Welcoming and Apologizing
How do you usually start a meeting in English, including apologizing for absences?
Examples of replies:
Let´s get started, and I apologize for those who couldn´t join.
Shall we begin?Sorry for anyone missing today.
Let´s kick things off, and apologies to those absent.
How to ask someone’s opinion politely?
“What do you think about this?”
“How do you feel about this?”
“Do you have any thoughts on this?”
Phrase to agree politely:
“I totally agree with you.”
“That’s a good point.”
“Absolutely, I agree.”
“Phrase to remind everyone of the time.”
“Let’s keep track of the time.”
“We don’t want to run over time.”
“Let’s be mindful of the time.”
“How to thank everyone at the end?”
“Thank you all for your time.”
“Thanks everyone for joining.”
“I appreciate everyone’s contributions.”
Phrases to welcome everyone at the beginning.
Examples of replies:
Welcome everyone, thanks you for joining.
Good Morning, afternoon, evening... everyone.
I´m glad you could all make it.
Another way to ask for ideas from the team.”
“Does anyone have any suggestions?”
“Any ideas on this?”
“Who would like to share their opinion?”
Another way to agree with a suggestion.
“That makes sense.”
“I think that works.”
“I’m on board with that.”
“How to politely end a long discussion?”
“We can continue this in another meeting.”
“Let’s revisit this later.”
“We’ll have to pause here and continue next time.”
Phrase to summarize the meeting.”
“To sum up today’s points…”
“Here’s a quick summary of what we discussed.”
“In conclusion, we decided…”
How to introduce the agenda?
Examples of replaies:
Today we´ll discuss the following points...
Here´s what we´ll cover in today´s meeting.
Let me walk you through the agenda.
“Phrase to encourage quieter participants.”
“I’d love to hear your thoughts.”
“Please feel free to share your ideas.”
“What’s your perspective on this?”
Phrase to disagree politely.
“I see your point, but…”
“I understand, however…”
“I’m not sure I agree with that.”
“Phrase to speed up a discussion.”
“Let’s move on to the next point.”
“We should keep things moving.”
“Let’s focus on the main points.”
How to confirm next steps?
“Our next steps are…”
“Here’s what we need to do next…”
“Let’s review the action items.”
Phrase to ask if everyone is ready to begin:
Examples of replies:
Is everyone ready to start?
Shall we get started?
Can we begin now?
How to ask for feedback on a proposal?
“Do you have any feedback on this?”
“Any comments on this suggestion?”
“What do you think about this proposal?”
How to express a different opinion?
“I’d like to offer another perspective.”
“Another way to look at this is…”
“Here’s my point of view.”
“How to check if a point is finished?”
“Is everyone clear on this topic?”
“Does anyone have questions about this?”
“Can we consider this point resolved?”
“Phrase to schedule the next meeting.”
“Let’s set a date for our next meeting.”
“When shall we meet next?”
“Can we agree on the next meeting time?”
Phrase to remind participants to stay on topic.
Examples of replies:
Let´s stick to the agenda.
Let´s stay on track.
Please keep the discussion focuses.
“Phrase to ask for clarification on someone’s point.
“Could you explain that a bit more?”
“Can you clarify what you mean?”
“I’m not sure I understand, could you elaborate?”
“Phrase to compromise during a discussion.”
“Let’s meet halfway.”
“We can find a middle ground.”
“How about we try a compromise?”
“Phrase to suggest postponing a topic.”
“Let’s table this for later.”
“We can discuss this in another session.”
“Let’s leave this for another time.”
“How to politely end the meeting
“That’s all for today, thank you.”
“We’re done for now, thanks everyone.”
“Thanks for your time, see you next meeting.”