You can now handle a face-to-face meeting (Lessons 1–4) and write emails and WhatsApp messages (Lesson 5). But many clients prefer to talk on the phone or have a video call (Zoom, Google Meet). Phone calls are harder than face-to-face meetings — you cannot see the client's face, and you cannot use hand gestures.
In this lesson, you will learn:
Many of your clients — restaurant owners, doctors, shop owners — are busy. They don't always have time for a face-to-face meeting. If you can confidently handle a phone call in English, you can close deals faster without traveling to the client's location. And when international clients call, phone English is the only option. Source: British Council — Business English
Before new learning, let's test what you remember. Try to answer without looking back.
Say the past form of each verb out loud. Then check your answers.
These verbs were taught in Lesson 4. Getting 9 or 10 correct means they are in your long-term memory now.
These mistakes were taught in Lesson 5. What is the correct way to write each one?
You are writing an email. Which ending is correct?
A client asks: "_____ the results after you optimized the profile?"
You already know four tenses:
Simple Present: "I sell websites." → what you always do
Present Continuous: "I am building a website now." → right now
Simple Past: "I built a website last month." → finished, specific time
Simple Future: "I will send the proposal tonight." → promise/plan
But look at this sentence:
"I have worked with 50 businesses."
This is not Simple Past. You are not saying when you worked with them. You are saying: "From some time in the past until now, this is my total experience." The time is not finished — you are still working, still getting more clients. This is the Present Perfect tense.
Use the Present Perfect when the past action connects to NOW.
Use the Simple Past when the action is finished and the time is specific.
"I have built 20 websites." → total experience, still building more
"I built a website last week." → finished, specific time
Source: Raymond Murphy, English Grammar in Use, Units 7–8
Subject + have/has + past participle (V3)
I have worked with many restaurants.
He has built three websites this year.
We have helped over 50 businesses.
She has seen the proposal.
I / You / We / They → have
He / She / It → has
Same rule as do/does in Simple Present, and am/is/are in Present Continuous!
For regular verbs, the past participle is the same as the Simple Past form — just add -ed:
work → worked → worked
help → helped → helped
optimize → optimized → optimized
create → created → created
For irregular verbs, the past participle (V3) is sometimes different from the Simple Past (V2). You need to learn three forms:
| Base (V1) | Simple Past (V2) | Past Participle (V3) |
|---|---|---|
| build | built | built ✓ same |
| make | made | made ✓ same |
| get | got | got ✓ same |
| find | found | found ✓ same |
| tell | told | told ✓ same |
| spend | spent | spent ✓ same |
| think | thought | thought ✓ same |
| see | saw | seen ✗ different! |
| give | gave | given ✗ different! |
| come | came | come ✗ different! |
| do | did | done ✗ different! |
| take | took | taken ✗ different! |
Most of the irregular verbs you already know (built, made, got, found, told, spent, thought) have the same V2 and V3. Only a few common ones are different: see→seen, give→given, come→come, do→done, take→taken. Focus on memorizing these five.
Subject + have/has + not + past participle
I have not (haven't) seen your website yet.
He has not (hasn't) decided yet.
We have not (haven't) received your payment.
Have/Has + subject + past participle + …?
Have you seen our portfolio?
Has he decided about the website?
Have they received the proposal?
These five words are best friends of the Present Perfect. They help you express time without giving a specific date:
ever (= at any time in your life) — for questions:
"Have you ever used Google Ads?"
never (= at no time) — negative meaning:
"I have never lost a client's data."
already (= sooner than expected) — positive:
"I have already prepared a sample design."
yet (= until now) — for negatives and questions:
"I haven't received your reply yet."
"Have you checked the website yet?"
just (= a very short time ago):
"I have just finished the design."
This is the most important difference for your work. Watch:
Simple Past: "I built a website for a restaurant last year."
→ One job, finished, in the past. Not very impressive.
Present Perfect: "I have built websites for over 20 restaurants."
→ Big experience, still ongoing, still relevant NOW. Much more powerful!
When a client asks "Can you do this?" — use the Present Perfect to show your experience:
"Yes, I have done this for many businesses like yours."
"I have worked with restaurants, hotels, and clinics."
"We have helped over 50 local businesses get found on Google."
This sounds much more confident than "I did this before."
Wrong: "I have built a website last month." → Specific time? Use Simple Past! → "I built a website last month."
Wrong: "I have work with 50 businesses." → Missing past participle! → "I have worked with…"
Wrong: "He have seen the proposal." → He/She/It needs "has"! → "He has seen the proposal."
Wrong: "I have saw the results." → "saw" is V2, not V3! → "I have seen the results."
A client asks: "How much experience do you have?" Choose the best answer:
Which sentence is grammatically correct?
A phone call has four stages. Learn the phrases for each stage.
On the phone, always say who you are first. The client cannot see you. Don't just say "Hello" — they won't know who is calling.
"Hello, this is Altamash from [Company Name]. Am I speaking with Mr. Sharma?"
"Good morning, Mr. Sharma. This is Altamash. We met at your restaurant last week. Is this a good time to talk?"
"Hi, this is Altamash calling. I'm calling about the website we discussed."
"Hello, this is Altamash. How can I help you?"
"Good afternoon. Altamash speaking. How may I help you?"
Wrong: "Hello, who is this?" → This sounds rude. Instead say: "Hello, may I know who's calling?"
