# How to Use Polite Phrases in English at Work

> Master polite English phrases for tech workplace communication. Learn professional alternatives for reminders, apologies, and requests in Slack, email, and meetings.

- **Author:** Speak Tech English
- **Published:** 2026-08-28
- **Updated:** 2026-10-07
- **Topic:** [Email & Slack](https://app.speaktechenglish.com/knowledge-base/topic/email-slack.md)
- **English level:** B2
- **Guide:** https://app.speaktechenglish.com/knowledge-base/how-to-use-polite-phrases-in-english

## Short answer

Use 'on the table' when something is open for discussion, 'take a look at' to politely request a review, 'thank you for your patience' to apologise for delays, 'friendly reminder' to follow up without pressure, and 'currently' or 'at this moment' to describe present status. Match your register to the context: Slack can be informal, while emails and docs should be more formal.

## Why Polite Phrasing Matters in Tech

In tech workplaces, you write dozens of messages daily — Slack DMs, code review comments, RFC feedback, incident updates, and emails to stakeholders. The words you choose shape how colleagues perceive you. Too blunt, and you seem demanding. Too vague, and your message gets ignored.

This article covers five essential phrase sets that help you sound professional, polite, and confident in English — whether you're opening a negotiation, asking for a review, apologising for a delay, or sending a reminder.

## Five Essential Phrase Sets for Tech Professionals

| Core Phrase | Alternatives | Tech Workplace Use |
| --- | --- | --- |
| on the table | under discussion, negotiable, up for discussion | Use when proposing architecture decisions, timeline changes, or scope adjustments in planning meetings |
| take a look at | review, look through, give it a once-over | Use when asking teammates to check your PR, design doc, or RFC |
| thank you for your patience | apologies for the delay, sorry for the inconvenience | Use in incident comms, late deliverables, or when unblocking a colleague after a wait |
| friendly reminder | gentle reminder, just to reiterate, just to let you know | Use for follow-ups on approvals, deadlines, or action items from previous meetings |
| at this moment | currently, as of today, at this stage | Use in status updates, incident reports, and stakeholder communications |

## Scenario 1: Opening a Negotiation or Discussion

When proposing changes to scope, timelines, or technical approaches, you need phrases that signal openness without committing prematurely. The phrase 'on the table' indicates something is available for discussion — not a final decision.

- The migration timeline is on the table — let's discuss what's realistic given Q3 priorities.
- I want to put an idea out there: what if we defer the auth refactor until after launch?
- Is the API versioning approach negotiable, or has the architecture team already signed off?
- The feature scope is currently under discussion in the product sync.

| Too Direct (Slack) | Professionally Open |
| --- | --- |
| We need to change the deadline. | I'd like to put the deadline up for discussion — are we flexible here? |
| This approach won't work. | I have some concerns I'd like to put out there about this approach. |
| Can we use a different framework? | Is the framework choice still on the table, or is that locked in? |

> **Culture Tip:** In many tech cultures, saying something is 'on the table' signals you're collaborative rather than confrontational. It invites dialogue without forcing a decision.

## Scenario 2: Asking for a Review Without Being Demanding

Requesting code reviews, doc feedback, or design input is a daily task in tech. The phrase 'take a look at' is softer than 'review' and works well in Slack. For more formal contexts, 'review' or 'look through' are appropriate.

- When you get a chance, could you take a look at my PR? It's a small fix for the auth bug.
- I'd appreciate it if you could look through the RFC and flag any concerns before Thursday.
- Could you give my presentation slides a once-over? I want to make sure the data is accurate.
- Please review the incident postmortem and add any missing details from your perspective.

| Informal (Slack DM) | Formal (Email / Doc Comment) |
| --- | --- |
| Hey, can you take a look at my PR when you have a sec? | Could you please review the attached pull request at your earliest convenience? |
| Mind giving this a once-over? | I would appreciate it if you could look through this document before our sync. |
| Quick review needed 🙏 | When you have a moment, please take a look at the updated architecture proposal. |

> **Grammar Note:** Use 'could you' or 'would you' for polite requests. 'Can you' is acceptable in casual Slack, but 'could you' is safer in emails and cross-team communication.

## Scenario 3: Apologising for a Delay Professionally

Delays happen — blocked PRs, incident firefighting, or unexpected complexity. 'Thank you for your patience' acknowledges the wait while keeping a positive tone. 'Apologies for the delay' is more direct when you need to own the situation.

