How to say what you mean

Being completely exhausted

wiped outrunning on fumesburned outmy social battery is dead

Being extremely busy / having no free time

swampedslammedsnowed underup to my ears

Being in a difficult or stuck situation

in a bindin a jamin a picklebetween a rock and a hard place

Being reluctant to say no

people-pleasercan't say nohave a hard time saying notoo nice for your own good

Feeling overwhelmed

overwhelmedsnowed underdrowning in worktoo much on my plate

Saying I'm confused

I'm a bit confusedI'm not followingcan you clarify?I'm lost

Saying I'm disappointed

I'm disappointedthat's a shameI was hoping for betterit's a letdown

Saying I'm excited

I'm excitedI can't waitI'm looking forward to itI'm pumped

Saying I'm nervous

I'm nervousI've got butterfliesI'm anxiousI'm on edge

Saying I'm relieved

I'm relievedwhat a reliefthat's a weight off my mindI can breathe again

Changing my mind

I've changed my mindon second thoughtI've had a rethinkI'm leaning the other way now

Giving up too easily

give up too easilythrow in the towelquit at the first hurdlelose heart

Making a quick decision on the spot

think on your feetmake a snap decisionon the spotwing it

Procrastinating / putting things off

procrastinateput offdrag your feetstall

Saying I forgot

it slipped my mindI forgotI totally blankedI lost track of time

Saying I'm running late

I'm running lateI'm a bit behind scheduleI'm on my wayI'll be there in...

That's too expensive

it's a bit priceyout of my budgetmore than I wanted to spenda rip-off

Trying to save money

on a budgetcut back ontighten my beltsave up

Annoyed but staying polite

I'm a little frustratedI'm not thrilled about thisthis is frustratingI'm disappointed

Asking for clarification

could you clarify that?what do you mean by...?can you be more specific?just so I understand

Asking for help

could you give me a hand?could you help me with...?can I ask you a favor?I'm stuck on...

Asking someone to repeat

could you say that again?sorry, what was that?could you repeat that?I didn't catch that

Being honest and direct with someone

be straight with youupfrontcall it like it isspeak your mind

I'm busy, not ignoring you

I'm not ignoring youI've been swampedI'll reply properly latertoday got away from me

Calming someone down when they're upset

talk someone downcalm someone downreassuresoothe

Checking understanding

does that make sense?are we on the same page?is that clear?do you see what I mean?

Describing a bad idea politely

I'm not sure that's the best ideaI see a few risksthat might backfireI'm not convinced

Disagreeing politely

I see it differentlyI'm not sure I agreeI have a different takethat's a fair point, but...

Encouraging someone

you've got thisyou can do thisI'm rooting for youkeep going

Ending a conversation politely

I should let you goI won't keep youI'd better get goinglet's catch up soon

Giving a compliment

you did a great jobthat was impressivenice workyou handled that well

Giving your opinion softly

I think...I'd say...to me,...it seems like...

I don't want to be rude, but...

I don't mean to be rude, but...with respectto be honestI hate to say it, but...

Needing more time

I need a bit more timelet me think about itcan I get back to you?I need to sleep on it

Needing space

I need some spaceI need some time to myselfI need a breatherI need to step back

Not being interested

I'm not really interestedit's not really my thingI'll passI'm going to sit this one out

Rescheduling plans

can we reschedule?can we move it to...?something came uprain check?

Bumping into someone you haven't seen in years

run intobump intohaven't seen you in agessmall world

Saying I agree

I agreeexactlyI couldn't agree morethat's a good point

Saying I don't know

I'm not sureI have no ideaI'm not the best person to askI'll find out

Saying I understand

I get itI see what you meanthat makes senseI understand

Saying I'm impressed

I'm impressedthat's impressivenice workyou nailed it

Saying I'm not sure

I'm not sureI'm not convincedI'm on the fencemaybe

Saying I'm proud of you

I'm proud of youyou should be proud of yourselfI'm so happy for youyou earned it

Saying no politely

I'm afraid I can'tI can't, unfortunatelyI'll have to passthat won't work for me

Sorry for the late reply

sorry for the late replythanks for your patiencesorry, I missed thisI meant to reply sooner

Showing sympathy

I'm sorry you're going through thatthat sounds really hardI'm here if you need anythingI'm sorry to hear that

Softening a request

could you possibly...?would you mind...?when you get a chanceif it's not too much trouble

Describing someone very sure of themselves

confidentself-assuredcockyarrogant

Describing a thin person: slim vs. skinny

slimskinnythinlean