Wrong: "I am Altamash." → On the phone, we say: "This is Altamash." (not "I am")
Wrong: "Tell me." → Too direct. Say: "How can I help you?"
During the call, you may need to put the client on hold, ask for time, or move to a topic. These phrases help:
Asking for a moment:
"Could you hold on for a moment, please? I need to check something."
"Let me just pull up your file."
Changing the topic:
"So, moving on to the pricing…"
"I'd also like to mention our SEO service."
Confirming what the client said:
"So, just to confirm, you want a 5-page website?"
"Let me make sure I understand — you need the website by August?"
This is the most important section. On a phone call, you will sometimes not understand the client. Maybe the line is bad. Maybe they speak too fast. Never pretend you understood. Use these phrases:
Polite and safe:
"I'm sorry, could you repeat that, please?"
"Sorry, I didn't catch that. Could you say it again?"
"Could you speak a little more slowly, please?"
When the line is bad:
"I'm sorry, the line is not very clear. Could you repeat that?"
"I think we are breaking up. Can you hear me?"
When you want to confirm:
"Sorry, did you say twenty thousand or thirty thousand?"
"I want to make sure I understand. Are you saying that you need the website by next month?"
"Could you" sounds like "kud-yoo" in fast speech. Practice saying "kud-yoo ree-PEET that" quickly. It should sound smooth, not word-by-word.
Source: YouGlish — "could you repeat"
"What?" → Too rude. Say "Sorry?" or "Could you repeat that?"
"Huh?" → Very casual. Not for business.
"I don't understand." → Too blunt. Say "I didn't quite catch that."
Source: EF English — Telephone English
Summarize:
"So, just to summarize: I will send you the proposal by tonight, and we will meet again on Thursday."
Thank and close:
"Thank you for your time, Mr. Sharma."
"It was great speaking with you. I'll follow up on WhatsApp."
"Have a good day. Talk to you soon."
Video calls (Zoom, Google Meet) are like phone calls plus a screen. You need a few extra phrases:
At the start:
"Can you see my screen?"
"Can you hear me clearly?"
"Let me turn on my camera."
Screen sharing:
"Let me share my screen to show you a sample website."
"Can you see the screen I'm sharing?"
"Let me stop sharing for a moment."
Technical problems:
"I think your mic is muted. Could you unmute?"
"My internet is a bit slow. Let me turn off the camera."
"Sorry, I got disconnected. I'm back now."
Read this complete phone call. Notice how the salesperson uses Present Perfect (highlighted in blue) and phone phrases.
1. Identified himself immediately: "This is Altamash from…"
2. Asked permission: "Is this a good time to talk?"
3. Used Present Perfect for credibility: "I have worked with over 30 restaurants"
4. Used a rescue phrase when the line was bad: "Could you repeat that?"
5. Summarized and confirmed at the end: "Just to confirm…"
6. Closed professionally: "Thank you for your time."
You call a client. What should you say first?
The client is speaking too fast and you don't understand. What should you say?
Complete: "We _____ websites for over 20 businesses in Hyderabad."
Which sentence is correct?
Score: 0 / 0
| Word / Phrase | Type | Meaning | Synonyms | Antonyms | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Experience | Noun | Knowledge or skill gained by doing something over time | expertise, practice | inexperience | "I have five years of experience in digital marketing." |
| Clarify | Verb | To make something clearer or easier to understand | explain, clear up | confuse | "Let me clarify the pricing for you." |
| Disconnect | Verb | To lose connection during a call or meeting | cut off, drop | connect | "Sorry, I got disconnected. I'm back now." |
| Portfolio | Noun | A collection of your past work to show clients | showcase, catalog | — | "Have you seen our portfolio of website designs?" |
| Commission | Noun | A fee (percentage) paid to a platform for each sale or order | fee, charge, cut | — | "Zomato takes a 25% commission on every order." |
| Summarize | Verb | To give a short version of the main points | recap, sum up | elaborate, expand | "Let me summarize what we discussed." |
| Mute | Verb / Adj. | To turn off the microphone so others cannot hear you | silence | unmute | "I think your mic is muted. Could you unmute?" |
| Screen share | Verb / Noun | To show your computer screen to others in a video call | present, display | — | "Let me share my screen to show you the design." |
| Increase | Verb / Noun | To become larger in number or amount; a rise | grow, rise, boost | decrease, drop | "Our clients have seen a 40% increase in orders." |
| Directly | Adverb | Without anyone or anything in between; straight | straight, immediately | indirectly | "Customers can contact you directly through Google." |
Portfolio → port-FOH-lee-oh (stress on FOH, not on PORT)
Commission → kuh-MISH-un (stress on MISH)
Summarize → SUM-uh-rize (stress on SUM)
Increase → Noun: IN-kreess | Verb: in-KREESS (stress changes with meaning!)
Task 1: Present Perfect Sentences
Write 5 sentences about YOUR real experience using the Present Perfect. Use "have/has + past participle". Examples to get you started:
Task 2: Phone Call Practice
Practice saying these 5 phrases out loud, 3 times each. Record yourself on your phone if possible:
Task 3: Vocabulary — V3 Forms
Write the past participle (V3) form of these verbs without looking at the lesson:
📺 Recommended Resource: Watch this 10-minute video on telephone English: Oxford Online English — Telephone English. Listen for the phrases you learned today.
If anything in this lesson is unclear, or if you want to do a phone call roleplay with me as the client — just ask! I am your teacher and I can practice with you anytime. Type /teach to continue learning.