Lesson 2.1

Speaking on the Telephone

Hablando por teléfono

Vocabulary
bad line
caller
collect call
directory
directory enquiry
switchboard operator
Verbs
to call/ring back
to cut off
to dial
to hang up
to hold [on]
to pick up
to put through
to transfer call

Useful Phrases

Answering the telephone

Good morning/Good afternoon, Susan [your name] speaking.

XY Company [Company name], this is Susan [your name] speaking, how can I help you?

Asking to speak with someone

May I/Could I speak with Mrs. Swanson please.

I’d like to speak with Mrs. Swanson, please.

I’m trying to contact Mrs. Swanson.

Asking for caller’s name

May I get your name, please?

May I say who’s calling?

With whom am I speaking?

Who’s calling, please?

Explaining the reason we’re calling

I’m calling to ask about…

I’m calling in regards to…

I’m phoning to tell you about…

Asking to wait

Can you please hold a moment?

One moment, please.

Hold the line, please.

Please hold.

Transferring a call

Thank you for holding.

I’ll transfer you now.

I’ll put you through now.

I’ll connect you now.

I’m sorry, but he/she is not available right now.

I’m sorry, his/her line is busy.

He/she is in a meeting at the moment.

Could you call back later?

When we don’t understand or can’t hear

I’m sorry, I don’t understand. Could you repeat that, please?

I’m sorry, I can’t hear you very well. Could you speak up a little, please?

Could you spell that, please?

Messages

Would you like to leave a message?

May I leave a message, please?

Could you give him/her a message?

Could you tell him/her that I called?

Could you ask him/her to call me back, please?

What’s your name, please?

What’s your number, please?

When is a good time to call back?

Ending a call

Thank you very much for your help.

Thanks for the information.

Thank you for calling/your call.

Good-bye/Bye.

Take care.

Have a nice day!

Dialogue

Below you will find some examples of telephone conversations.

Conversation 1

Receptionist:

Good morning, XY Company, Susan speaking. How can I help you?

Mr. Smith:

Hello, my name is Mr. Smith and I’m calling for the Purchasing Department please.

Receptionist:

Okay, which company do you represent?

Mr. Smith:

Smith Office Materials.

Receptionist:

I will transfer you now.

Mr. Smith:

Thank you.

Sarah:

Purchasing Department, this is Sarah speaking.

Mr. Smith:

Hello Sarah. My name is Mr. Smith and I am calling from Smith Office Materials. You have ordered materials from us in the past.

Sarah:

Yes, of course. I’m familiar with the company.

Mr. Smith:

We have just printed our new catalog of office materials and I would like to make an appointment to show it to you and tell you about some of our new products.

Sarah:

Okay, let’s see. Can you come on September 15th at 9:00am?

Mr. Smith:

Yes, that’d be great. I’ll see you on the 15th then.

Sarah:

Okay, great. See you then.

Conversation 2

Receptionist:

Good morning, XY Company, Susan speaking. How can I help you?

Mr. Jones:

Hello, my name is Mr. Jones from Jones Computer Service and I’m calling for Mr. Kendall please.

Receptionist:

One moment, please.

Receptionist:

I’m sorry. His line is busy right now. Would you like to leave a message?

Mr. Jones:

Yes, please tell him that Mr. Jones called and to call me back when it’s convenient.

Receptionist:

Can I get your phone number, please?

Mr. Jones:

Yes, it is 888-564-7781.

Receptionist:

Okay, thank you. I’ll give him the message.

Mr. Jones:

Thank you. Good-bye.

Receptionist:

Have a nice day!

Vocabulario
bad line mala señal
caller interlocutor
collect call cobro revertido
directory guía telefónica
directory enquiry información telefónica
switchboard operator telefonista
Verbs Verbos
to call/ring back volver a llamar
to cut off cortar
to dial marcar
to hang up colgar
to hold [on] esperar
to pick up descolgar
to put through pasar la llamada
to transfer call pasar / conectar la llamada

Useful Phrases (Frases útiles)

Answering the telephone (Contestar al teléfono)

Good morning/Good afternoon, Susan [your name] speaking.(Buenos días/Buenas tardes. Le habla Susan [su nombre].)

XY Company [Company name], this is Susan [your name] speaking, how can I help you?([Nombre de empresa], mi nombre es [su nombre], ¿cómo le puedo ayudar?)

Asking to speak with someone (Preguntar por alguien)

May I/Could I speak with Mrs. Swanson please.(¿Podría hablar con la Sra. Swanson, por favor?)

I’d like to speak with Mrs. Swanson, please.(Me gustaría hablar con la Sra. Swanson, por favor.)

I’m trying to contact Mrs. Swanson.(Estoy intentando contactar con la Sra. Swanson.)

Asking for caller’s name (Preguntar el nombre del que llama)

May I get your name, please?(¿Podría darme su nombre, por favor?)

May I say who’s calling?(¿Puedo decirle quién está llamando?)

With whom am I speaking?(¿Con quién hablo por favor?)

Who’s calling, please?(¿Quién llama, por favor?)

Explaining the reason we’re calling (Explicar el motivo de la llamada)

I’m calling to ask about…(Llamo referente…)

I’m calling in regards to…(Estoy llamando en cuanto a…)

I’m phoning to tell you about…(Estoy llamando para explicarle…)

Asking to wait (Poner a alguien en espera)

Can you please hold a moment?(¿Puede esperar un momento, por favor?)

One moment, please.(Un momento, por favor.)

Hold the line, please.(Manténgase en línea, por favor.)

