40 Business English Phrases for Meetings (Leading, Joining, Agreeing and Disagreeing)
Practical English phrases for every stage of a meeting: opening, giving opinions, agreeing and disagreeing politely, interrupting, clarifying and closing with clear actions.
Meetings are where many professionals feel their English is tested most: you have to listen, react quickly and say the right thing politely. The phrases below cover every stage of a meeting. Learn a few from each section and practise them until they feel natural.
Opening a meeting
- Shall we get started?
- Thanks for coming, everyone.
- The purpose of today’s meeting is to…
- We have three items on the agenda.
- Let’s aim to finish by 11:00.
Giving your opinion
- In my view, …
- From my perspective, …
- I’m fairly confident that…
- It seems to me that…
- I’d suggest that we…
Tip: soft opinions (“It seems to me that…”) work well in many international teams. Strong opinions (“I’m convinced that…”) are best kept for points you can support with data.
Agreeing
- I agree with you on that.
- That’s a good point.
- Exactly — that’s what I was thinking.
- I think you’re right.
- That makes sense to me.
Disagreeing politely
- I see your point, but…
- I’m not sure I agree, because…
- That’s true, but have we considered…?
- I understand the idea; my concern is…
- Could we look at this from another angle?
Avoid “You’re wrong” and “No.” Always acknowledge the other person before giving your view.
Interrupting and handling interruptions
- Sorry to interrupt, but…
- Could I just add something here?
- If I could just finish my point…
- Let’s hear from Sara first, and then…
- Can we come back to that at the end?
Clarifying and checking understanding
- Sorry, could you repeat the last figure?
- Just to clarify, do you mean…?
- So what you’re saying is…
- Could you give us an example?
- Does everyone understand the next steps?
Keeping the meeting on track
- Let’s move on to the next item.
- I think we’re getting off topic.
- Let’s take that offline.
- We’re running short of time, so…
- Can we agree on this point before we move on?
Closing with clear actions
- To sum up, we’ve agreed to…
- So the next steps are…
- Karim, could you send the figures by Friday?
- Who’s going to take care of…?
- Thanks, everyone. I’ll send the minutes this afternoon.
A short example
Chair: Shall we get started? The purpose of today’s meeting is to agree the budget for the trade fair.
Omar: In my view, we should book a bigger stand this year.
Leila: I see your point, but my concern is cost. Have we considered sharing a stand with our distributor?
Chair: That’s a good point. Let’s look at both options. Omar, could you get prices for both by Thursday?
Omar: Sure.
Chair: Great. So, to sum up, Omar will send both prices by Thursday and we’ll decide next week. Thanks, everyone.
How to practise
Choose five phrases before your next meeting and use each one at least once. Afterwards, note what you wanted to say but couldn’t, and find the phrase for it. Business English Essentials has a full lesson on meetings with practice exercises, and Presentations & Negotiation takes you further with persuasion and handling objections.
Frequently asked questions
How do I disagree politely in a meeting in English?
Acknowledge the other person’s point first, then give your view: “I see your point, but I’m not sure that’s the best option because…”
How do I interrupt politely?
Use a short apology and ask permission: “Sorry to interrupt, but could I just add something?”
What should I say at the end of a meeting?
Summarise decisions and confirm actions: “So, to sum up, we’ve agreed to… Karim will send the report by Friday.”
How can I sound more confident in English meetings?
Prepare two or three phrases for giving your opinion before the meeting, speak a little slower than usual, and use short, clear sentences.