Sorry to keep you waiting. I'm afraid Mr. Jones isn't here right now. Would you like to leave a message?

Sorry to keep you waiting. I'm afraid Mr. Jones isn't here right now. Would you like to leave a message?

• You are trying to speak to Mr. Jones on the telephone.
• The secretary has told you that s/he will check to see if he's at work and can speak to you.
• Sorry to keep you waiting. You had to wait for a minute… this is how you apologise / say sorry for that.
• I'm afraid… This is a strange expression which is not related to fear.
• It's just an expression meaning I'm sorry to have to tell you that…
• Isn't here right now. He is not in his office at the moment.
• Would you like to leave a message? This sentence means: Would you like to tell me something which I will then write down on a piece of paper and put on Mr. Jones' desk?