BuyingTime
Fillers & thinking phrases for fluent conversation
CEFR Pathway · You are here
Warm-up · Section 1
5 minGet talking
When was the last time you didn't know how to answer in English? What did you do?
What word do you say in your own language when you're thinking? (eh… em… pues…)
Talk for 30 seconds about your weekend — DO NOT stop, even if you have to say 'well… let me think…'.
Grammar focus · Section 2
8–10 minFillers & thinking phrases — the fluency toolkit
Native speakers pause constantly — they just fill the pause with words.
→ Well… I think it depends.
→ That's a good question. Let me think.
→ How can I put it… it's like a small café but bigger.
→ Actually, you know what, I changed my mind.
More detail
Use SHORT fillers (well, so, right, actually) for tiny pauses, and LONGER thinking phrases (that's a good question, let me think, how can I put it…) for bigger ones. Goal: never go silent. Silence sounds like 'I don't know'. A filler sounds like 'I'm thinking'.
Question 1.Best filler for a SHORT pause?
Question 2.Polite way to ask for thinking time?
Question 3.Which means 'I'm searching for the word'?
Question 4.Which is NOT a filler?
Question 5.'Actually' often signals…
Vocabulary · Section 3
5–7 minWords & phrases to own
Don't just read these — say one out loud, then use it about your life.
well…
small thinking pause
"Well… it's complicated."
Try using 'well' before your next answer.
let me think
ask for thinking time
"Let me think for a second."
Use it before answering a hard question.
that's a good question
buy time + sound positive
"That's a good question — I've never thought about it."
Reply to your partner with this.
how can I put it…
searching for the right words
"It's, how can I put it, a kind of festival."
Describe something you don't know the word for.
you know what I mean?
check the listener follows
"It was strange, you know what I mean?"
End your next sentence with this.
I mean…
rephrase or clarify
"I love it. I mean, I really love it."
Use it to upgrade a flat sentence.
Discuss with a partner
- →Tell your partner about a difficult decision, using at least 3 fillers.
- →Describe your job — but pretend you've forgotten 2 key words.
Finish the sentence about you
- Well… honestly… …
- That's a good question. Let me think. …
- It's, how can I put it… …
Pronunciation · Section 4
3–4 minFiller intonation — flat & low, not stressed
- • well… (low, soft)
- • let-me-think (one chunk)
- • how-can-I-put-it…
- • you know what I mean?
How to say it
Fillers should be LOW and FLAT, almost mumbled. Stress them and you sound robotic ('WELL!'). Drop the pitch ('well…') and you sound natural. Practise saying 'well' on a downward sigh, then 'let me think' as one quick murmur, not three separate words.
Reading · Section 5
8–10 minWhy silence sounds worse than 'um'
When I started teaching, I told students to remove 'um' and 'er' from their English. I was wrong. Research on real conversations shows fluent speakers pause just as much as learners — they just fill the pauses with sound. A two-second silence sounds like 'I don't know the answer.' Two seconds of 'well… let me think…' sounds like 'I'm choosing my words.' The difference is huge. The trick is range: have a SHORT filler ready (well, so, right), a MEDIUM one (let me think), and a LONG one (that's a really good question — I'd say…). Practise them out loud until they come out automatically, even before your brain has the answer ready. That tiny half-second buys you the time you need.
Question 1.What does silence sound like?
Question 2.What is the trick?
Question 3.How long can a 'long' filler buy you?
Q1.The writer used to tell students to remove 'um'.
Q2.Fluent speakers never pause.
Q3.Fillers should be practised until automatic.
Listening · Section 6
8–10 minA natural answer with fillers
Listening audio
Tap play to listen. Replay as many times as you need.
Show transcript
Interviewer:So, tell me — what's the biggest challenge in your job?
Candidate:Well… that's a good question. Let me think for a second.
Interviewer:Take your time.
Candidate:I'd say it's, how can I put it, balancing speed and quality, you know what I mean?
Interviewer:Can you give me an example?
Candidate:Yeah, so, last month — actually, last quarter — we had a launch with a really tight deadline.
Interviewer:And how did you handle it?
Candidate:Well, I mean, we had to cut some features, but the core experience was solid. I'd say we got the balance right.
Question 1.What does the candidate say first?
Question 2.When did the launch happen?
Question 3.What was cut?
Exam skills · Section 7
5 minCambridge PET Speaking — buying time naturally
Task
Answer an unexpected question without going silent for more than 2 seconds.
Strategy
When the examiner asks something hard, NEVER freeze. Use the 3-step toolkit: (1) short filler ('Well…'), (2) thinking phrase ('that's a good question'), (3) opener ('I'd say…'). This buys 3–4 seconds — enough to plan your answer. Examiners reward this; silence loses marks.
Example
Q: 'What would you change about your city?' A: 'Well… that's a good question. Let me think. I'd say… probably the traffic. I mean, it takes me an hour to get to work, you know what I mean?'
Practice · Section 8
8–10 minFill in the blank
Question 1.____ … that's a good question.
Question 2.Let me ____ for a second.
Question 3.It's, how can I ____ it…
Question 4.You know what I ____?
Question 5.I ____ , it's complicated.
Q1.Filler before a hard answer:
Q2.Asking for thinking time:
Q3.Searching for a word:
Writing · Section 9
5 minPut it in writing
Your task
Write a 120-word transcript of a TV interview answer, including at least 5 different fillers / thinking phrases. The answer should sound natural, not scripted.
Show model answer
INTERVIEWER: What's the secret of your success? CANDIDATE: Well… that's a great question. Let me think. I'd say it's, how can I put it, a mix of luck and hard work, you know what I mean? I mean, of course, talent matters, but actually most days I just show up and try things. Yeah, so, I'd say if you ask my team, they'd probably say I'm just stubborn. (laughs) But honestly, that's the truth — I just don't give up.
Speaking · Section 10
10–15 minMake it a real conversation
TIME-BUYER ROULETTE · Pairs. A asks a hard 'opinion' question ('What would you change about education?'). B MUST start with a filler + thinking phrase before answering. Swap roles every 60 seconds. Goal: never go silent.
Useful phrases
- • Well… that's a good question.
- • Let me think for a second.
- • How can I put it…
- • I'd say… probably…
- • You know what I mean?
- • Actually, I mean…
- AWhat's your biggest weakness?
- B_______________
- ACan you describe your hometown?
- B_______________
Optional · Teacher-led
Teacher Activities
Push fluency without grammar correction — reward time-buying. ~30 min total
Homework · Section 11
Take-homeTake it home
Record a 2-minute voice note answering 'What would you change about your country?' — use at least 6 fillers.
Watch a 5-minute English interview; count every filler.
Write 5 sentences with 'how can I put it' / 'you know what I mean'.
Recap · Section 12
2–3 minWhat you've learned
- Silence sounds like 'I don't know'. Fillers sound like 'I'm thinking'.
- Short: well, so, right, actually.
- Medium: let me think, you know what I mean.
- Long: that's a good question, how can I put it…
- Practise until automatic — they should come BEFORE the brain has the answer.