Writing · Free lesson
TOEIC email practice: suggest another meeting time
I can’t make it answers only half of a scheduling problem. If you know another time you can attend, give the recipient a concrete option to respond to.
Professor Scott MendozaThe short answer
State the conflict briefly, offer a specific time and ask whether it works: I’m unavailable on Tuesday at 10 a.m. Would Thursday at 2 p.m. work for you? A suggested time is not confirmed until the other person agrees.
Offer a time; do not announce an agreement you do not have.
Use unavailable to state that you cannot attend the proposed slot. Then name a day and time you can actually offer. Would Thursday at 2 p.m. work for you? asks whether that option is convenient. Here work means fit someone’s schedule, not perform a job. End with a request to confirm if the alternative suits them.
Compare the examples
I’m unavailable on Tuesday at 10 a.m.
Would Thursday at 2 p.m. work for you?
Please let me know if that time is convenient.
On introduces a day and at introduces a clock time: on Thursday at 2 p.m. If the week or time zone is not shared, include a date or an agreed time zone. Do not assume your 2 p.m. is their 2 p.m.
Build the meaning step by step
Name the unavailable slot
I’m unavailable on Tuesday at 10 a.m.
Offer an available slot
I could meet on Thursday at 2 p.m.
Invite a reply
Would that time work for you?
Try it now
Choose a useful scheduling reply
Read all answers and explanations
Both people mean this week and use the same time zone. Which alternative is most precise?
Would Thursday at 2 p.m. work for you?The first gives a day and clock time. Later and another day leave the proposed slot unclear.
You can meet Thursday, but the recipient has not agreed. Which sentence keeps that status accurate?
Would Thursday work for you?A question proposes the time. Confirmed and as agreed invent acceptance.
What does work for you mean in Would 2 p.m. work for you?
Be convenient for youIt asks whether the proposed time fits the recipient’s schedule.
Put it into practice
Turn a refusal into a workable proposal
Morgan proposes Tuesday at 10 a.m. You cannot attend then but are available Thursday at 2 p.m. Both of you mean this week and the same time zone. Morgan has not agreed to Thursday.
I can’t meet then.
See a model answer
I’m unavailable on Tuesday at 10 a.m. Would Thursday at 2 p.m. work for you?
Other polite questions can work, such as Could we meet on Thursday at 2 p.m.? Preserve the same facts and leave room for a reply.
A little more clarity
Common questions
A few useful details before you move on.
Must I explain my whole schedule?
No. A brief relevant reason may help, but unnecessary private detail is not required. If a task explicitly asks for a reason, include one that fits its facts.
I’m unavailable then, but I could meet on Thursday.
When can I call the new time confirmed?
When the relevant people have actually agreed. Your own availability is only one part of the agreement.
Thanks for confirming. Thursday at 2 p.m. works for both of us.
Take it into your day
A useful alternative is specific, genuinely available and still open to agreement.
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