How to Leave a Voicemail in English

Do you know how to leave a voicemail in English? Here’s a collaboration video we made with four great YouTube teachers. You’ll find lots of useful expressions you can use when you need to leave an English voice message for somebody.

Hello. This is Vicki. Sorry I missed your call. Please leave a message!
Hey Vicki. It’s Jennifer. I have a great idea for a video. It involves group collaboration. Do you have time to talk later today? Give me a call when you can, okay? Just in case, I’ll send you an email, too. Thanks. Bye.

When you’re creating your outgoing voicemail message, begin by saying ‘hello’. Then either state your name or your phone number. For example, ‘Hello, you’ve reached Gaby.’ or ‘Hello, you’ve reached 555-1234.’ Then you can leave instructions for the caller, say ‘thank you’ and ‘goodbye’. So for example, Hello, you’ve reached Gabby. Please leave me a message and I’ll call you back as soon as possible. Thank you. Bye’

Hello. This is Jennifer. I’m sorry I’m not able to take your call. Please leave your name and number, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Thank you.
Hi Jennifer. It’s Vicki returning your call. I guess we’re playing phone tag. But I got your email, and I love your idea and I’ll be happy to contact the others. I’ll see who I can reach today. Talk later. Bye!

When you leave a message, first say hello. ‘Hi’ is okay for friends, family and co-workers. Then state your name. Identify yourself if necessary, for example, do you represent a company? Or are you a friend of a friend? Then state the purpose of your call. Be brief.

Hi. This is Jason Levine. I’m sorry I’m not available to take your call. Please leave a message, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.
Hey Jase. It’s Vicki, calling about Jennifer’s idea for a video. Did you get the email? Call me back when you get a chance, all right? Oh, and could you reach out to Gabby? You have her number, right? Thanks. Bye.
Hello. You’ve reached Gabby. I can’t take your call right now, but please leave me a message and I’ll call you back as soon as I can. Thank you. Bye!
Hi Gabby! It’s Jase. We’re getting a group together for a collaboration video. It’s going to be me, Vicki of Simple English Videos, and JenniferESL. We’d love to have you join. Give me call if you’re interested. Hope to hear back from you soon. Bye.
Hi Gabby. It’s Jase again. You’re in touch with Minoo from Anglo Link, right? We’d love to have Minoo join, too. Do you think you could call her and ask? Thanks! Bye.

When you leave voicemail, you can add a call back number. Your best friend will have your phone number, but a new client won’t. You can also state the times you’re available. For example, ‘You can call me anytime today until 5 o’clock.’ Remember adding a ‘Thank you!’ or a simple ‘Thanks’ is a good thing to do before you say bye.

Hello. This is Minoo. I’m not able to answer your call right now. Please leave your name and number, and I’ll return your call as soon as possible. Thank you!
Hello Minoo. This is Gabby from Go Natural English. I’m calling because a group of us online English teachers are getting together to do a collaborative project and I was wondering if you’d have time to talk. Could you give me a call back at 1-312-555-1234? I’ll look forward to speaking with you soon. Thanks so much. Bye for now.

Remember to be brief and speak clearly especially when you’re spelling a name, stating your phone number, or giving an email address. You might even want to say it twice: the first time, slowly and the second time, a bit faster.

Hi Jennifer. This is Minoo. I just spoke to Gabby and she told me about the group collaboration video. I’m really happy you all reached out. I’d love to join the group. Why don’t we continue through email? My address is minoo.101@hotmail.com. Thanks a lot a Jennifer! Talk to you soon. Bye.

Let’s review some of the vocabulary you’ve heard. Minoo gave some excellent advice.

Be brief.

What does brief mean? Short. So don’t talk too long. Now what about this word?

Hi, this is Jason. I’m sorry I’m not available to take your call.

If you’re available, you’re free to see or talk to someone. And if you’re not available, you’re out or busy. And one more. You’re intouch with Minoo from Anglo Link, right? If you’re in touch with someone, you’re communicating with them, maybe by email, but usually by phone.

Hi everyone! Thanks again for putting a great lesson together. I think we gave a lot of useful examples for leaving voicemail. There’s only one thing left to do. Let’s say thank you and bye to our viewers. Bye. Thank you.

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Click here to see another collaboration video we made about lying.
Click here to see more business English videos.
To learn more from: JenniferESL, Gabby of Go Natural English, Minoo of Anglo Link, and Fluency MC (Jason Levine), make sure you subscribe to everyone’s channels:

Jennifer
YouTube: www.youtube.com/jenniferesl
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/englishwithjenniferlebedev/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JLebedev_ESL
Website: http://www.englishwithjennifer.com/
Blog for teachers: https://englishwithjennifer.wordpress.com/
Gabby
YouTube channel: http://youtube.com/gonaturalenglish
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/GoNaturalEnglish
Twitter: http://twitter.com/gonaturaleng
Mailing List Sign up: http://gonaturalenglish.com/7steps
Website: http://gonaturalenglish.com
Jase
YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/collolearn
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/FluencyMC
Twitter: https://twitter.com/fluencymc
Mailing List Sign up: http://fluencymc.com/starter-course/
Website: http://fluencymc.com
Minoo
YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/MinooAngloLink
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/AngloLink
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AngloLink
Website: http://www.anglo-link.com/

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Vicki
YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/vickihollettvideo
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/SimpleEnglishVideos/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/@vickivideos https://twitter.com/@vickihollett
Mailing List Sign up: https://www.simpleenglishvideos.com/subscribe/
Website: https://www.simpleenglishvideos.com http://www.vickihollett.com