Speaking

Ordering food in English at a restaurant may seem terrifying to some of us. However, knowing appropriate expressions and culturally appropriate etiquette will undoubtedly help you. No worries! In this post, I’ll share some expressions & tips that will surely help you order food in English at a restaurant confidently.

To order any food in English at a restaurant, you can say, for example, “Can I have a large pepperoni pizza, please?” Be specific and clear about any special requirement, and appreciate the suggestions from the server. Being polite and thankful to the server while ordering food in a restaurant can bring you the best service.

In both personal & professional life, we need to talk to people surrounding us in person or through phone calls for different purposes. In many cases, we may need to ask for permission to call them later or politely request them to call us. Here I’ve got some polite expressions, including some tips that you can use to ask someone to call you.  

“Would you please call me at your earliest convenience?” is the most appropriate way to ask someone to call you. You can also ask someone to call you by simply saying, “Please call me when you are available.” You should be polite in your choice of words & tone while asking someone to call you, no matter in which context: formal or informal you are.

The most common way of asking someone for their opinions is “What do you think about it?” or “What is your opinion about it?” In our daily life communication, we ask for opinions from many different people in different places, … continue reading

Whenever we buy anything, it’s obvious to ask for the price. In many cases, we need to negotiate the price. And indeed, the negotiation conversation starts with “How much does this cost?” However, the way someone should ask about the cost of something may vary depending on what types of items they are buying.

We politely say, “How much is this?” to ask for the price of daily needs like food, groceries, vegetables, household items, etc. However, when it comes to making a business deal or buying something, i.e., a house, car, or a piece of land that costs substantial money, the language and approach may vary depending on the context while asking for the price.

To compliment someone, you should say positive things about their appearance, inner quality, any kind of possession, ability, achievement, performance, and so on. You are expected to be honest in picking up appropriate phrases and be polite in your word choice, facial expressions, and body language while complimenting someone.

We interact with a lot of people every day, and we usually happen to make polite requests to them. Making a polite request means asking someone to do something politely. For example, “Can you please tell me the time?” or … continue reading

Whoever you talk to or wherever you are, time is a constant feature of your life. From a corporate to a social gathering, time remains a significant factor. You need to ask people about the time of a meeting, seminar, … continue reading

In formal settings at night, you can greet someone by saying “Good evening” if the time is before midnight, and you can say “Good morning” if it is after midnight.  And, of course, whether it is night or daytime, you can greet someone by saying “Hi” or “Hello.” However, we say “Good night” to bid someone farewell at night, not to greet or start a conversation.

You can say, “Would you mind if I ask how old you are?” to ask someone about their age. If you have genuine reasons to ask about someone’s age, explain the reasons and be sure that they are comfortable talking about their age. Be polite in choice of words, tone, and body language so that they do not feel offended by being asked about their age.

Whether someone is known or unknown, asking them to talk to you may appear to be very difficult at times, depending on different situations. Especially it is more challenging to start a conversation with an acquaintance if you are not … continue reading