Social English: Phrases & Expressions Guide

"How do you do?"

Formal greeting used when meeting someone for the first time.

""How do you do?" she said, extending her hand to the new colleague."

"Nice to meet you"

A polite expression when being introduced to someone new.

""Nice to meet you, Dr. Chen. I've heard great things about your work.""

"I'd like you to meet…"

A standard way to introduce one person to another.

""I'd like you to meet my manager, Sarah.""

"This is my friend…"

Casual way to introduce a friend in social settings.

""This is my friend Tom — we went to university together.""

"Have we met before?"

A question used when someone looks familiar.

""Have we met before? You look really familiar.""

"What do you do?"

Common small-talk question asking about someone's job or occupation.

""So, what do you do?" he asked at the networking event."

"Let me introduce myself"

Used to proactively introduce yourself in a group or formal setting.

""Allow me to introduce myself — I'm the new marketing lead.""

"Great to finally meet you"

Used when you've spoken online or by phone before meeting in person.

""Great to finally meet you in person after all those emails!""

"How have you been?"

Casual greeting asking about someone's general wellbeing since you last met.

""Hey Mark! How have you been? I haven't seen you in ages.""

"What's new with you?"

An informal way to ask what someone has been up to recently.

""What's new with you? Anything exciting happening?""

"Speaking of which…"

A phrase used to transition smoothly to a related topic.

""I love Italian food. Speaking of which, have you tried that new restaurant downtown?""

"That reminds me…"

Used to bring up something that was triggered by the current topic.

""That reminds me — I need to tell you what happened at the conference.""

"I know what you mean"

Shows understanding and empathy with the other person's point.

""I know what you mean. The traffic here is absolutely terrible.""

"Tell me more about that"

An invitation to elaborate, showing genuine interest.

""That sounds fascinating — tell me more about that project.""

"What are your thoughts on…?"

Used to ask for someone's opinion in a polite, open way.

""What are your thoughts on the new office layout?""

"I've been meaning to ask you…"

Signals you have a question you've been wanting to raise.

""I've been meaning to ask you — how did the interview go?""

"Would you mind…?"

A very polite way to make a request, softer than "Can you…?"

""Would you mind passing the salt, please?""

"I was wondering if…"

An indirect and polite way to introduce a request or question.

""I was wondering if you could help me with this report.""

"That's very kind of you"

Used to thank someone warmly for an offer or gesture.

""You brought flowers? That's very kind of you!""

"I really appreciate it"

Expresses sincere gratitude for something someone has done.

""Thanks for covering my shift — I really appreciate it.""

"I owe you one"

Informal way to acknowledge you'll return a favour.

""You saved me from that awful meeting. I owe you one!""

"I'm so sorry to bother you"

Apologetic opener when interrupting or making a request.

""I'm so sorry to bother you, but could you spare a moment?""

"No worries at all"

Reassures someone that an inconvenience or mistake is not a problem.

""Don't stress about being late — no worries at all.""

"Please don't mention it"

A modest response to thanks, suggesting no gratitude is necessary.

""Thank you so much!" — "Please don't mention it, I was happy to help.""

"Help yourself"

An invitation for a guest to take food or drink without waiting.

""There's plenty of food — please help yourself!""

"Cheers!"

A toast said before drinking; also used informally to say thanks (British English).

""Cheers! Here's to a wonderful evening.""

"I'd love to, but…"

A polite way to decline an invitation while expressing regret.

""I'd love to come to your party, but I already have plans.""

"Count me in"

Enthusiastic acceptance of an invitation or plan.

""A beach trip next weekend? Count me in!""

"Let's catch up soon"

An expression of intent to meet again in the near future.

""It was so good seeing you — let's catch up soon!""

"Make yourself at home"

Tells a guest to relax and feel comfortable in your space.

""Come in, sit down, make yourself at home.""

"The honour is all mine"

A formal, warm response to an introduction or compliment.

""It's a pleasure to meet you." — "The honour is all mine.""

"Here's to…"

Used to dedicate a toast to a person or occasion.

""Here's to the happy couple — congratulations!""

"Just checking in"

A casual message to see how someone is doing or to follow up.

""Hey! Just checking in to see how you're feeling after the surgery.""

"Can you hear me okay?"

A practical phrase to confirm audio quality on a video or phone call.

""Hi everyone — can you hear me okay before we start?""

"You're on mute"

Telling someone their microphone is off during a video call.

""Sorry, I think you're on mute — we can't hear you.""

"Let's connect on LinkedIn"

A professional suggestion to network on a business social platform.

""Great talking to you — let's connect on LinkedIn!""

"Slide into my DMs"

Informal slang meaning to send a private message on social media.

""If you want more info, feel free to slide into my DMs.""

"I'll drop you a text"

Informal for "I will send you a text message."

""I'll drop you a text when I'm on my way.""

"Going live"

Starting a live stream on social media for real-time audience interaction.

""We're going live in five minutes — join us!""

"Tag me in that"

A request to be mentioned or linked in a social media post.

""That photo is amazing — tag me in that when you post it!""

"I hope I'm not speaking out of turn"

Used to check you're not saying something inappropriate for the context.

""I hope I'm not speaking out of turn, but I'd like to raise a concern.""

"With all due respect…"

A polite phrase before expressing disagreement or a contrary view.

""With all due respect, I think there may be a better approach here.""

"That's not something we talk about"

A gentle signal that a topic is private or taboo in a particular culture or family.

""Oh, we don't really discuss salaries — that's not something we talk about.""

"I mean no offence"

Stated before or after something potentially sensitive to show good intent.

""I mean no offence, but your pronunciation needs a little work.""

"Let's agree to disagree"

A mature way to end a disagreement without either side conceding.

""We clearly see this differently — let's agree to disagree.""

"I take your point"

Acknowledgement that you understand and accept someone's argument.

""I take your point about the deadline — I'll try to speed things up.""

"Not to pry, but…"

An apologetic opener before asking a personal or intrusive question.

""Not to pry, but how did things go with the divorce lawyer?""

"Read the room"

Informal advice to observe the mood and adjust your behaviour accordingly.

""You need to read the room — this is not a good time for jokes.""