On the phone and making appointments
Make a phone call without panicking: say who you are, book an appointment, spell your name, and confirm the day and time before you hang up.
Receptionist: Good morning, Riverside Dental.
Negar: Hi, this is Negar Ahmadi. I'd like to book an appointment, please.
Receptionist: Of course. Have you been here before?
Negar: No, this would be my first time.
Receptionist: No problem. How about Tuesday the 14th at four?
Negar: Tuesday the 14th at four. That works. Could I give you my number?
Receptionist: Please do. And could you spell your surname for me?
Negar: Sure. A-H-M-A-D-I. A as in Apple.
Receptionist: Got it. See you on the 14th.
Negar: Great, thanks for your help. Bye.A complete booking in ten lines. Negar says who she is, what she wants, repeats the date back, spells her name, and closes properly.Line 6 is the important one. Repeating the day and time out loud is what stops you turning up on the wrong afternoon.
On the phone you are "this", not "I"
When you give your name on a call, English uses This is… or … speaking. "I am Negar" is grammatically fine and sounds wrong here, because on the phone the question isn't who you are, it's whose voice this is. The same goes the other way: never "Who are you?", which sounds like a challenge.
- Hi, this is Omid. / Omid speaking.
- Hello, I am Omid.
- Who's calling, please? / Sorry, who am I speaking to?
- Who are you?
- Is that Maryam? (British) / Is this Maryam? (American)
Check yourself
Sara calls a clinic. Someone answers: "Good morning, Riverside Clinic." What should Sara say first?
- Hello, I am Sara Ahmadi and I want an appointment for this week.
- Hello. Who are you?
- Hi, this is Sara. I'd like to book an appointment, please.
- Hi. Is there Dr. Karimi?
Show the answer
Hi, this is Sara. I'd like to book an appointment, please.
Yes. "This is…" plus one clear sentence about why you're calling. That's the whole opening.
I'd like to make an appointment. /aɪd ˈlaɪk tə ˌmeɪk ən əˈpɔɪntmənt/
Please give me a time to come and see the doctor, dentist, office or anyone who works by appointment.
Hi, this is Omid Rezaei. I'd like to make an appointment with Dr. Lee, please.
The call, start to finish
- 1 · Say who you are
"Hi, this is Negar Ahmadi." If you're calling a person you know: "Hi Maryam, it's Negar."
- 2 · Say why you're calling
"I'd like to book an appointment." "I'm calling about the flat on Park Street." "I'm calling to check whether my order has arrived."
- 3 · Give and take the details
Day, time, your name spelled out, your number one digit at a time. If you need a moment: "Sorry, let me just get a pen."
- 4 · Repeat it back
"So that's Tuesday the 14th at four?" This costs three seconds and saves a wasted trip.
- 5 · Close properly
"Great, thanks for your help." — "No problem." — "Have a good day." — "You too. Bye." English calls end with a short ritual; stopping dead after the last fact feels abrupt.
Check yourself
You've called the dentist and said your name. Now say why you're calling. Start with "I'd".
Show the answer
I'd like to make an appointment
Right. "I'd like to" is the polite everyday opener, and it's "an appointment" because the word starts with a vowel sound.
Names and numbers on a bad line
- Ask: "Could you spell that for me?" · "How do you spell your surname?"
- Use "as in": letters that sound alike on the phone are B/P/V, M/N and S/F. Say "B as in Book", "N as in November".
- Repeated letters: you'll hear "double L" and "double seven" instead of the letter or digit twice.
- Phone numbers go one digit at a time. 0 is usually said as "oh". Read the number back after you write it.
- Have your own spelling ready. A Persian name will be asked for every single time, so say it the same way each time and it stops being stressful.
| British | American | |
|---|---|---|
| The date | the 14th of May | May 14th |
| 2:30 | half past two | two thirty |
| 3:45 | quarter to four | three forty-five |
| 9:00 | nine o'clock | nine o'clock |
Check yourself
Omid is agreeing to a day for his appointment. Choose the right little word before the day.
Could I come in ____ Tuesday at four instead?
Show the answer
on
ON THE LINE
Lines you will hear, and what they really mean
"Hold on a second" / "One moment, please" — wait, don't hang up. "I'll put you through" — I'm connecting you to the right person. "She's not available at the moment. Can I take a message?" — she isn't here; tell me and I'll write it down. "You're breaking up" — your signal is bad and they can hear only parts. "Sorry, I didn't catch that" — say it again.
If the line is the problem, name it first: "Sorry, you're breaking up a bit. Could I call you back in two minutes?" That's a normal thing to say, not an excuse.
Check yourself
Match what you hear to what it means
Show the answer
- Hold on a second. → Wait, don't hang up
- I'll put you through. → I'm connecting you to the right person
- Can I take a message? → They're not here; I'll write down what you say
- You're breaking up. → Your signal is bad and I'm losing words
Check yourself
At the end of the call the receptionist says, "So that's Thursday the 14th at 3:30 with Dr. Lee." What is the best thing Negar can say?
- OK, thank you very much for your help, goodbye.
- Thursday the 14th at 3:30. Great, thanks.
- Yes, I understand everything.
- Repeat please, I didn't catch it.
Show the answer
Thursday the 14th at 3:30. Great, thanks.
Right. Saying the day and time back is the one habit that stops wrong-day appointments, and on the phone you have no other way to check.
Lesson recap
- On the phone: "This is Negar" or "Negar speaking", never "I am Negar".
- Ask who it is with "Who's calling, please?", never "Who are you?"
- Book with "I'd like to make an appointment" and agree with "Could I come in on Tuesday at four?"
- Spell with "as in" words, read numbers one digit at a time, and ask "Could you spell that for me?"
- Always repeat the day and time back, then close with a short thank-you and goodbye.