Funerals and condolences
Know what to say when someone dies, and what to expect.
I'm so sorry for your loss. He was a lovely man.
Computer voice · not a real clip
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All 15 phrases
What to say7
- I'm so sorry for your lossThe safe, standard condolence.
- I was so sorry to hear about your dadMore personal.
- Thinking of youShort, warm message for texts or cards.
- How are you holding up?Gentle check-in in the weeks after.
- He'll be sadly missedTraditional line for cards, eulogies and conversation.
- He had a good inningsA cricket phrase meaning they lived a long life.
- I didn't know what to say, but I wanted you to know I'm thinking of youHonest and kind.
Offering help1
When you've lost someone2
Funeral customs5
- Is it a burial or a cremation?Practical question.
- Family flowers only. Donations to the hospice insteadDon't send flowers.
- Are we wearing black, or have they asked for colours?Black is traditional, but some families ask for bright colours or a football shirt.
- Are you coming back to the house after?The gathering after the funeral, also called the wake, at a home, pub or hall.
- It's more of a celebration of lifeA less formal service focused on happy memories.
Check yourself15 questions
Question 1 of 15
Where does this work?
More packs
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- How Brits say how they feelEveryday words for tired, happy, fed up and ill.
- Office small talkThe kitchen and lift chat you'll have every working day.
About this pack
- Price
- Free
- Account
- Not needed, saved on this device
- Reviews
- 1, 3, 7, 14 and 30 days later
- Moments
- 1 of 15 phrases have a clip
- Sources
Picked by Talk, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Phrases
- Picked by Talk.
- How Talk picked them
- Part of Talk's themed British life packs. Talk wrote each phrase with what it really means, when to say it, what not to say instead and one quiz question. A phrase gets a moment only if Talk's spoken videos say it with the same meaning. One review picked each moment, and a second tried to reject it. This pack holds 15 phrases.
- Licence
- Talk shares this list under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Meanings and examples
- Written by Talk in plain English.
- Dictionary details
- From Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Princeton WordNet, used under the WordNet licence. WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
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