Author: Xela

Sounds almost contradictory doesn’t it? How can you ‘know’ something if you are not ‘sure’?

When it comes to learning any language things get quite hard when you have to learn the small and subtle ways of saying the same thing.
Saying you know something can be simple “I know today is Wednesday” but what if you know something but you are not completely sure it is right?

Useful sentences to express uncertainty in English

As far as I know!

This is a very useful term. It will allow you to say what you know you think is true but clearly showing that you understand it may not be correct. It suggests that from the information that you have, or what you have been told it is correct but you may not have all the facts

Example “As far as I know we are meeting tomorrow morning”

To the best of my knowledge!

This phrase works in the same way as “as far as I know” but it is a lot more formal. This would work very well in a work situation where you wanted to say the same thing but with the right amount of respect and politeness.

Example “To the best of my knowledge we are meeting tomorrow morning”

Correct me if I’m wrong…

This is a different type of phrase. which is a great way of politely disagreeing with someone in a formal way because you know or you believe that you are right and they are wrong

Example “Correct me if I am wrong but I think/believe we were meeting tomorrow morning (and not this morning)”

I thought…

This is a very useful phrase. It allows you to say what you think is correct but saying it this way shows you are very happy for someone else to have a different answer. It is perfect if you really do not know if you are correct or not.

While it is a statement you can also turn it into a question to reinforce your feeling of doubt,

Example: “I thought we were meeting tomorrow morning?”

TIP

These kind of phrases are good to try on your English speaking friends first, so they can let you know if you are using them in the right way.

Expressing uncertainty in a work environment

How to say I am not sure in a formal way

When you’re in a business or professional setting, choosing the right words is crucial. It’s important to communicate your thoughts clearly while maintaining respect for your workplace and colleagues. Here are some formal and professional ways to express uncertainty in a professional manner

• “Correct me if I am wrong…”
• “To the best of my knowledge…”
• “I may be wrong, but…”
• “As far as I know…”
• “I believe so, however, I’d suggest double-checking.”
• “It’s possible that…”
• “I think that might be the case, however, let’s verify to be sure.”
• “From my understanding…”
• “Unless I’m mistaken…”
• “Based on the information I have…”

Using these phrases instead of informal or slang expressions like “I dunno, but…” projects professionalism and helps maintain a positive impression in formal settings

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How to say I am not sure in email

Writing an email differs significantly from speaking directly to someone, yet when it comes to expressing uncertainty, the language used remains similar.
Whether it’s in a professional work email or a casual message to a friend, using phrases like ‘I am not sure but…’ or ‘I may be wrong but…’ is still considered polite and appropriate.

For instance, in a work email, you might write, ‘I am not sure, but I think the deadline is next Friday.’ In a more informal setting with a friend, you could say, ‘I may be wrong, but wasn’t the movie we planned to watch next week?’ Additionally, in a collaborative team email, you could use, ‘As far as I know, the meeting is scheduled for 3 PM, but let’s confirm with the team.’

These examples show how using such phrases can effectively convey your uncertainty in various email contexts

Slang is a word that describes another word that is not in the English dictionary but is commonly used to describe things, place and feelings. They are very useful to know if you are planning on working or studying in the UK or with people from the UK. Many slang words are not found in other English speaking countries like America for example where they are likely to be confusing or misunderstood. Generally, slang words are not suitable (1) for the workplace or formal situations but can be used with friends and family or in casual conversations.

Budge Up

This is a casual (2) term you might use with a friend or a family member. It is used when you would like someone to move along a seat to give you some room to sit down. It is also used if you need someone to move to make some room (3) for you if you are standing watching something.

Cock Up

This is a common slang term used to describe something that went wrong. If you were talking about a mistake (4) with someone you could say “that was a cock-up” or “that was a total cock-up”. It is a very casual term but is used in a number of situations.

Fancy

This is a word used in a number of ways but all uses are similar. It means to like or want something. But it can also be used by men and women who like each other. For example “I fancy a pizza” would mean you would like a pizza. But you could also see someone very attractive in a bar and tell your friend you fancy that person.

Mate

This is another word for friend. It is used very commonly (5)  and in many different situations. You could say “he is my mate” or “my mate is coming to the pub with us”. But you could also use it to address (6) your friends by saying “hello mate, how are you”. It is not a word that should be used to describe your boss or someone important at work. It is a friendly term used with friends.

Posh

This is a very common (5) word used to describe things that are expensive or part of a luxury lifestyle. It can also be a little bit rude when talking about people. Calling someone posh is not really very nice as it means they are rich or wealthy but also a little bit rude (7). If you went out to a very nice restaurant you could say to your friends it was a posh place to eat and this would be fine.

