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Useful phrases and vocabulary

Meeting people Talking about causes and results

Hello, Mr/Ms … . I’m … . Cause
It’s nice to meet you. This happened because …
– (It’s) Nice to meet you, too. This (increase/decrease) is due to …
May I introduce you to … ? This is a result of …
I’d like to introduce you to …
Have you met … ? Result
It could lead to …
Offering hospitality What could happen is …
Because of this, we’ll see …
Can I take your coat?
Please come in and take a seat.
Talking about figures
Can I get you a cup of coffee/tea?
Would you like something to drink? Going up
– Yes, please./Yes, that would be great. Figures have increased slightly.
– No, thank you./No, thanks. Figures have increased steadily.
Figures have increased dramatically.
Being polite (and less direct) It’s not as low as last year.
Excuse me, but … It’s slightly/a lot more this year.
I’m sorry but … The situation was pretty bad, but is now improving
I’m afraid that’s not quite right. slowly.
We have a slight problem. It’s better than last year.
At first glance, it appears clear … Profits rose/increased last year.
This seems to be …
Going down
Could you please … ?
This is a significant/gradual drop.
Profits have been falling/going down since the fire.
Checking and clarifying information It’s gone down/fallen since last year.
There’s quite a drop from 2005 to 2006.
Maybe you could clarify a couple of things.
– Sure./Certainly./How can I help? No change →
What do these figures mean again? The situation is stable.
– Basically, they just mean that … We’re hovering at around 3%.
Can we just go over that one more time? It’s virtually/exactly the same.
– Of course./No problem. Ups and downs
Could you repeat that, please? There have been some fluctuations.
– Sure, I said …
You did say the 24th, didn’t you? Telephone phrases
– Yes, that’s right.
Getting through
I didn’t quite catch that. Hello, this is … from … . May I speak to … , please?
– OK, what I said was that … Could you put me through to … ?
So, what you’re saying is …
– Janet speaking.
– That’s right./Exactly.
Hello, Janet. It’s Klaus.
So, this column is wrong?
– Well, not exactly./It depends how you see it. Making appointments
How is the profit calculated? Could you come by the office next week?
– Well, it’s actually quite simple. First we … How/What about Monday at 9.30?
In other words, we’ll need to send it by Friday? Can you make Tuesday afternoon?
– Exactly./Yes, if we want to meet the deadline. – No, I’m sorry. I’m busy then.
How about if we send it in next week? – Yes, that sounds good.
– T h a t’ll be fine./Oh, I’m sorry, that would be too late.