Using Time-Buying Phrases to Keep Conversations Flowing

Welcome back. In the previous lesson, you learned that fast American English often compresses common word sequences such as going to into gonna and did you into didja. Those reduced chunks usually occur in the weaker parts of a thought group, while key words carry the main stress.

Now we move from understanding fast speech to managing your own speech in real time. Sometimes you know the general answer but need a few seconds to choose words, remember a detail, or organize your point. English speakers rarely leave a completely empty silence at that moment. They use small, familiar chunks to show: “I’m still speaking; give me a moment.”

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to choose and deliver common time-buying chunks without sounding as if your turn is over.

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A pause is not always silence

Conversation happens in real time. You cannot plan every sentence before you speak, so pauses are normal. But a silent pause can be ambiguous: the other person may think you have finished, do not understand, or want them to speak next.

A time-buying chunk makes your pause easier to understand. Compare these responses:

A: Which movie should we watch?
B: …
A: Maybe the new comedy?

Here, A may take over because B’s silence seems like the end of a turn.

A: Which movie should we watch?
B: Hmm, let me think. The new comedy looks good.

Now B keeps the turn. The phrase does not give the answer itself, but it creates space for the answer.

It helps to distinguish fillers from backchannels:

• Fillers help you think while you are speaking: uh, um, well, hmm.
• Backchannels show that you are listening while someone else speaks: yeah, right, I see, uh-huh.

This distinction matters. If someone asks you a question, saying yeah may sound like agreement or encouragement, not like you are preparing an answer. Hmm, let me think clearly signals that you are still holding the floor.

A time-buying chunk is broader than a filler. Some chunks are only sounds, such as uh. Others have a clear conversational message, such as That’s a good question. Both can keep your turn, but they suit different situations.

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Your core time-buying toolkit

Start with a small set. The goal is not to fill every pause with words; it is to make a brief pause feel intentional and connected to your answer.

Situation	Natural chunk	What it signals	Example continuation
You need a very brief moment	Uh… / Um…	“I’m continuing.”	“Um… I think Friday works.”
You are considering an answer	Hmm, let me think.	“Give me a moment to decide.”	“Hmm, let me think. The earlier train is cheaper.”
You are beginning a considered response	Well…	“Here is my response.”	“Well, I’m not available until six.”
The question needs a fuller answer	That’s a good question.	“I’m taking this seriously.”	“That’s a good question. I think it depends on the budget.”
You are searching for careful wording	How can I put this?	“I want to express this accurately.”	“How can I put this? It needs a little more work.”
You are checking an idea in your mind	Let me see.	“I’m trying to remember or work this out.”	“Let me see. I think her name was Maya.”

Notice that these chunks do not all have the same length or tone.

Very short fillers: uh, um, and hmm

Use these for a small pause inside a sentence or before you begin:

I was, uh, thinking about taking the bus.
Um, I’m not sure where it is.
Hmm, that might be difficult.

Do not try to pronounce them strongly. They are usually quiet and unstressed. Their usefulness comes from timing, not from sounding impressive.

A practical default: Hmm, let me think

This is one of the safest chunks to learn first. It is natural in casual conversation and acceptable in many neutral situations.

A: What should we bring to the dinner?
B: Hmm, let me think. Maybe a dessert?

The word think usually receives the clearest stress:

Hmm, let me THINK.

After the phrase, pause briefly, then give your first idea. Do not use let me think and then remain silent for a long time.

Starting an answer with well

Well is a small but powerful response opener:

A: Can you come on Saturday?
B: Well, I’m working in the morning.

It gives you a little breathing room while also showing that an answer is beginning. In speech, it can be slightly stretched:

Well… I could come later.

However, well can do more than buy time. It can introduce a contrast, soften a disagreement, or signal hesitation. For this lesson, use it simply as a gentle start to your response.

When the question deserves thought: That’s a good question

This chunk works especially well in a workplace conversation, interview, discussion, or any situation where a quick answer would feel too simple.

A: What should we improve first?
B: That’s a good question. I’d start with the customer feedback.

Use it sincerely. If every ordinary question receives That’s a good question, it can sound automatic or overly formal.

Searching for a precise phrase: How can I put this?

Use this when you have an idea but want to express it carefully:

How can I put this? The plan is useful, but it may take longer than we expected.

This chunk can be especially helpful before a mild criticism or a complicated explanation. Keep it short, then continue. You do not need to explain why you are pausing.

