Practice English for video calls

Video calls are harder than meetings in a room: there is a slight delay, people talk over each other, you cannot read the room, and when your English is not perfect the pressure doubles. Many remote workers stay on mute for a whole call rather than risk it.

Airi plays your colleague or client so you can rehearse the moments that make video calls awkward: joining and greeting, taking your turn without interrupting, asking someone to repeat when the audio breaks up, giving a clear update, and closing with next steps. Practice the phrases until they are automatic, then unmute with confidence.

A quick example with Airi

Hi! You're on the call — can you hear me okay? Let's start with your update.

Sorry, you cut out for a second. Can you repeat the question?

Of course — that phrase is perfect for video calls, by the way. Can you give us your update?

Sure. This week I finish the report and I will send it tomorrow morning.

Small fix: "I finished the report." Clear update — anything you need from the team?

Try a conversation like this, free600 free credits, about 8 minutes of speaking. No card.

What to say at each moment of a video call in English

Most moments of a call have a line people expect. Learn the one you will say and the one you are likely to hear.

Moment	You say	You will also hear
Testing your sound	Hi, everyone. Is my audio coming through OK?	Loud and clear.
Joining late	Sorry I'm late. Please keep going.	No problem. We just got started.
Sharing your screen	I'm going to share my screen. Can everyone see it?	Could you zoom in a little?
Handing over	That's all from me. Sam, over to you.	Thanks. I'll take it from here.
Leaving early	I have to leave at three for another call.	I have a hard stop at three.
Ending the call	Thanks, everyone. Talk to you next week.	I'll give you all ten minutes back.

A hard stop is a time when someone must leave, whatever is left on the agenda. Giving you ten minutes back means ending the call ten minutes early.

Video call phrases for bad audio, frozen screens and echo

Say what is wrong, then what you need. When the problem is one person's, start with their name: on a screen full of faces, nobody knows who you mean.

What is happening	Say
Someone is talking on mute	Sam, I think you're on mute.
You were talking on mute	Sorry, I was on mute. I was saying the draft is ready.
Their sound keeps dropping	Sam, you're breaking up. I got everything up to the delivery date. What came after that?
Their picture freezes	Maria, you're frozen on my end. Can you still hear us?
There is an echo	I'm getting an echo. Could everyone mute when they're not talking?
Your own connection is weak	My connection is unstable, so I'm going to turn my camera off.
You were disconnected	Sorry, I got disconnected. What did I miss?

The third line is the one to copy. Name the last thing you heard clearly, so the speaker only has to repeat the part you missed.

How to take your turn on a video call

On a call nobody sees you lean forward or take a breath, so say out loud when your turn starts and when it ends.

When two of you start at once, give way: "Sorry, go ahead." If they insist, take the turn: "Thanks. I'll be quick."
Say the name first: "Priya, a question for you: is the budget final?" Nobody can see who you are looking at, and Priya has time to unmute.
On a big call, use the raise-hand button and wait for the host to call on you. Then open with one short line: "Thanks. A quick point about the timeline."
End your turn out loud: "That's my update. Any questions?" Silence alone could be a pause or a frozen connection.
Type the details: "I'll put the link in the chat." A name, a date or a number that was misheard on a weak line is still right in writing.

Mistakes English learners make on video calls

Instead of	Say	Why
Please open your camera.	Could you turn your camera on?	A camera or a microphone is turned on and off. You open a file or an app.
I am in mute.	I'm on mute.	The preposition is fixed: on mute, on camera and on a call, but in the chat.
Your voice is cutting.	You're cutting out.	The verb is "cut out", not "cut" alone: you, your voice or your audio can cut out. "You're breaking up" works here too.
I will share you my screen.	I'll share my screen with you.	"Share" takes the thing first, then "with" and the person.
I couldn't enter the meeting.	I couldn't join the meeting.	"Enter" is understood, but the everyday verb is "join": you join a call, a meeting or a breakout room.

Two settings that make video calls in English easier

Set both up before the call. Menus move from version to version, so check each app's own help page for the current steps.

Live captions. Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams can all show speech as text, which gives you a second look at a sentence you missed. Google's help page says Meet's captions are turned on only for you. Zoom's says automated captions have to be enabled in the settings on its web portal first, so if you cannot find them in a meeting, ask the host. Captions can be wrong, so ask when a name or number matters.
Hold a key to talk. Stay muted and hold a shortcut only while you speak, so you never hunt for the unmute button. Zoom's and Google's help pages both give the space bar, and both say the option has to be switched on in the audio settings first. Microsoft's shortcut list for Teams gives Ctrl+Spacebar on Windows and Option+Spacebar on a Mac.

An eight-minute video call rehearsal with Airi

Airi is a voice partner in your browser, not a meeting app, so you rehearse the talking, not the buttons. The free credits last about eight minutes of speaking: one short call.

Set the scene: "You're my manager on our weekly team video call. Open the call, then ask for my update."
Check your sound, give your update in three sentences, and end it out loud: "That's my update."
Say: "Pretend your connection is bad and leave out the end of your next question." Tell her the last thing you heard and ask for the rest.
End the call: "I have a hard stop, so let me recap." Say who does what, then say goodbye.
Repeat each small fix out loud once. Then run the call again with Airi as a client.

How to get the most from it

Learn the call phrases

"Can you hear me?", "You cut out", "Can I jump in?", "Let's take that offline" — drill them out loud.

Rehearse your update

Prepare three clean sentences for your part and practice saying them to Airi.

Practice interrupting politely

On calls you must claim your turn. Rehearse "Sorry, can I add something?"

Start speaking today

Your first 600 credits are free — no credit card. Sign in and have your first conversation with Airi.

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Frequently asked questions

Can Airi simulate a real call?

She can role-play a colleague, a manager or a client on request, and she answers out loud, so you rehearse the flow of a call instead of isolated phrases. It is a voice conversation in your browser, not a video meeting with other people.

What if I freeze on real calls?

Prepare the parts you can predict. Rehearse your update and two or three rescue lines out loud the day before an important call, so you are not building your first sentence from nothing while everyone waits.

How do I tell someone they're on mute?

Say it right away, with their name: "Sam, I think you're on mute." The words "I think" keep it friendly. Waiting politely while someone talks to nobody is what makes the moment awkward.

What should I say when I join a video call late?

One short line with no explanation: "Sorry I'm late. Please keep going." If someone is in the middle of a sentence, join on mute and put the apology in the chat instead.

How do I end a video call politely in English?

Signal the end, recap, and thank people: "I think that covers everything. I'll send the notes today, and we'll talk again on Thursday. Thanks, everyone." If you only need to leave early, say so at the start: "I have a hard stop at three."

Is it free to try?

Yes. You start with 600 free credits when you sign up with Google, about eight minutes of speaking, with no credit card. That is enough for one short call rehearsal, from the sound check to the goodbye. After that there are one-off packs of USD 5, 10 or 20 for 2,600, 7,200 or 17,000 credits, with no subscription.

Last updated: 2026-10-03