Please hold.(Espere por favor.)

Transferring a call (Conectar/Pasar la llamada)

Thank you for holding.(Gracias por esperar.)

I’ll transfer you now.(Ahora le paso.)

I’ll put you through now.(Ahora le paso.)

I’ll connect you now.(Ahora le conecto.)

I’m sorry, but he/she is not available right now.(Lo siento, pero no está disponible ahora.)

I’m sorry, his/her line is busy.(Lo siento, pero su línea está ocupada.)

He/she is in a meeting at the moment.(Está en una reunión en este momento.)

Could you call back later?(¿Podría volver a llamar más tarde?)

When we don’t understand or can’t hear (Cuando no entendemos o no oímos bien)

I’m sorry, I don’t understand. Could you repeat that, please?(Lo siento, no he entendido. ¿Me lo podría repetir, por favor?)

I’m sorry, I can’t hear you very well. Could you speak up a little, please?(Lo siento, no le oigo bien. ¿Podría hablar más fuerte, por favor?)

Could you spell that, please?(¿Me lo podría deletrear, por favor?)

Messages (Mensajes)

Would you like to leave a message?(¿Quiere dejar un mensaje?)

May I leave a message, please?(¿Puedo dejar un mensaje por favor?)

Could you give him/her a message?(¿Puede darle un mensaje?)

Could you tell him/her that I called?(¿Podría decirle que he llamado?)

Could you ask him/her to call me back, please?(¿Podría pedirle que me llame, por favor?)

What’s your name, please?(¿Cómo se llama, por favor?)

What’s your number, please?(¿Cuál es su número de teléfono de contacto, por favor?)

When is a good time to call back?(¿Cuándo es un buen momento para volver a llamar?)

Ending a call (Cierre de la llamada)

Thank you very much for your help.(Gracias por su ayuda.)

Thanks for the information.(Gracias por la información.)

Thank you for calling/your call.(Gracias por su llamada.)

Good-bye/Bye.(Adiós)

Take care.(Tenga cuidado.)

Have a nice day!(¡Que le vaya bien!/¡Que tenga un buen día!)

Dialogue (Diálogo)

A continuación tenemos algunos ejemplos de conversaciones telefónicas.

Conversation 1 (Conversación 1)

Receptionist:

Good morning, XY Company, Susan speaking. How can I help you?
Buenos días, Compañía XY, le habla Susan. ¿Cómo puedo ayudarle?

Mr. Smith:

Hello, my name is Mr. Smith and I’m calling for the Purchasing Department please.
Hola, mi nombre es Sr. Smith y llamo para hablar con el Departamento de Compras por favor.

Receptionist:

Okay, which company do you represent?
Vale, ¿a qué empresa representa Ud.?

Mr. Smith:

Smith Office Materials.
Materiales de Oficina Smith.

Receptionist:

I will transfer you now.
Le transfiero ahora.

Mr. Smith:

Thank you.
Gracias.

Sarah:

Purchasing Department, this is Sarah speaking.
Departamento de Compras, le habla Sarah.

Mr. Smith:

Hello Sarah. My name is Mr. Smith and I am calling from Smith Office Materials. You have ordered materials from us in the past.
Buenos días, Sarah. Mi nombre es Sr. Smith y llamo de Materiales de Oficina Smith. Uds. han comprado materiales nuestros en el pasado.

Sarah:

Yes, of course. I’m familiar with the company.
Sí, claro, les conozco.

Mr. Smith:

We have just printed our new catalog of office materials and I would like to make an appointment to show it to you and tell you about some of our new products.
Acabamos de editar un nuevo catálogo con nuestro material de oficina y quisiera programar una visita con Uds. para enseñarselo y comentarles sobre algunos de nuestros nuevos productos.

Sarah:

Okay, let’s see. Can you come on September 15th at 9:00am?
Bien, vamos a ver. ¿Puede venir el 15 de septiembre a las 9:00 de la mañana?

Mr. Smith:

Yes, that’d be great. I’ll see you on the 15th then.
Sí, estaría muy bien. Les veo el día 15 entonces.

Sarah:

Okay, great. See you then.
De acuerdo, muy bien. Hasta entonces.

Conversation 2 (Conversación 2)

Receptionist:

Good morning, XY Company, Susan speaking. How can I help you?
Buenos días, Compañía XY, le habla Susan. ¿Cómo puedo ayudarle?

Mr. Jones:

Hello, my name is Mr. Jones from Jones Computer Service and I’m calling for Mr. Kendall please.
Hola, me llamo Sr. Jones, de Servicios Informáticos Jones y llamo para hablar con el Sr. Kendall por favor.

Receptionist:

One moment, please.
Un momento, por favor.

Receptionist:

I’m sorry. His line is busy right now. Would you like to leave a message?
Lo siento. Su línea está ocupada ahora mismo. ¿Quiere dejar un mensaje?

Mr. Jones:

Yes, please tell him that Mr. Jones called and to call me back when it’s convenient.
Sí, por favor, digale que ha llamado el Sr. Jones y que me llame cuando le sea más conveniente/posible.

Receptionist:

Can I get your phone number, please?
¿Puede decirme su número de teléfono, por favor?

Mr. Jones:

Yes, it is 888-564-7781.
Sí, es 888-564-7781.

Receptionist:

Okay, thank you. I’ll give him the message.
Muy bien, gracias. Le daré el mensaje.

Mr. Jones:

Thank you. Good-bye.
Gracias. Adiós.

Receptionist:

Have a nice day!
¡Que tenga un buen día!

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