4 phrases · A2 · B1 · B2

Buying yourself a second in English

Every phrase below is a fixed shape you can fill in and use immediately, ordered from the simplest to the most advanced. Each one carries what it means in English and in Hindi, three examples that vary the slot, and the situations it actually gets said in.

The phrases

Simplest first. The braces mark the part you change.

  • Let me think about that

    A2

    Ask for real time, rather than answering badly now.

    मुझे इस पर सोचने दीजिए।

    • Let me think about that and get back to you.
    • Let me think about that for a moment.
    • Let me think about that — I do not want to give you a rushed answer.

    Anywhere · say it as: Let me think / about that · used at work, interviews

  • That's an interesting question

    B1

    Buy three seconds after a hard question — and mean it.

    यह दिलचस्प सवाल है।

    • That's an interesting question. Let me think.
    • That's an interesting question — nobody has asked me that before.
    • That's an interesting question, and the honest answer is that it depends.

    Anywhere · say it as: That's an interesting / question · used interviews, at work

  • I'd say {CLAUSE}

    B1

    Give an answer while marking it as an estimate rather than a fact.

    मैं कहूँगा/कहूँगी कि ___।

    • I'd say about two weeks.
    • I'd say the second option is safer.
    • I'd say it is worth trying once.

    Anywhere · say it as: I'd say / about two weeks · used at work, interviews

  • How should I put this

    B2

    Buy yourself a second before saying something difficult.

    इसे कैसे कहूँ…

    • How should I put this — the first draft needs a lot of work.
    • How should I put this, without sounding harsh?
    • How should I put this. It was not really a success.

    Anywhere · say it as: How should I / put this · used at work, everyday life

What goes wrong

The versions that get said instead, and why they land differently.

Commonly saidCorrect English

That is a very good question, sir. Very good question.

That's an interesting question. Let me think.

Repeating the compliment sounds like flattery and buys less time, not more.

Where you will need these

The same phrases, sorted by the room you are standing in.

More phrase groups on the phrases index, or browse by situation on the speaking pages.

Reading it is not the same as saying it.

A phrase you have read is not a phrase you can reach for. CoCap makes you produce it, in a conversation, and corrects what comes out.

Practise these out loud →

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