English Useful Expressions

Apologising

I'm so sorry. (Not so formal)

/aɪm səʊ ˈsɒri/

How careless of me. (Informal)

/haʊ ˈkeə.ləs əv mi:/

That's my fault. (Informal)

/ðæts maɪ 'fɔ:lt/

Sorry. (Most used)

/ˈsɒri/

Pardon me. (Formal)

/ˈpɑːdn miː/

Please excuse my ignorance. (Very formal)

/pliːz ɪkˈskjuːz maɪ ˈɪɡnərəns/

Please accept our apologies. (Very formal)

/pliːz əkˈsept ˈaʊər əˈpɒlədʒiz/

Greetings

Hi. (Very informal)

/haɪ/

What's up? (Very informal)

/wɒts ʌp/

How do you do? (Informal)

/ˈhaʊ də ju duː/

Hello. (Most used)

/həˈləʊ/

Good morning. (Formal)

/ɡʊd ˈmɔːnɪŋ/

Great to see you again. (Formal)

/ˈɡreɪt tə ˈsiː ju əˈɡen/

Pleased to meet you. (Formal)

/pliːzd tə miːt ju/

Asking for Info

D'you know...? (Very informal)

/djuː nəʊ/

Got any idea...? (Informal)

/gɒt ˈeni aɪˈdɪə/

Would you happen to know...? (Informal)

/wʊd juː ˈhæpən tuː nəʊ/

Can you tell me...? (Most used)

/kæn juː tel miː/

I'd like to know... (Formal)

/aɪd laɪk tuː nəʊ/

I don't suppose you know...? (Formal)

/aɪ dəʊnt səˈpəʊz juː nəʊ/

I wonder if you could tell me...? (Very formal)

/aɪ ˈwʌndər ɪf juː kʊd tel miː/

Requests

Will you...? (Commonly used)

/wɪl juː/

Could you please...? (Commonly used)

/kʊd juː 'pliːz/

Could you possibly...? (Commonly used)

/kʊd juː ˈpɒsəbli/

Would you...? (Most used)

/wʊd juː/

Would you kindly...? (Formal)

/wʊd juː ˈkaɪndli/

Would you mind...? (Formal)

/wʊd juː maɪnd/

Would you be so kind as you...? (Very formal)

/wʊd juː biː səʊ 'kaɪnd æz juː/

Giving Opinions

I believe that... (Commonly used)

/aɪ bɪˈliːv ðæt/

I'd say... (Commonly used)

/aɪd seɪ/

If you ask me... (Not so informal)

/ɪf juː ɑːsk 'miː/

Personally, I think... (Most used)

/ˈpɜːsnəli, aɪ θɪŋk/

As far as I'm concerned... (Formal)

/æz fɑːr æz aɪm kənˈsɜːnd/

If you don't mind me saying... (Formal)

/ɪf juː dəʊnt maɪnd miː ˈseɪɪŋ /

From my point of view... (Formal)

/frɒm maɪ pɔɪnt ɒv vjuː/

Saying Goodbye

I'm off. (Very informal)

/aɪm ɒf/

Bye! (Informal)

/baɪ/

See you! (Informal)

/siː juː/

Goodbye! (Most used)

/gʊdˈbaɪ/

Good night! (Generally used)

/gʊd naɪt/

Have a nice day! (More formal)

/hæv ə naɪs deɪ/

I must be going. (Formal)

/aɪ mʌst biː ˈgəʊɪŋ/

Advice

How about...? (Informal)

/haʊ əˈbaʊt/

If I were you, I'd... (Commonly used)

/ɪf aɪ wɜː juː, aɪd/

You might try... (Commonly used)

/juː maɪt traɪ/

Why don't you...? (Most used)

/waɪ dəʊnt juː/

It might be a good idea to... (More formal)

/ɪt maɪt biː ə gʊd aɪˈdɪə tuː/

I would strongly advise you to... (Formal)

/aɪ wʊd ˈstrɒŋli ədˈvaɪz juː tuː/

My advice would be to... (Formal)

/maɪ ədˈvaɪs wʊd biː tuː/

Help

Could you spare a moment? (Informal)

/kʊd juː speər ə ˈməʊmənt/

Can you give me a hand with this? (Informal)

/kæn juː 'gɪv miː ə hænd wɪð ðɪs/

I could do with some help, please. (Informal)

/aɪ kʊd duː wɪð sʌm 'help, pliːz/

I need some help, please. (Most used)

