Do you lose your train of thought often?
This is natural and happens often in everyday conversations.
It can create awkwardness for everyone involved!
Today Lindsay and Aubrey share how you can recover when you’ve lost your train of thought in a conversation.
Find out what to do when this happens to maintain a great connection.
Losing one’s train of thought
Lindsay and Aubrey share that they both lose their train of thought in conversations.
When you have a lot going on, you can easily forget what you were thinking or talking about.
Today’s episode is inspired by a student who asked what to say when you can’t remember what you were saying.
- lose one’s train of thought: to forget what you were saying or thinking, usually because of a distraction or interruption.
This can feel embarrassing, but there are natural, friendly ways to recover when it happens.
You need phrases that will help you avoid an awkward pause or silence.
Jog your memory
It’s really important to know what to do next when you lose your train of thought.
A good strategy is to say something that prompts your speaking partner to jog your memory.
- jog one’s memory: to help someone remember something
Here are a few phrases with short roleplays.
These will help you pick a conversation back up when you lose your train of thought.
#1: What was I saying?
You can ask someone if they remember the last thing you said to jog your memory.
Mini roleplay:
In this scenario, Lindsay and Aubrey are friends talking about weekend plans
Aubrey: So I was thinking we could try that new rooftop place downtown. They have live music on Saturdays.
Lindsay: Oh, that sounds fun. Do they serve food too?
Aubrey: Yeah, small plates, I think. And… wait, what was I saying?
Lindsay: You were talking about the food at the rooftop place. Small plates?
Aubrey: Right! And they have tapas and amazing cocktails. We should totally check it out.
#2: Where was I?
This phrase is used to buy time to gather your thoughts and try to continue where you left off.
Mini roleplay:
In this scenario, Aubrey and Lindsay are coworkers.
Aubrey is telling Lindsay about something that happened at work.
Aubrey: So anyway, I walked into the meeting late because the elevator stopped on every single floor. I finally got in, and guess what? My boss is already looking annoyed, and then… Oh! I just spilled my coffee.
Lindsay: Oh, here are some napkins.
Aubrey: Thank you! Sorry about that. Where was I?
Lindsay: You were saying your boss looked annoyed when you walked into the meeting?
Aubrey: Right! So I walk in, and then he asks me to present… without any warning!
These also highlight the importance of listening.
You never know when someone will lose their train of thought and you’ll need to remind them what they said last.
You also need a strategy in case they don’t remember either or what they say doesn’t jog your memory.
#3: Never mind, it’ll come back to me
You can use this expression to move on to a new topic smoothly.
This helps you avoid awkwardness about losing your train of thought.
Mini roleplay:
In this scenario, Lindsay and Aubrey are friends who used to be roommates.
Aubrey: So I was telling you about how I ran into Mr. Lawson at the grocery store – he was our neighbor when we lived on Juniper. Do you remember him?
Lindsay: Vaguely. Didn’t he always wear that bow tie?
Aubrey: Yes! That’s him. Anyway, he started telling me about… sorry I started thinking about those other neighbors we had when we lived there. Where was I?
Lindsay: Um… something about…
Aubrey: Never mind, it’ll come back to me. Can you believe it’s been 15 years since we moved?
Takeaway
It’s a key moment for maintaining connection when someone loses their train of thought.
You don’t want to freeze or feel awkward after forgetting what you were about to say.
Instead, save the connection by asking for a reminder or shift to a new topic.
Today’s simple phrases help the conversation keep flowing without any uncomfortable silence.
You can check out other episodes from All Ears English that will help you keep having good conversations and strong connections.
Try listening to AEE: Grammar Mistake or False Start? to learn how you can address common grammar mistakes.
What are other conversation mishaps that you want to learn to recover from?
Let us know in the comments below.
