P H R A S E S
'Long time no see.'
You’re about to see an old friend of yours; or heading for a business meeting; or you bump into the HR representative at the lobby; or you want to sound cool at a restaurant; or you agree or disagree with your superior; or you’re late for the meeting again. What to say? What no to. How to say? Here are some sentence patters that can help you break the ice, and you can just let the conversation develop.
Obviously, not all aspects or real life situation can be covered on this site, but it can still give you a quick insight how to break down the barriers and start a chat in a meaningful and confident way. Hopefully.
“Hey Jeff, it’s been a while; What have you been up to?.”
“How are u doin’ mate? You look in great shape.“
Meeting and Greeting People
Hello, nice to meet you.
It’s my pleasure.
Long time no see.
It’s been a while.
Good to see you again.
How are you doing?
What have you been up to?
How are things?
What’s new?
Where are you from?
What do you do?
Are you here for business?
I hope you enjoy your staying here.
Small Talk
How’s business?
Fancy seeing you here, what’s up?
How’s Jane doing? Has she finished college?
Are you still working for FOX News?
What about a cup of tea?
You look in great shape.
That’s awesome.
Have you heard that Jack and Sally are getting married?
Really? Tell me more about it.
Let’s catch up again – what about Friday night?
Sorry, I gotta go; the meeting is about to start.
I’m really sorry to hear that.
It was nice seeing you. Take care.
Talking about the Weather
What’s the forecast like for tomorrow?
We’re having quite a heatwave.
It’s overcast now but will clear up in the afternoon.
It’s just drizzling.
It’s freezing out there. Bundle up.
There’s not a cloud in the sky.
It looks like it’s going to rain.
I think the sun is trying to come out.
What a beautiful day!
So hot for this time of year.
At the Office
I’m snowed under.
Can you email me the details?
Can you fill me in with the latest?
This invoice is overdue.
I can’t excess my emails, the system is down at the moment.
The cartridge is running low.
It will take me some 20 minutes to finish this assignment.
Why don’t you bring up this issue at the meeting?
Sorry for my being late.
Can we finally proceed?
I have a tight schedule tomorrow. What about Friday?
Contact me as soon as you get the information.
How would you like to be contacted?
I’ll forward the offer to you after the meeting.
Let’s just move on, shall we?
Let’s bring it forward by 30 minutes, right?
It can’t be done by tomorrow.
” We’ve got lovely weather for the ducks.”
At the Restaurant
I booked a table for two.
What’s the special for today?
Can/could I get the wine list?
We are ready to order now.
I’ll have roasted beef with broccoli.
Excuse me, this is not what I ordered.
Could I have another spoon?
We’re in a hurry. How long will it take?
Just a jag of water, please.
The soup was a bit spicy but the steak was delicious.
Is the service included?
Can I have the bill, please?
Do you take Visa cards?
Agreeing and Disagreeing
That’s for sure.
Absolutely.
I couldn’t agree more.
This is exactly how I feel.
No doubt about it.
You have a point there.
Fair enough.
I don’t think you’re right.
Not necessarily.
You might be mistaken.
That’s not the case now.
If you ask me, this is not going to work.
I see your point here, but…
This might be true to a certain point.
“Fair enough, Jenny”.
Asking and Giving Opinions
Personally, I think this is not the best for us.
It seems to me, that he still hasn’t found it.
To my mind, it’s the right time to start.
In my point of view, we should dismiss the case.
As far as I’m concerned, you can take the loan.
How do you feel about this?
What’s your view?
I’d like to hear your views on this project.
What do you think of my new hairdo?
Any suggestion?
Asking and Giving Instructions
What’s the best way to fix this?
Do you know who can I turn to?
What would be the first step?
Can you show me how it works?
First you begin with the introduction.
I would start by saying something about the company.
The next step is to…
“Get real, John.”
Relationships and Related Things
Hey, how’s it going? Do I know you from somewhere?
I lost my phone number. Can I get yours?
She is smokin’ hot.
I got a crush on you.
We got together.
We’re going out.
I’m waiting for someone. (but not for you)
In your dreams.
Get real.
I need some space.
Let’s be just friends.
It’s not you. It’s me.
We’re through.
Talking about Price
It cost a fortune.
It cost an arm and leg.
That’s a ripp-off.
I can’t afford it.
That’s a bit pricey.
That’s quite reasonable.
It’s 20% off.
That’s a good deal.
It was a real bargain.
It was dirt cheap.