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We all make mistakes and one of the best ways to deal with a mistake is to say sorry and to tell people it was your fault. When learning English it is important to understand some different ways we can say sorry and how we can let people know we made a mistake. This can be very important in the workplace where a mistake can be very serious.

I’m So Sorry

While saying “sorry” is good, if you want to say something stronger, then adding “I’m so” at the start will work very well. This is a very polite thing to say and very common in all situations. It is a way of saying you are more than sorry you are “so” sorry. This phrase is very common if you knock over someone’s drink in a bar or walk into someone at the shops.

Example “I am so sorry I forgot to send the email you asked me to send”

My Fault

This is a very useful term that simply tells people that you made a mistake and that it was not anyone else. If two people walk into each other but one person was not looking where they were walking that person may say “Sorry, that was my fault” or “Sorry; my fault” which is a shorter version. There is a more casual and more American version of this term that is simply “my bad”. The word bad is used in the place of fault but means the same thing. In the workplace “fault” is the correct word to use.

Sorry About That and Sorry About This

Just saying sorry is good but it is also quite common to use “that” if the mistake was more than a few minutes ago.

Example – “Sorry about that, I meant to send the email but I forgot”

If the mistake is part of something that is still going on then “sorry about this” is very useful. Perhaps you have asked for help in a shop queue and lots of people are waiting behind you. You could simply say “sorry about this” to them and it would be a very polite way of understanding they are waiting for you.

I Apologise

The word apologise is used to describe any term that tells someone you are sorry. Sometimes it can show more emotion if you tell someone you apologise. You could say “I’m sorry” but if the mistake is quite serious saying “I apologise” can be more effective.

Saying sorry is a very important part of the English language and culture. British people are very well known to be well mannered and people that say sorry a lot. Understanding how to use different types of apology can help make a situation a lot better and make people feel better.

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If you are learning English to work in the UK, planning to visit the UK or are even just want to improve you knowledge and understanding of English, knowing the vocabulary around money is very useful. As with most countries, there are a number of informal and slang terms used to describe different amounts of money.

Being aware of these terms and expressions will help you feel more comfortable and in control in situations where they are used. As with all informal or slang English we don’t recommend you using them actively unless you feel you know and understand the terms perfectly and how to use them correctly in the appropriate context.

Here are some very commonly used words that describe different amounts of money in the UK. The currency is called Sterling or Pounds but also GBP.

Note

A note is a word that describes paper money. In America, this is known as a bill. It is common for someone to say “do you have a ten pound note?” However, as bank cards and mobile payment apps are becoming more and more popular this type of money is not as common as it used to be.

Cash

Connected with the term “note” cash is a term used to describe any physical money. So coins or notes are cash. We are moving towards a cashless society in many developed countries.

P or Pence

The smallest amount of currency in the UK is 1 penny. There are 100 pennies or pence in every pound. It is very common in almost all situations to shorten the term “pence” to just “p”.( pronounced like the letter ‘p’). For example, a coffee in a vending machine at work might be 50p. A colleague might ask “Can you lend me 50p please so I can get a coffee?”.

A Quid

This strange little word is used to describe 1 pound. Someone may ask “Can I borrow a quid” to get a snack or pay for a bus ticket. While it is often used on its own, the word quid can be used against any number of pounds. If something costs £60, someone might say ‘It costs 60 quid”.

A Fiver

There are 4 different value bank notes in circulation today in Britain. The highest value notes are fifty (£50) and twenty (£20).

The smallest value note in the UK is a 5 pound note (£5). This is commonly called a fiver. However, people can also use this term to describe 5 pounds as an amount. For example “I think the ticket costs about a fiver”.

A Tenner

A tenner is a term used to describe a 10 pound note or 10 pounds (£10). Tenners are probably the most common bank note in circulation today.

A Grand

A grand is 1000 pounds (£1000) . This is a much larger amount of money and not an amount you would ever really lend to anyone. It can be used to describe any number of 1000s so 6000 pounds would be 6 grand. “She’s just spent five grand on a Caribbean holiday”

K

The letter ‘k’ is also used to describe 1000 pounds but normally only used for more than 1000. So a car might be worth 8000 pounds ( or 8 grand) and someone might say “the car costs 8K”. Or perhaps the deposit to buy a house is 60k.

If you are not sure when it is right to use these terms then be safe and use pounds. Context is also very important These terms can be are casual and informal and may give the wrong impression in certain situations, like a job interview for example.