Do you know how to answer the phone in English? Although in Spanish it is completely normal to start a conversation with 鈥楽铆, 麓dime鈥, this would come across as very rude in English, no one is that direct. The number one rule for talking on the phone in English is courtesy. Therefore, you must always be polite. In this blog, we’re going to look at how to answer the phone in English with 5 examples:
1. 鈥淗ello, [your name] speaking鈥
When it comes to how to answer the phone in English, it is very important to start a conversation with a greeting, like 鈥榟ello鈥 or 鈥榞ood morning鈥. Always! Otherwise the person on the other end of the phone will be very confused and you will come across as rude. If you work in an office or somewhere similar where you don’t know who is calling you, the usual thing to do would be to say 鈥楬ello, [your name] speaking鈥. 颅颅颅
2. 鈥淗i, this is [your name or your company鈥檚 name]. How can I help ?鈥
This is another classic and very common way of answering the phone in a workplace. It is polite and you get straight to the point. I suppose the phrase 鈥榟ow can I help?鈥 is the most similar thing to the Spanish 鈥榙ime鈥. As you can see, the English are very over polite!
3. 鈥淕ood morning/afternoon/evening. My name is [your name]. Could I speak to [their name]?
Use this phrase if you are the one making the call. In this case, saying 鈥榤y name is…鈥 doesn’t sound strange because you’re introducing yourself. Of course, remember to change the greeting depending on the time you make the call! For example, after 12pm say 鈥榞ood afternoon鈥 and after 6pm say 鈥榞ood evening鈥.
4. 鈥淢ay I ask who is calling, please?鈥
If you鈥檝e answered the phone and the person on the other end hasn’t introduced themselves, instead of asking 鈥榳ho are you?鈥 we use this phrase: 鈥榤ay I ask who is calling, please?鈥 It is much less frank, but almost 95% of the natives would use it in this situation. That’s right: we ask permission to ask who is calling! If you use it you will come across like a native!
5. 鈥淗ey, what鈥檚 up?鈥
And to finish this list of examples of how to answer the phone in English, a more colloquial and casual way to answer the phone. Be careful, use this one only if you know the person who is calling you and you have a good relationship with them. 鈥榃hat鈥檚 up?鈥 means 鈥榟ow are you鈥, but remember that you can always say 鈥榟ow are you?鈥 if you want to be a little more formal.
Remember: Always say 鈥榞oodbye鈥. In some countries it is normal to hang up the phone without saying 麓bye麓 but this is seen as very impolite in the UK.
And if what you want is to learn even more and perfect your skills in the language, do not hesitate to contact us. At Studio 3 we have courses for all levels!
Bibi Hughes
