाहूँगा/चाहूँगी।
say it as: I'd like to / apply for this · polite — strangers, seniors, customers

When it goes wrong mid-sentence

I didn't quite catch that
A2
“I didn't quite catch that — the line is not very clear.”
Say you did not hear — without saying "what?".
मैं ठीक से सुन नहीं पाया/पाई।
say it as: I didn't quite / catch that · polite — strangers, seniors, customers
Could you say that again
A2
“Could you say that again, please? I want to make sure I have the reference number right.”
Ask for a repeat, politely and specifically.
क्या आप इसे फिर से कहेंगे?
say it as: Could you say that / again please · polite — strangers, seniors, customers

Offering to help

Would you like me to {VERB}?
A2
“Would you like me to hold while you check?”
Offer politely — the version for customers and seniors.
क्या आप चाहेंगे कि मैं ___ करूँ?
say it as: Would you like me to / check it again · polite — strangers, seniors, customers

Making yourself clear

Just to clarify, {CLAUSE}
B1
“Just to clarify, the delivery is on Tuesday and not Thursday?”
Check your understanding before it becomes an expensive mistake.
बस स्पष्ट करने के लिए, ___।
say it as: Just to clarify, / we are talking about next Friday · polite — strangers, seniors, customers

When you are not sure

As far as I know, {CLAUSE}
B1
“As far as I know, your order has already been dispatched.”
Answer honestly when you believe something but are not certain.
जहाँ तक मुझे पता है, ___।
say it as: As far as I know, / the office is closed · anywhere

Mistakes to avoid

Understood, but immediately marked as non-native. These are the ones worth un-learning before the day itself.

Commonly said	Correct English
Myself Priya.	My name is Priya. "Myself" is not a way to introduce yourself in English, though it is very common in Indian offices.
Please do the needful.	Could you please send the invoice? "Do the needful" is common in Indian offices and unclear everywhere else. Say the actual thing you want.
I would like to went.	I'd like to go. After "would like to", the verb stays plain.
Come again?	Sorry, I didn't quite catch that. "Come again" is very casual and can sound sarcastic to somebody who does not know you.
I was wondering if can you move the meeting.	I was wondering if we could move the meeting. After "if", the sentence goes back to normal order — no question word order inside it.

The same phrases, indexed by what you are trying to say rather than by where you are.

Reading it is not the same as saying it.

Reading the lines is the easy half. CoCap lets you say them out loud to an AI coach who plays the other side — the interviewer, the colleague, the person on the phone — and tells you what to fix.

Rehearse this with Kaira →

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