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Three ways to buy time

The following graphic groups time-buying language into three broad strategies: referring to the question, making a brief comment about the topic, and outlining your answer.

The strategies are useful, but choose wording that fits the conversation. Some of the longer phrases in the graphic are more appropriate for an interview, class discussion, or presentation than for a chat with a friend.

1. Refer to the question

If you genuinely need to understand the question better, ask for the missing detail:

When you say “the budget,” do you mean this month’s budget?
What do you mean by “urgent”?

This is not just a filler. It is a real request for clarification. Use it when the question is unclear, not only to delay an answer.

You can also repeat the important topic as you begin:

The schedule? Hmm, let me think.
Your trip next week? Well, I think you should book soon.

Repeating one or two key words gives you time while showing the other person that you heard them.

2. Briefly acknowledge the topic

A short comment can create a natural bridge into your answer:

That’s a good question. I haven’t thought about it much.
Well, that’s an interesting idea. I think it could work.
Hmm, let me think. There are a couple of options.

Be careful with long praise such as “That’s such a perfect topic to talk about.” It may fit a formal discussion, but in ordinary conversation it can sound too prepared. A short, honest acknowledgement is usually more natural.

3. Tell the listener how you will answer

When your answer has more than one point, a structure phrase can hold your turn and make your response easier to follow:

There are a couple of things to consider. First, the cost is high.
I think there are two options. We can go now or wait until Friday.

This strategy is useful at work or in a serious discussion. In a casual conversation, a shorter version is often enough:

Well, I guess it depends.

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Hear how the chunks fit into natural speech

The chunks above should connect to the sentence that follows. Think of them as the light, unstressed beginning of a thought group; your main point still needs clear stress.

Hmm, let me think. The EARlier TRAIN is CHEAPer.
Well, I can meet AFter SIX.
That’s a good question. I’d check the DEADline first.

The words think, earlier train, after six, and deadline carry more information than well or let me. This continues the stress pattern you practiced in earlier lessons: function words and familiar chunks are often lighter; the meaningful words are clearer.

Watch the speaker-focused part of this video. It introduces let me think, you know, and related chunks used when a speaker needs a moment.

What about you know?

You know can buy a small amount of time:

You know, I’m not sure yet.
I was, you know, thinking about the weekend.

In relaxed American speech, it is often reduced:

Y’know, I’m not sure.

This connects directly to your previous lesson: frequent chunks become less clear and less stressed in fast speech.

Still, use you know carefully. Sometimes it has a real interpersonal meaning, roughly “you understand what I mean” or “you share this knowledge.” If you say it too often, it can distract from your message. For now, make hmm, let me think and well your more reliable defaults.

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Keep the turn, then move forward

A good time-buying chunk has three parts:

1. Signal quickly with a short sound or phrase.
2. Pause briefly while you think.
3. Give a first idea so the conversation keeps moving.

For example:

A: Which day is better for the meeting?
B: Let me see… Tuesday would be easier for me.

Or:

A: Do you like the new manager?
B: How can I put this? She seems capable, but I don’t know her very well yet.

The chunk holds the turn; the continuation completes the response.

Avoid these two traps:

• Too much silence: A long silence without a signal can invite the other person to start speaking.
• Too many fillers: “Um, well, you know, like…” can make the listener work harder. One chunk is usually enough.

Also notice the difference between a turn-holding response and a turn-ending one:

“I don’t know.”

This may sound complete, even if you are still thinking.

“I’m not sure. Hmm, let me think… Maybe Friday would work.”

The second version keeps the conversation open and gives you room to continue.

A short rehearsal routine

Take three everyday questions you have heard recently. For each one, record a response of about ten seconds:

• begin with one time-buying chunk;
• pause briefly;
• state one clear idea;
• stop after the idea.

For example, you might begin one response with Well, one with Hmm, let me think, and one with That’s a good question. Listen back once. Check whether your main idea is clearer and more strongly stressed than the time-buying phrase.

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Key takeaways

Time-buying chunks help you pause without giving up your conversational turn. Start with a few reliable choices:

• Uh / um / hmm for a very short pause
• Hmm, let me think when you need a moment
• Well to begin a considered response
• That’s a good question for a more thoughtful answer
• How can I put this? when you are searching for careful wording
• Let me see when you are trying to remember or decide

Use one chunk, pause briefly, and then move into your main point. The chunk should be lighter than the meaningful words that follow.

Next, you will learn self-repair chunks for moments when you have already started speaking but need to correct, replace, or rephrase what you said.