English for Work Meetings

Quick Answer: In work meetings, use clear set phrases: open with Let's get started, give opinions with In my view or I think, disagree politely with I see your point, but, interrupt with Sorry to interrupt, clarify with Could you explain what you mean, and close with Let's wrap up. Polite, softened language matters more than complex grammar.

Key takeaways

• Open with a purpose sentence: The purpose of this meeting is to agree on the launch date.
• Soften disagreement: I see your point, but... or I'm not sure I agree, then give a reason.
• Interrupt with Sorry to interrupt, but... and protect your turn with Can I just finish my point?
• Clarify instead of guessing: Just to clarify, are you saying that...?
• Grammar traps: I agree (not I am agree), discuss the price (not discuss about), suggest waiting (not suggest to wait).
• Close with clear action points: who does what, by when.

Opening a meeting

• Good morning, everyone. Thanks for coming.
• Let's get started.
• Shall we begin?
• The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the new budget.
• We have three items on the agenda today.
• Before we start, is everyone here? Can everyone hear me? (online)

Introductions

• Let me introduce myself. I'm Elif, and I work in marketing.
• I'd like to introduce our new colleague, Mark.
• For those who don't know me, I'm the project manager.

Moving through the agenda

• Let's move on to the next item.
• The next point is the timeline.
• Let's come back to that later.
• I think we've covered that. Shall we move on?

Giving your opinion

Neutral	More tentative	Stronger
I think	It seems to me that	I'm convinced that
In my view	I may be wrong, but	I strongly believe
From my perspective	I'm not sure, but I think	Clearly,

Examples:

• In my view, we should delay the launch.
• I may be wrong, but I think the price is too high.
• From a marketing perspective, this design works well.

Asking for opinions

• What do you think, Can?
• How do you feel about this?
• Does anyone have any thoughts on this?
• Would anyone like to add anything?

Agreeing

• I agree.
• Exactly.
• That's a good point.
• I couldn't agree more.
• I think you're right.

A common mistake: do not say I am agree. Agree is a verb. See 25 common English mistakes.

Disagreeing politely

Direct disagreement like No, that's wrong can sound rude in English-speaking workplaces. Soften it.

• I see your point, but I think we need more data.
• I'm not sure I agree with that.
• That's true, but have we considered the cost?
• I understand what you're saying. However, the deadline is very tight.
• I'm afraid I don't quite agree.

Using however correctly helps here. See linking words and connectors.

Interrupting and handling interruptions

Interrupting politely:

• Sorry to interrupt, but can I just add something?
• Can I come in here? (common in British English)
• If I could just say something quickly.

Keeping the floor:

• Sorry, can I just finish my point?
• Let me just finish, and then I'll hand over to you.

Asking for clarification

Never pretend to understand. Asking questions is professional.

• Sorry, could you repeat that?
• Could you explain what you mean by that?
• Just to clarify, are you saying that the budget will be cut?
• Sorry, I didn't catch that last part.
• Could you speak a bit more slowly, please? The connection isn't great.

Clarifying what you said

• What I mean is that we need more time.
• Let me put it another way.
• To be clear, I'm not against the idea.

Making suggestions

• Why don't we schedule a follow-up meeting?
• How about asking the design team?
• I suggest we focus on the main market first.
• Maybe we could split the task.

Note: after suggest, use a clause or -ing, not to. Wrong: I suggest to wait. Right: I suggest waiting, or I suggest that we wait.

Online meeting phrases

• You're on mute.
• Can you see my screen?
• Sorry, you're breaking up.
• I think we lost you for a second.
• Could you turn on your camera?
• I'll share the link in the chat.

Closing the meeting

• Let's wrap up.
• To sum up, we agreed to launch in May.
• So the action points are: Ayşe will update the budget, and Tom will contact the client.
• Is there anything else?
• Thanks, everyone. I'll send the minutes by email.

After the meeting, you will often send a summary email. Our guide to business email phrases can help.

Common meeting expressions you will hear

Expression	Meaning
Let's touch base	Let's talk briefly later
on the same page	in agreement
action items or action points	tasks to do after the meeting
AOB	any other business, the last agenda item (mainly British)
take this offline	discuss it later, separately
circle back	return to a topic later

Many of these are common in American workplaces. Read more in American English expressions.

Common mistakes

Mistake	Better
I am agree.	I agree.
Can you explain me?	Can you explain it to me?
I suggest to wait.	I suggest waiting.
We discussed about the price.	We discussed the price.
According to me	In my opinion

Practice

Rewrite these more politely.

1. You're wrong.
2. Repeat that.
3. Stop talking, I want to speak.
4. I don't understand.
5. We finish now.

Answers:

1. I see your point, but I'm not sure I agree.
2. Sorry, could you repeat that, please?
3. Sorry to interrupt, but could I add something?
4. Sorry, could you explain what you mean by that?
5. Let's wrap up there. Thanks, everyone.

Prepare for work in English

Meetings use the same skills as English for job interviews and calls: clear opinions and polite language. The free LearnLingo B1 course builds the grammar and vocabulary you need to speak with confidence at work.

People Also Ask

How do I start a meeting in English?

Greet everyone, then state the purpose. For example, Thanks for joining, everyone. Let's get started. The purpose of today's meeting is to agree on the launch date.

How do I disagree politely in a meeting?

Soften your disagreement with phrases like I see your point, but, or I'm not sure I agree. Then give a reason or an alternative, rather than just saying you are wrong.

How can I interrupt politely in English?

Use phrases like Sorry to interrupt, but, or Can I just add something here? Wait for a small pause if possible, and keep your point short.

What should I say if I don't understand something in a meeting?

Ask for clarification directly but politely: Sorry, could you explain what you mean by that? or Just to clarify, are you saying that we need more time?

Related Reading

• English for Phone Calls
• Business Email Phrases
• English for Job Interviews
• American English Expressions