How to end a conversation
Have you ever been in a conversation that was interesting at the beginning, but then it dragged on?
For like, 12 minutes too long. The other guy (probably an American…we love to talk!) just kept on talking. And talking. And talking.
You started thinking about that email you needed to send to your boss before 4 o’clock.
You wanted time for a short coffee break.
You needed to call your colleague in New York. And your favorite Italian restaurant to reserve for dinner tonight. And your husband (or wife).
Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock…
Time was passing. And you were trapped in a boring conversation. You can’t just stop the conversation suddenly. That’s rude.
Why can’t you just end the conversation immediately?
Good news, you can! But you can’t just say “OK, I have to go send an email now. Um, have a nice day.”
No. That’s abrupt. That’s kind of rude. That’s not how to end a conversation politely.
But often, it’s how you end a conversation when you don’t know what to say in English to do it politely, like advanced speakers and native speakers do (well, native speakers with social skills… There are rude native speakers too).
What’s the secret to end a conversation politely?
What’s the secret to concluding a conversation politely (and saving your precious time for important things, like coffee breaks)?
It’s super easy, the language is not complex, but you just need a few secrets. I’ll show them to you in today’s lesson.
This is one of those little secret “rules” of good conversation in English.
There are also lots of little rules to correct conversation in English. You’ll find 32 of them by clicking here.
What about you?
Have you ever been in a conversation that you wanted to conclude, but you didn’t know what to say?
This is going to be a fun subject, so share your stories in the comments so we can all sympathize with you!
Warmest wishes,
Christina
P.S. If you’ve already gotten your copy of “What the Faute?”, how do you like it? I’d love to hear from you. If you haven’t gotten your copy yet, it’s waiting for you right here!
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Super, very useful episode -)
Hi Catherine, thanks so much! Glad you liked it!
Context: if this person is important for your work, you don’t have enough time now.
Well, I just want to say (nuance).. thank you so much for your time. I really appreciate it (nuance)…. But I have to go right now … for another appointment. I (would) love to get in touch with you later. What is the best way to reach you ? What is your internal phone number?
Na-Rae, that’s great! Very nice way to end a conversation! I might suggest that the “What’s your number?” at the end could be very direct if they didn’t respond “The best way to reach me? By phone.”
It’s funny, because I just wrote a video script about the “secret” meaning of “I’d love to get in touch later” ! Here’s a preview: If you’re sincere, definitely add something specific, like a day, or a way to contact them, so it’s good to ask how to reach them. Good job on that!
Just wait for their answer before asking for the phone number (or else they may think you’re being pushy).
I am here for the first time and you are just wonderful! This lesson will be surely very useful for me, and as you said, also easy. Its so nice that you’re saying: you can – super-supporting, thank you Christina!
Hi Annie, Thanks so much for your kind words! Yes, I feel it’s important to remind people that they don’t have to speak perfect English, that it’s ok to make mistakes, and that if you don’t try, you’ll never progress.
Sure, we all want to speak the best English we can, but the path to fluency will always be filled with mistakes, embarrassments, and funny moments. So it’s important to accept that and learn from these moments and progress. But to progress, you have to try!