It isn’t necessary to learn all these phrases, but knowing a few can help.

Dealing with problems

Getting help

Sorry, I’m being a bit slow.
Sorry, my listening isn’t the best.
Sorry, my brain is failing me.

Could you rephrase that?
I didn’t quite catch that, sorry.
I’m afraid I didn’t quite catch that.
Could you explain what you mean by…?

Are you asking me ‘….’?
Do you mean ‘….’?

 

Buying time (after repeating question)

How will the internet change shopping? That’s a good question.
….? That’s a tricky question.
…? I have to say I haven’t really thought much about that.

Well, that’s the million-dollar question.

Admitting ignorance of topic

I have to say I’m not much of an expert on…
I readily admit I’m clueless about…
…isn’t really my thing.
…isn’t really my forte.
…isn’t really my strong suit.

That’s probably a question for smarter people than myself.

Clarifying (if answer has become long and incomprehensible)

Sorry, I’m waffling.
Sorry, that’s a bit long-winded.

What I’m trying to say is…
Let me rephrase that:…
Let me phrase that another way:…
Let me put it another way;…
In other words…
To put it more succinctly…

Restarting (after a mistake)

Sorry, maybe that didn’t make much sense.
Sorry, maybe that wasn’t clear.

Let me put that better:
Let me start over…

Expanding scope

Contrasting opinions

Generally people think…
Personally I believe….

I think that’s different for different people.
For older people…
Younger people, however,….

My own experience is…
But I don’t think that is true for everyone. My parents, for instance, …

Now, ….
Of course, this hasn’t always been the case. 20 years ago…
But I think this is changing. In 5 years time…

Using the examiner as a ‘wall’

Of course, you might think differently.
I’m not sure what people in your culture think about that.
Maybe you disagree.

I’m sure you agree.
You probably know the feeling.

Linking ideas

Rolling through ideas

Also,…
On top of that,…
As well as that….

The other side of the story

Of course,….
That said,…
On the other hand…

Introducing examples

If I may give a example from my own experience:…
Take me, for instance:…
My parents, for example, are evidence of that:…
When I was at school, for example,…

As a hypothetical example, think of…
If you imagine….