English for Work: 40 Workplace Phrases (Meetings, Email & Calls)

You can know hundreds of English words and still go quiet in a meeting. That’s because English for work runs on ready-made phrases — small, polite lines that open meetings, soften requests and close emails. Nobody invents them at 9 a.m.; people reuse trusted lines, and so can you. If you’re still at the stage before the job itself, start with our job interview questions and answers — then come back for the English of your first Monday.

On this page you’ll find 40 workplace phrases in four groups: meetings, phone and video calls, emails, and talking with your boss and team. Each phrase comes with a plain note on when to use it and a short example from one small marketing team — Sara the manager, Omar on design, Lena on content.

English for Work: Why Small Phrases Do the Heavy Lifting

Office English is mostly routine: a meeting starts, a call breaks up, a file must be sent. Learn one good line for each moment and you stop translating in your head — the line is simply there, ready.

Phrases also protect your politeness. In English, a bare command like “Send it now” can sound rude even when you mean well — the phrases below carry the softness for you. And once your basics feel safe, the office has a second layer to enjoy: the colourful business idioms managers love to drop into meetings.

Workplace Phrases for Meetings (10)

Meetings reward people who can open, guide and close. These ten lines do most of that work.

1. “Let’s get started.” — Open a meeting when everyone is in the room.

“Good morning, everyone. Let’s get started — we have thirty minutes and three things to decide.”

2. “Thanks for coming, everyone.” — A warm opener when you run the meeting.

“Thanks for coming, everyone. I know it’s a busy week, so I’ll keep this short.”

3. “What do you think about this?” — Use it to invite opinions before any decision is made.

“That’s my idea for the new campaign. What do you think about this, Lena?”

4. “Just to clarify…” — Use it to check a point before the talk moves on.

“Just to clarify — the client wants the report on Friday, not Monday. Is that right?”

5. “Let’s come back to that point later.” — Use it to park a topic without killing it.

“That’s a big question. Let’s come back to that point later, after the budget numbers.”

6. “Could you walk us through it?” — Ask someone to explain something step by step.

“Omar, could you walk us through the new design?”

7. “From my point of view…” — A soft way to give your own opinion.

“From my point of view, the email campaign is working better than the social ads.”

8. “That makes sense to me.” — Agree, and show the idea is clear to you.

“So we publish on Tuesday and check results on Friday? That makes sense to me.”

9. “Let’s agree on the next steps.” — Use it near the end, so talk turns into action.

“We’re almost out of time. Let’s agree on the next steps before we leave.”

10. “I’ll send a summary after the meeting.” — Promise clear notes for everyone.

“No need to write everything down — I’ll send a summary after the meeting.”

Phrases for Phone and Video Calls (10)

Calls add one problem: technology. Half of call English is repairing sound, pictures and timing — politely, without panic.

11. “You’re on mute.” — The kindest warning on any video call.

“Omar, we can see you talking, but you’re on mute.”

12. “Can you hear me now?” — Say it after fixing a sound problem.

“I’ve plugged in my headphones. Can you hear me now?”

13. “Sorry, you broke up for a second.” — When the line cuts someone’s words into pieces.

“Sorry, you broke up for a second — I heard ‘Friday’, but what comes after that?”

14. “Could you say that again, please?” — The safest rescue line on any call.

“It’s noisy at my end. Could you say that again, please?”

15. “You’re frozen — let me call you back.” — When the video stops completely.

“Sara, you’re frozen — let me call you back by phone.”

16. “Let me share my screen.” — Say it just before you show a document or slide.

“Let me share my screen so you can see the sales table.”

17. “Sorry, there’s an echo on my side.” — Use it to explain strange sound honestly.

“Sorry, there’s an echo on my side — I’ll turn my speaker down.”

18. “Let’s schedule a follow-up call.” — Use it to book the next talk before everyone hangs up.

“We can’t decide this today. Let’s schedule a follow-up call for Thursday.”

19. “Thanks for your time today.” — A polite way to end any call, long or short.

“That’s everything from my side. Thanks for your time today.”

20. “I’ll call you back in ten minutes.” — When something urgent pulls you away.

“A client just walked in. I’ll call you back in ten minutes, I promise.”

Phrases for Emails (10)

Emails are meetings on paper: they open, ask and close. These ten lines cover almost every message you’ll write at work.

21. “I hope this email finds you well.” — A friendly, formal opener for a first email.

“Dear Mr. Carter, I hope this email finds you well. I’m writing from BrightAds.”

22. “I’m writing to ask about…” — State your reason in the very first line.

“I’m writing to ask about the price of printing our new brochures.”

23. “Please find attached…” — Use it to point to a file you are sending.

“Please find attached the campaign report for March, as promised.”

24. “Just following up on…” — A gentle nudge when you’re still waiting for a reply.

“Just following up on my email from Tuesday about the invoice.”

25. “Could you please confirm…?” — Ask for a clear yes or no in writing.

“Could you please confirm that Friday’s meeting is at 10 a.m.?”

26. “Thanks for getting back to me so quickly.” — Use it to thank someone for a fast reply.

“Thanks for getting back to me so quickly — the new time works for our team.”

27. “I’ll get back to you by tomorrow.” — Promise a reply, with an honest time on it.

