Guide · English job interview practice
Phrases to buy time in an English interview
Eloquent Coaching Team · 20 October 2026
To buy time in an English interview, use a short, calm phrase instead of silence or filler. Say “That’s a good question, let me think for a moment,” “Could you repeat the last part?” or “Just to check, do you mean…?” Then pause and answer. One phrase buys you three to five seconds without sounding unprepared.
What is the interviewer checking when you pause?
A pause is not a problem. Interviewers expect people to think. What they notice is how you handle it: a calm phrase and a clear answer suggest someone who stays organised under pressure. Panic, a long “ummm”, or an answer that starts before you know where it goes suggest the opposite.
For non-native speakers, the moment you need time is often not about the question but about the words: finding the vocabulary, checking you understood, or recovering after a lost word. A small set of ready phrases covers almost every case. You learn them once and use them in every interview.
What can you say when you need a moment to think?
Phrases for thinking time
| Phrase | When to use it |
|---|---|
| “That’s a good question. Let me think for a moment.” | Any hard question. Use it once or twice per interview, not every time. |
| “Let me take a second to pick the best example.” | Behavioural questions that ask for a story. |
| “I haven’t been asked that before. Give me a moment.” | An unusual question. It sounds honest and confident. |
| “There are a few ways to answer that. I’ll start with the most important one.” | Broad questions where you need to choose a direction. |
| “Can I come back to that at the end?” | Only when you truly have nothing. Then remember to come back. |
After the phrase, be silent. Three to five seconds of silence feels long to you and normal to the interviewer.
How do you ask an interviewer to repeat or clarify a question?
Phrases for asking to repeat
| Phrase | When to use it |
|---|---|
| “Sorry, could you repeat the question?” | You missed most of it. Simple and polite. |
| “Could you repeat the last part?” | You understood the start but lost the end. |
| “You cut out for a second. Could you say that again?” | Video calls with a weak connection. |
| “Could you say that a bit more slowly?” | A fast speaker or a strong accent. Use once, not repeatedly. |
Asking once is normal. Answering the wrong question because you were afraid to ask is far worse. If you think you understood but want to be sure, clarify instead of asking for a repeat.
Phrases for clarifying
| Phrase | When to use it |
|---|---|
| “Just to check, do you mean…?” | You think you understood but are not sure. |
| “Are you asking about my current role or my career in general?” | The question has two possible scopes. |
| “When you say ‘stakeholders’, do you mean internal teams or clients?” | A key word could mean two things. |
| “So the question is how I handled the conflict, not the outcome. Is that right?” | A long question with several parts. |
Clarifying questions do two jobs: they check your understanding, and they give you time to plan the answer. Interviewers usually read them as a sign of care.
What do you say when you lose a word mid-sentence?
This happens to everyone, in every language. The worst reaction is to stop and apologise. The best is to describe the word and keep going.
Phrases for recovering from a lost word
| Phrase | When to use it |
|---|---|
| “…the tool we used to track bugs, I can’t think of the name right now.” | You forgot a name. Describe what it does and move on. |
| “…what’s the word… the process where you check someone’s code before it’s merged.” | You lost a technical term. Explain the meaning. |
| “Let me put that another way.” | Your sentence went wrong. Restart it cleanly. |
| “In other words, we cut the cost in half.” | You said something complicated and want to simplify it. |
How do you steer back when you go off topic?
Phrases for steering back
| Phrase | When to use it |
|---|---|
| “But to answer your question directly…” | You added too much background. |
| “The short version is…” | Your answer is getting long. Summarise. |
| “Going back to your question about the team…” | You drifted to another topic. |
| “So the result was…” | Your story is missing its ending. Jump to it. |
| “Does that answer your question, or should I go deeper on one part?” | You are not sure you answered. Let them steer. |
Which fillers sound weak, and what should you use instead?
Weak fillers and stronger replacements
| Weak | Strong |
|---|---|
| “Ummm… errr… ummm…” | A silent pause of two or three seconds. |
| “Basically, like, you know, so basically…” | “There are two parts to that.” |
| “Sorry, sorry, my English, sorry.” | “Let me put that another way.” |
| “I don’t know.” (and stop) | “I haven’t worked with that directly. The closest thing I’ve done is…” |
Watch for fillers translated from your first language too. Every language has its own thinking sounds, and they can sound unusual in English. A silent pause is the safest choice.
What do these phrases sound like in a real answer?
Software engineer, asked about a design they have never built: “That’s a good question. Let me think for a moment. I haven’t built that exact system, but I designed something close at a logistics company. Just to check, are you more interested in scaling or in data consistency?”
Project manager, losing a word: “We had a problem with the… what’s the word… the document that lists who approves each decision. The approval matrix. Once we fixed that, delivery got faster. But to answer your question directly, the main lesson was to agree decision rights early.”
Finance analyst, asked a broad question: “There are a few ways to answer that. I’ll start with the most important one: forecasting accuracy. Last year I cut our forecast error in half by changing how we collected input from sales.”
How do you practise these phrases until they are automatic?
Pick one phrase from each table. Five phrases are enough. Say each one out loud ten times until it comes out at a calm speed without thinking.
- Ask a friend to throw unexpected questions at you, and start every answer with one of your phrases.
- Record yourself and count the fillers. Replace each one with a pause.
- Do the one-breath test: every buying-time phrase should fit easily in one breath.
- Practise the lost-word recovery on purpose: describe five work terms without saying the word itself.
For a counterpart who can surprise you, describe the role and the interviewer in an Eloquent custom roleplay and answer out loud. It interrupts briefly when something matters, and the debrief quotes your exact words, so you can see where a filler could have been a phrase.
Frequently asked questions
Is it unprofessional to say “Let me think”?
No. It shows you are considering the question, not reciting. The problem is using it before every answer. Use it for the two or three hardest questions and answer the easy ones directly.
How long can I pause before answering?
Three to five seconds is normal after a buying-time phrase. Without a phrase, silence over three seconds can feel uncomfortable. The phrase tells the interviewer you are thinking, so the pause feels intentional.
What if I don’t understand the question even after they repeat it?
Ask them to rephrase instead of repeat: “Could you put that another way?” Or check one part: “Do you mean how I managed the budget?” Rephrasing usually uses different words, which helps.
Is it OK to say “I don’t know” in an interview?
Yes, if you add a next step. “I don’t know that tool, but I’ve used a similar one, and I’d learn it quickly” is honest and useful. “I don’t know” on its own ends the conversation.