| 1. Starting a conversation/discussion
| I see
Well
I say
First
First of all
To begin with
Look here
Talking /Speaking of/about
Let me see/think
Just a minute/moment
That remind me
To come back to
May I have my say?
In fact
The fact is that
On the one hand.., on the other hand
And now for
As far as I know
|
| 2. Ending a conversation/discussion
| To tell the truth
To sum up
Summarizing
Summing up
On the whole
All in all
In conclusion
Finally
In the long run
In short
To make/cut a long story short
That’s all (there is to it)
For all I know
There it is
And so
So much for that
Let’s round off
|
| 3. Expressing one’s point of view
| My own feeling is
I can quite/well/easily believe it/that
It’s my opinion that
In my opinion
I think/believe/suppose/maintain/feel/hope that
To my mind
Personally, I
I dare say
To tell the truth
If you ask me
Do you mean to say..?
What do you mean/think …?
I mean to say
What do you think of…?
What matters is
I want to press the point
In any case
More than that
I must admit
I’m afraid
I’m tempted to agree
|
| 4. Discussing a topic
| I should like to know
Could you possibly…?
Please
Could I trouble you…?
Any questions…?
Have you got any questions for Mr. N?
I have (got) some (several) questions
Just one question on this point/paper
As to the question of Mr. N
I would like to ask you about/whether
May I ask a question?
Will/would you say a few words about…?
I wonder whether/if
In reply to your question
I’d like to say that
I have (got) a few/ several comments about/on
I should mention that
I should emphasize that
The problem/article/paper under discussion
I’d like to add a few words to
I realize that
Do you follow me?
Do you take my point?
I can’t make up my mind where I stand on this, I am convinced that
That’s the way I look at things
|
| 5. Expressing agreement, approval
| I agree that
I (quite) agree with you
I think so too.
I suppose so
That’s right
Quite right
You are right
That’s my opinion too
I think you are right
A fine idea!
What a good idea!
Not a bad idea!
Good!
Wonderful!
Excellent!
Splendid!
Beyond all questions
Absolutely right/certain
Exactly so
There’s no doubt about it
That’s fine
That’s OK.
|
| 6. Expressing disagreement, doubt
| I cannot agree that
I don’t agree that
I don’t quite agree (with you)
I doubt (it)
I don’t think you are right
I am afraid you are wrong (mistaken)
It’s a pity but (that)
I am sorry but (that)
Nothing of the kind
I don’t believe it possible
I don’t believe that
That’s wrong
That may be true, but
I am not sure
I see what you mean, but
Surely not
I find that hard to believe
|
| 7. Saying you do not know
| Sorry, I don’t know
I am very sorry, I really don’t know
I am afraid, I don’t know
I must confess, I don’t know
I’ve no idea
I haven’t a clue
I wish I knew
|
| 8. Giving yourself time to think
| Oh
Well
Just
Now
You see
You know
Just a moment/minute
Let me see
It’s on the tip of my tongue
How can/shall I put this?
|
| 9. Adding more information
| I’d like to add
To tell the truth
In connection with
By the way
To continue
To add
As regards
Concerning
As far as
So far as you
|
| 10. Verifying the information
| Do you mean to say that…?
Can you confirm the fact?
Is it true that…?
Am I right to understand that…?
Can you prove it?
Are you sure?
I don’t quite get the idea, I think
I am sure you didn’t mean that
I don’t quite follow what you mean to say
Sorry…?
Pardon…?
|
