• To Get Help from the Speaker
• To Ask Questions
• To Answer Questions
• To Get More Information
• To Hesitate When Beginning a Turn
• To Stop Someone from Interrupting You
• To Interrupt Someone
• To Lead a Group Discussion
• To Ask for Clarification
• To Clarify or Restate
• To Paraphrase and Check for Understanding

1. Getting Help from the Speaker

If you need the speaker to repeat something:

• Pardon?
• Excuse me. Could you please repeat that?
• Would you mind repeating your question?
• Huh? (informal)

If the speaker is talking too quickly:

• I'm sorry. Could you please speak more slowly?
• Excuse me. Would you mind speaking more slowly. I couldn't follow what you said.

If the speaker is talking too softly:

• Sorry, I didn't hear you.
• Sorry, I didn't hear what you said.
• Excuse me. Would you mind speaking a little louder?

If you do not understand the speaker:

• I'm sorry, but I'm not sure I understand.
• Sorry, but I don't understand what you mean?
• I'm not sure I follow what you said. Did you say that......

2. Asking Questions

• I was wondering if you could help me. I'd like to know...
• I wonder if you could tell me...
• This may sound like a dumb question, but I'd like to know....
• Excuse me, but do you know......
• I hope you don't mind my asking, but I'd like to know...
• Something else I'd like to know is.....

3. Answering Questions

If you need to hesitate or delay your answer:

• Well, let me see...
• Well, now....
• Oh, let me think for a minute
• I'm not sure. I'll have to check.
• That's a very interesting question.

If you don't know the answer:

• I'm not really sure.
• I can't answer that one.
• I'm sorry, I really don't know.
• I've got no idea.
• I'd like to help you, but....
• That's something I'd rather not talk about right now.

4. Getting More Information

• Could you tell me more about....
• would you mind telling me more about...
• I'd like to know more about...
• Something else I was wondering about was...
• Sorry, that's not really what I mean. What I'd like to know is...
• Sorry to keep bothering you, but could you tell me...
• Sorry, but I don't quite understand why.....

5. To hesitate when beginning a turn

• um
• uh
• well
• well, let's se now
• you see
• you know
• the thing is
• how can I put this
• it's like this, you see
• hmmm
• a combination of any of these

6. To stop someone from interrupting you

• Even though....
• Although....
• However....
• And another thing
• Pausing in the middle of a sentence instead of at the end of a sentence

7. To interrupt someone

• If I could just come in here....
• Sorry to interrupt, but...
• Um...Um....Um (until the speaker notices you)
• By the way....

8. leading a group discussion

• Okay, let's get started...
• Is everyone ready to begin?
• So, who would like to comment on that?
• What do you think about Mary's point?
• Does anyone have anything to add?
• John, what you do think? suggest?
• Let's hear what others have to say.
• I think you have a good point there. Let's see what others have to say.
• I'm not sure we all understand what you mean.
• Could you explain that again?
• That's an interesting idea, but it raises a different point. Could we come back to that later?
• Perhaps we could go on to the next point
• We only have a few minutes left, so we'd better move on.
• Do we agree that.....?
• So, to sum up, we've decided that.......

9. Asking for clarification

• What do you mean?
• I'm not sure what you mean.
• Sorry, but I don't understand what you mean.
• Could you explain what you mean by.....?
• Are you saying that....?
• I'm not sure I follow you. Did you say that.....?

• I mean....
• In other words....
• The point I'm trying to make is....
• What I'm trying to say is......

11. Paraphrasing and checking for understanding

• John said that.....
• What Mary means is.....
• I believe Joe's point is....
• I think Jeannie feels........Isn't that right?
• Let me see if I understood you: You said.......
• Do you see what I mean?
• Is that clear?
• You got it?
• You see?