It took me half an hour to rech to the bank representative.

[tufguy]

It took me half an hour to rech to the bank representative. I remained on hold for about half an hour before I talked to someone in the credit card department.

Please check my sentences.

Do we need to say "It took me half an hour to reach to someone over the phone"?

Do we need to use the same structure when we are talking about a place like "It took me half an hour to reach to his home" or "It took me one hour to reach to the post office"?

 

[tedmc]

It took me half an hour to reach [STRIKE]to[/STRIKE] the bank representative on the phone. I[STRIKE] remained [/STRIKE] was put on hold for about half an hour before I talked to someone in the credit card department.

Please check my sentences.

Do we need to say "It took me half an hour to reach [STRIKE]to[/STRIKE] someone over the phone"? No, omit the preposition.

Do we need to use the same structure when we are talking about a place like "It took me half an hour to reach [STRIKE]to[/STRIKE] his home" or "It took me one hour to reach [STRIKE]to[/STRIKE] the post office"? You say you reach a place/someone. Why do you want to add a preposition there?

.

 

[Tdol]

Nope- you reach people and places, If you reach out to someone, you are friendly towards them when they need emotional support.

 

[tufguy]

.

Do I still need to say "I was put on hold" if no-one actually put me on hold?

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Do I still need to say "I was put on hold" if no-one actually put me on hold?

That's an interesting question.

If someone puts you on hold, you can say you were put on hold. If it was automated, you can just say you were on hold.

But we also often use "they" in a generalized sense, not referring to anyone in particular. so you could say that they put you on hold, regardless of whether a person did it.

 

[emsr2d2]

I would probably use "on hold" only if you spoke to someone first and then they put you on hold. If you rang and were met with a recorded message of some kind before having to wait to talk to someone, I'd say that you were "in a queue for half an hour before managing to speak to someone". We don't just use "queue" for physically standing in a queue. Quite frequently, a recorded/automated voice on the phone will say something like "Thank you for waiting. You are currently number fifteen in the queue".

 

[tufguy]

I would probably use "on hold" only if you spoke to someone first and then they put you on hold. If you rang and were met with a recorded message of some kind before having to wait to talk to someone, I'd say that you were "in a queue for half an hour before managing to speak to someone". We don't just use "queue" for physically standing in a queue. Quite frequently, a recorded/automated voice on the phone will say something like "Thank you for waiting. You are currently number fifteen in the queue".

If there was no queue then what do we need to say?

 

[5jj]

If there was no queue then what do we need to say?

Do you need to say anything?

 

[Tdol]

If there was no queue then what do we need to say?

Then you would get through without waiting.

 

[emsr2d2]

If there was no queue then what do we need to say?

If there was no queue to talk to someone, why were you waiting for half an hour? Did you talk to someone first and then have to wait half an hour for them to put you through to someone in the credit card department? If that's the case, they must have put you on hold for half an hour.

 

[tufguy]

If there was no queue to talk to someone, why were you waiting for half an hour? Did you talk to someone first and then have to wait half an hour for them to put you through to someone in the credit card department? If that's the case, they must have put you on hold for half an hour.

No as soon as the call went through I had to wait. Not for half an hour just for a minute or two( half an hour was just for the sentence to make you understand what I wanted to say) but nobody put me on hold neither was I in queue. Do I need to say " I was on hold for a few minutes"?

 

[tedmc]

You are said to be "put on hold" (left to wait) if you are left waiting, regardless of whether it is due to the operator or the receiver.

 

[emsr2d2]

No as soon as the call went through I had to wait. Not for half an hour just for a minute or two( half an hour was just for the sentence to make you understand what I wanted to say) but nobody put me on hold neither was I in queue. Do I need to say " I was on hold for a few minutes"?

What do you mean by "the call went through"? Do you mean that the phone rang for a minute or two before someone answered?

You completely confused the issue by claiming it was half an hour in post #1.

 

[tufguy]

What do you mean by "the call went through"? Do you mean that the phone rang for a minute or two before someone answered?

You completely confused the issue by claiming it was half an hour in post #1.

No I heard the music for a minute and then they answered.

 

[emsr2d2]

I was on hold for a minute before I got to speak to someone.
I was in a queue for a minute before I got to speak to someone.

 

[Tdol]

Given the usual waiting times, I would say that I was only on hold for a minute.