“I need to check the numbers first, but I’ll get back to you by tomorrow.”

28. “Please let me know if you need anything else.” — An open, helpful line to end an email.

“The files are ready on the shared drive. Please let me know if you need anything else.”

29. “Looking forward to your reply.” — A warm closing when you expect an answer.

“I hope the plan is clear. Looking forward to your reply.”

30. “Best regards” — The safest way to sign off almost any business email.

“Thank you for your help with the event. Best regards, Omar”

Phrases for Talking to Your Boss and Team (10)

With the people beside you every day, English is about trust: clear promises, honest delays, easy thanks. These ten lines build all three.

31. “I’ll get it done by Friday.” — A clear promise with a deadline.

“The summary is half written. I’ll get it done by Friday, don’t worry.”

32. “Could you give me a hand with this?” — Use it to ask a colleague for help without drama.

“Lena, could you give me a hand with this table? Two minutes, together.”

33. “I’ll keep you posted.” — Promise updates while work is still moving.

“The client hasn’t replied yet, but I’ll keep you posted.”

34. “That works for me.” — Accept a plan, time or idea happily.

“Thursday at three for the review meeting? That works for me.”

35. “I’m running a bit behind today.” — Honest words when work is slower than you planned.

“I’m running a bit behind today — the report will be ready at four, not two.”

36. “Do you have a minute?” — Ask for a short talk, without pressure.

“Sara, do you have a minute? One quick thing about the client email.”

37. “I’ll take care of it.” — Accept a task completely and calmly.

“The chairs for the training room? I’ll take care of it this afternoon.”

38. “Great work on the presentation.” — Praise that costs nothing and means a lot.

“Great work on the presentation, Omar — the client loved the new design.”

39. “Let me check and get back to you.” — Use it instead of guessing at a hard question.

“I don’t want to guess the number. Let me check and get back to you in an hour.”

40. “Thanks for your support.” — Simple gratitude to a manager or teammate.

“The launch week was hard, so — thanks for your support, everyone.”

Notice how many phrases are fixed word-partners, like keep you posted and give me a hand — our guide to English collocations shows how such teams work and how to learn them in pairs.

Polite vs Too Direct: Five Fixes

The same message can sound like an order or a request — the difference is two or three small words. Here are five common repairs, close cousins of our English phrases for daily conversation:

• Too direct: “Send me the file now.” → Polite: “Could you send me the file when you have a moment?”
• Too direct: “That’s wrong.” → Polite: “I see it a little differently — could we check the numbers together?”
• Too direct: “I want a day off.” → Polite: “Would it be possible to take next Monday off?”
• Too direct: “You didn’t reply to my email.” → Polite: “Just following up on my email from Tuesday — did you get a chance to read it?”
• Too direct: “Hurry up.” → Polite: “We’re a bit short on time — could we pick up the pace a little?”

See the pattern? Could you… and would it be possible… turn commands into teamwork. Nobody minds a request; everyone minds an order from the wrong chair.

Quick Practice

Cover the answers, read each moment, and say the phrase out loud before you check.

1. Tom is moving his lips on the video call, but nobody hears him. You say: “Tom, you’re ___ ___.”
2. You are sending the March report by email. You write: “Please ___ ___ the report.”
3. Your manager suggests Thursday at three, and the time is fine. You say: “That ___ ___ ___.”
4. The client is silent, but you promise your boss news. You say: “I’ll ___ you ___.”
5. A meeting topic is interesting but not for today. You say: “Let’s ___ ___ to that point later.”

Answers: 1. on mute. 2. find attached. 3. works for me. 4. keep … posted. 5. come back. If you said most of them without thinking, the phrases are already becoming yours — the rest is just meetings.

Keep the habit warm between workdays: ten minutes with a phrase list beats two hours once a month. And when office English starts to feel easy, test the fun side with our free idiom quiz.

For more study, the British Council’s business English section on LearnEnglish offers lessons for meetings, emails and presentations, and the Cambridge Dictionary entry for “meeting” shows the word in real sentences.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which phrases should I learn first?

Start with the ones your week uses most: “Let’s get started”, “Could you say that again, please?”, “Please find attached”, “I’ll keep you posted” and “That works for me”. Five rooms of office life, five keys.

Are these phrases British or American?

Almost all of them work on both sides of the ocean. A few spellings change (organise/organize), and Americans say “reach out” where the British say “get in touch”, but you’ll be understood everywhere.

Is “I hope this email finds you well” too formal?

It’s safe, never wrong — perfect for a first email to someone senior or new. Writing to your own team for the tenth time this week? “Hope you’re well” is friendly enough.

What if I forget a phrase in the middle of a meeting?

Use plain words and keep going — meaning matters more than the exact phrase. “Sorry, let me say that again” always works, and nobody remembers a small pause.

Can I use these phrases in a job interview too?

Some travel well: “Thanks for your time today” and “That works for me” sound right in an interview room. Others, like “You’re on mute”, belong to the office. Match the phrase to the room.

How can I practise these phrases at home?

Say them out loud — phrases live in the mouth, not on the page. Role-play a two-minute meeting with a friend, or record yourself on your phone. Five honest minutes a day beats an hour of silent reading.