- Thank you for your patience — I've finally unblocked the dependency and the build is green.
- Apologies for the delay on the design doc; I had to prioritise the production incident last week.
- Sorry for the inconvenience — the staging environment will be back online within the hour.
- Thanks for waiting. I've figured out the root cause and pushed a fix.

| Weak / Awkward | Professional & Natural |
| --- | --- |
| Sorry I'm late with this. | Apologies for the delay — here's the updated spec. |
| I know this took forever. | Thank you for your patience while I worked through the edge cases. |
| My bad for being slow. | Sorry for the inconvenience; I've prioritised this and it's ready now. |

## Scenario 4: Sending a Polite Reminder

Following up on outstanding approvals, action items, or deadlines requires tact. 'Friendly reminder' softens the follow-up. For emphasis without repetition, use 'just to reiterate' — especially when deadlines are firm.

- Friendly reminder: PR approvals are due by EOD Friday so we can merge before the release freeze.
- Just to let you know, the security review is scheduled for tomorrow morning.
- Gentle reminder that oncall handoff notes should be updated before your rotation ends.
- Just to reiterate, the API deprecation deadline is final — no extensions this quarter.

| Sounds Passive-Aggressive | Polite & Clear |
| --- | --- |
| As I mentioned before... | Just to reiterate from our last sync... |
| I'm still waiting on this. | Friendly reminder: I still need your input on the RFC. |
| Did you forget about this? | Gentle reminder that the doc review is due tomorrow. |
| Per my last email... | Just to let you know, the deadline hasn't changed. |

> **Culture Tip:** 'Per my last email' has become infamous in English-speaking workplaces as passive-aggressive. Avoid it. Use 'as mentioned' or 'just to reiterate' instead.

## Describing Current Status Professionally

In incident comms, status updates, and stakeholder reports, you often need to describe what's happening now. 'At this moment' and 'currently' work for real-time status. 'As of today' emphasises a specific point in time, useful for policy changes or milestones.

- The service is currently degraded; we're investigating the root cause.
- At this moment, all engineers are focused on the P0 incident.
- As of today, the new deployment pipeline is available to all teams.
- At this stage, we're not accepting new feature requests until the backlog is cleared.

_This guide has interactive exercises on the page: https://app.speaktechenglish.com/knowledge-base/how-to-use-polite-phrases-in-english_

## FAQ

### How do I ask my manager to review something without sounding rude or demanding?

Use 'take a look at' instead of 'review' — it sounds softer and more collaborative, especially in Slack. For example: 'Could you take a look at the PR when you have a moment?' In formal emails, 'review' or 'look through' are both professional. Match your tone to the channel: Slack allows casual phrasing, while emails to stakeholders should be more structured and include a specific deadline or context.

### What's the difference between 'on the table' and just saying something is 'open for discussion'?

'On the table' is a professional idiom meaning something is available for discussion and negotiation — it signals openness without committing to a final decision. It's commonly used in tech when proposing scope changes or technical approaches. 'Open for discussion' is more explicit but less idiomatic; 'on the table' sounds more confident and native-like in business English.

### How do I write a polite reminder email without seeming aggressive or pushy?

Start with 'friendly reminder' to soften the tone — it acknowledges the previous message without blame. For example: 'Friendly reminder: the design review is due Friday.' For stricter deadlines, use 'just to reiterate' instead, which emphasises importance without repetition. Always include context (deadline, purpose, next steps) and avoid all-caps or exclamation marks unless the tone is already very casual.

### How do I apologise professionally for missing a deadline or delaying a response?

Use 'thank you for your patience' to acknowledge the wait while staying positive: 'Thank you for your patience — the PR is ready for review now.' For direct accountability, 'apologies for the delay' owns the situation without over-explaining. Professional ways to follow up include brief, honest explanations: 'I was blocked by X, but it's resolved now.' Avoid excessive apologies or long excuses — one sentence is usually enough.

### Should I say 'currently' or 'at this moment' in a status update to my team or manager?

'Currently' is the most natural and concise choice for real-time updates: 'We're currently investigating the incident.' 'At this moment' is more formal and slightly heavier, useful when emphasising urgency or seriousness. 'As of today' works best when marking a specific point in time (policy changes, milestones). In incident comms or fast-moving Slack conversations, 'currently' is safest; for formal stakeholder emails, choose based on tone and context.


## Related

- [How to Communicate Confidently in English at Work on Global Tech Teams](https://app.speaktechenglish.com/knowledge-base/how-to-communicate-confidently-in-english-at-work-on-global-tech-teams.md)
- [How to Describe Scale and Complexity in English at Work](https://app.speaktechenglish.com/knowledge-base/how-to-describe-scale-and-complexity-in-english.md)
- [How to Handle Words With Multiple Meanings in English at Work](https://app.speaktechenglish.com/knowledge-base/how-to-handle-words-with-multiple-meanings-in-english.md)
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- Cite as: "Speak Tech English — How to Use Polite Phrases in English at Work. https://app.speaktechenglish.com/knowledge-base/how-to-use-polite-phrases-in-english. Audience: non-native English speaking software engineers and tech professionals (level B2).".