Ending a business phone call politely
CEFR: A2
Read/Listen first
Yesterday I called a new supplier to confirm the details of our contract. We had already discussed most points by email, but I wanted to make sure everything was clear before the deadline. On the phone, the sales manager went over the price, the delivery dates, and the extra service fees. He answered my questions patiently and suggested we could move the first delivery to Monday if we needed more time. I explained that our team had been waiting for a reliable partner, so this agreement has been very important for us. At the end of the call, I repeated the key information and said I would send an email to confirm it, and that I would get back to him if anything changed. He agreed and told me he was looking forward to meeting me at next week’s conference. We will review the figures again tomorrow, and I am going to prepare a short summary for my manager. I thanked him for his help, closed the call politely, and felt confident we would work well together on this project.⚡ Learning goals
- Can confirm key details at the end of a business phone call.
- Can close a call politely and show gratitude to the other person.
- Can arrange a follow-up meeting and next steps on the phone.
✨ Key language
- Let me just go over that. “Let me just go over the main points.”
- I’ll get back to you. “I’ll get back to you this afternoon.”
- I look forward to meeting you. “We look forward to working with you.”
⚙️ Rules & Grammar — 4 Structures
1️⃣ Past simple for completed calls
Rule: Use the past simple to talk about finished actions at a specific time in the past, such as yesterday’s phone call.Examples: Yesterday I called a new supplier.; He answered my questions patiently.; I thanked him for his help at the end of the call.
Common pitfall + fix: Learners sometimes use present simple with past time expressions. — Use the past form: “called”, “thanked”, “answered”.
Choose the correct past simple sentence about the phone call.
Tip: Use the past form when the time is finished, like yesterday.
Fill with the best answer: Yesterday I _____ a new supplier to confirm the details.
Tip: Use the simple past form of “call” for a finished action.
2️⃣ Present perfect for ongoing importance
Rule: Use the present perfect to show that a past action is still important or connected to now.Examples: This agreement has been very important for us.; Our team has waited a long time for a reliable partner.; The decision has already helped our project.
Common pitfall + fix: Learners overuse the past simple with “already” or “ever”. — Use “has/have + past participle” for present results.
Which sentence correctly uses the present perfect?
Tip: Use “has been” or “have been” to connect past actions to now.
Fill with the best answer: This agreement _____ very important for us so far.
Tip: Remember the structure “has/have + past participle”.
3️⃣ Will for future review
Rule: Use “will” to talk about decisions and future actions agreed during the call.Examples: We will review the figures again tomorrow.; I will send an email to confirm everything.; He will call me if anything changes.
Common pitfall + fix: Learners sometimes mix “will” and present continuous. — Use “will + verb” when you decide during the conversation.
Choose the correct sentence about a decision made on the call.
Tip: Use “will” for quick decisions during the phone call.
Fill with the best answer: We _____ review the figures again tomorrow.
Tip: “Will” is followed by the base form of the verb.
4️⃣ Look forward to + -ing
Rule: After “look forward to”, use a verb in the -ing form to show positive expectation about the future.Examples: He was looking forward to meeting me at the conference.; I look forward to working with your team.; We are looking forward to reviewing the results together.
Common pitfall + fix: Learners often use the infinitive after “to”. — Use “to + -ing”: “to meeting”, not “to meet”.
Choose the correct sentence with “look forward to”.
Tip: Always use a verb with -ing after “look forward to”.
Fill with the best answer: He was _____ to meeting me at next week’s conference.
Tip: Use “looking forward” to show you are happy about a future event.
✍️ Vocabulary
go over
Meaning: to check or review something carefully, point by point.Synonyms: review, check, examine
Chunk/Idiom: go over the details
Example: We went over the delivery dates at the end of the call.
Morphology: phrasal verb; verb + particle; base verb: go.
Self-practice: Write two sentences where you go over information with a client.
make sure
Meaning: to check that something is correct or safe.Synonyms: ensure, confirm, verify
Chunk/Idiom: make sure everything is clear
Example: I wanted to make sure everything was clear before the deadline.
Morphology: verb phrase; base verb: make; object: sure.
Self-practice: Say three things you must make sure about before a meeting.
get back to someone
Meaning: to reply to a person later, usually by phone or email.Synonyms: respond, reply, contact
Chunk/Idiom: get back to you
Example: I will get back to you if anything changes after the call.
Morphology: phrasal verb; verb + particle; pronoun object: someone.
Self-practice: Plan when you will get back to three different colleagues today.
look forward to
Meaning: to feel happy and excited about something in the future.Synonyms: anticipate, expect, await
Chunk/Idiom: look forward to meeting you
Example: He said he was looking forward to meeting me at the conference.
Morphology: multi-word verb; “to” is a preposition; followed by verb + ing.
Self-practice: Write three sentences about things you look forward to at work.
delivery date
Meaning: the day when products or services will arrive.Synonyms: arrival date, shipping date, due date
Chunk/Idiom: change the delivery date
Example: We might move the first delivery date to Monday.
Morphology: noun phrase; head noun: date; modifier: delivery.
Self-practice: Say which delivery date is best for your current project.
deadline
Meaning: the final time or day when something must be finished.Synonyms: due date, time limit, cutoff
Chunk/Idiom: work before the deadline
Example: We checked the details carefully before the deadline.
Morphology: noun; singular countable; plural form: deadlines.
Self-practice: Write three deadlines you have this month and how you will meet them.
☁️ Examples (+ audio)
We went over the delivery dates during the phone call.
This agreement has been very important for our team.
We will review the figures again with the manager tomorrow.
He is looking forward to meeting us at the conference.
✏️ Exercises
Grammar
Which sentence correctly uses the past simple to close the call?
Tip: Use past simple with finished time expressions like “yesterday” or “at the end”.
Choose the correct present perfect sentence.
Tip: Use “have” with “we” and “already” before the past participle.
Fill with the best answer:
Yesterday the sales manager _____ the price and delivery dates.Tip: Use the past form of “go over” to talk about yesterday.
Fill with the best answer:
I _____ send an email to confirm the key points.Tip: Use “will” to talk about a decision you make during the call.
Vocabulary & Comprehension
What can you say if you want to review the details?
Tip: Use “go over” when you want to review information carefully.
Which sentence shows you will reply later?
Tip: “Get back to” means answer someone later, usually by phone or email.
Fill with the best answer:
We might move the first _____ to Monday.Tip: Use two words for the day a product arrives.
Fill with the best answer:
We checked everything carefully before the project _____.Tip: This word means the final time something must be finished.
✅ Guided practice
Mini-dialogue:
A: Before we finish, let me just go over the main points.B: Sure, that sounds good. I want to make sure everything is clear.
A: Great. I will send an email to confirm, and I will get back to you if anything changes.
Why this matters:
Clear endings make business calls shorter, friendlier, and more professional. They help both sides remember the same information. Good endings also build trust for future calls.Verb & Adjective Pack:
confirm — Please confirm the delivery date by email.review — We will review the figures again tomorrow.
reliable — We need a reliable partner for this project.
patient — The sales manager was very patient on the phone.
Try & compare:
Fill with the best answer: Tomorrow we _____ the contract one more time.
Tip: Use “will” for a plan you decide on during the call.
Self-correction: Fix the sentence: I look forward to meet you next week.
Tip: Remember to use a verb with -ing after “look forward to”.
Practice aloud: Listen, repeat, then type the sentence.
I will get back to you if anything changes.
Tip: This sentence is useful every time you end a professional call.