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Phrasebook

English Phrases for Work Meetings

Meetings in English move fast, and the right phrase helps you join in with confidence. Here are the expressions people really use to open, discuss, disagree and close.

36 phrases · By LearnLingo Team · Updated

Tap to hear a phrase. Levels follow the CEFR scale. American English is the default; British variants are noted.

Opening the meeting

EnglishTurkishYou might hear

Let's get started.

A2
Başlayalım.
  • Sounds good.
  • Should we wait for Anna?

Thanks, everyone, for coming.

A2
Geldiğiniz için herkese teşekkürler.
  • Thanks for organizing.
  • Happy to be here.

The purpose of this meeting is to plan the launch.

B1
Bu toplantının amacı lansmanı planlamak.
  • Great.
  • Do we have a date yet?

Let's go over the agenda.

B1
Gündemin üzerinden geçelim.
  • I've added one item at the end.
  • Okay.

Is everyone here?

A1
Herkes burada mı?
  • Mark is running late.
  • Yes, we're all here.

Can everyone hear me?

A2

Common on video calls. Also: 'Can you see my screen?'

Herkes beni duyabiliyor mu?
  • Yes, loud and clear.
  • You're breaking up a bit.

Giving opinions

EnglishTurkishYou might hear

In my opinion, we should wait.

A2
Bence beklemeliyiz.
  • Why do you think so?
  • I agree.

I think we need more data.

A2
Bence daha fazla veriye ihtiyacımız var.
  • What kind of data?
  • Fair point.

From my perspective, the price is too high.

B2
Benim açımdan fiyat çok yüksek.
  • What would you suggest?
  • Compared to what?

I'd like to suggest a different approach.

B1
Farklı bir yaklaşım önermek istiyorum.
  • Go ahead.
  • We're listening.

What if we tried a smaller test first?

B1

A soft way to suggest an idea without pushing.

Önce daha küçük bir test denesek?
  • That's a good idea.
  • We don't have time for that.

Agreeing and disagreeing

EnglishTurkishYou might hear

I completely agree.

A2
Tamamen katılıyorum.
  • Great, let's do that.
  • Good, then we're aligned.

That's a good point.

A2
Bu iyi bir nokta.
  • Thanks.
  • And there's another thing...

I see your point, but I'm not sure it will work.

B1

Softening before disagreeing sounds much more professional.

Ne demek istediğini anlıyorum ama işe yarayacağından emin değilim.
  • Why not?
  • What are your concerns?

I'm afraid I don't agree.

B1

'I'm afraid' here softens bad news. It does not mean you are scared.

Maalesef katılmıyorum.
  • Okay, why not?
  • Let's hear your view.

I'm not sure about that.

A2

Often a polite way to say 'I disagree'.

Bundan pek emin değilim.
  • What worries you?
  • Fair enough.

I agree up to a point.

B2
Bir yere kadar katılıyorum.
  • Where do we differ?
  • Okay, which part?

Interrupting and asking

EnglishTurkishYou might hear

Sorry to interrupt, but can I add something?

B1
Böldüğüm için kusura bakmayın ama bir şey ekleyebilir miyim?
  • Of course, go ahead.
  • Can you wait one second?

Could I just jump in here?

B2
Burada araya girebilir miyim?
  • Sure.
  • Let me finish first.

Sorry, could you repeat that?

A1
Pardon, tekrar eder misiniz?
  • Sure. I said we need two more weeks.
  • Of course.

What do you mean by that?

A2
Bununla ne demek istiyorsun?
  • I mean the budget is fixed.
  • Let me explain.

Could you give us an example?

A2
Bir örnek verebilir misiniz?
  • Sure. Last quarter, for example...
  • Yes, of course.

Just to clarify, are we talking about Q3 or Q4?

B1

Q3 means the third quarter of the year.

Netleştirmek için soruyorum, üçüncü çeyrekten mi dördüncü çeyrekten mi bahsediyoruz?
  • Q4.
  • Good question, both.

Sorry, go ahead.

A2

Use this when two people start speaking at the same time.

Pardon, buyurun.
  • No, you go first.
  • Thanks.

Moving the discussion forward

EnglishTurkishYou might hear

Let's move on to the next item.

B1
Bir sonraki maddeye geçelim.
  • Okay.
  • Before we do, one quick question.

We're running out of time.

B1
Vaktimiz azalıyor.
  • Let's be quick, then.
  • Can we take this offline?

Can we discuss this later?

A2

In business jargon: 'Let's take this offline.'

Bunu sonra konuşabilir miyiz?
  • Sure, let's schedule a call.
  • Fine.

Let's get back to the main point.

B1
Asıl konuya dönelim.
  • Yes, sorry.
  • Good idea.

Does anyone have any questions?

A2
Sorusu olan var mı?
  • Just one.
  • No, it's all clear.

Closing and next steps

EnglishTurkishYou might hear

Let's wrap up.

B1

Means let's finish. Also: 'Let's wrap things up.'

