M: Hello English learners! Welcome back to EnglishPod! My name is Marco. 
E: And I’m Erica. 
M: And today we’re bringing you a lesson that was requested by one of our listeners. 
E: Yes, that’s right. We got a request for a dialogue about a receptionist. 
M: So, a receptionist at an office or at a hotel… 
E: Uhu. 
M: So, today’s dialogue is simple, but we’re gonna be looking at some really great phrases. 
E: Yeah, phrases that will help you sound really, really professional and really fluent. 
M: So, we’re at an office today and the receptionist is greeting somebody that has an 
appointment. 
E: Alright, let’s see what happens. 
A: Good afternoon. May I help you?
B: Yes, I’m here to see Joanna Stevens. I have an
appointment at four.
A: Certainly, may I take your name? I’ll let her know
you’ve arrived.
B: Sure, it’s Josh O’Neil.
A: Ms. Stevens will be with you momentarily. Can I
offer you something to drink?
B: Yes, a coffee would be nice, thank you.
A: Here you are. Ms. Stevens is ready for you now.
I’ll show you to her office, right this way.
A: Just watch your step here...
 
E: Well, that’s pretty embarrassing, hey? 
M: It was embarrassing I… that’s what happens to women when they wear high heels, 
see? 
E: Actually, that happened to me last weekend. 
M: Really? 
E: I fell down the stairs, so my… my knees are quite blue. 
M: Oh no, see? High heels are dangerous. I don’t know why women wear them. 
E: Well… 
M: Hehe. 
E: I don’t know, but that’s not what we’re here to discover. 
M: Right, okay, so, let’s take a look at some of these great phases in “fluency builder”. 
Voice: Fluency builder. 
E: Well, I really liked how this receptionist used some excellent phrases to sound really 
professional and one thing she said was certainly. 
M: Certainly. 
E: Certainly. 
M: So why did she say certainly? 
E: Well, this is a nice way to respond, um, to make the other person know that you 
understand what they said. 
M: So, Josh O’Neil said “Yes, I’m here to see Joanna Stevens. I have an appointment at 
four”. 
E: Certainly. 
M: So, she is saying, I understand what you said. 
E: Yes. 
M: And then she said, may I take your name. 
E: May I take your name. 
M: May I take your name. 
E: So, this is a nice way of saying… 
M: What is your name? 
E: Yeah. 
M: So… now, this is really important, because if you said “what is your name”, is that 
correct? 
E: It’s correct, but it’s not really very… 
M: Exactly, or I would say polite, to a certain extent. 
E: Yes. 
M: Okay. 
E: So, may I take your name. 
M: May I take your name. 
E: You use this phrase when you’re going to write down the person’s name. 
M: Right, so, if you meet somebody in, ah… on the street or at a bar, you wouldn’t say 
“may I take your name”. 
E: No. 
M: Right. 
E: Unless you’re going to write it down. 
M: Hehe. So, usually, for an office setting where the receptionist has to write down the 
name. 
E: Yes, alright, one more phrase, Ms. Stevens will be with you momentarily.  
M: Okay, Ms. Stevens will be with you momentarily. 
E: Will be with you momentarily. 
M: Okay, so, this is really polite. 
E: Yes. 
M: Momentarily, what does that mean? 
E: In a moment. 
M: In a moment. 
E: Soon. 
M: Soon. 
E: Uhu. 
M: Again, she could have said Ms. Stevens will come out soon or Ms. Stevens will see 
you in a minute. 
E: Yes. 
M: But that’s… again, it’s not really that polite, right? 
E: So, when you want to be formal, you can say Ms. Stevens will be with you 
momentarily.  
M: Okay, that’s a really nice phrase. 
E: Alright, there’s so much in this dialogue, so many great wonderful polite phrases. So, 
why don’t we listen to it one more time, but this time slowed down? 
A: Good afternoon. May I help you?
B: Yes, I’m here to see Joanna Stevens. I have an
appointment at four.
A: Certainly, may I take your name? I’ll let her know
you’ve arrived.
B: Sure, it’s Josh O’Neil.
A: Ms. Stevens will be with you momentarily. Can I
offer you something to drink?
B: Yes, a coffee would be nice, thank you.
A: Here you are. Ms. Stevens is ready for you now.
I’ll show you to her office, right this way.
A: Just watch your step here...
 
M: Okay, so, it’s pretty clear now, but there’re still a couple of phrases that I would like to 
look at. So, why don’t we look at, ah, last two sentences. 
E: Okay. 
M: Ms. Stevens is ready for you now. 
E: Ms. Stevens is ready for you now. 
M: Ms. Stevens is ready for you. So, when she says ready for you, what does that mean? 
E: Prepared to speak to you. 
M: Okay, so instead of saying Ms. Stevens is ready or Ms. Stevens can see you now… 
E: Yes. 
M: You use this great little phrase, is ready for you. 
E: Uhu. 
M: Okay, and then she said I’ll show you to her office. 
E: I’ll show you to her office. 
M: I’ll show you to her office. 
E: This is a lovely way of saying I will take you to the office.  
M: I will take you to the office. 
E: Yeah. 
M: And she followed it by saying right this way. 
E: Right this way. 
M: Right this way. 
E: So, again, walk this way. 
M: Walk this way. 
E: Yeah. 
M: This way, please. 
E: Yes. 
M: Right this way. 
E: It sounds… it sounds really really nice, really polite, really welcoming. 
M: Right, and especially if you use it together, right? I’ll show you to her office, right 
this way, please. 
E: Yes. 
M: Okay, so, it’s a really great way of being polite to somebody at an office. 
E: Now, the final useful phrase, watch your step. 
M: Watch your step. 
E: Watch your step. 
M: So, watch your step. You see that everywhere on signs. 
E: Yeah. Be careful. 
M: Be careful where you step. 
E: Yes, be careful where you’re walking. 
M: Okay. So, obviously, she didn’t watch her step and… 
E: She fell. 
M: She fell. Okay, so really great phrases, let’s listen to this dialogue one last time. 
A: Good afternoon. May I help you?
B: Yes, I’m here to see Joanna Stevens. I have an
appointment at four.
A: Certainly, may I take your name? I’ll let her know
you’ve arrived.
B: Sure, it’s Josh O’Neil.
A: Ms. Stevens will be with you momentarily. Can I
offer you something to drink?
B: Yes, a coffee would be nice, thank you.
A: Here you are. Ms. Stevens is ready for you now.
I’ll show you to her office, right this way.
A: Just watch your step here...
 
M: Alright, so, a really simple dialogue, but with a lot of good phrases in there and it’s also 
a good review for more advanced students, right? 
E: Yeah, remember like these phrases can really help you sound more professional, more 
welcoming, more polite, basically. 
M: Okay, so if you have any questions or doubts, please come to our website 
englishpod.com… 
E: And Marco and I are always around to respond your questions and comments. 
M: Okay, guys, so will see you there and until next time it’s…  
E: Good bye! 
M: Bye!