Small Talk on the Phone

Now if you call your friend and you just say Hey do you want to eat now.

It’s not a terrible thing but usually when you call your friend you don’t just say directly what you want.

You need to have a little bit of free chat a little bit of small talk especially if you haven’t talked to your friend in a little while.

So there are some common questions that we ask in this sort of situation and many many other situations that we can use to catch up.

Which means to talk about things you haven’t talked about since you last saw each other or just have a bit of what we would call small talk.

So here are the common questions that we use.

And there are more.

But here are some really common ones.

What’s up.

Hey what’s up.

Now what does what’s up really mean.

What’s up.

Actually means not how are you but what are you doing.

How are you.

It’s different than what’s up.

Let’s just be clear about that.

OK.

You say what’s up.

It means either.

What are you doing right now.

What’s wrong.

There’s a problem.

What’s up.

What’s up.

What happened.

Right.

There’s a problem or sometimes it means nothing.

Often what’s up is used as a phrase in situations like this.

You’re in the office and you pass your coworker and your coworker goes Hey.

And you go Hey what’s up in that case sometimes it’s just like saying hi or hello.

You can answer it but usually when people answer it in that kind of situation it’s like nothing not much.

Nothing.

Nothing.

Not much these are common answers to what’s up and then usually people will say you butt in the phone call situation.

You could actually say what you’re doing.

So they call you and say oh hey hey what’s up.

I’m just sitting at home watching TV or actually I’m doing some homework or I’m about to go to work.

You can say what you’re doing OK now that’s different than how are you.

If someone says How are you.

Obviously you can say I’m good I’m OK I’m great I’m fine right.

But we don’t even need to go into that one because it’s it’s so basic.

However we can look at this one.

How’s it going.

How is it going.

How is it going.

That means how are you.

It’s exactly the same as how are you.

Except we say How’s it going.

What is it.

It’s like your your situation.

Right.

So when you answer we often then use it to answer it’s going all right.

It’s going fine it’s going great.

Instead of saying I’m great I’m all right.

I’m fine.

But again basically it’s the same thing.

How have you been.

Now we’ve learned.

Have you been.

Right.

We’ve learned that this means including now and also recently.

Right including now and also recently.

So let’s say I haven’t seen you in two weeks and I say How have you been.

When you answer me you might talk about some of the things that have happened in the last two weeks because I haven’t talked to you since then.

So if I say how do you mean you can say Yeah I’ve been.

Same same grammar.

Usually the answer matches the question I’ve been pretty well although I’ve been quite busy recently with work or I’ve been okay.

Last week I got a cold and I’m still I’m still recovering but cold.

Okay so here.

Have you been.

It’s not just now it’s over time until now.

And we often then we’ll add something after it first you answer I’ve been pretty well and then you can add something else.

I just bought a new car.

I’ve been sick recently.

I’m going to Florida next week.

Whatever.

OK.

How about how have things been.

How have things been.

Again.

This is pretty much the same except again the answer the answer usually matches the question.

So how have things been.

Things have been OK.

Things have been great.

Things have been fantastic.

Things have been all right.

It’s the same thing.

It just looks different.

Sort of like this one.

How’s it going is the same as how are you right.

Actually there are only a couple of questions but they take different forms and the answer usually matches the question which is important to keep in mind.

Sometimes instead of what’s up you hear what’s going on.

It’s the same thing.

Basically what are you up to.

Sometimes we hear up to up to going on what’s going on.

What are you doing.

What are you up to.

What are you doing.

What’s up.

What are you doing.

Pretty much all the same.

And to answer this after you say for example what’s up.

Oh not much.

Just watching some youtube videos.

Then you’ll say you.

How about you.

You asked the same question back you.

That means I’m asking you the same question.

You don’t have to.

You could say another question.

How have you been.

I’ve been pretty well.

I was sick last week but I’m doing pretty well now.

Although next week I have a big exam.

This is small talk.

Just talk about things that have been going on and things you’re doing now for maybe a minute.

And it’s not really strict it should be very casual and you should have some things to talk about because you’re friends.

So then once you’ve done a little bit of small talk.

One thing that people will often do especially on a phone call is to ask Are you busy now this.

Are you busy can often mean and usually means right now in this moment or are you in the middle of anything or are you free to talk.

Am I interrupting anything so I’m trying to get a feeling for whether or not my phone call is bothering you.

Is my phone call causing you to have to stop doing something and actually you’re very busy and you don’t really want to talk to me now.

OK.

Are you busy.

No I’m not busy.

I’m free.

Are you busy.

Yeah I’m a little bit busy now.

OK.

Are you in the middle of anything.

I should be middle sorry.

That’s an owl.

Are you in the middle of anything.

No I’m not.

I’m free in the middle of something.

I’m in the middle of something means I’m kind of busy.

Are you in the middle of something.

Are you in the middle of anything.

No I’m free.

OK.

Are you free to talk.

Yeah.

I’m free.

No not right now.

I’m a little bit busy.

I’m kind of in the middle of something to make things sound softer we often add kind of and a bit so we can say for example I’m kind of in the middle of something.

I’m kind of busy right now or I’m a bit busy right now.

I’m a bit busy right now.

I’m a bit tied up right now tied up means like you’re tied up you can’t do anything because you’re busy.

OK I’m a bit tied up right now.

I’m kind of tied up right now.

I’m a bit busy at the moment.

Am I interrupting anything interrupt means to stop somebody from doing something.

No you’re not interrupting anything.

I’m free.

I can talk.

No I can talk.

Am I interrupting anything.

I am a little bit busy right now.

So if you are busy What can you do.

Should you just say bye.

No of course not.

You could say Can I call you back.

But if you want to be really polite and you want to do it well then you should instead of just saying can I call you back.

Give us specific time say when you will call them back but don’t state it as a positive thing like I will do this.

Make sure to confirm it because if I say I will call you back in five minutes maybe you’re not free in five minutes so it’s better to confirm with a question.

So I’m.

We could say I’m a bit tied up at the moment now to be very polite could I.

Or can I call you back.

Call you back in 10 minutes.

Can I call you back in 10 minutes.

This is a very polite way and a very common way to make sure the other person would be free at that time.

If you just say Can I call you back and you don’t say when.

That makes the other person feel like you never will call them back.

If you say I will call you back in 10 minutes then the other person feels like you don’t care about their time you don’t respect their time so do it this way.

Could I call you back in 10 minutes or is is it okay if I call you back in 15.

Sometimes you just say 15 and we don’t even say minutes because it can’t be seconds and it can’t be hours right.

We know it’s minutes.

Can I call you back in 15.

Yeah sure.

And I can just say sure sure means yes of course.

OK so that’s a very common way to make sure the other person is free before you actually do the invitation.

It’s sort of like step two step one small talk step to make sure the other person is able to spend the couple minutes talking with you on the phone.

It’s pretty polite then when they want to know what you’re calling about.

If you don’t say it you should say it.

You should say why you’re calling.

Yeah yeah I’m free.

Then you should say it but they might also say what’s up.

Now this What’s up means Why are you calling me so you could say are you free to talk now.

Yeah I’m free to talk or Yeah I can talk.

What’s up.

What’s up.

Why are you calling me.

It would be weird to say why are you calling me so we’ll say instead.

What’s up.

Then we get to the actual invitation.