How to Confirm and Check Understanding in English at Work
ESL English learning: Master four essential phrase sets for gathering feedback, confirming decisions, checking understanding, and referencing previous discussions in tech workplaces.
Why Precision Phrases Matter in Tech Communication
In async-first tech workplaces, how you phrase requests and confirmations directly impacts project velocity. Vague language in a design doc review request might get ignored; unclear confirmation in an approval email could delay a release. This article covers four phrase sets that help you gather information, confirm decisions, check understanding, and reference previous discussions — all calibrated for standups, Slack, code reviews, and formal documentation.
- Gathering feedback: Get input without sounding pushy or unclear
- Confirming decisions: Lock in approvals with the right level of formality
- Checking understanding: Verify specs and agreements before building
- Referencing discussions: Connect async threads professionally
Phrase Set 1: Gathering Feedback and Opinions
When you need input from teammates — whether on an RFC, a design decision, or a hiring rubric — the right phrasing shows respect for their time while clearly stating what you need.
| Phrase | Register | Tech Usage Example |
|---|---|---|
| gather feedback | neutral/formal | I'd like to gather feedback on the proposed API schema before Friday's review. |
| pick your brain | informal | Hey, can I pick your brain about the caching strategy? You handled something similar last quarter. |
| ask your opinion | neutral | I wanted to ask your opinion on whether we should prioritize the mobile flow or desktop. |
| collect information | formal | We're collecting information on deployment pain points for the platform team's Q3 planning. |
| Heard at Work (Weak) | Better English (Stronger) |
|---|---|
| Tell me what you think about my PR. | I'd appreciate your feedback on the error handling in my PR when you have a moment. |
| I need your brain. | Mind if I pick your brain about the auth flow? You've solved this before. |
| Give me opinions on the design. | I'd like to gather the team's thoughts on the design before we finalize. |
Slack vs. Email Register
In Slack: 'Quick question — can I pick your brain about the Redis config?' In email: 'I'd like to gather your feedback on the proposed Redis configuration outlined in the attached document.'
Multiple choice
Choose the best answer.
Which phrase is most appropriate for a formal RFC requesting input from senior engineers?
Phrase Set 2: Confirming Decisions and Approvals
Tech work involves constant micro-decisions: approving PRs, authorizing access, confirming meeting times, and greenlighting releases. Each verb carries different weight and formality.
| Verb | Meaning | Tech Context |
|---|---|---|
| confirm | verify something is correct/agreed | I'm writing to confirm that the release is scheduled for Tuesday 2pm UTC. |
| approve | give official acceptance | Your PR has been approved — feel free to merge when tests pass. |
| authorize | grant permission (often access-related) | You'll need authorization from the security team before accessing production logs. |
| ensure | make certain something happens | Please ensure all environment variables are set before deploying. |
| guarantee | promise an outcome (use carefully) | We can't guarantee zero downtime, but we've tested the failover extensively. |
Note the grammar pattern: 'ensure' and 'guarantee' are followed by a clause (that + subject + verb) or a noun. 'Authorize' typically requires a noun object or infinitive.
| Informal (Slack) | Formal (Email/Doc) |
|---|---|
| LGTM, approved ✅ | I've reviewed the changes and approved the pull request. |
| You're good to go for prod access | Your request for production access has been authorized. |
| Just making sure — release is Tuesday? | I'm writing to confirm the release is scheduled for Tuesday. |
Complete the sentence
Type the missing word or phrase.
Complete the email: 'I'm writing to ______ that your PTO request for December 20-24 has been ______.'
Phrase Set 3: Checking Your Understanding
Before building a feature or signing off on a spec, you need to verify your interpretation is correct. These phrases let you check understanding without sounding uncertain or incompetent — they signal thoroughness, not confusion.
| Phrase | Formality | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
| As I understand it | formal | Design docs, RFCs, stakeholder emails |
| To my knowledge | formal | Stating what you believe to be true with room for correction |
| From what I gather | neutral | Summarizing information from multiple sources |
| As far as I'm aware | neutral/formal | Hedging when you're not 100% certain |
Grammar note: These phrases are sentence adverbs — they modify the entire statement and are usually followed by a comma. They create a hedge that invites correction without undermining your credibility.
- As I understand it, the acceptance criteria require both mobile and desktop support — is that correct?
