Whether you are visiting an English-spoken country or trying to make a conversation in English, a handful of common English phrases will help you go a long way.

Not only that, if you learn to say those phrases in various ways, you can impress your conversation partner as well. That’s a reason enough to learn these phrases, I think.

Let’s start without any delay, or, let me just say, “Let’s start without further ado.”

See? We’re already learning!

Common English Phrases and How to Say them in Different Ways

1. Hello, I am [Name]

You can use the above phrase to introduce yourself in a formal, semi-formal, or even casual way. If you are introducing yourself to your boss or someone in a formal setting, you should provide your first name and your last name. On the other hand, in an informal setting, providing your first name is considered sufficient.

You can use different variations of the phrase depending on the mood of the situation –

• Hi, I am Josh

• Hey, I’m Ruth

• My Name is John Stiles

2. Pleased to meet you

This is a nice phrase people use to appreciate someone when they meet each other for the first time.

You can say it in different ways to escape the repetition and boredom –

• Nice to meet you

• It’s a pleasure to meet you

• [I’m] Very glad to meet you

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3. Thank you, I really appreciate it

It’s another common English phrase that you can use to express how thankful you are to someone. Suppose someone helped you find an address, so, you can thank them by using this phrase or some other version of it.

• Thanks a lot, I’m really grateful

• Thank you for your help

• I greatly appreciate your help

• Thank you so much for your time

• Thanks for helping me out

4. I’m really sorry

You might feel awkward if you step on someone’s toes, or accidentally push someone while rushing to go somewhere. But it’s okay to make mistakes. And you can easily turn the awkward situation for the better and make the other person feel better by saying the humble and genuine phrase “I’m really sorry.”

You can use this common English phrase to avoid coming off as a rude person and diffuse a heated situation as well. The key, however, is to be genuine while using the line.

Different ways of using the phrase –

• I apologize for my mistake

• I am so sorry

• Forgive me

• My bad (informal)

• It’s my fault

“I’m sorry” can be also used to express sympathy. Suppose if someone tells you that they got fired from their job, you can say “I’m sorry” as a gesture of sympathy. Just be careful with the tone or how you say those words, and you’re all good.

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5. It’s freezing

As you can guess, “it’s freezing” is a phrase you use when the weather is chilly. You can also say things like “it’s chilly”, “it’s cold”, or “it’s frosty”.

Commenting on the weather is one of the most common ways to start a conversation with a stranger, especially in western countries.

Of course, the weather is not always freezing, unless you are living somewhere cold like Antarctica.

So you can say “It’s blazing hot out there” or “the sun is scorching today” if the weather is extremely hot.

And for rainy weather, say “it’s raining cats and dogs”, “it’s pouring”, It’s bucketing down”, or “nice weather for ducks” as ducks love being in the rain.

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