/aɪ niːd sʌm help, pliːz/

Can I ask a favour? (More formal)

/kæn aɪ ɑːsk ə ˈfeɪvə/

Could you help me for a second? (More formal)

/kʊd juː help miː fɔːr ə ˈsekənd/

I wonder if you could help me with this? (Formal)

/aɪ ˈwʌndər ɪf juː kʊd help miː wɪð ðɪs/

Reminding

Sorry to be a bore but do remember to... (Informal)

/ˈsɒri tuː biː ə bɔː bʌt duː rɪˈmembə tuː/

You won't forget to do it, will you? (Commonly used)

/juː wəʊnt fəˈget tə duː ɪt, wɪl juː/

I hope you haven't forgotten to... (Commonly used)

/aɪ həʊp juː hævnt fəˈgɒtn tuː/

Don't forget to do it. (Most used)

/dəʊnt fəˈget tə duː ɪt/

Remember to do it. (Commonly used)

/rɪˈmembə tə duː ɪt/

I'd like to remind you about... (Formal)

/aɪd laɪk tuː ˈrɪmaɪnd juː əˈbaʊt/

May I remind you... (Formal)

/meɪ aɪ ˈrɪmaɪnd juː/

Possibilities

It's quite likely... (Informal)

/ɪts kwaɪt ˈlaɪkli/

There's a fifty-fifty chance of... (Informal)

/ðeəz ə ˈfɪftɪˈfɪfti ʧɑːns ɒv/

It's probably going to... (Commonly used)

/ɪts ˈprɒbəbli ˈgəʊɪŋ tuː/

Maybe... (Most used)

/ˈmeɪbiː/

I wouldn't be surprised if... (More formal)

/aɪ ˈwʊdnt biː səˈpraɪzd ɪf/

In all probability... (Formal)

/ɪn ɔːl ˌprɒbəˈbɪlɪti/

There's a good chance... (Formal)

/ðeəz ə gʊd ʧɑːns/

Likes

I'm crazy about it. (Informal)

/aɪm ˈkreɪzi əˈbaʊt ɪt/

I'm really into it. (Informal)

/aɪm ˈrɪəli ˈɪntuː ɪt/

I'm a big fan of... (Not so informal)

/aɪm ə bɪg fæn ɒv/

I like... (Most used)

/aɪ laɪk/

There's nothing I like more than... (More formal)

/ðeəz ˈnʌθɪŋ aɪ laɪk mɔː ðæn/

What I wouldn't give for... (More formal)

/wɒt aɪ ˈwʊdnt gɪv fɔː/

I'm particularly fond of... (Formal)

/aɪm pəˈtɪkjʊləli fɒnd ɒv/

Dislikes

I can't stand it. (Informal)

/aɪ kɑːnt 'stænd ɪt/

I can't see what all the fuss is about. (Informal)

/aɪ kɑːnt siː wɒt ɔːl ðə fʌs ɪz əˈbaʊt/

I'm not a big fan of... (Commonly used)

/aɪm nɒt ə bɪg fæn ɒv/

I hate it. (Most used)

/aɪ heɪt ɪt/

I'm not too keen on... (More formal)

/aɪm nɒt tuː kiːn ɒn/

I can't work up any enthusiasm for it. (Formal)

/aɪ kɑːnt wɜːk ʌp ˈeni ɪnˈθjuːzɪæzm fɔːr ɪt/

I'm afraid it doesn't appeal to me. (Very formal)

/aɪm əˈfreɪd ɪt dʌznt əˈpiːl tuː miː/

Encouraging

Keep going. (Informal)

/kiːp ˈgəʊɪŋ/

Give it your best shot. (Informal)

/gɪv ɪt jɔː best ʃɒt/

You're coming along well. (Commonly used)

/jʊə ˈkʌmɪŋ əˈlɒŋ wel/

Come on, you can do it. (Most used)

/kʌm ɒn, juː kæn duː ɪt/

You're on the right lines. (More formal)

/jʊər ɒn ðə raɪt laɪnz/

That's a good effort. (Formal)

/ðæts ə gʊd ˈefət/

That's a real improvement. (Very formal)

/ðæts ə rɪəl ɪmˈpruːvmənt/

Refusing

Get lost. (Very informal)

/get lɒst/

No way. (Informal)

/nəʊ weɪ/

No Chance. (Informal)

