English · B2 · Speaking · about 5 min
Keep the floor, cut in politely, and get the meeting back on track.
Yuliia chairs a weekly budget meeting with six strong personalities. Someone always talks over someone else. At B2 you need both sides of interruption: protecting your turn when others jump in, and cutting in politely when you need to. You also need ways to recover — returning to your point and parking off-topic issues for later — without sounding rude or passive.
MomentYou keep the floor.
Say thisSorry, could I just finish my point?
Why'Could I just finish …?' — 'just' makes the request small.
MomentYou defer a question.
Say thisHold that thought — I'll come back to it in a moment.
Why'Hold that thought' — idiom: wait and remember it.
MomentYou apologise for interrupting.
Say thisSorry, I didn't mean to cut you off. Please, go ahead.
Why'I didn't mean to + verb': an unintended action.
MomentYou interrupt politely.
Say thisIf I could just come in here for a second…
Why'If I could just …' — an unfinished conditional as a soft entry.
MomentYou resume your point.
Say thisAs I was saying, the budget needs to be reviewed.
Why'As I was saying' — past continuous to pick up the thread.
MomentYou park a side topic.
Say thisLet's park that and pick it up at the end of the meeting.
Why'Park' = set aside; 'pick it up' = return to it later.
| Moment | Say this | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You keep the floor. | Sorry, could I just finish my point? | 'Could I just finish …?' — 'just' makes the request small. |
| You defer a question. | Hold that thought — I'll come back to it in a moment. | 'Hold that thought' — idiom: wait and remember it. |
| You apologise for interrupting. | Sorry, I didn't mean to cut you off. Please, go ahead. | 'I didn't mean to + verb': an unintended action. |
| You interrupt politely. | If I could just come in here for a second… | 'If I could just …' — an unfinished conditional as a soft entry. |
‘Could I just …?’ — ‘just’ minimises the request. ‘Hold that thought’ is an idiom for ‘wait, remember that’. ‘I didn't mean to + verb’ apologises for an unintended action. ‘If I could just …’ is an incomplete conditional used as a polite interruption. ‘As I was saying’ uses the past continuous to resume. ‘Park’ (phrasal: ‘park something’) = set aside for later.
Use the person's name and a small hand gesture when keeping the floor on video calls. Interrupt at a natural pause, not mid-sentence. If you park a topic, write it down visibly — people accept waiting when they see it won't be forgotten.
Related topics: /topics/english/b2/meetings/disagreeing-politely, /topics/english/b1/work/requesting-more-time. To keep going, continue with the English course on MyAnya.
Keep the floor with could I just finish, defer with hold that thought, apologise with I didn't mean to, cut in with if I could just, resume with as I was saying, and park side topics.
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Someone interrupts you mid-point. What do you say?
Sorry, could I just finish my point?
'Could I just finish …?' — 'just' makes the request small.
Marko jumps in halfway through Yuliia's point.
Hold that thought — I'll come back to it in a moment.
'Hold that thought' — idiom: wait and remember it.
His question is valid but comes too early.
Sorry, I didn't mean to cut you off. Please, go ahead.
'I didn't mean to + verb': an unintended action.
Yuliia and a colleague started speaking at once.
If I could just come in here for a second…
'If I could just …' — an unfinished conditional as a soft entry.
A wrong number is being discussed and she must correct it.
As I was saying, the budget needs to be reviewed.
'As I was saying' — past continuous to pick up the thread.
After the interruption, the room has lost focus.
Let's park that and pick it up at the end of the meeting.
'Park' = set aside; 'pick it up' = return to it later.
A debate about office snacks starts during budget talk.
| You resume your point. | As I was saying, the budget needs to be reviewed. | 'As I was saying' — past continuous to pick up the thread. |
| You park a side topic. | Let's park that and pick it up at the end of the meeting. | 'Park' = set aside; 'pick it up' = return to it later. |