It’s true that when you’re learning English, you should feel free to tell people in the workplace. They will almost always be understanding.

“Hi, Robert. Nice to meet you.” This is the way that you would greet someone that you just met.

“Please speak slowly. I’m still learning English.” This is a great thing to say in the workplace.

“Sally, it is a pleasure to meet you.” This is a great way to greet someone that you have just met.

“I work in the accounting department of the office.” You can also insert any department you work for, such as science, health, sanitation, hospitality, etc.

At 8 am, you say, "Good morning.” This is the customary greeting that you use before noon.

At 2 pm, you say, "Good afternoon.” Finally, at night, you say, “good evening.”

“How are you?” This is a standard way of asking someone how they’re doing.

“How was your weekend?” This is a common way of asking someone if they had a good time over the weekend.

“I’m doing fine, thanks.” This is a way of responding when someone says, “How are you doing?”

Both “See you later” and “See you tomorrow” are appropriate. You can also say, “See you soon.”

When leaving a dinner party, you can either say “goodnight” or “goodbye.” If it is a hosted dinner party, then be sure to say, “thank you.”

“Have a nice day” is a way of saying goodbye to someone, and also a way of wishing someone a good day. You can also say, “Have a good weekend.”

“Where can I find the bathroom?” This is a common way of asking where the bathroom is. You can also ask, “Where is the restroom?”

All three of these can be used when asking where to meet someone. The most common is “Where should I meet you?”

Lunch is the English name for the afternoon meal. For busy workers, this often means a sandwich and chips. That’s pretty standard.

Small talk is light conversation. You can talk about the weather, about food, or anything that isn’t too serious. It helps to pass the time.

“I love your shoes. Where did you get them?” This is a common way of admiring something that someone else has.

“It is so cold today!” You can also say, “It’s so hot today!”

When asking someone about their job, you ask, “What do you do?” You could also say, “What do you do for a living?”

“How long have you been working here?” This is a way of asking someone how many years they have been at their job.

“We should get coffee sometime.” This is a nice way to meet someone you like while expressing that you’d like to spend time with them again.

You can either say, “Let’s grab lunch” or “Let’s have lunch.” This is an informal way for friends to spend time together.

It may seem confusing, but all of these can work. There are just some subtle differences between the three.

When at the restaurant and your friend orders something nice, you can say, “I’ll have what she’s having.” That means that you want what they ordered.

You can either say, “Do you need a ride?” or “Do you need a lift?” This is when you see someone stranded without a car.

“Thanks, I appreciate it.” This is a common way of thanking someone for something that they did.

“No thank you, I’m good” or “No thank you, I’m fine” are both ways of saying that you don’t need someone’s help. “Thanks for the offer,” you can add.

“Do you have a moment?” This is something that you would say when trying to get someone’s attention to ask them a question.

“Can I help you?” This is something that you would say at work when it seems like a customer has a question.

The common apology for bumping into someone is “excuse me.” You can also say, “pardon me.”

“Bless you” is a common reply when you hear someone sneeze. You might also hear “Gesundheit!”

“I’m sorry, I don’t understand.” This a great phrase to use when someone speaks too fast or you can’t understand their meaning.

“Could you help me?” This is a great phrase to use when you’re confused and you need help.

“What time is it?” This is the traditional way of asking someone what time of day it is.