[General] he is not in his seat

[vishalinit]

Hi,

I want to tell someone (over phone) that Mr X is not in his seat.

Can I use: He is not in his seat.

Is there any better sentence...

 

[Barb_D]

To say that someone is "not in his seat" suggests that the person is required, or at least expected, to be seated. For example, a teacher may get annoyed if a child is not in his seat at school. It's not likely you need to tell someone on the phone that someone is not sitting down when he is supposed to be.

In contrast, in American business, you could say "He's not at his desk right now." He may be in a meeting, home sick that day, getting a cup of coffee, or picking up something from the printer. You don't know where he is, but you can see that he's not at his desk/work station. Where I've worked, it's common to leave your phone message as "I'm not at my desk right now, so please leave a message and..."

However, a generic thing to say is "He's not here at the moment."

 

[Tullia]

In contrast, in American business, you could say "He's not at his desk right now."

^ Just to add that this is perfectly natural and commonly used in Br Eng as well

You could also describe him as "away from his desk"; I hear that a lot.