Toparlayalım.
  • Sounds good.
  • One last thing before we do.

So, to sum up, we've agreed to delay the launch.

B1
Özetlemek gerekirse, lansmanı ertelemeye karar verdik.
  • Exactly.
  • And to update the budget.

Who's going to take care of this?

A2
Bununla kim ilgilenecek?
  • I can do it.
  • Let's ask Sam.

I'll send the notes after the meeting.

A2

Also: 'I'll send the minutes', which is more formal.

Toplantıdan sonra notları göndereceğim.
  • Thanks.
  • Great, thank you.

What's the deadline for this?

A2

Also ask 'When do you need this by?'

Bunun son tarihi ne?
  • End of next week.
  • Friday at the latest.

Let's schedule a follow-up meeting.

B1

UK speakers often pronounce 'schedule' with 'sh'.

Bir takip toplantısı ayarlayalım.
  • How about next Tuesday?
  • I'll send an invite.

Thanks, everyone. Good meeting.

A2
Herkese teşekkürler. Verimli bir toplantıydı.
  • Thanks!
  • Thank you, bye.

Sample dialogues

Planning a product launch

Manager
Thanks, everyone, for coming. Let's get started.
Geldiğiniz için herkese teşekkürler. Başlayalım.
Manager
The purpose of this meeting is to plan the launch.
Bu toplantının amacı lansmanı planlamak.
Ayşe
In my opinion, we should launch in March.
Bence Mart'ta lansman yapmalıyız.
Ben
I see your point, but I'm not sure we'll be ready.
Ne demek istediğini anlıyorum ama hazır olacağımızdan emin değilim.
Ayşe
What do you mean by that?
Bununla ne demek istiyorsun?
Ben
Testing will take at least six weeks.
Testler en az altı hafta sürecek.
Manager
What if we tried a smaller test first?
Önce daha küçük bir test denesek?
Ayşe
That's a good point. I completely agree.
Bu iyi bir nokta. Tamamen katılıyorum.

Wrapping up a video call

Lead
We're running out of time, so let's wrap up.
Vaktimiz azalıyor, o yüzden toparlayalım.
Can
Sorry to interrupt, but can I add something?
Böldüğüm için kusura bakmayın ama bir şey ekleyebilir miyim?
Lead
Of course, go ahead.
Tabii, buyurun.
Can
We still need a deadline for the report.
Rapor için hâlâ bir son tarihe ihtiyacımız var.
Lead
Good point. Who's going to take care of it?
İyi nokta. Bununla kim ilgilenecek?
Can
I can do it by Friday.
Cumaya kadar ben yapabilirim.
Lead
Great. I'll send the notes after the meeting.
Harika. Toplantıdan sonra notları göndereceğim.
Lead
Thanks, everyone. Good meeting.
Herkese teşekkürler. Verimli bir toplantıydı.

Common mistakes Turkish speakers make

I am agree.

I agree.

'Agree' is a verb, so it doesn't need 'am'. Turkish 'katılıyorum' is one verb, and so is English 'I agree'.

You are wrong.

I see your point, but I see it differently.

Direct disagreement sounds rude in English meetings. Soften it first.

Let's discuss about the budget.

Let's discuss the budget.

'Discuss' takes a direct object. Use 'talk about' or 'discuss', never 'discuss about'.

Can you explain me the plan?

Can you explain the plan to me?

'Explain' needs 'to' before the person: explain something to someone.

I will send you the informations.

I'll send you the information.

'Information' is uncountable in English, unlike Turkish 'bilgiler'. No plural -s.

Quick quiz

Eight questions to check what you remember. Pick an answer to see if it is right.

  1. 1. Which is correct?

  2. 2. The most polite way to disagree is:

  3. 3. Let's discuss ___ the budget.

  4. 4. 'Let's wrap up' means:

  5. 5. You want to speak while someone is talking. You say:

  6. 6. Which is correct?

  7. 7. 'Let's take this offline' means:

  8. 8. To check something you didn't understand, you say:

0 of 8 answered

Show all answers
  1. I agree.
  2. I see your point, but I'm not sure.
  3. (nothing)
  4. Let's finish.
  5. Sorry to interrupt, but...
  6. I'll send you the information.
  7. Discuss it later, outside this meeting.
  8. Just to clarify, do you mean...?

See what the B1 English course covers, or test your level first.

People also ask

How do I disagree politely in an English meeting?+

Acknowledge the other view first, then give yours: "I see your point, but..." or "I'm not sure that will work because..." Words like 'perhaps' and 'might' make it softer.

How can I interrupt without being rude?+

Use a short apology and ask permission: "Sorry to interrupt, but could I add something?" Wait for a small pause if you can.

What do 'minutes' and 'action items' mean?+

Minutes are the written notes of what was said and decided in a meeting. Action items are the tasks people agreed to do after it, usually with a name and a deadline.

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

It's normal to ask. Say "Sorry, could you repeat that?" or "Just to clarify, do you mean...?" Colleagues usually prefer this to a misunderstanding later.

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