100 English Chat Phrases Native Speakers Actually Use

Whether you’re texting friends, joining online discussions, or chatting with colleagues, knowing the right English phrases makes all the difference. This guide covers 100 essential chat phrases organized by situation, helping you communicate naturally and confidently.

Greetings and Farewells

Start and end your conversations naturally with these common phrases.

1. Hey, what’s up? — Casual greeting asking what someone is doing
2. How’s it going? — Friendly way to ask how someone is
3. Long time no see! — When you haven’t seen someone in a while
4. What have you been up to? — Asking about recent activities
5. Good to hear from you! — When someone reaches out after some time
6. Take care! — Friendly farewell
7. Catch you later! — Informal goodbye
8. Talk soon! — Promise to continue the conversation later
9. Gotta run! — Need to leave quickly
10. Have a good one! — Casual way to say goodbye

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Making Small Talk

Keep conversations flowing with these icebreakers and casual topics.

11. How was your weekend? — Monday conversation starter
12. What do you do for a living? — Asking about someone’s job
13. Have you seen any good movies lately? — Easy topic to discuss
14. How’s the weather over there? — Universal small talk topic
15. Did you catch the game last night? — Sports conversation starter
16. Any plans for the holidays? — Seasonal conversation topic
17. That’s so cool! — Showing enthusiasm
18. No way! — Expressing surprise
19. I totally get that. — Showing understanding
20. Same here! — Agreeing with someone’s experience
21. Tell me about it! — Strongly relating to what someone said
22. You won’t believe this… — Building up to an interesting story
23. Speaking of which… — Transitioning to a related topic
24. By the way… — Introducing a new but related point
25. So, anyway… — Getting back to the main topic

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Expressing Opinions

Share your thoughts clearly and naturally.

26. I think… — Basic opinion expression
27. In my opinion… — Slightly more formal opinion marker
28. If you ask me… — Offering unsolicited advice or opinion
29. The way I see it… — Personal perspective on a situation
30. I’d say… — Tentative opinion
31. To be honest… — Being candid about feelings
32. Honestly speaking… — Emphasizing truthfulness
33. I feel like… — Expressing a feeling or intuition
34. I’m not sure, but… — Offering an uncertain opinion
35. From my experience… — Opinion based on personal experience

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Agreeing and Disagreeing

Navigate different viewpoints politely.

Agreeing

36. Exactly! — Strong agreement
37. You’re absolutely right. — Complete agreement
38. I couldn’t agree more. — Emphatic agreement
39. That’s exactly what I was thinking. — Sharing the same thought
40. You’ve got a point there. — Acknowledging a valid argument
41. Fair enough. — Accepting someone’s reasoning
42. Makes sense. — Understanding and agreeing
43. I’m with you on that. — Supporting someone’s position
44. 100%! — Total agreement (informal)
45. Yep, totally! — Casual strong agreement

Disagreeing

46. I see what you mean, but… — Polite disagreement
47. I’m not so sure about that. — Gentle disagreement
48. I beg to differ. — Formal disagreement
49. That’s not how I see it. — Different perspective
50. I get where you’re coming from, but… — Acknowledging then disagreeing

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Asking for Clarification

Make sure you understand correctly.

51. What do you mean by that? — Asking for explanation
52. Could you say that again? — Requesting repetition
53. I’m not following you. — Expressing confusion
54. Can you give me an example? — Asking for illustration
55. What exactly are you referring to? — Seeking specifics
56. Sorry, I didn’t catch that. — Missing something said
57. Just to be clear… — Confirming understanding
58. So you’re saying… — Paraphrasing for confirmation
59. Am I understanding correctly that…? — Verifying comprehension
60. Let me make sure I got this right. — Double-checking understanding

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Showing Interest and Reactions

Keep the other person engaged with active responses.

61. Really? — Showing surprise or interest
62. That’s interesting! — Expressing genuine interest
63. Wow! — Amazement
64. No kidding! — Surprise (informal)
65. You’re kidding me! — Disbelief
66. That’s amazing! — Strong positive reaction
67. I had no idea! — Learning something new
68. Go on… — Encouraging someone to continue
69. Tell me more! — Wanting additional details
70. And then what happened? — Showing engagement in a story
71. That’s crazy! — Expressing disbelief
72. I can’t believe it! — Strong disbelief
73. Right? — Seeking agreement
74. Oh really? — Mild surprise or interest
75. Gotcha. — Understanding (informal)

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Making Suggestions

Offer ideas and recommendations politely.

76. How about…? — Casual suggestion
77. Why don’t we…? — Proposing an action
78. Have you thought about…? — Gentle suggestion
79. Maybe we could… — Tentative proposal
80. What if we…? — Exploring possibilities
81. I’d recommend… — Offering advice
82. You should try… — Direct suggestion
83. It might be worth… — Subtle recommendation
84. Just a thought, but… — Humble suggestion
85. Here’s an idea… — Introducing a proposal

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Apologizing and Thanking

Express gratitude and make amends gracefully.

Apologizing

86. My bad! — Casual apology
87. Sorry about that. — General apology
88. I didn’t mean to… — Explaining unintended action
89. I apologize for… — More formal apology
90. That was my fault. — Taking responsibility

Thanking

91. Thanks a lot! — Warm thanks
92. I really appreciate it. — Sincere gratitude
93. That’s so kind of you! — Acknowledging kindness
94. You’re the best! — Enthusiastic thanks
95. I owe you one! — Promising to return the favor

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Ending Conversations

Wrap up chats gracefully and naturally.

96. It was nice chatting with you! — Pleasant conversation ending
97. I should get going. — Signaling departure
98. Let’s catch up again soon. — Planning future conversation
99. I’ll let you get back to it. — Polite exit when someone is busy
100. Talk to you later! — Casual sign-off

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Pro Tips for Using Chat Phrases

Match the Formality Level

Choose phrases that fit your relationship. Use casual expressions like “What’s up?” with friends, and more polite phrases like “How are you doing?” in professional settings.

Pay Attention to Context

Some phrases work better in text conversations than spoken ones. “LOL” fits texting perfectly but sounds awkward when said aloud.

Practice Active Listening

Phrases like “Go on…” and “Tell me more!” show you’re genuinely engaged. People appreciate feeling heard.

Don’t Overuse Filler Phrases

While phrases like “Honestly speaking…” add authenticity, using them in every sentence dilutes their impact.

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Conclusion

Mastering these 100 chat phrases will help you navigate English conversations with confidence. Start by practicing a few phrases at a time, and gradually incorporate more into your daily communication. The key is consistency—the more you use them, the more natural they’ll become.

Ready to practice? Pick 5 phrases from this list and try using them in your next conversation. You’ll be surprised how quickly they become second nature.