Make appointment 2

Being able to make, change and cancel appointments is an important skill in business English. Here are some expressions you can use to do this concisely and clearly.

Asking for an appointment

(formal situations)
I would like to arrange an appointment to discuss….
Please would you indicate a suitable time and place to meet?

(neutral)
Would it be possible to meet on (date) at your / our offices to discuss…?

(informal)
Can we meet (up) to talk about…?

Suggesting a time

(neutral)
Would Tuesday suit you?
Would you be available on Tuesday?

(informal)
What about…?
Let's say…

Agreeing to an appointment

(formal)
Thank you for your email. I would be available to discuss…. on (date) at (time and place)

(neutral / informal)
Tuesday sounds fine. Shall we say around (time) at (place)?

Saying a time is not convenient

(formal)
Unfortunately, I will be away on business during the week of July 6 – 11, so I will be unable to meet you then. However, if you were available in the following week, I would be glad to arrange a meeting with you.

I will be out of the office on Wednesday and Thursday, but I will be available on Friday afternoon.

Cancelling an appointment

(formal)
Unfortunately, due to some unforeseen business, I will be unable to keep our appointment for tomorrow afternoon.

Would it be possible to arrange another time later in the week?

(neutral)
I’m afraid that I have to cancel our meeting on Wednesday, as something unexpected has come up.

Would you be free to meet early next week?

Apologising

I apologise for any inconvenience. (formal)
I'm sorry about cancelling. (informal)

Asking for confirmation

Please confirm if this date and time is suitable / convenient for you. (neutral)
Can you let me know if this is OK for you? (informal)

Writing to someone you don't know

If you don't know the person, you'll need to give some background information about yourself or your company.

I am… and I would be interested to meet you to discuss…

I would be grateful if you could indicate a convenient time to meet during this week.

I look forward to hearing from you.