/nəʊ ʧɑːns/

I don't want to. (Most used)

/aɪ dəʊnt wɒnt tuː/

Absolutely not. (More formal)

/ˈæbsəluːtli nɒt/

I'd rather not. (Formal)

/aɪd ˈrɑːðə nɒt/

No but thanks for asking. (Formal)

/nəʊ bʌt θæŋks fɔːr ˈɑːskɪŋ/

Surprise

You're kidding! (Very informal)

/jʊə ˈkɪdɪŋ/

You don't say! (Informal)

/juː dəʊnt seɪ/

What a surprise! (Commonly used)

/wɒt ə səˈpraɪz/

Are you serious? (Most used)

/ɑː juː ˈsɪərɪəs/

I'm speechless! (More formal)

/aɪm ˈspiːʧlɪs/

I'd never have guessed. (More formal)

/aɪd ˈnevə hæv gest/

That's the last thing I expected. (Formal)

/ðæts ðə lɑːst θɪŋ aɪ ɪksˈpektɪd/

Being Worried

I've got butterflies in my stomach. (Informal)

/aɪv gɒt ˈbʌtəflaɪz ɪn maɪ ˈstʌmək/

I'm afraid... (Commonly used)

/aɪm əˈfreɪd/

I'm worried about... (Commonly used)

/aɪm ˈwʌrid əˈbaʊt/

I'm scared that... (Most used)

/aɪm skeəd ðæt/

I can't help thinking... (Formal)

/aɪ kɑːnt help ˈθɪŋkɪŋ/

I can't stop thinking about it. (Formal)

/aɪ kɑːnt stɒp ˈθɪŋkɪŋ əˈbaʊt ɪt/

It's been keeping me awake at night. (Formal)

/ɪts biːn ˈkiːpɪŋ miː əˈweɪk æt naɪt/

Thanking People

Cheers. (Informal)

/ʧɪəz/

Thanks. (Informal)

/θæŋks/

That's so kind of you. (Not so informal)

/ðæts səʊ kaɪnd ɒv juː/

Thank you. (Most used)

/θæŋk juː ˈveri mʌʧ/

I really appreciate it. (More formal)

/aɪ ˈrɪəli əˈpriːʃɪeɪt ɪt/

I am most grateful. (Formal)

/aɪ æm məʊst ˈgreɪtfʊl/

We would like to express our gratitude. (Very formal)

/wiː wʊd laɪk tuː ɪksˈpres ˈaʊə ˈgrætɪtjuːd/

Agreeing

You are right. (Informal)

/juː ɑː raɪt/

I'm with you on that one. (Informal)

/aɪm wɪð juː ɒn ðæt wʌn/

I'd go along with that. (Informal)

/aɪd gəʊ əˈlɒŋ wɪð ðæt/

That´s for sure. (Commonly used)

/ðæts fɔː ʃʊə/

I think so too. (Most used)

/aɪ θɪŋk səʊ tuː/

Yes, absolutely. (More formal)

/jes, ˈæbsəluːtli/

I couldn't agree more. (Formal)

/aɪ ˈkʊdnt əˈgriː mɔː/

Disagreeing

Rubbish! (Very informal)

/ˈrʌbɪʃ/

You can't be serious! (Informal)

/juː kɑːnt biː ˈsɪərɪəs/

I'm not sure about that! (Not so informal)

/aɪm nɒt ʃʊər əˈbaʊt ðæt/

I don't agree. (Most used)

/aɪ dəʊnt əˈgriː/

I agree up to a point, but... (Formal)

/aɪ əˈgriː ʌp tuː ə pɔɪnt, bʌt/

That's an interesting idea, but... (Formal)

/ðæts ən ˈɪntrɪstɪŋ aɪˈdɪə, bʌt/

That's not how I see it. (Formal)

/ðæts nɒt haʊ aɪ siː ɪt/

Speculating

I bet... (Informal)

/aɪ bet/

No doubt... (Informal)

/nəʊ daʊt/

It's unlikely that... (Commonly used)

/ɪts ʌnˈlaɪkli ðæt/

I imagine... (Most used)

/aɪ ɪˈmæʤɪn/

My guess is that... (More formal)

/maɪ ges ɪz ðæt/

There's just a chance that... (Formal)

/ðeəz ʤʌst ə ʧɑːns ðæt/

I wouldn't be surprised if... (Formal)

/aɪ ˈwʊdnt biː səˈpraɪzd ɪf/