Delaying your answer
Sometimes you need a few seconds to think of the right word or plan your next sentence.
See also:Job interview එකක්
Luckily, there are many phrases in English for delaying. Here are ten of them.
Ten ways to give yourself time to answer
casual · neutral · formal
All of the phrases finish with high intonation to show that you are going to continue speaking with your answer or contribution in just a second.
- Well, you see...neutral"Why didn't you call?" "Well, you see... my phone died."
- Now, let me see.neutral"How much do I owe you?" "Now, let me see. That's five hundred."
- Just a moment/Just a second...neutral"What's your email?" "Just a second... it's on my card."
- Hang on a moment/minute/second/sec...casual"Are you ready?" "Hang on a sec, I'm finding my keys."
- How shall I put it?neutralHow shall I put it? The food was... interesting.
- What's the word for it...neutralWhat's the word for it... the thing you use to open a bottle?
- Now, let me think...neutral"Which bus goes to Kandy?" "Now, let me think... number one."
- Let me get this right...neutralLet me get this right: you want the room for three nights?
- It's on the tip of my tongue...casualHis name is... it's on the tip of my tongue.
- (Now) that's an interesting question...neutral"Why do you want this job?" "Now that's an interesting question..."
How to use them
- are very common expressions that English people use all the time. You should not pause for more than a second or two after saying them.
- are actually asking the listener to wait. In , we often shorten 'moment' to 'mo' and 'second' to 'sec' in informal speech.
- suggests that the speaker knows what to say but wants to organize the words to make them less unpleasant or annoying to the listener.
- We say when we are trying to remember one particular word. If we still can't remember after another two seconds we often explain what the word means and hope that the listener can tell us what the word is.
- are used for requesting the listener to wait for one or two seconds. You can only wait a few seconds after saying these.
- means that we really think we know the word that we are searching our memory.
Quick check
Tap an answer. Nothing is saved.
You can almost remember a word, but not quite. What do you say?
You want to check you understood someone correctly. Which phrase fits?
Which phrase do you use when you need to say something tactfully?
See also: "I don't know" · "Please wait..."
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