- To my knowledge, we haven't migrated any users to the new auth system yet.
- From what I gather, the team is leaning toward Option B for the database schema.
- As far as I'm aware, the SLA doesn't cover third-party API failures.
Invite Correction Explicitly
End understanding checks with a confirmation question: '...is that correct?' or '...does that align with your understanding?' This turns a statement into a collaborative verification.
Multiple choice
Choose the best answer.
You want to verify your understanding of a technical spec before starting development. Which phrase works best?
Phrase Set 4: Referencing Previous Discussions
In async communication, you often need to connect your message to an earlier thread, meeting, or document. These phrases create clear continuity without forcing readers to hunt for context.
| Phrase | Register | Tech Example |
|---|---|---|
| Following up on | neutral | Following up on our standup discussion, I've created a ticket for the login bug. |
| In response to | formal | In response to the concerns raised in the RFC comments, we've revised the caching approach. |
| Regarding / In regards to | formal | Regarding the incident from last night, here's the post-mortem draft. |
| Concerning | formal | Concerning the budget allocation for Q4, please see the updated spreadsheet. |
| In reference to | very formal | In reference to ticket PLAT-4521, the root cause has been identified. |
Grammar note: 'Following up on' uses the -ing form and is more active. 'In regards to' is sometimes criticized by style guides — 'regarding' or 'in regard to' (singular) are safer in formal writing.
| Slack (Casual) | Email/Doc (Formal) |
|---|---|
| Re: the thing from standup — I filed a ticket | Following up on this morning's standup, I've created JIRA ticket PLAT-4892. |
| About the outage last night... | In response to last night's incident, please find the post-mortem attached. |
| On that API question from the thread... | Regarding the API versioning question raised in the Slack thread, here's our recommendation. |
Multiple choice
Choose the best answer.
Which phrase best introduces a formal post-mortem email about a recent incident?
Pronunciation Guide: Tricky Terms
Several words in these phrase sets trip up non-native speakers. Pay attention to stress patterns and common mispronunciations.
authorize /ˈɔː.θər.aɪz/
AU-thor-ize (first syllable)
Saying 'author-IZE' with stress on last syllable
guarantee /ˌɡær.ənˈtiː/
gar-an-TEE (last syllable)
Saying 'GUAR-antee' with stress on first syllable
concerning /kənˈsɜːn.ɪŋ/
con-CERN-ing (second syllable)
Pronouncing 'con' as 'cone'
ensure /ɪnˈʃʊr/
en-SURE (second syllable)
Confusing with 'insure' (same pronunciation, different meaning)
regarding /rɪˈɡɑːd.ɪŋ/
re-GARD-ing (second syllable)
Saying 're-GAR-ding' with flat 'a'
Culture Notes: Directness vs. Hedging
Tech culture often values directness, but the phrases in this article serve an important function: they create collaborative space. 'As I understand it' isn't weakness — it signals you're open to correction before building the wrong thing. 'I'd like to gather feedback' respects colleagues' autonomy more than 'Tell me what you think.'
Match Formality to Stakes
Low-stakes Slack thread? Be casual. Production incident post-mortem going to leadership? Use formal reference phrases. The same information can be delivered at different register levels depending on audience and channel.
- Use hedging phrases in specs and designs to invite early feedback
- Use confirmation phrases in approvals to create clear paper trails
- Use reference phrases in async threads to reduce context-switching for readers
- Adjust formality based on channel, audience, and stakes — not habit
Quick Reference: All Four Phrase Sets
| Purpose | Key Phrases | Typical Context |
|---|---|---|
| Gather information/feedback | gather feedback, pick your brain, ask your opinion, collect information | Code reviews, RFCs, design docs, 1:1s |
| Confirm decisions | confirm, approve, authorize, ensure, guarantee | Approval emails, access requests, release sign-offs |
| Check understanding | as I understand it, to my knowledge, from what I gather, as far as I'm aware | Spec reviews, alignment meetings, stakeholder emails |
| Reference previous discussions | following up on, in response to, regarding, concerning, in reference to | Post-mortems, thread continuations, meeting follow-ups |
Multiple choice
Choose the best answer.
Match each scenario to the most appropriate phrase set: A) Asking a senior engineer about their caching expertise, B) Verifying your interpretation of acceptance criteria, C) Writing a follow-up email after an incident review meeting, D) Sending an email about approved PTO